THE JOURNAL. HUNTINGDON, PA, Thasday Morning, Nov, Z 7, Issl. J. SENVIZLI. STEWATII'—EIIToz. TEILNIS OP PILIMICATION: Tut " Hu:mm:l:ow Joeux AL" is published at Ika following rates, viz : If paid in advance, per annum, $1.50 If paid during the year, 1,75 If paid after the expiration of the year, • 2,50 To Clubs of live or more, in advance, • • 1,25 I 'tan above Terms will be adhered to in all cases. No subscription will be taken fora less period than six months, and no paper will he discontinued un til all arrearages are paid, unless at the option, of the publisher. V. B. PALMER Is our authorized agent in Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore, to receive advertisements, and any persons in those cities wishing to adver tise in our columns, will please call on him. FOR THE PRESIDENCY IN 1852, WINFIELD SCOTT, OF NEW JERSEY FOR VICE PRESIDENT IN 1852, JAMES C. JONES, OF TENNESSEE, (We ask the attention of our readers to the advertisements of Bricker .S• Den ney in to-day's paper. These gentlemen have opened a new store in our town, ask ing a share of public patronage, and, not withstanding they are strangers amongst us, we have no hesitation in saying that they deserve a liberal share. Do you asks why? We answer, they advertise. It is a well established fact that the man who advertises most sells cheapest, and our friends in this vicinity will find it to their advantage, before making pur chases, to examine the columns of the Globe and Journal, in order to see who advertises and who does not. THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW. The constitution of the Federal Union contains the following provision: "No person held to service or labor in I one State, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence Lf any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up, on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due." The above clause is the only fundamen- I tal authority by which a Southern slave-1 holder can come into a. free State and re-1 capture his runaway slave. It will be ob served that the word slave does not occur in it; a word, which Mr. Madison did not want to see in the American Constitution. Neither does the word, negro, find a place , in it, for a reason probably equally as 1 laudable, namely: that it would be incon-; sistent for a free people recognizing the' doctrine of human equality, to acknowl- I edge in .their written constitution, that! there was a class of people for whom its provisions were not intended. But, al though these words are carefully omitted,' the servile condition of the persons refer red to is plainly indicated, while there is nothing which points out their distinct color or extraction. The clause thus presents what lawyers might call a latent ambigui ty, in consequence of the circumlocutory character of the language employed, but which, the history of the country and ju dicial determination have rendered certain-: ly pointing to the colored bond-men of the South as the persons to whom it applies. We have reed labored arguments, the ob jeot of which was, to prove that the clause we have recited did not recognise African slavery, and that Congress has the right to abolish it in the States, but they were so technical and transcendental in their character and texture that they failed ut terly to convince our judgment. The right of the owners, under the constitution, to recover their fugitives, therefore, and must be taken, to be, indubitable. There can be no doubt that Congress has the power to pass a fugitive slave law of some kind, and the last Congress saw , proper to exercise its power by doing so. The principal objeotions to the details of the present law are, that it does not afford the fugitive a trial by jury, and that the Commissioner appointed to hear and de cide such oases, receives a fee of ten dol lars when the claimant mains out a case against the alleged slave, and only five dollars when ho does not. The law is tightly put up and contains some curious provisions, but it is to be born in mind 'that it has been declared conatitutional by some of the most respectable tribunals of the United States, and can scarcely, there- Sys, be conside.ry - 1 open to legal attack. Ihe opponents of the law have also made use of an argument against it, of celestial origin, which is always entitled to great consideration. It is said that the fugitive slave law is in violation of the laws of God, that no human legislature has the right to nullify the decrees of Heaven, and that the great law which Christ proclaimed on earth--"do unto others as you would have . others do unto you"—is of higher obliga tion than the fugitive slave law and the federal constitution. This should be so, and in a perfect state of society where men would ask nothing but right, would be so; but the question recurs is it so. The con stitution is a bargain stipulating for the preservation anti maintainance of social and selfish interests, and in relation to the particular subject upon which it pretends to speak, it over-rides all other laws, both of God and man. In our political rela tions, we can look no higher than the con stitution, and if any ono is dissatisfied with it, he has the right to ust, his influence to obtain its change or modification, submit to it quietly or move out of the country, but