THE JOURNAL. Huntingdon, Tuesday, December 21, 1847 WHIG DELEGATE MEETINGS COUNTY CONVENTION. rtIHE Democratic Whigs of the several townships and boroughs of Hunting don county, are requested to assemble at the usual place of holding delegate meetings, on SATURDAY, the Sth of Jan uary next, to select two delegates from each to represent said boroughs and townships in a COUNTY CONVEN TION, to assemble in the Court House, in the borough of Huntingdon, on Wed nesday evening, the 12th of January, for the purpose of electing a delegate to the State Convention to nominate a candi date for Canal Commissioner, and to ap point two Conferees to meet those of the other counties of this Congressional district to elect a delegate to the Nation al Convention to nominate a candidate for President of the United States. By order of the County Committee, A. W. BENEDICT, Chairman [l7. Our subscribers at Alexandria and Mill Creek, will hereafter receive their papers through the post-oftice.— The irregularity of the stage renders this necessary. It will not be long, however, we hope, until papers will go free again within 30 miles of the place of publication. A movement to this effect has already been made in Con gress. ID- PROWELL'S " Cheap Corner" is again the great centre of attraction, be ing supplied with a splendid assortment of New Goods, which are offered very cheap. See advertisement. BANKING, It is highly probable that some legis lation will be had on this important sub. ject, at the approaching session of our State Legislature. The fact is undeni able, that the present banking system in Pennsylvania, is grossly defective ; and that the people are subjected thereby to impositions, wrongs and frequent ruin. And tite much talked of zndividual lia bility is but an aggravation of these evils. Responsible men will not accept Bank charters with this clause in them. The exploded Lehigh Bank has illustrated the individual liability principle, and thousands who have suffered by the frauds of that institution, have learned to their sorrow that that principle is but a specious humbug. Such banks will ever consist of a gang of irresponsible swindlers, (we have one in our eye now that looks a little doughy,) and after the country is flooded with their paper, the banks wind up, and the note-holders find that the fancied, security is all "moon shine"—that the individual liability is the liability of men of straw. But the community have additional reason to be alarmed. In some quarters the project of a Free Banking System is cautiously advocated. This system im plies the repeal of our laws against usury, and to open a way to all who have capi tal or artfulness sufficient to invent a plausible basis, to engage in banking; or in other words, to trade in money as an article of merchandize. If this project ever becomes a law, may the Lord help the poor! We humbly conceive, however, that an adequate remedy can be invented for the evils alluded to. The general bank ing law in the State of New York, the details of which we do not fully remem ber, seems to operate well ; and to afford security to all. Let our Legislature pass a similar law, and it will be attended with the same results here. Let the cir culation of banks be limited by law, ac cording to the amount of their capital ; and a Comptroller or Commissioner be elected by the people, responsible to his constituents and to the Commonwealth, whose duty it shall be to countersign all notes and supervise the transactions and affairs of the banks. We go for wholesome reform in the Banking Sys tem. Let the people speak out, and the desirable object can be accomplished. A WARNING.—The Hon. John C. Cal houn, in a speech made some time ago in She Senate,. said, that Mexican Terri tory was the forbidden fruit of which we must not eat. The day we should eat of that fruit we should surely die as a nation. t ry- We wish all our patrons a merry Ckhriettnas. 1 Lewistown Bank. The Lewistown Gazette of Saturday 'last says : " Nothing has thus far been elicited to warrant ns in git•ing any opinion as to the value of Lewistown Bank Notes, but from appearances they will hot be worth much. in Philadelphia they are freely offered at from 50 to 70 per cent. discount. We have heard it stated that many of the judgments held by the Bank have been assigned to a firm in Philadelphia which has directed them to be collected forthwith, and it is also said that most of the business paper has been transferred to others who last year be came security for some loan. Subse quently the Bank made an assignment of its effects to Francis M'Cliire, S. S. Woods, (directors) and the Cashier of the Bank of Pennsylvania. These re ports we believe to be correct. It is now feared, and not without reason that the "crisis" has yet to to come, as these transfers will prevent the payment of debts due the bank in its own notes.