u
'IS-'
..
1
E C. HICKQg, Editor.
0. N. WOBDEN, Printer.
LEWISBURG, UNION CO., PA., JANUARY 9, J 851.
( Volume VH, Pmnttr 44.
I . Whole number 356.
SBURG
LEW
C
OLE
a nirT rmiti joiaxaL.
luued on Wednetday vwrningi lit LewUburg,
Union county, Pennsylvania.
TERMS. .1.S V vr- T eah actually ,n
1,:A, n" paid witton tli.-o month-: $',Wf paitwilliina
i.r; :f a-t paid hof.r.' t.'ie Tenreiuir.: 5 cent
tV numb ts. urcrtptun lor aix inonui. r
la pa 4 in advane. Dinrmit. nuaiim orti"nl with ,he
rarllaher. eaepl wh.-n the vw ia paid up.
AdTrtiJmcT:1 hn.d5..oi-lf inf rtl at S wnli r"
Him. one week. $1 four w.-ek. I- year : two .qunr, . I
7! - . ?7. - ... . ..... M.mrt'l adt.-rtu- i
M wr iuu "... .
nu. not .ljiz one fourth ufae-.liuun. fi.
JOB WORK and eiioiial .!Tr;aiunl to be paw
wan handed in nrd.!!.::!. , , . . ,
CommnniraiiOTS s..lirf:l m 1.3 .eta oT general
y ureet nut within Um wsr ef p. " or tarn .nllj
VI letter, inurt e.,m po.1-I aid. wmi'tuued hy '' a
drex of the wri.r, V r-i attention. lli-i-latinl
.i-lu.ielv to the Editorial JVrrtni.-nt. to be
.!in-led to HivT '('. Uu-K'.t. K.. fiinVw wl th.we on
rusiuus to . N. Wou.cn. "uUitlrr.
WOO on Market iUt, betw.rn S-. nd and Third, over
U rW-OfSea. O. S. .VOMiK.V Proprietor.
ORIGINAL NARRATIVE.
Notes of a Seven Months' Journey to
CALIFORNIA,
171 IVRT FM1TIT. SJTA FK. OIL A BIYKK, Afil ,
JUL TILE LAKES.
' "
rVa tk rrtrate Journal kopt by
VS. H. CUAMBEHLIN, IT Lwrnm.. P.. j
CONTIM'ED.
Fridy, June 1. Crossed the stream,
nod ascended a long sloping hill, surrounded
on all sidei by a rough, mountainous
country. The grass in the small val'.ies,
is very short, oin to the vast amoun! of
stock that is grazed here. Passed through
larjie herds of cattle and e'. At the
top of the hill, we found a small, col
prin, gushing up from the rocks, the
water slightly impregnated with sulphur;
Wily afterwards, came to a " fork" in
nr mnil. Hero we cre in a dilemma.
not knowing wh:ch to pnrue ; after sev- j
eral hours delay, we concluded to " go it j
blind." Encamped on a small plain ; !
J,inJ a sin til pool f wa'er about a mile j
Vro:n .".ain,i, but not enou-h for our stock.
There was a shepherd's camp near u, of
whom we procured some of the richest
milk I ever drank, and what a luxury.
They inform us thit we are within a Tew
in.lesof San Miguel. D.stunce, 18 miles
7S8.
Saturday, Jan 2. Started early this
morning, in expectation of seeing some
place very soon, but did not reach " town"
until late in the afiernoon ; passed two
Mexican ranches on the way ; if all the
inhabitants of New Mexico live in a similar
manner, they are to be pitied. Their mis
erable mod-dwellings do not compare with
the more comloitable log-cabins of the
colonized Indians, on the border of the
Stales. This country and its inhabitants
are certainly " pretty accessions'' to the
property and influence of Uncle Sam.''
Here we saw a rich sjiecimen of the pack
inj business ; iteverul jaekasses were load
ed with about 4J0 lbs. of corn each, and
driven off to market. Here we also saw
some of the effects of Roman Catholic
missioniry labor, a Mexican woman" had
several fine looking white children clinging
around her ; their father, she said, was an
"Americano missionary," but he had "vam
osed" to the states poor woman !