it is his duty as a good citizen to'ac quiesce in it, while it continues in force. Wo are as much opposed to the institution and spread of slavery and as much in fa vor of universal liberty, in the abstract, as any man can be, but at the same time we aro not insensible to the obligation of regularly enacted laws. There is not a Whig in Huntingdon county who would obstruct the execution of the fugitive slave law, and we do not believe there are ten, if left to themselves, who would go to the trouble to ask its modification. This law, though orighlally not one of the compromise measures, finally came to be considered as one of them. The oth ers of those measures were the admission of California into the Union, the settle ment of the boundary between Now Mexi co and Texas, the organization of govern ments for the territories of Utah and New Mexico and the abolition of the slave trade in the District of Columbia. These have all been passed, approved and are of such a nature as to be no longer open to discussion, and in point' of fact they are scarcely ever spoken of. They are finally disposed of. Whenever the compromise, therefore, is referred to, as a present po- Ilitical question, the fugitive slave law on ly is meant. We have thus spoken oa this subject because, from present indications, the fu gitive slave law, under the name of com promise, will be forced into the next Pres idential election, and it is proper that the people should understand their relation to it and the constitution before the question is sprung upon them. We believe there is fully as much money as patriotism in the agitation in favor of the law, and that it would be safer in the hands of the con stitutional and legal officers, than floating on the angry sea of political strife; but still, should it be made a question, we are satisfied it will produce no difficulty among the Whigs of this county. If the name of the man of our choice is inscribed on the Whig banner, our brethren may ex !pest a good account from us. Matter of Partnership. We give below the section of an act passed last session of our Legislature, in relation to partners, which is of great im portance to all business firms, and of which probably but little is known. The atten tion of all business firms, however, is call ed to its provisions and requirements. The section will be found on page 52 of the pamphlet laws of 1851: SEC. 13 That from and after the tenth of August next, all persons who aro now doing business in a partnership capacity,. in this commonwealth, shall file or cause to be filed in the office of Prothonotary, in the county or counties where the said part nership is carried on, the names and loca tion of said partnership, with the btyle and, name of the same ; and as often as any change of members in said partnership shall take place, the same shall be certified by the members of suet' new. partnership as aforesaid, and in default or neglect of such partnership s; to do, they shall not 10 permitted in any suits or actions against the.'► in any court or before any justice of pe nee, or alderman in this common weft; di, plead any misdemeanor or omis sion of the name of any member of the partnership or the inclusion of the name of persons not moubers of said partnership. Six. 1 , 1. That hereafter, where two or more 'person,: may be desirous of enter ing into any busin , !ss wiiatever in partner ship capacity, they .shall, before they en gage or enter into an; such business as aforesaid, comply with ur be subject to all the provisions and restrictions in the next preceding section of this act. trY"The Boston , Zion Fever" is about to break out again. On the Ilth of next month thereis to he• a poultry convention, to last four days. TERRIBLE CA !UNITY IN N. YORK, NEW YORK, Nov. 20, P. M.—A most terrible accident occurred about 2 o'cicek, this afternoon. An alarm of fire was rais ed among the children in the new Public School house, on Greenwich Avenue, which alarmed the inmates to such an ex tent that a general rush was made from the building. While a large number were pressing against the bannisters of the sec ond and third floors, the same gave way, precipitating the children to the first floor below, a distance of some forty feet. Al- I ready twenty dead bodies have been remo ved from the place, and it is reported that at least forty boys have been killed. The scene is truly heart-rending.— Mothers appear frantic, in search of their I children, and the cries of the mangled and dying, have attracted thousands to the scene of the sad occurrence. [ SECOND DESPATCII.I The melanchoely occurrence of this after noon, has cast a solemn gloom over our city. Many homes that but a few hours since were all sunshine, now present a heart-rending spectacle. The details of this painful calamity, as far as we have been able to gather them are as follows: At about 2 o'clock, Miss Harrison, a teacher in the Primary School, No. 26, was observed, probably from the closeness of the room, to faint, which startled a num ber of children by her side, while others raised the cry of fire. This caused the greatest alarm, when a general rush was made for the windows and stairs. The lat ter being spiral, and running from the first to the fourth story of the building, the pressure against the ballustrade was so great that it