$3 fft tori) 3itwtor and CliroaicU. BY DAVID OVER. sjlb LETTER No. 2, MODE OF GAINING THE NECES SARY FACTS—REASONS WHY THE CANAL COMMISSION ERS' REPORTS ARE IMPERFECT AND UNRELIABLE. IAM to prove, particularly, that the Main Line is not sustaining itself, but lias exhausted, and is exhausting, the proceeds of the taxation from the people. There is but one method in which this proof can be obtained. It is bv reference to the Reports of the Accounting Depart ment of the Government. It. is by gather- j ing from those Reports a statement of all I the moneys received from the 3lain Line for a term of years, and all paid out upon it. 1 say all the receipts from, and all the payments upon it. Nothing less will be I the truth. I iie Canal Commissioners do not fake this view of the subject: and hence the partial, unfaithful and unsatisfactory na ture of their reports. They include in their account all the receipts fiora the Mair. Line; but they do not include al] •he payments upon it. On the contrary, they studiously exclude from their state ment an account of all moneys paid, to oth. or purposes than those they choose to con sider proper to be charged to the Litre.— In the exercise of this discretion, they have excluded ail payments for damages caused in the transaction of business: for all "new work." whether upon the track of the Co lumbia Road, on the New Portage Rail roal, on the Depots or Machinery of the Roads, or on the Reservoirs belonging to the Canal; for tee expenses of themselves aud their office, (until 1855) for repairs of farm and road bridges: for *li "old drbts" paid in years subsequent to those in which they w. re conn acted: until recently, for ncwdocomotives; and for improving or re building bridges,.ami offices for the trans action of business. It requires no evidence to prove that a statement made upon such jprinciple* could not give JI fair representa tion of the facts. To secure this, every tle.ni f receipt or expenditure must be in cluded—and not merely tlvose which suit a ; previously planned purpese. And these items eati bo found only in the reports of the Auditor General of the Commonwealth. This officer audits all the accounts of the State officers ori the Public Works, and publishes every year, at the close of his re port, a statement considerably iu detail of the account of the Canal Commissioners. — •i tn one side of the account, the Auditor General represents Hie money paid by the State Treasurer to these and on the other, enters'the general 'purposes to which the amounts arc applic-i. This ac count is as complete a one as the present j of keeping the books will present;.; ■ but lacks very much in fuljnesg and detail. I •"• i • ! ,ly comparing it with tha other reports, It | s practicable, however, to gather an accu rate idea of the state, of the case. This I .propose to do hereafter, with regard to sev ,erul years, that thupublic may see what the Main Line has actually accomplished, as witjn what the Canal Board has /claimed for it. To illustrate tha difference* in result 8 caused by the difference in tbfl method of making up the statements referred ta, it may be uientioued that since 1851, the fol lowing amounts have been paid on certaiu •of tlie items of which no account has been taken by the Canal Board: Damages paid, §181,185 40 Pay of Canal Commis sions and expenses of office, 44,780 22 Old debts, ? 520,458 47 Improving track of Co lumbia Railroad, 1.109,807 51 New locomotives, 1.>4,686 5_ §2,070,896 12 These are not nil the items which have been totally excluded by the Oaual Board from their statement of results, but they serve as specimens. Last year (18501 the Auditor General reported the expenses of nil tho Public Improvements, a follows: Expcuses, §1,910.890 82 Damages paid, 52,281 21 Old debts paid, 130,512 09 §2,110,090 12 rhe Canal Commissioners returned the expenses at 1,076.685 11 Difference, §1,040,004 98 This discrepancy is caused tyy the former A Weekly Paper, Devoted to Literature, Polities, the Arts, Sciences, Agriculture, &c., &c—Terms: Two Dollars per annum. | officer including all the expenditures in his statement, and the latter including only particular portions. If all of what is ebarged hy the Auditor Genera] to Con struction Account bo deducted, (§449,892 50 on tho Main Line,) the discrepancy is still one-half a million of dollars. Like wise, the expenses of the Main Line in 1856, according to the Auditor General, (excluding the above §449,892 50, and counting only motive power and repair ex penses, payment of lock keepers, collec tors, &c.,of the Canal Board of damages and of old debts,) Is 51,212,536 80 According to the Canal