— The matter will however be judicially tested. THE WEATITEL—We were visited by the first snow storm of the season on Thursday night last. The ground was covered to the depth of four or five inches. For several days previous to which the following description of the weather, by the N. Y. Tribune, would have suited this section exactly : " The weather yesterday was wet, warm, sultry, misty, melting, muddy, vapory, sloppy, disagreeable, thivk, cloudy, moist, fickle, damp, foggy, drip ping, drizz•y, exhausting, unpleasant, intolerable, unhealthy, indescribable and rainy. At roan the sky was clear and bright, but oh what showers we had at night !" Mt. POLIE REBUILLI3. The New Orleans Delta, a Locofoco paper, thus rebukes Mr. Polk's views of the cause of the War: We have never concurred in the view embraced by President Polk and his friends, that the real and just cause of this war was the invasion of our terri tory by the Mexicans. We regard the statement in Mr. Polk's message that American blood had been shed on Amer ican soil, as an extravagance—a rhetor ical flourish, attributable perhaps, to the excitement of the ociasion. The country bctwen the Nuecesakd Rio Grande nev ,er was, in any just sense of the tern), Texan or American soil. Texas had claims to it, but those claims were un stticd, unadjudicated. This was not the proper, the real cause of the war. The annexation of Texas was the prime ori gin of the war.—Mexico had always held out that the consummation of this great measure, which the American peo ple had so etnphaticaly approved, would be the signal, the declaration, in fart, the war. To that determination she proved always consistent, and took eve ry step necessary to strengthen her pur -1 pose and declare her design. Annexa tion was war. NOTICES , " NORTH AMERICAN.". '—We are indebt. for 'the continuance of the wiir, but ed to our friend, Wm. C. Tobey, Esq., I many are in favor of breaking right alias " John of York," for copies of his I short off and holding in possession all spirited and racy paper published in the i we have. city of Mexico, bearing the above title. 1, shall h a " l( k: , ) c oll o t n th t e h oserc,o,onceil to o f nest moont the oft we Tobey's pen has lost none of its for- ! mentioned paradise of Mexicans ; but I mer vigor by his trip to the capital of the ,judge it will be as much of a "suck in" Aztecs. i as some other places. Officers may live Our thanks are also due to Wm. T. . well, but soldiers will get their rations.— Wilson, formerly employed in this off ; What pleasure does a hungry man findice, , in looking upon the cloud capped moun for several copier of a very interesting ; min, the deep ravine, and the pretty little paper, entitled the " Flag of Free- !running brook 1 At home all we had to dom," published at Puebla. Friend' do was to go to "Samuel's Head-Quar a tnod cat, before o Wilson, we learn, employs his time not ; t w e e rs' e ' o a t n il d d s g a L" e d n o ti z r e e / y fr r ie e d a l ' iy i occupied in fighting the Mexicans, in as- , mammoth plate full would be sitting be sisting in the publication of this paper. ; fore us, and trimmings to match. Now M"' " Godey's Ladies' Book" is in- , I am sitting on a big stone, a tin-cup creasing in interest with each succeed- i half full of beans, said to be boiled, but ias hard aspoving stones. We are out ing number. It well deserves the ex- ; here doing nothing but eating old pro tended patronage which we are happy visions, burnishing rusty gulls, wearing to learn it is receiving from the Ladies f out shoes, and taking quinine and ipe of the country.cac. If some of the men had their way, 1 the celebrated "Halls of the Montezii "Tits Jetty DONKEV."—The first num- mas" would be in a place whet e the heat her of this paper is 'Ton our table ; it would prevent soy one from revelling recommends itself strongly to the pa- very extensively. However, this little tronage of the lovers of tun. The band will stand to it, whatever may be prospectus says that it will be published ahea u d dun for i. us, our motto being, " Nil des by an "Association of John Donkeys, pera who couldn't help it; and who, being afflicted with wisdom, must get rid of some of it or burst." It will be pub lished weekly at $3 per annum, or six cents per copy. Address G. B. Zeiber, Sr Co., Philadelphia. The Lancaster " Union and Tribune" has passed into the hands of G. W. Hamersly, Esq., by whom it has been enlarged and dressed up in an entire new suit. The paper now presents an appearance which accords well with the personal tidy, and indeed handsome, ap• pearance of its gentletnanly proprietor. CHAPLAINS.