gave way, precipitating to the flagged floor of the play-ground, nearly one hundred little ones, and presenting a most awful spectacle. The scene was terrific and heart rending. Child after child rushed down the horrible pit, crushing beneath their weight those who had preceded them—while others leaped voluntary down the chasm, min gling their life-blood with others. More than seventy children thus rushed into the jaws of death, and although few escaped except the maiming for life, some fifty were instantly killed. [THIRD DESPATCH.] The calamity would have been• still greater, but for the presence of mind of Mr. M'Nulty, principal of the school, who was in the fourth story, and who, on hear ing the cry of fire, immediately placed him self against the door, declaring that none of the children she uld leave. In this manner his class escaped inevitable des truction. Since the above was received, it has been ascertained that besides those killed, .seventy or eighty are maimed, some of them for life. Many of the little ones were so dreadfully disfigured and mangled, as to be scarcely recognised by their parents. MISSISSIPPI WITHOUT A GOVERNOII„ The offices of Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the llouse of Rep resentatives having become vacant, the Secretary of the State of Mississippi has isssued his poroclamittion calling the Sen ate together on the 24th instant, that a President thereof may be chosen to mi.; also the office of Governor until the first day of January. Mississippi thus presents the singular spectacle of being without a Governor till the Senate shall meet on the 24th, and elect a President. Gov. GcioN, who succeeded to the office, as President of the Senate. on the resignation of Gov. QUITMAN, has so construed the law as to make his term of office to expire with the period for which lie was elected to the Senate, viz: on she 24th of the pre sent month, and hence the proclamation referred to above. TILE IRISH STATE PRISONERS.—ThOre was an immense assemblage in the lower saloon of the Chinese Museum, Philadel phia, on Wednesday evening, called to gether to take measures in aid of the pro ject for the liberation of the Irish convict ed State prisoners in Australia. Gov. Johnston presided, and many influential gentlemen acted as Vine Presidents.— Speeches were made by Gov. Johnston ; Robert Morris, Esq; Hon Joseph R. Chandler; Z. Collins, Leo, Esq. of Balti more; Robert Tyler, Morton Mc3lichael, and John Cadwalader. An address ur ging upon the President the propriety of making the liberation of these prisoners a subject of negotiation with the British Government, was adopted. U"A barrel of pop-corn exploded in Troy, on Wednesday, tearing away the handle of a basket and slightly killing two boys who were sitting on it. Correspondence of t!, Journal of Commerce, Life in California SAN FRANCIF:CO, Oct. 14, 1851 There is one feature of California life, which, were it known, would doubtless at tract many married men to come out here, bringing their wives and children with them. The wages of a common laboring man on a farm vary from $6O to $75 per month and found. For a man and his wife $l5O per month is freely offered by those who are disposed to cultivate the land on a large scale ; and I do not hesi tate to say, that were five hundred, or even a thousand men of good strong constitu tions, to come out here, with their wives and families, they could find constant and permanent employment in good and de sirable locations, that would insure to them a nett income of one to two thousand dollars per annum. There is no spot in the world where la bor is so high as here, (and living cheap— say $7 per week for the board of a labor ing man; washing $3 to $4 per dozen.)— Why is it that California is not what it was a year or two ago. It has improved every way, and is making. rapid strides, and will soon rise above all the imaginary evils that the "Tribune," and others at the East, are constantly charging upon this infant State. We have even a rich display of good ness which, like the leaven of old, is work ing good to tuis whole people and nation, A greater regard for the Sabbath is being manifested. Gambling is diminishing and becoming unfashionable. We are having libraries,. reading rooms, &c., to which our young limn can repair at the close of their daily labors. In fact the presence of a multitude of the fair daughters and wives of our citizens who have come, and are still flocking to our shores by every steam er, has proved, and will continue to prove conclusively that they are indeed the safe guard, yes, TIIEY are the ones to form and mould our society; yes Christianize this people. LONG SKIRTS, Chambers' Edinburg Journal makes the following sensible remarks on the present fashion of ladies dresses : "That some reform is wanted all the , male part of creation agree. Many of the ladies too, admit the inconvenience of the long skirts wnieh have been for some years in fashion, though they profess to be una ble to break through the rule. Why should not some compromise be entered in to In order to avoid trailing through mud and dust, it is not necessary to dock petticoats and frocks by the knee, or to assume a masculinity in other parts of the attire. Neither is it necessary to connect a rational length of skirt with certain un happy