Board, 840,377 03 Deficiency, §372,159 77 Caused by the suppression, by the Board, of items of expenditure actually made but not deemed advisable to include. Mana ging in this way, tbey make the net profits of the Main Line in 1556, §382,596,42. Including all the payments, except Con struction, the net profits are reduced to I §10,436 75: and to bring this result it is necessary to exclude all reference to the §268,396 76 spent on the new track of tho Columbia Railroad, the §181,495 74 spent on the new Portage, and the interest on the §16,472,634 13, reported in 1854 as the then cost of the Main Line ! It must not be supposed that this scheme for the suppression of essential facts, is ori | ginal with the present Board. On the con ' trary, all previous Boards have pursued tho same policy—it having early been deemed advisable to charge renewals of machinery, repairs of tracks, and many other like items—not to Repairs, that, they be counted against receipts— but to Construc tion, by which they would be removed from any such comparison. By these means, be tween the opening of the Main Line and the J ear 1854, §4,365,920 Itl wore added to its cost; whilst during the same time, the Auditor General reported the expenditures of the line a{- $4,351,746 more than the Canal Commissioners reported them. It is manifest from these .fart* j,„f it,*, -U. mf.nai,. of discovering the precise receipts and the precise expendi tures on the line, is by a earefnll analysis of all the Reports of rhe departments, aud to this, attention will be next directed. APAUS. LETTING DOWN TILE ARISTOCRACY. — The elfegant Miss Mason, whose father had made a splendid fortune as an enterprising draper and tailor, appeared at this mag nificent eutcrtainmcnt in royal apparel. With that fastidious exclusiveness for which the latest comers into fashionable circles are the. most remarkable, she refu sed various offers of introduction, as *hc did not. wish to extend the number of her acquaintances: 'her friends were few very select.' The beautiful Miss Taylor, radiant with good natured smiles, and once well ac quainted with Miss Mason wheu they went to the public scnol in William street togeth er, uoticed the /inultur of her ancient friend, who was determined not tj recognize one who would only remind her of her former low estate. But Miss Taylor, the rogue, as clever as she was pretty, determined to tun her up short, and not submit to boing snubbed by one whose ancestral asso ciations weie no better than her own. Watching her chance when the haughty young lady was in the midst of her set, Miis Taylor walked up and witli smiles of winning sweetness remarked, ♦I have been thinking, my dear Miss Ma son, that we ought to exchange names.' 'Why, indeed?' 'Because my name is Taylor, aud my father was a mason , and your name is Ma son, hut your father was a tailor There was a scene then, but there was no help for it. The little Miss Taylor had the pleasure of saying a very cu'.e thing, which was soon repeated in the ears of a dozen circles, and the wits wished to see her, but the proud Miss Mason bit her lip in silence. 'Miss Brown, 1 have been learning how to tell fortunes,' said a fellow to a brisk brunette; 'give me your hand if you please.' 'La, Mr. White, how sudden you are!— Well, go ask pa.' THRILLING NARRATIVE. — A dog's tail under a cart wheel ! ! ! [This is all of this 'mazing story we shall publish in the Express. Those who wish more of it arc referred to the New York Ledger.) Petersburg Express. must, you dispose of a bobtail ed horse at wholesale? Because you can j not re-tail him! ! NOTHING PERSONAL. —A change iu the weather is exported soon. We always wel come any kind of c'tangt. Deacon Tlirope's IMgeonS. A CAPITAL STORY. Several years ago, when the mast and crops in some of the Western States were abont to be dostroyed by the large number of wild pigeons that came about, Deacon Thrope and sevoral of his friends were sit ting outside the log meeting-house, on Sun day morning waiting for the minister to ar-. rive, and, as a matter of course, talking about the prospect of having nothing to feed on through the coming winter. •It's orful' said one of the company. 'I never see the pigeons so thick afore. My Bill and Ben went down to the roost last night, and killed a bag full with clubs. I think they'll take all my com.' •Oh, yes its orful!' replied the others. 'That's nothing to what me and ray Felix Joshua did, day beforo yesterday, said the deacon. 