Before reaching San Miguel, we came
out upon the Santa Fe and Independence
road. It is better limn any M'Adamized
road I ever saw in we .tunics, ucm
smooth, and solid. Crossed Pacos river,
a large tributary of the Rio Grande ; it is
about 30 yds wide, and rapid. The water
s good, and very cold, caused by the snow
melting off the mountains to the north, the
white capped peak of which are in sijtht.
San Miguel is situated on this river. It i&
composed of about 75 adobe hovels, one
story high, all the out buildings (ir they
have any) being within the same walls.
There are aeveral stores or groceries in
the place, their principal business being :
the sale ol inferior liquor, at bit' a
g!a. We encamped near the town ;
there is no grass within miles of the place,
but we were lucky in getting some corn at
Sl.50 per bushel tit is very inferior to the
corn raised in the States. The only land
in the vicinity that can be cultivated, is the
narrow flats along Paces river, and their
it requires irrigation. Walked into town
this evening to " see the sights." Our at
tcntum was soon attracted to a "Fandan
go,'' open to all.and especially to American
emigrants. This was a curiosity to me;
it was certainly a shade (aster than any.
thing of the kind I had ever seen before
a nvdlay of Mexicans and Americans,
dancing upon a ground floor with the
- Murguerettas" of the country, the lace
of each of these, ornamented with a cigar
ret te. Some of their dunces were pretty,
keeping reniatkaUj good time with the
music the gentlemen being obliged to treat
their partners to a glass of wine at the end
of each tell. But the "noise and confu
sion,'' heat, smoke, dust, fumes of liquor,
and the strange lingua," made it sorry
enjoyment for me, and I left the scene of
merriment at an early bour. Distance,
11 miles 600.
Sunday, June 3. Concluded to remain
bere until to-morrow. Purchased some
Mexican bread, which was very good with
one exception, being sour. The Virginia
and Louisiana messes started for Santa Fe
to day- We are anxious to travel with
pack ammals from Santa F ; had an offer
of 3 in u let each fur our wagons, which
we accepted with the privilege of hauling
our baggage to Sunla Fe.fiftv niles distant.
" Attended church' to-diy Catholic, of
course. The building is a large adobe
finished in the most rude style ol ar-hitec-ture,
ihe floor covered with rough hoards
upon which all kneel, having no seats or .
benches. Jhous.mdsolswi.lows were!
flying and "twittering" about the room
during service. The images and puintiugs
were of the most ridiculous design nnd
finish. It is a gloomy edifice throughout,
and well suited to the ignorant minds that
pretended to worship God, alter the man
ner of that sect. It is said the Padre rie-
trauds these poor deluded people out "I
$25,000 a year. Thus it is with their
churches" throughout NVv M xico. It
is amusing to see the country people com
in ir, a or mouoiea on an a,s.
iujociay, June 4 lingagea lo-oiy in
exchanging our trunks, and other things
w e wished to dispose of, lor pack -saddles,
lariats, skins, blankets, nnd other articles
necessary for paeking. I procured a
" mustang poney" for my trunk. This
evening, we heard a sh'jt fired in town.
which waslollowed by a distressing cry
ol -O, LorJ!'' We hurried in, and
found that a cold-blooded murder had been 1
committed. A man named uot l atantiuid
had deliberately shot Joseph Kane. Captain
of a pack-mule Company. There wire
seveial eye witnesses to the deed. lie
lireda Tow ling-piece, at 10 feet distance
two bails entering the back, and coming
out just above the heart. An inquest was
held over the body by 12 Mexicans, who
went about it rather awkwardly, this being
the first case of the kind that had ever
happened under the U. S. Laws. M iles
can be purchased at this place, from
lotlOOeach California gold has affeCeJ
this country also, for before the imigru-
lion commenced, they could have been bu't
for from $ 25 to $40 each.
Tuesday, June 5. Employed as jester-'
day. Bought a Mexican saddle for 25. S;,cks out of tanned buffalo hides, and pur
We are very much annoyed by highiposo pUtlinj, about 200 lbs, weight upon
winds, which blow the sand nil over us. !each mue 7he Mexicans are skilled in
ioto our victuals, 4:c This evening, our liheart ol packing. We employed one to
new mules were brought up- They are go trough with us, at 12 per month. We
small, but we have no doubt a pretty good j nave now 22 head of horses and mules.
bargain. A. large train of wagons has
come up, and encamped near us. All are
anxious to pack, the balance of the way.