foolish notions about equal privile ges of the sexes, which seems to be one of the mistakes made by the Bloomer party in America. Let there simply be a reduc tion of the present nuisance, an abbrevia tion of those trollopiug skirts by which even a man walking beside the wearer is not unfrequently defiled. When the hem of the garment is on the level of the ankle, which once was the ease, it answers all the purposes of decorum, and is sufficiontly ' cleanly. A return to that fashion would do away with all objection. Or if one or ' two incises more be taken off, and the void ' filled by such trousers as are generally worn by young girls, it might be as well or better. Such changes might be brought about with little fracas, like any of the ordinary changes of fashion.", WHAT PENNSYLVANIA' HAS DONE ran COMMON SCHOOLS.—An address lately delivered by THOMAS 11. BERROWES,I' Esq., before the Lancaster County Edu cational Society, exhikits among other things, the money expended for School purposes in Pennsylvania, since the estab lishment of public schools. In the seven- • teen years that the school system has been in operation the people of Pennsylvania have expended over fifteen millions of, dollars in suppoit of this noble effort, ex clusive of the largo sums annually paid to sustain the numerous private academies,, seminaries and schools, which are also giving their invaluable aid to the cause of general education. The number of schools in the State has icreased from 762 to 920 Q, and the teachers, from 808 to 11,500. The pupils number half a mil lion, and the annual cost of the system is now $1,400,000. Few States in the Union have done more than Pennsylvania to die pel ignorance and qualify its rising popu lation for the dutica of citizens required under its free Constitution. - "In the city of Boston there aro one thousand five hundred places where in toxicating drinks are sold. LATER FROM THE RIO GRANDE The steamship Fanny from Brazos San tiago, with advices from Brownsville and Matamoros to the 12th inst., brings a con firmation of the report that Caravajal had on the 9th inst., after a most persevering effort to capture the city of Matamoras, abandoned the siege. His failure is at tributed to want of military capacity and indecision, as much as to disappointment in receiving reinforcements. The Mexi cans are greatly elated with the result. After the abandonment of the siege a feet stampede occurred among the forces of Caravajal, which was increased by the report that large Mexican reinforcements were'at hand. This report proved ground less, however, and subsequently Caravajal, took post at Reynosa, where many of his followers rejoined him. The Rio Bravo ueswspaper says Capt. Ford, of the Rangers, has recovered from his wounds and will immediately rejoin Caravajal, whose purpose it is to continue the war. Tr It is said that Kossuth, having been consigned to imprisonment for three years, for disobeying the edicts of the Aus trian Government, he applied, at the end of one year, for the use of books. He was offered the choice of one, provided it was not of a political character. He asled for three. The request wail granted, and he selected the English Grammar, Walker's Pronouncing Dictionary, and Shakspeare. By attentive study of these three volumes, he mastered the English language before the term of his imprisonment expired. Ct 7" The steamer Canada left Jersey City on Wednesday, with fifty-eight pas sengers, She took $1,295.992 in specie, which is believed to be the largest amount ever taken from this country by any one vessel. A beautiful commentary this (says the Courier and Enquirer) upon free trade and excessive importations, for the benefit of the pauper labor of Europe, at the expense of every great interest of our own, WHAT WORK MAY A GENTLEMAN nol— In an address before an Agricultural So ciety, Dr. Tuthill thus touches en this delicate subject :—The day has already come in our cities, that if a man stout as Milo of old, has a load of wood brought to his door, and he really aches for the pleasure of handling it, yet must he hire a man to pitch it into the cellar while he stands idly by, nor so much as touch a stick of it, on pain of losing caste. If a stout and vigorous citizen, whose muscles swell with, an excess of strength, has a load of wood lying on the sidewalk, he may as well hang himself at once as. be foolish enough to save a dollar and saw it up himself.— Yet if the man has pitched it in, and the grate is down so that he shall not be seen, we arc not sure but he may saw on till doomsday, and no one esteem him less a 111a71 and a gentleman. If he curry and tackle his own horse, or lead him to the stable when he has done with him ho is unpardonably vulgar. Ho would no soon er ho caught carrying a trunk the length of a block to an omnibus, than stealing a body, from a graveyard; yet he will boast among his friends of the enormous weight he car ries in the gymnasium, having paid a fee of thirty dollars a year for the privilege. And his friends applaud his gymnastic ex penditure as wisp and exceedingly judi cious; for sure, they say, 'hew can a man live without exercise 1' In short, labour which promotes the ends of economy is an abominable thing; that which advertises their imbecility is a source of pride. These softhandod gentry may be our sons and brothers; but we fancy they must at times feel ashamed of our common father, old Adam, who farmed it in Paradise. NEXT STATE FAIR.