—The Rev. Mr. Slicer has been re-elected chaplain to the IJ. S Sen ate, and the Rev. Royal R. Gurley, Pres byterian, was elected in the House over Rev. Mr. Cushman, by 2 majority. Gen. Taylor in New Orleans. The grand reception of Major General Taylor took place in New Orleans on the 3d inst. It was tnagnificent and en thusiastic. When he landed the Mayor invited him to become the guest of the city. General Taylor briefly and appro priately replied. He then proceeded to the Cathedral. Bishop Blane appropri ately addressed him; old Rough and Ready made an eloquent reply. The St. Charles was brilliantly illu minated in the eVening. In the front of the gentlemen's parlor was a transpa rency of General Taylor, ih the old brown coat, with the motto, "A Little , more grape, Captain Bragg." The din ner, fireworks, visit to the theatres, all passed off splendidly, On the 4th the presentation or the sword, voted by the Legislature of Lou isiana, took place. It was an interest ing ceremony. The sword was presen ted by Governor Johnson, in a long, clo quent and enthusiastic speech. Gen. Taylor made a short and appropriate reply. Gen. Taylor left on the morning of the sth, in the steamer Missouri, for Mem phis. Mr. Polk's War, The last Reading Journal contains several interesting letters from the Ar tillery company which went to Mexico from that place. Out of one . hundred men who left Reading a little more than a year ngo, but fifteen were on duty at the last accounts. A letter from Wm. Graeff, jr., dated October 5, says : "I have a candid opinion that few, if any, will ever return to that lovely spot where once they were wont to roam ; but oh ! if seine of our men could forget that sickness of the heart which too often comes over the exile in his last moments when he pines for the land of his birth—to breathe once more the air of his childhood, and to lay his head to rest as he did in years gone by— " The summer sun is flaming high He from the lattice hangs, Pines he for home and ilicont 'ands With disappointment's pangs' And this it is that kills some of our men —home-sickness, and at last they pine to death. Miserable man !—that longs for home and cannot reach it ! You are well aware that we left home with more than an hundred men...We entered the city of Mexico with forty I all told ! the others having been either discharged or dead, or back in the hos pitals. Now you may well think if the Company is as unlucky in returning (be sides the war is not over yet) as they were in coining here, then good-bye forever to Old Berks. A letter from Capt. Loeser, of Oct. 23, states the number then on duty at fifteen. FROM TILE ARMY, The Washington "Saturday Evening News" has an able correspondent in the Army in Mexico, who, under date of Oc tober 26th, writes from the National Bridge, as follows: " The peace party is very strong in camp; sc . arcely . a soldier here goes in A milliiary writer in the London Morning Chronicle, speaking of the hos tilities in Switzerland, expresses him self somewhat as follows: The war in Switzerland will be a bloody one, and the officers will fare the worst. As sharpshooters, the Swiss are unrivalled in the world, and few of them will miss their man at 500 yards; from his childhood the Swiss is accus tomed to handle the heavy rifle of the country. At the skirmish on the St. Gothard, the two first men picked off were the officers in command. The cha mois hunter fires at the chamois as soon as he can distinguish the animal's horns, and rarely misses his aim. A Swiss, from habit, never fires without Kr The Whigs of Juniata county heldtakin g d el iberate aim. a meeting on the 6th instant, at which j THE SECOND PENNA. REGIMENT.- spirited resolutions on public affairs Lieut. Rankin, of the 241 Pennsylvania were adopted. E. P. Thompson was Regiment, in a letter to some friends at appointed Representative Delegate to Pittsburg, mentions the ravage's which the State Convention ; James Patterson war has made in that regiment. Of 900 recommended as the Senatorial Dele- men who left Pittsburg but one year ago, 300 cannot now be mustered gate ; and James M. Sellers and John P. Shitz appointed conferees to select a delegate to the National Convention from this congressional district DROWNED.