A wagon will not command a good mule,
the market being already overstocked with
them. The man with whom we exchanged
designs moving down the Kio Grande into
Old Mexico, not liking the laws of the
United Suites. j
W ednesday, June 6 Struck camp this j
morning, and left for Santa Fe. High
winds, which keep up a constant cloud of
sand in the roads ; the weather very cool,
being in the range of the Rocky mountains,
Encamped on a small rivulet, as clear as
chrystal and as cold as ice, near the village
of Pacos. which is now in ruins. There
was formerly a large church here, and it
was a place of considerable note: the buil-
dings were of adobes, (the timber of cedar,)
some of them apparently three storeys high,
There re a number of very large cisierns
in the place, walled with 6tone, and cemen
ted. This camp furnished no grass lor our
animals. Distance, 25 miles 825.
Thursday, June 7. This morning, one
of our mules was missing ; in searching for
him, I found some bunches of grass, grow
ing beneath the walls of Pacos, which I cut
with my knife, and packed it along in a
blanket. I strayed several miles from the
road, and did not overtake the wagons
until the afternoon. I had been as far as
the Rio Pacos : there is a small but beau-
tiful valley at this point on the liver, with
a number of ranches scattered over it; they
appeared to have a good deal of land tinder
cultivation. Mel the U. S. Mail on the
way to Independence ; they expected to go
through in from 16 to 20 days. I had no
letters written; Musser and Armstrong
were more fortunate, and embraced the
opportunity of sending news to their friends
al home. Our course has been north,
amongst the mountains, the ascent being
very gradual with a good road. Crossed
one pretty high mountain.
The first object that attracted our alien-
lion, as we neared oania re, was mo nnrcr
ican "stars and stripes" floating in ihe
breeze. A descending road into the place,
which is situated in a narrow valley, on a
small stream ol water, sourrounded by an
apparently barren country, and bills of the
samenatuie; in the distance, mountains
towering to the clouds, whose snow-clad
peaks gave nature a chilling appearance,
although the day was very warm. The
sombre appearance of the town of the town.
. . T. . I. A
built entirely of unburnt adobes, the scope
of country, stretching for leagues to the S.
W., and enveloped in haze, inspired us with
rather gloomy sensations; however, we
could not but feel gratified that we bad
reached this important point in our journey.
On entering the place we noticed handbills,
advising emigrants to put up at the United
State Hotel ,for comfort.coiivciiience.gocd
living. OT course this was"somcthin"
to our minds," and we drew up before ihe
"U. S.'' As forcon.fjrl and convenience,
the quartet, i" whic h alt ui : i f us ner
.torcd with our baggage .is n all.ur.clinii-s-d
stable, iiifi-.s'cd with flriis, lit d lej;s,anrt
other vermin, the stench being horrible.
Distance, 5 uiil- s 85t).
Frid.iv, Jun 8. ISoardin-' 1 a-day, i
M ,., Te ealhercom
lortaVe at this p'ace, and the aiinos-i
phere very pure. Fresh meet hung ou; j
in the air will keep sound until nsed.or died I
up. Corn is worth 53 per bushel, and ve
ry scarce. We are ohligTl to purchase !
h iv for our mu'es in small liilleis. narked !
' ,, up-in asses, at the rale cf 6100,00 per
!,. Pmvisims are very rheP, the qiaJr
r m:sttr of ,he ar,ny; (it is said os,
I 000 dur:ng lIie U in er, !v sn .
y- , lkp , ; , hJ , j m
:zient amount of (. averment
stores "con
demned," and was selling them to emi
grants at low rates, although everything
was ol the best quality. We bought good
American flour at 85 per hundred ; bacon
at 12. cts per lb. It was a lucky !
piece of raseali'y for the emigrants. All!
lkinds of merchandize is very low, and
m,j,ieM du!lfU, ,)resent. Competition has
produc..d , .ag,1:t,ion in trade. There are
, .ira(, ,,,nr of store n,l nrerl,.. i,.
,hl. pCe, certainly more lhan will eer
lnaIie fl)rtUnes. 'immense quantities ef!
gol)ds ,at WL.ie ,,rCvented from entering
OIJ Mexico at the close of the war, have!
becn iJr,)t)lt Lack to this placc.completely !