'You know ray bottom field there? Well they come in it so thick you couldn't see the ground. I went down to scare 'em out, and perad venture, they riz up like a cloud, you couldn't see the sky for 'era. I hollered and slapped ray hands, and tore around till I was plump worried out, but it did no good. They just swarmed over ray head, and as fast as I went to one side of the field they began to pour down in t'oth er. Felix Joshua had jest got up to the crib with a load of corn, for he was a gath erin' the ridge field aud 1 wout to whar he was and tord him to go to the house and get his shot gun and ray shot gun, and se c if we couldn't drive thera ar' pigeons out'n the bottom field. So he goes and gets his shot guD and ray shot gun, and we goes down. He slipt aloDg on one side of the field, and I slipt along on t'other, till we got about raiddlo ways, and theu I gin a holler, aDd up they flew like a whirlagusf. I blazed away in the thickest of 'era, and Felix Joshua blazed away in the thickest of 'era, and what do you think? They were all gone in a second. Then me and Felix e x C JSI9.°J r ®£ L h . e J ence > says Says Ito Liai, 'Go fetch the steers and wagon, and upon ray word aud honor, we picked up ten bushels!' The good brothers stared wildly around I thcra, and would probably have accused their deacon of lying, had they not been in terrupted by the arrival of the preacher, aud the announcement that uieetiu was go in to begitr. After the services were over,little groups of the faithful might have been seen here and there, engaged in earnest conversation. Their subject was an exciting one, as you might have inferred from the length of their faces and the earnestness of their gestures. If you had listened to their conversation you might have heard something about as follows: Did you hear what Brother Thropc said j bout him and his Felix Joshua killin' ten bushels of pigeons at one shot. 'Yes, it's orful, aint it?' 'lt's a lie as sure as shootin.' I don't know what's got into Brother Tbrope. 'What'll Le done about it? It nrusn't go so—it'll ruin the name of the church.' •We'd better fetch it up next meetin' and make him take it back, or church him.' And so it would go on. Of course tire good deacon heard a whisper of it which gave him no little uneasiness. However, be had been into several scrapes before, and bad come out clear, and he doubted not he should meet with the same good luck on this occasion. Until the meeting day arrived the entire settlement was in an uproar Nothing was talked of but Dea con Thrope's ten bushels of pigeons. The good brothers said it was too bad to Lave the church disgraced by a deacon who would tell such unreasonable tales, while the pious old sisters wiped their spectacles, sighed and said, 'lt's hard telling the power which the evil one cxcrteth ' At last the exciting day arrived. The preacher stated that the church was ready for the transaction of business, whereupon brother Fingle arose aud said: 'Brother Deacon Thropc says him and his Felix Joshua killed teu bushels of pi geous at one shot. The church dor.'t be lieve it, and would love to hear what the brother has to say for himself. With much solemnity the Deacon arose, and after casting a serious look over the congregation and elevating hi? eye 9 to the rafters a few times, spoke as follows: 'My bretkeriug there is a sad mistake out. —J didu't say we killed ten bushels of pi geons at one shot, but—' 'What did you say, then?' interrupted ouc of thu brothers, who was present when the Deacon first told about the pigeon". 'Didn't vou say you nxid your l'elix Joshua both blazed away?' t 'Yes.' BEDFORD, PA., FRIDiY. JUNE 19,1857. 'Didn't you say you both clem over b fence?' 'Yes peradventure.' 'Didn't you say that Felix Joshua sjd, 'Father, this beats all creation.' '1 did, brother.' 'Didn't you say Felix Joshua fotchcdtbe steers and wagon, and you picked upiten bushels of pigeons?' 'There is the brother, relied the Deacon, again rabing his eyes toward the rafters. I didn't say we picked upJen bushels of pigeons. Brother Fingle is bis taken; I said—' 'Yes, I know what you said." iuterrmted several; 'you did say it, and wo can prove it easy enough! You can't conie that punc over us, old hoss fly.' 'Order, blethering,' said the roimster; 'let s hear Brother Thrope's story, and then you can make any remarks you may with.' •V\ ell, as I was sayin,' resumed the Dea con, I didn't say we picked up ten bushels of pigeons Bro. Fingle is mistaken—l said we picked up ten bushels of corn that the pigeons had shattered off. 