—We learn from the Lew istown Gazette that Mr. James McMul len, of Allegheny township, Cambria county, was drowned in the Juniata, near 11:7- The Baltimore American very Clark's Ferry, during the recent hioi justly remarks that the ultimate subju• water while attempting to pass a part of gation of Mexico by the United States the road which wns overflowed at the is so palpably the policy of the Execu time.--The man, horse and buggy went into the current together and were swept , tive, that without the recognition of this away by its resistless force. ' idea the message becomes nonsense. The Disposition of the Mexicans. accounts seem to indicate, too clearly the dogged obstinacy of the Mex icans to yield to force. In several quarters we have seen statements to this effect, which are fully borne out by the following represensation of the '•` ash ington correspondent of the Daily Sun : The officers who have arrived in this city, from Mexico, within.the last few days, do not encourage the hope of a speedy termination of the war. They re , present the general disposition of the Mexican people as decidedly !waffle to us, ready to break out into acts of vio lence, whenever an opportunity may he offered by the withdrawal of our troops. But as the President announces that we ought to retain all the cities, towns and forts, of which we have taken, or may take posses - sion, there is little chance of such opportunity being offered to them. The officers who have just left the army, also assure me that the full extent of the sufferings of our army is not at all comprehended by us. The privations to which they have been subjected by the negligence of the departments, have caused great dissatisfaction throughout the ranks, The scarcity of Money has been frequently referred toe l3nt it has operated with great, severity on the vol unteers, who have been accustomed to enjoy the comforts of life, and are less fitted than regular soldiers ; to endure privations. There are always groups of men following the camp, ready tb furnish money, but the terms they exact are so ruinous that only men in the last stage of desperation can be found to accept them. A LOCOFOCO VIEW OF MR. POLK.—The "John of York" courespondent of the North American, WILLIAM C. TOBY, Esq., after soundly berating Mr Polk for his manner of conducting the war in a let ter dated Puebla, June 11, 184.7, says : " Let not my brother democrats, who have not yet discovered who James K. Polk is, cavil that 1 handle him like a true Locofoco, without gloves. I do not know a democrat is the whole army regular or volunteer, who does not execrate the man and his war measures. Should it ever be the privilege of us here to cast our votes again for a President of our republic, I am inclined to think that we shall re quire more than the ipse dixit of a Bal timore convention to control our suffra ges. For myself I shall go with the old toper who could not be fooled with a choice beverage, which his landlord said was " bran new whiskey, and none of your old stinking stuff; twenty years old." I shall take the twenty years old proof in preference to another 'new man.'" An officer of the Pennsylvania Regiment thus speaks of the gallant Capt Walker, whose intimate friend he was:— "1 wish to give you Captain Walker's character. He was a carpenter, and one of the most unassuming and feeling men that I ever came across, with the highest notions of right, and not the fire-eater that people suppose at home. He had more feeling for those poor Mexicans then any officer I have seen in the army; and he would not allow one of his men to impose on them with impunity. He said they were already ground down enough by their riders, and it was a pity to op ' press them more. He never exercised any of his summary justice upon them, that you see in the papers; and the only instance in which he shot any prisoners since he landed at Vera Cruz, was at Santa Fe, when he caught a parcel of theft] who had murdered some Americans who had been left sick on the road, and shot six of them. He reported it immediate ly on his arrival, to Gen. Scoot, Who told him that he had done perfectly right." WHIG TRIUMPH IN SAVANNAH,—This was achieved last Monday by the elec. Ition of Dr. H. Blanton Gus for Mayor, by a majority 239, an inrease of 97 over last year, and the election also of an en tire Board of Alderman by about 230 ma jority. PROM WASHINGTON. The standing committees of the twp Houses have been announced. The fcil: lowing are the chairmen of the most important committees in the House of Representatives : Mr. Vinton, Chairman of the Commit tee on Ways and Means. Joseph R. Ingersoll, Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary. Andrew Stewart, chairman of the Com , rhittee on