' glutting the market. Having rend i f the
' st wealih nnd trade of Santa Fe, and j
l,he fjrtnes that had been mado here, our
curi(,sity ran high, but we were disappoin-1
,d The app,.arBnC0 and condition of the ;
' do not correspond with its fame. !
Having disposed of our wagons, and not;
fejng anxious l0 remain long in town, wej
' prepartd to pack our provisions and chat-
tels, and employed a man to give us the!
fjrst essoa in the art. We made our !
Saturday June 9. Busily engaged at
weighing, sacking our "traps," and mak
ing preparations to start as soon as possi
ble. The Virginia mess have driven their
stock out into the country to graze.
Sunday, June 10. Santa Fe is a very
immoral place. 1 he population is com'
posej Qf Mexicans, Iudians, and foreigners,
from all parts of the world. The public
SqUare, and gambling houses, are crowded
wj,j, jje lounger, male and female ; the
character of but few of the latter will bear
0 jrtuous test. Several Fandangoes are
j , ru operation all tlie while. The seno- ;
' re,ag are of all castes and sort, from In-j
!djans up io t,e pure Spanish. Some of;
tne Califoruia-lmuod boys enjoy these ,
Sports, and lavish their money freely upon j
Jarnusements. Many of them, however,;
Wl finj lms he ' sticking point ;' the j
j UIlds 0f some have been exhausted in get- j
i ,; thus far, and being obliged to change ,
the mode of travel and renew their stock
of provisions, they can not go on. O.hers
have been induced to deposit what they
had left in the ' monte banks," which are
unsafu.non paying institutions. Some more
prudent than others, have gone to the gold
mines in the vicinity, where they can make
from one to five dollars a day, in hopes of
raising enough to continue their journey.
I saw a specimen of the gold obtained
from these mines; it is in scales.of different
sizes, though generally very email, clean j
and orioht, and is worth 819.50 per oz.
I ; ganta Fe. The place is some forty
; distant.
j jy, mkci is completely overstocked
I;,), wagons but mules are very high,
commanding from SCO to S100 per head,
U, al Fort Smith, rumors are afloat, that
the Apache nnd other Indians are very J
j hostile on our route, and the most of the;
emigrants are in favor ol forming in large J
companies. Our company is about em-.
i pbying Mackintosh, a nau-oreeo inaian,
Sand somewhat noted as a mountaineer ;
j he agrees to guide them through, by .the
Spanish Trail,'' in 60 days, for the sum
of $900- We have again determined, noi
to travel with a large company, let the
consequence be what it will. Saw Mr.
Aubrey, a merchant of this place, the man
that rode from Santa Fe to Independence,
a distance of 800 miles, in 5 days and 10
hours. He i a French Canadian. It ap.
pears that we are yet almost as far from
California as the Fort Smith circulars
made the distance through from that place.
Some of the emigrants are starling north,
to intersect the Independence route ; others
are going by the Spanish Trail, or middle
route ; but the majority take the Southern
route, or those traveled by Kearney, Cook,
61c. ; while a few have already turned
their faces homeward, and more intend
doing to. Money i a very essential arU-
cle in a strange country, and many have j
made short calculations, which no puts
them to great inconvenience. We have!
concluded to go Kearney's route, and fol- i
low his trail, or employ guides if e can'
i4ei i hem from cl.ller lit poin's. J
At 12 o't lock, w- were ready to lash j
on our pucks, which occupied two hours. I
He then started, and after considerable'
ilifiieulty with our mules, we got out of.
town. This is a novel mode of traveling
to me, but I suppose we will become ae-'
customed to it. Our animals were almost j
starved in that " poverlx--trickeii' p!.ice,:
and it is with difficulty we can get I linn j
along : they wan'ed to stop at every pnteh, ;
ofr.tss. The road runs S. W., and the;
appearance of the country improves as we
advance. There are some miniature val
leys amongst the rolling hills in which
there is a little grass. Pas-ed several
ranches, nnd encamped nenr one. on a
small run of good water. Distance, 17'
miles P67.
Monday, June 1 1. Remained in camp,
for the purpose of grazing our animals.
Wrote letters : I had no shade, and used
the earth for a writing desk. It wasa
difficult task, and I was annoyed by a
young Mexican boy, who wanted me to'
le.irn him to ta!l and write "Americano."