'Amen, went up from the congregation and a rush was made at Deucon Tiirope, to shake him by the hand. It is neodless to say that he was restored to full fellowship and confidence. IncidentN In Hie Life of a felon. The career of the youthful Ed. Hawkins who has recently been sentenced to death in Estill county, Ky., for tlio runnier of Land and Irwin would furnish an exciting annal wherewith to embellish the Lives of the Felons. Ho is only about twenty-two years of age, is robust and prepossosjing in appearance, possessing an air and feature well calculated to deceive ladies of suscep tibility and verdancy. He has been married no less than half a dozen times to young and interesting females, and they are all yet living. At the time of his arrost he was pro menadiug with a lady to whom he was en gaged to be married, who was to have been the seventh victim of his arts. Young notorious brigand ?."*** of Tom Harper, the bloody scenes of early Kentucky, history. — About the 15th of March last the subject of this sketch stole a horse in Madison county, Kentucky. lie had disposed of his small estate at Proctor, Owlsiey county, uear which place lie was apprehended by his unfortunate victims, Land and Irwin on the 22d of the sauic month. The prisoner having been couveyed some fifteen miles toward Estill county, Irwin had dismounted and given his horse to Hawkins who rode by the side of Land. Iu an ungardod moment Hawkins caught Land's right hand, and, reaching forward, drew his pistol (which was a self-cocking revolver) from his bosom. He immediately fired upon Irwin who was walking by his side, the ball taking effect in his left temple and passing out through the under jaw. Land and Hawkins then jumped or fell from their horses simulta neously; Laud running some distance on his hands and feet. Hawkins ran up to bis secoud victim with his pistol presented, when Land raised his hands imploringly, invoking Hawkins not to shoot. Hawkins fired, how" ever, and the shot took effect in Mr. Land's eye, killing him instantly. Irwin was still struggling in death when found a few minutes after the shooting. The murderer wandered about for several days after he had committed the double crime, and con fesses that he rambled back to the scene of the encounter the following Tuesday, his path crossing the blood which had flowed from the wounds of his innocent young vijtims. He was finally traced to a cavern in the neighborhood, and was so closely pursued in his hiding place, that he heard the conversation of his pursuers, and repeat ed a proposition made at the time to smoke him from his concealment. Discovering an opening into the cavern, he made his escape into Ohio, whither he was pursued by some citizens of Estill county. The; were close i upon him at one time, when he eluded their I vigilanco by affecting to bo a laborer, and proceeded to place some rails on a neigh ! boring fence. His identity war so nearly i recognised by one of the party, that the re i mark was made by one of the pursuers to a companion that when they did liad Hawkins they would find a man that aliuott exactly resembled the individual laying the fence before them. They passed on, however, unconscious of the presence of the very in dividual they wore so eagerly pnrsuing.— He was subsequently identified and arrested near his father's residence in Ohio, and con veyed to the Estill county jail. A popular meeting was thou held, which appealed to Judgo Pearl for an immediate trial of the prisoner. In accordance with the general wish the Judge convened his special term on the 27th ultimo. In the meantime, many citizens who were impatient at the i tardy administration of justice, informed Hawkins that if ho should not be ready for trial at the appointed time, or should obtain a change of venue, they would themselves administer that summary justice which the nature of his crime demanded. But a jury was obtained without delay and the young outlaw had a fair hearing. He bad the bonefit of the legal ability of four attorneys of distinction. On the 80 th of March he was found guilty of murder in the first degree.— Louisville Democrat. THE MYSTERY OF THE EVER GLADES. The long peninsula which run 3 out into the Atlantic, forming the southern part of Florida, has always been occupied by a singular succession of savannahs, ham njochs, lagoons, swamps ar.d forests nearly impregnable and quite uninhabitable, PX cept as the lurking place of Seminoles.