Manufabtares. Truman Smith, Chairman of the Com hiittee oh Foreign Affairs. . . Mr. Butts, Chairman of the Commit tee on Military Affairs: Mr. Farrelly, Chairrhan of the Com mittee on Patents. Mr. Nes, Chairman df the Comhiittee on Invalid Pensions. The Chairhien of the ptincipal Cbm mittens in the Senate are as follows On Foreign Relations—Mr. Sevier: Finance—Mr, Atherton: Commerce—Mr, Dix. Manufactures—Mr. Dickinson Military Affairs—Mr, Cass. In the Senate on Tuesday Mr: Dick , inson submitted the following resolu , tions : Resolved, That true policy requires the government of the United States to strengthen its political and commercial relations upon this continent, by the an nexation of such contiguous territory as may conduce to that end, and can be justly claimed, and that neither in such acquisitions nor in the territorial organ ization thereof ; can any conditions be constitutionally imposed, or institutions he provided for or established inconsis tent with the right of the people there of, to form a free Sovereign State with the powers and privileges of the origi nal members of the confederacy. Resolved, Thtit in organizing a terri tonal government in territory belonging to the United States, the principles of self-government, upon which our Feder ative system rests ; Will be best promo ted; the true spirit and meaning of the Constitution be observed, and the eon: federacy strengthened by leaVing ell questions concerning the domestic poli cy therein to the legislatures chosen by the people thereof. The above resolutions indicate the course of the administration party in Congress on the subject of the war, an nexation, extension of Slavery, &c.— These are to be the great questions of the Session, and the sooner they are ag itated the better. Mr. CALHOUN offered the following resolutions in the Senate on Wednesday, which were ordered to be printed : Resolved, That to conquer and hold Mexico, either as a province, or by in corporating it into the Union, is incon sistent with the avowed object of the War, contrary to the settled policy of the government, in conflict with its character and genius, and in the end must be subversive of all out free and popular institutions. Resolved, That no line of policy in the further prosecution of the war should be adopted which may tend to consequen ces so disastrous. On the same day Mr, Holmes offered a resolution in the House, in favor of peace with Mexico. A message from the President was received and read, giving his reasons for vetoing the River and Harbor Bill of the hst session, which gave rise to some debate. These are the principal matters of in terest that have occurred thus far in ei ther [louse. The proceedings Will in crease in interest, as the session pro gresses. The Doylestown (Bucks county) Democrat, a rank federal locofoco sheet, of the darkest die and most depraved principles, heads an article criticising Mr. Clays speech as follows.—" The last great struggle of the Kentucky Gainbler." 07- Thirty-four hands in the slaugh. tering establishment of Messrs. Hand & Paulson, at Cincinnati, killed and dress• cd, in three sucCessive days last week, $,424 Hogs. (D- The editor of the Boston Atlas, writing from Washington, contradicts, "on reliable authority," the statement that Mr, Adams is in fai'or of the acqui sition or all Mexico. 'there is no foun dation for the rumor, (:-Our friend of the Lewistown Ga zette is becoming facetious over the fail ure of the Bank. fie says : "The Bank break is the biggest break of all, not only from its extent, but the fact that it cannot be repaired." Or Mayor Quincy, the regular whig candidate, was re-elected Mayor of Bos ton last week, by a majority of 613 over Natives, Locos, and Independent W hegs combined ! Good ! 0: - / - Some of the enthusiastic citizens of New Orleans being desirous of haw ing a memento of General Taylor, con tented themselves, in the absence of more p'ersona ' l articles, with pulling hairs out of the main of " Old Whitey," the General's famous war horse. The poor animal was in considerable danger I•of being shorn of his Sewing honors. Ithpbrt of the Secretary of War. The report of Mr. Marcy, the Secre» tary of War, is too long for us to pub lish in full, and as it is chiefly occupied with a detail of the movements of the army in Mexico—with which our read ers are familiar--it is not at all neces sary that we should do so. A brief sy nopsis will give the general reader all the inforMation of its contents, which he may desire. The force employed in theprosecotion of the war, is set down at 48,536—0 f which 21,509 are regulars. This force is distributed as