U e rur;nnseJ " unbroken mule lor fer-!
nando to ride ; he found it very difficult lo
conquer, and gave us some rare specimens I
of Mexican horsemanship. The first thing!
is to blind the animal (which is of the 1
greatest advantage.) then saddle and bridle'
hi.ii, pn'ting on all the trappings, then hej
mounts, raises the blind, and instead of!
checking, sinks the spurs into his sido.itnd
suffers him lo run until fairly tamed dow n.
Having no ent, we are now obliged to
" bivou ack'' in ' all out-doors'", with the
heavens for n counterpane and the earth
for a maltrass. The un, dining the
days is very hoi, and the nights cool.
Tuesday, Jnne.12 The country around
our camp, abounJs in the long-eareJ hare,
which is the only game we see ; we killed
several ; they were very fine eating.
Started at 12 o'clock in a southern direc
tion, through barren hills, and over a
rough country. Found the Virginia mess
encamped in a valiey on a small creek ;
here we concluded to stop, and graze our
animals until all our old company would
get together. The grass is very short and
poor, and the water in the stream very
braekish. Distance, 15 miles 882.
Wednesday, June 13. We are within
six miles of the old Sstita Fe gold place :
some oi our men visited it ; found some
emigrants encamped iere ; they took a
small basin with ihem, and in one washing
procured at least 50 cts worth of pure gold.
Time passes very tediously when lying in
camp in such a desolate country as this.
Thursday, June 14. Green, Howard
and myself returned to Santa Fe to-day,
for ihe purpose ofpurchneanir r, few article
we had forgotten, and procuring additional !
information regarding our route. A large!
company that had started on theSan:sh
trail, have returned, finding it impossible,
to cross the streams, which are very much '
swollen. They lost a great deal of baggage
and provisions in their unsuccessful at
tempts ; they are preparing to go ihe sou
thern route.
Friday, June 15- Lodged during the
night at the 7. S Hotel. Had a cot, but
no bedding. The fleas' which abound here,
annoyed me very much, and I passed a
restless night. Indulged in a glass of
what they called ice cteam, (it deserved no
such name.) and paid 50 cts. for it. Left
town about 12 o'clock to-day, and reached
camp about sundown, a distance of 30
miles. Met some very heavy trading
teams, on their way to town, from Chi
huahua. Ci.,.... Tnnelft.- Had a slight show-
k inuiuu i , " 0- 1
er last night, which is the first rain that :
has fallen upon us for months. The tainy
season is about setting in here, which!
lasts until some lime in August. Every- j
thing here appears to be suffering fiom
drought. Find employment in filling up
our packs, and arranging to start on the
morrow. Our packs do not average more
than 150 lbs. lo each animal. The Mex
icans frequently pack from 3 lo 400. We
are anxious to move.
Sunday, June 17 Did not start this
morning, on account of Walter Winston,
who returned to Santa Fe, to remain thiir
until he recovers from a severe asthma,
which he has been afflicted with since the
early part of the journey. The Louisiana
mess came up and encamped with us to
day ; we now number about the same as
before.
Monday. June 18- After a long delay,
everything being in readiness we started
about 9 o'clock this morning. The Vir
ginia mess had a great deal of difficulty,
their packs falling off, turning &c. ; they
packed upon " aparahoes," and we had
Indian pack-saddles ; the latter are more
simple and suited our purpose better, not
being skilled in the art. We traveled a
few miles up the valley, then took a S. W.
course through the mountains, following a
trail. Found d) water until we reached
the new placere. where we encamped ;
here we found a number of emigrants.
Tliote mlnps are said to vield abundantly, i
hut owing to the scarcity of water, they
can not bn worked to advantage. At
present, the few men that are at work,
i.. u.;n. in nark the water up.!
.7.....J ...V - --
upon asses, a distance of three miles. 1 j
aw a vial, full ol the ore, that was worth (
$177. A few days ogo, a man found twoj
.: .k... c in on Tlire are
here, and about 150 inhabitants. We saw
an old mountaineer here, whom we en
deavored to employ as guide ; but he said
he would rather roam through the moun
tains, with his rifle, and when hungry kill
a deer, lay beside it and eat until satisfied,
and then continue on his lonely wsy ;
traveling with mule?, he said, looked loo
much like work. Procured some eggs,
milk, auJ Iresh bread here ; very poor
grazing. Distance, 20 miles 902.