—The Harrisburg 'Telegraph states that the receipts at the late State Fair were about $1,500, which in addition to the annual appropriation from the State, ($2,000, we believe,) and the subscriptions by the citizens of Harris burg, will put the society in possession of sonic $B,lOO. The Telegraph proposes I that, after all the premiums awarded are paid front the treasury, the residue of the money be appropriated'to the purchase of a field in the vicinity of Harrisburg, for each future annual exhibition of the So ciety. Gov. BIGLER'S CABINET.—The Potts ville Emporium learns from good authori ty, that there is strong probability of the selection of R. C. Hale, Esq, of Mifflin county, as the next Secretary df the Com monwealth. Andrew H. Reeder, Esq., of Northampton county, as Attorney Gener al, and Francis M. Wynkoop, of Schuyl kill county, as Adjutant General. On Dancing. Dr. Fitch, in one of his lectures on the uses of the lungs, and on the mode of pre serving health says : Dancing is the king and queen of in door exercise. It is suitable for all class es, all ages, both sexes. It is one of the most ancient and one of the most salutary. I do not speak of it as a dissipation, but as an exhilirating and valuable exercise. Among the exercises it is second to none. It is extremely suitable for invalids; and for consumptives. I have known one of the worst cases of consumption I ever knew cured by dancing alone, practised daily for many months. The cure was perma nent and complete. It is deplorable that dancing and amusements of nearly all kinds should have fallen under the ban of tfie olergy, and should be preached against as sinful. It is doubtful whether the morals of man kind ure benefitted by forbidding all amuse ments, and it is most certain the health of thousands is sacrificed by it. Who are those that sink earliest into consumption among ladies? Allow me to say, it is those who take least exercise, and refrain from all amusements—who, at school, at church, at home, are marked as models; whose lookl; are demure, whose walk is slow, and whose conversation is always on serious subjects. "In a few years death does his work, and their long prayed for heav'en is soon obtained. No greater truth was ever st , tered than that— "Religion never was designed To make our pleasures lees." "Neither in its letter nor spirit does our happy and blessed religion—the reli gion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom bo eternal praise and obedience, —anywhere forbid pure, rational pleasures and gratification. ‘Use the things of this world as not abusing them,' is the injunc tion of the Apostle, and is a complete sum mary of all the teaching of the Bible upon this subject." About eight columns of the last number of the Boston Liberator aro oc cupied by a sermon preached by one DAN IEL FOSTER, designed to show that the Bible is not an inspired book. Said DAN IEL characterizes that part of the Bible relating to the first sin as a "senseless sto ry," a "manifest absurdity," and concludes that "the writer or compiler of Genesis, in this instance, relates a myth of the dim and distant past, which accorded with the superstition of his own time." Of the trial of Abraham's faith, he says "the Spirit of Christ and unperverted reason alike revolt from it and stamp it as a lie!" TEREITO Ey FOZ A NEW STATE.—GOV ernor Ramsey has concluded a treaty with the Chippeways, by which we have ac quired enough territory for another large State. The whole valley of the Red Riv er of the North, a tract of country about three hundred miles from North to South, and ono hundred and fifty miles from East to West, has been acquired for an annuity of ten thousand dollars per year, and which entirely ceases at the end of twenty years. The tract is called Pembina. ar- LATE NEWS FROM CALIFORNIA in form us that the division of the State is seriously thought of. The 'inttelligence from the mining regions is of the most en couraging character, and the yield of the precious metal promises to be greater than over. There seems to be still some diffi culty with the Mexican inhabitants, who will not conform to the laws of the State. The commercial business of San Francisco with the East, and especially with China, is rapidly growing, nand shows that that port will yet be one of the great depots for the reception of goods from the East. INTERESTING DECISION.—An Alder • man iu Pittsburg has• decided, by giving judgment for plintiff, that railroad com panies have no right to refuse excursion tickets from pa ssengers, offered after the time for which they were issued. ' The plaintiff paid his fare in money, and then brought a suit and recovered the price of ticket costs. Tho plaintiff's counsel argu ed that the notice "good for two days only," printed on the face of the ticket, did not amount to a contract, any more than the common notice of stage company and canal tickets, "all baggage at the risk of the owner," did which has been decided again and agaill to be of no virtue. tr...r Bedford, Fulton and Cambria coun ties have elected Buchanan delegates to the 4th of March convention. The elec tion of Bigler has evidently floored Cu, in this State