follows : With Maj. General Scott, and belong ing to his column, including the troops en route, at Tampico, at end about Vera Cruz, and on the line thence to his head quarters, the aggregate force is estima ted at 32,156. With Maj. Gen. Taylor, at the several posts under his immedi ate command, it is about 6,727. In Santa Fe, and on the Oregon and Santa Fe rbutes, and in the Indian country, there sire about 3,634. The force in the Californias is about 1019, including 200 now on the way to Ithtit country. There are no means in the department of calculating the deductions whiCh ought to be made ftir sickness, disability and Other casualities ; but the effective force is considerably below the forego. ing estimates. The Secretary then gives a detail of the operations of the Ariny in Mexico proper, after the capitulation of Monte , rey, up to the capture of the city of Mexico, including the several skirmishes which have taken place subsequently. The capture of the city of Mexico is declared to be a memorable action—and the subsequent defence of the garrison at Puebla by Col. Childs, and the battle of Huamantla are spoken of in terms of high and deserved praise. Then is given an account of the open. ations in California and in New Mexico, and the remainder of the report is devo• ted to an account of the general affairs of the department, and a discussion of the question of how the war should be henceforward prosecuted. Mr. Marcy is not in favor of the defensive line pol icy—nor is he in fator of the occupation of the Whole of Mexico—but he is in fa vor of what is aliohi the same thing, "to retain what we now possess, open the lines of communication into the interior, and extend our operations to other im portant plebes; as our means and the prospect bf advantages shall indicate— keeping a disposable force always ready —within approalehing limits, to annoy the enemy ; to seize supplies, enforce contributions; and frustrate his efforts to collect means and assemble troops for the purpose of protracting , the war." This plan," he says, "also contem plates further acquisitions extending to other important points, more or less nu merous, as circumstances may warrant." There is no difference, except in words. between this proposition which the Sec. retary advocates and of overrunning all Mexico and holding it in military sub. jection—and, indeed, the only means of effecting the latter object would be to adopt the plan he proposes. Post Master General's Report. The following interesting Post Office Statistics are from the Report of the Post Master General: Revenue received Burin; the year, $3,945.892 Expenditures during the year, 3,979,570 Excess of receipts this year over the last. (or IS 15.000 per cent.) 458,693 iloticioncies of the year, 33,677 Letter postage rectified during the year, 3,254,512 Number of letters passing through the NI ail, 52,173,480 Free letters annually, 5,000,000 Newspitpet a annually, 55.000.000 Pamphlets .4 2.000.000 Dead Letters .. 1,800,000 Poet Routes, 4 . 183.818 Annual transportation, miles, Receipts by Mail for two years, Of the amount due in this time, the delinquencies are only $21,948, and the delinquents 154. Postmasters of an ag gregate number of fifteen thousand one hundred and forty-six. The Postmas ters changed during the year number 3150. The Postmaster General, in the course of his Report, recommends that news papers be taxed by weight, and enters upon a grave argument in defence of the absurd position. tle also takes great credit to himself for the success of the oheap Postage system, though one of the warmest opponents of the original bill. The report will lead to a further reduc tion of Postage, and to a uniform rate of five cents, and bye-and-bye to a post age of cents which will pay, in time, every necessary expense. A TERRIBLE ENGINE OF WAR.-Mr. Wesson, of Hartford, Connecticut, has , made some satisfactory experiments with his seven calibre rifle which he invented for the use of the army. It fired seven., balls at a single discharge, and threw' them with about double the force of the common rifle. At the distance of forty rods he placed two of the seven balls in a nine-inch target: The balls scatter to' the distance of about three feet in forty rods. The experiments were made in the presence of Mr. Bragg, Governme4 inspector of arms. This is beyond all doubt the most de structive weapon ever invented; and an' army wel! provided with them, and a good supply of Colt's Revolving Pistols, could easily cut up almost any force of an enemy. Mr. Wesson discharged thirty-five balls in one minute and es* seconds. 39,087.898 7,560,000