To be continued.
Evening Hymn.
Ki rarn Supreme ! Tbou High and Holy One,
To Thee we bow.
When nil the labor of ihe day i done
llfvouily. now.
Ffom M(, to n?(t nBenn8ioff rtin ,he same.
All good i bou ail;
Hollowed and holy be Thy reverend name,
In every hert.
When the glad morn upon the bills was spread.
Thy umile u ihere ;
Now, as ihe darkness gathers over-head.
We feci Thy caie.
Xight Fprraila ber shade upon another diV,
For er past ;
So o'ei our fnuli., Thy love we humbly ptsy
A veil may cant.
Silenre and tieep. o'er heart by earth dialreraed.
Mow aneelly itral ;
So ererv feir lhat atruggtes in the breast
Shall Failh conceal.
rhon throtizh tbe dark wilt watch above onr sleep.
With eye of love;
And Thou wilt wake ua, when tbe sunbeams peep
The hills above.
O may each heart its gratitude express
As life expands.
And find Ihe triumph of its happiness
In Thy commands.
Uncle BilL
A SKETCH ABOUT LOVE AND COLD DC&T.
Uncle Bill Griffin, (or Uncie Bill, as he
was commonly called, with an irreverent
disregard of his paironimic,) did not retire
from Ihe ship chandlery business until he
was worth something more than a plum.
Not being blessed with a son to continue
his name and inherit his fortune, he lav
ished all his tenderness and care upon bis
daughter. Sweet Molly Griffin, thon wert
as like to thy papa as a canary bird is
like a bull dog. His face was as hard as
a Dutch nut-cracker ; thine as soft as a
rose leaf. He was the veriest miser io all
creation ; thoo didst spend tby pocket mo
ney hbcrnlly I'viooo of Val.-lo
his household management. Uncle Bill was
a consummate skinflint ; tradition said lhat
i....,a ,nmitr ih tvirli Ino in the cistern.
ICU9VVJ V - ' O -
and water the lamp oil, and he was aided'
and abetted in all his niggardly domestic J
schemes by a vinegar faced old bouse-kee-j
.. r m a
per, who was tue sworu cucm i b
cheer, and stinted lrom a pure love 01
meanness. Yet pretty Mary had no reason
lo complain of her father's penuriousness,
III lUIIl I'luiiJ ua . . 1
an hr as concerned her. lie tent her to ihej
best schools, and gave her a carte biancne
. -II- I
v. -v.. r o
0 the most expensive milliners, and when
she walked Washington street on a sunny
day, there was no more gaily bedecked
damsel to be seen from Corohill to Essex
street.
Of course, several nice young men in
varnished leather and white kids fell over
head and ears in love with her, and there
was a larger number ol whiskers collected
outside of the meeting she attended on Sun
day than darkened the doorsteps of any
other metropolitan church.
-Yet rold w the maM : and though legions advanced.
All drilled In Oridian art.
Thonpti ihry liifruih and fW. pmteiited and danerd,
Like ehadmrs lli.;y rune, and like nhadows Uf-y glanced
from the pure, poli.hed km of the heart."
Besides, Uncle Bill was a formidable
guardian to his attractive daughter. Did he
not fire a charge of rock salt into the inex
pressibles of Tom Bilkins. when he came
serenading with a cracked guitar T Didn'i
he threaten to kick Towle for leaving a
valentine at his door? "Wasn't he capa
ble of unheard-of atrocities "P The suitors
of pretty Mary were all fr ghtened off the
coarse by her ogre ol a latner.cxcept a stur
dy young fellow who rejoiced in the name
of Sampson Bittles, and who was addicted
to book-keeping in a wholesale grocery store,
on Commercial street. ; The old gentleman
really liked Bittles; he was so staid, so
quiet, and so full of information. He was
a regular price current, and no man on
'change was better acquainted with the val
ue of stocks. Why Mary liked him, it is
more difficult to conjecture, for he was ve
ry deficient in the small talk that young la
diet are fond ofj was averse to mustaches;
disliked the opera thought ll ballet im
moral i and considered waltzing indelicate.
Perhaps his good looks compensa'ed for
other deficiencies, or perhaps a horror of
dying in a state of single blessedness in
duced her to countenance the only young
man Uncle Dill was ever known to tolerate.