— They extend into the heart of the country, two hundred miles north of Cape Sable, and collectively, are called the Everglades.' During the past wiuter a natural outlet has opened somewhere which is draining the Everglades dry. For nearly two months, though no water flowed out of any of the known outlets, the water in the glades continued to fall rapidly. The in vitible vent must have discharged a volume equal to the Mississippi River. A letter from a resident, dated April 2d, says, "the Everglades are extremely dry— literally parched up which has not occurred before in the twenty five years that I have lived in this region, and 1 have hunted on them almost every season during that time." Vessels passing the coast, report that they have seen brackish discolored water at various plaints, as if it was pouring out of the swamps. But the storids are so vague and Con flicting that it in impossible to determine whether a Dew rivet has formed through some labyrinth of lagoons and islands, or whether there is a cavernous, subterauean passage to the depths of the sea. One of the Coast Survey vessels at work in that quarter sailed on an exploring ir search of it in March, but a compelled abandonment of thesearcn. FioriJa has always been noted for its mysterious streams. There are several creeks and rivers of limpid water in the State, which sink into the earth and disap pear. Others rise suddenly out. of the ground, one of which (the Wakulla) is nav igable from its very source. The strange i accounts of them which reached Spain in ihe early years of discovery led IW-etle Leon thither in search of the "Fountain of Youth." TilE FISHERMAN. I was, some time since, walking upon the warf where a (i-hitig boat lay, and as 1 was passing, and re-passing, the master was uttering the most tremendous oaths. At length I turned to bim aud standing beside the boat, said— "Sir, I ain unacquainted with your business. What kind of fishes are these?" lie replied—"They are Codfish." "How loug are you usually out iu order to obtain your load?" "Two or three weeks," was the answer. "At what price do you sell them?" lie informed uie. ♦'Well, have you not hard work to obtain a living in this way'" "Yes, hard work," said lis I inquired, "With what do you bait those fish?" "With clams." "Did you ever catch mackerel?" "Yes." "And I suppose you bait them with clams, too?" "Oh, no," said he, "they will not bite at clams." "Tlicu you must have different kinds of bait for different sorts of fish? "Yes." "Well, now, did you ever catch a fish without a bait?" "Yes," said he, "I was out last year, and one day when I was fixing ray liue, my book fell into the water; the fool took hold of it, and I drew him in." "Aow, sir," said 1, "I have often thought that Satun was very much like a fisherman. He also baits his hook with that kind of bait which different sort of sinners like best but when he would catch a profane swearer he does not take the trouble to bait at all for the fool will always bite at the bare hook." He was silent. His countenance was solemn, and after a moment's pause, as I turned to go away, I heard hitu say to one standing by him 'I guess tint's a minister." Why are good hubaTids like dough' Women knead them SOLD —We yesterday heard of a practi cal joke perpetrated, which in the dullness of the times ,if not for its merit, is worthy of being recorded. The parties to this transaction we shall designate as Ben and Tom. It is prop T for a better understanding of the joke to intimate that the former specu lates to a modest degree in bivalves—and right good bivalves they are too—and it is not necessary to say what the latter does, farther than he is as fast as the locomotive and pet train which he swears by, and is, withal a great wag. The story runs that Ben had taken a three dollar counterfeit bill, and not relishing such dead capital, he conceived the idea of giving it to Tom, who was a frollieking fellow, and could make it go if anybody could. Ac cordingly he approached the contemplated dispensing medium one day when the fol lowing conversation ensued: •I say, Tom, hero's a pretty good coun terfeit three if you pass it I'll divide.' 'J-iCt's see the plaster,' said Tom; and af ter examing it carefnly, put it. in his vest pocket remarking,' its an equal division—a dollar and a half a piece V •Yes,' said lien. 'All right,' said Tom, and ho sauntered. A few minutes afterwards he quietly stepped into the office of his frieod Ken, pur chased a can of oysters for one dollar and a half, and laid down the three dollar hit in payment, for them. The clerk looked at the bill rather dnubtinply, when his suspi cions w era immediately calmed bjpTom,who told him there 'was no use looking, for he had received that hill from KCD, himself, not ten minutes since.' Of course, the elork, with this assurance, immediately fork- i ed over the dollar and a half change, and with this deposit and the can of oysters Tom left. Short afterwards he met Ben, who asked him if he had passed the bill. 