1 One evening, Hittles screwed u; hi
, courage to the task of addressing the old
nwn on ine subject nearest to his heart.
"Mr. Griffin " said he. "I ha
had
something here for a long time." and he
made up a horrible fice, and placed his
hand somewhere ncai his heart.
uvspensia I said ine oia man.
I our aaugnter. gaspea ine young
"Well, what about her i" asked Uncle
Bill, jharpishly.
"I'm in love with her," said the unhap
py clerk.
"Humbug !" said Uncle BilL
"Fact !" rejoined Bittles.
"What's your income V inquired Grif
fin. "Eight hundred,'' answered the suppli-
ant
"It won't do, my boy,'said Griffin,
shaking his grim locks. "No man on a
salary shall marry my daughter. Why,
she's the finest girl in Boston ; and it takes
capital to marry a fine girl. When you
have thirty thousand dollars to bring with
you, you may come and talk to me.'
Bittles disappeared- Six months after
that, Miss Mary Griffin received a letter
with an endorsement of Uncle Sam, ac
knowledging the receipt of forty cents. Ii
ran thus :
Sas Francisco, 1849.
Dearest Mary : Enclosed you will find a
specimen ol California gold, which please
hand your father and oblige. Have to ad
vise you of my return to Boston. Please
inform your father lhat I have made fifty
.... ... , L
tnousana dollars at ine mines, ana snan
(wind and weather permitting) soon call
upon him lo talk over that matter and ar
range terms of partnership- Yours to com
mand, Sampso.v BlTTLE9.
Mary, as in duty bound, handed the
epistle to her lather, who was overjoyed.
Some weeks elapsed, and the return of
the steamer in Aew York was telegraphed.
Griflin was ou the qui vivetosee his future
son-in-law.
On the day of bis expected arrival, he
met a Californian who came home in the
same ship.
"Where's Bittles f he inquired.
"Oh, oh .' you'll see him before a great
while,'' replied ihe Californian.
"Has he been lucky !"
"Yes, fifty thousand at the lowest fig
ure, cut he a going to try a game over
you. He means to tell you that he has
been robbed ol all his gold on his way
home, to see if vou have any cenerosity
and disinterestedness, and see whether
you'd give your daughter to him, gold or
no gold 1"
"Sly boy !" chuckled old Griffin. "I'm
much obliged lo you for that hint. I'll
act accordingly. Good morning.
Now it happened that the Californian
was a friend ot Bittles,and that the story of
his robbery was absolutely true, he having
J -" O
been robbed of every ounce of his hard ear-
ned gold dust on his way home. So it
may be supposed he called on Griffin
-, 1 1 . 1 u
wun a very iuguunou nuu wu-wguuc an.
"Mv dear bov " said Uncle Bill, "I am
j .
delighted to see you, and pleased to hear
of your luck. I welcome you as my son
1.1. iv.i jv. - -w.w j j
jn law. But what the deuce w the mutter
Wlth you Vw
"Alas, sir 1" said Bittles, "I made fifty
thousand dollars at tbe mines"
"Very hard luck !" interrupted the old
gentleman, chuckling.
"Bjt on my way home I was robbed of
every ounce ; and now how can I claim
your daughter's hand V
"Sampson Bittles,' said Uncle Bill.very
cunningly, "if you haven't got fifty thou
sand dollars.you deserve to have it; you've
worked hard enough to get it. You shall
shall have my daughter, and the marriage
shall be celebrated to-morrow night. In
anticipation of your return, I have had you
published. And while you're talking with
Mary, I'll draw a check Tor $50,000, so
that you may go into partnership with a
sufficient capital.'
"But, sir, I'm a beggar."
"So much the better. You'll work har
der to increase your fortune.
"My dear sir, how can I thank you f
"By making my daughter a good hus
band. There, go, go, and tell Mary the
news.'
Bittles did tell her the news, and they
were married. He went into business on
the fifty thousand furnished him by his father-in-law,
and was so prosperous lhat
Uncle Bdl was more convinced than ever
lhat the story was a regular Munchausen,
once or twice he tried to repeat it, but the
old gentleman always cut it short will
"1 know all about it. ' Had it put in the
papers too, eh ! Oh, it was a terrible af
fair! Lost your all! Poor follow! Well,
I made it op to you, and now I won't hear
another word about it-1
When Uncle Bill departed An We, his
immense propertj waa found to be eoutlW
divided between his daughter and son -inlaw
; the testator bequeathed to the latter
his share to compensate him for tbe loan be
sustained on his return from California !
The old miser had died in the full belief
that Bittles never lost the gold dust.
Agricultural Experiment,
It is the duty of the government to place
some well educated men in the position to
employ their time and talents in investiga
ting the secrets of nature for the advance
nieut of agricultural and the general good.
Agricultural societies, which are instituted
for the advancement of science, should es
pecially engage in the preparations of
such experiments, and divide tbe execution
of them among the several members.
Science would have made much greater .
progress if the false shame with whi:h ag .
riculturists conceal every unsuccessful ex
periment, and the exaggerated manner in
which they often relate alt those in which
they have succeeded, had not retarded iia
progress.
We cm experiment cither by means of
simple observation, by examining the sub
jects and agents placed in relation with
eacn other, and by considering their re
ciprocal action, and observing its result,
or by means of trials or experiments, by
placing some well known plants in certain
situations determined with precision, ob
serving their reciprocal action, and pre
venting as much as we possibly can, any
foreign or unknown body from influencinj
the results of our experiments.
A trial is a question addressed to nature (
when such a question is properly put, n
ture will necessarily reply either yes or no.
It is only within the last century that
the art of making experiments ha been
clearly apprehended. It is on this art that
the principal power of man over the matt
rial world is founded, and that power will
become more extended in proportion as be
brings thi art neaier perfection, and car
ries it in full practice. There is a partic
ular kind of agricultural experiments which
have arrived almost to perfection, and
which can be regulated with a degree of
precision equal to that which is attained in
the other practical sciences these are
comparative trials in the open air.
It is true lhat experiments of this kind
are not easily made; but, nevertheless,
they are in the power ol every reflecting
agriculturist. . Whoever has accomplished
one experiment, whatever may be tbe pe
culiarity of the circumstances under which
il was made, and has given a faithful ac
count of it, has well contributed to tbe ad
vancement of science, and consequently to
useful practice, and has entitled himself to
ihe gratitude of his cotemporariea and of
prosperity. It would surpass the power of
any single individual to accomplish any
considerable number of these experiments,
and it could not be expected from him.
f'on 1'haer.
Fanners' Dwellings.
We need a great improvement in this
respect we need a distinctive Rural style
of building comfort and convenience com
bined with neat and simple elegance.
Nothing expensive, gaudy or obtrusive,
but graceful in form, chaste in ornament,
with quiet neutral colors, sweetly blending
with the surounding green, all breathing
the air of peaceful, calm repose on which
the eye may rest with pleasure. I would
gladly enlarge upon this, did time permit.
The houses should not only be sheltered
but adorned with trees, none more beauti
ful than those of out own forests.
A few choice fruit tiees.of various kinds,
with grape and smaller fruits which need
but little care, with ornamental shrubs and :
climbers should be there. None of tbe
adornments of beauty are more graceful or
attractive than fragratt and blooming vines
around the rustic porch. And let there
be a garden, too ; it need not be a Urge
one not the unsightly, neglected patch,
sometimes so miscalled, intended for pota
toes and cabbages, but a neatly arranged
plot for shrubs and flowers, laid out with
taste, and kept with care. Cultivate a
taste for flowers and teach your children,
to love them. Ingoing so you will give
them new sources ol pleasure new facel- '
ties for enjoyment. And do not deem the
lime they bestow upon them lost time s it
is well bestowed and will yield a rich re- t
turn, in pure and simple joys, and the
cheerful love of home. -
From an official statement published by
Government, it appears that tbe total value)
of the imports of iron for the year ending
June 80. 1851. wa, 1 2 '
pretty sum to pay lor mat wmv -
manufacture ourselves.
Marriages in Scotl.nd.-If the number
of marriage, be an indication of prosper
ry.Then Glaseow th""8
In ihe High Church there were, on one
recent Sunday, no fewer than seventy
three couples proclaunedi
It should he generally known that s
small quantity ol vinegar will geneiafly
destroy immediately any insect tbe may
find its wav tnio the stomach, and a little '
salad oil will kilj any tow tlttf may enter
the es
f
11
ITT