'Ob, yes,' said Torn, 'here's your share,' at the same time pas-dug over the dollar and a half to Ken. That night when B?.n made up his each accouut he was surprised to find tba same jUg VU liumnrr* . - - • y 'P.. i 'Where did you get this cursed bill ? Didn't you know it wis a counterfeit ' ,Why, Tom gave it to rue, and 1 suspected it was fishy, but he said he had just received it from you, and I therefore took it ?' The whole thing had penetrated the wool of Ben, ami with a peculiar grin he muttered j 'Sold,' and ehnrged the can of oysters to profit and loss aceount. THE HANDSOME SOUL. —Oue day last, j winter, a litrle boy from the south, who was on a visit from the town, was taking his first 1 lesson jn the art of 'sliding down hill,' when he suddenly found his feet in rather too close contact with a lady's rich silk dress. Surprised, mortified and confuspd, he sprang, his sled aud cap in hand, commenced an earnest apology : "I beg your pardou ma'am; I am very sorry." "Never mind," exclaioied the lady, "there is no great harm done, and you feel worse about it than 1 do." "But, dear tuadam," s.,id the boy. as his eyes filled with tears, "your dress is ruined, i I thought that you would le very angry j with me for being so careless." "O, no," replied the lady; "better have a soiled dress than a lufijed tempef." (_), iavid, "I will he as a servant to wash the feet of my Lord." I will do any service wherein 1 may please my good husband. I confess I cannot do enough for thee; bnt thou art pleased to accept the will for the deed and test content. 1 have ruauy reasons to make me love these wherefore 1 will Dame two; first, because thou levest God and secondly because thou i-tvest me If these two were wanting all the rest would be eclipsed. But 1 must leave this discourse and go about my house hold affairs. lam a had housewife to be so long from them,but I must needs borrow a little time to talk with thee my sweetheart I hope thy business draws to an end, It will be two or three weeks before T see thee though be long ones. God will bring us together in his good time, lor which I shall pray. Farewell my go.rd husband the Lord keep thee. Your obedient wife. m 9 wJUAJIGAIIKT WINTHKOP. last week, yet having so fit an opportunity I write to thee again; for 1 do esteem one little.. sweet short letter of thine (snch as the last was) to be worth two or three from uie. I began this letter yesterday at two o'clock thinking to have been at large, but was so taken up by company and business, as L coii'd get but hither this morning. I have not liberty to make better expression of uiy love to thee, who art mors doai to wo than ali earthly things, but I will endeavor fliat my prayers shall supply the defect of my pen; wliieh will be ot use to us both, inas much a the favor and blessing of God i 9 better than all things besides. I know thou lookest for troubles here, and wheu one affliction is over, to meet with another; but remember our Saviour tells us, "Be of pood coiufort; 1 have overcome the world."—Therefore my good wife, rise up my heart and be uotdiauiayed at the crosses thou meetest with in family affairs, or other wise: hut still fly tn him who will take up thy burden for thee. Go thou on cheer fully, in obedience to his holy will, in the course he hath set thee. Peace shall come I commend thee and all thine to the gracious ! protection and blessing of the lx>rd. bare i well uiy good wife- I kiss and love thee with the kindest affection and rest. Thy affectionate husband. JOHN YVINTHROP JUost Loving and Good Husband —l have received your letters. 'I he true tokens of your love and care of uiy good, now in your absence: as well us wlicu you are present make aie think that saying false "out of sight out of mind." 1 am sure my heart and thoughts are alwujs near you, to "do you good and not evil all the days of iuy lite. 1 rejoice in the expectation of our happy meeting, for thy absence lias been much de sired. Thy welcome is always ready; make baste to entertain it. And so I hid my good husband farewell and commit him to the Lord. Your loving and obedient wife. MARGARET WINTHROP. OIKCCMsTANCKS. —'i>o J 0 " kUOW tll prisoner, Mr. Joucs?' 'Yes, to the bone,' •What is his character?" •Never knew he he bad any.' 'Does he live near you!' 'So near that he ba only spent fifty cenu lor firewood in eight years. 'Did he ever come into collision with you iu any matter?' 'Only once, and that was when he was drunk and mistook me for a lamp post.' •From what you know of him, would you believe hiiti uuder oath?' 'That doped? on circumstances. If lie was so much intoxicated that be did r.ot know what he was doing, 1 would, if he wasn't, 1 would net ' 'You can *tep aside, Mr Jones, Liter, call the nxt wituess