The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. I.,
No. 3, November, 1834, by Various
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Title: The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. I., No. 3, November, 1834
Author: Various
Editor: James E. Heath
Release Date: November 11, 2016 [EBook #53501]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER, NOV 1834 ***
Produced by Ron Swanson
THE SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER:
DEVOTED TO EVERY DEPARTMENT OF LITERATURE AND THE FINE ARTS.
Au gré de nos desirs bien plus qu'au gré des vents.
_Crebillon's Electre_.
As _we_ will, and not as the winds will.
RICHMOND:
T. W. WHITE, PUBLISHER AND PROPRIETOR.
1834-5.
SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER.
VOL. I.] RICHMOND, NOVEMBER 1834. [NO. 3.
T. W. WHITE, PRINTER AND PROPRIETOR. FIVE DOLLARS PER ANNUM.
The _Publisher and Proprietor_, has made such arrangements for the
management of the _Editorial Department_, as he hopes will be
satisfactory to his patrons. If the circulation of the "Messenger"
continues to increase, he has it in contemplation not only to secure
regular able contributions, but also to embellish some of his monthly
numbers with handsome lithographic drawings and engravings; but the
cost cannot be prudently incurred without an enlargement of his list.
He therefore hopes that such of his friends as feel an interest in the
successful prosecution of this first serious attempt to establish a
literary periodical south of the Potomac, will aid him in extending its
circulation--as the best means of ensuring its continuance and utility.
_If each of his subscribers would only procure an additional one_, the
work would not only be _firmly established_ but greatly _increased in
value_. The Publisher avails himself of this opportunity to inform the
correspondent of the Portland Advertiser that the latter is mistaken in
respect to the place of his nativity. The Publisher did once reside in
the city of Boston, and can freely bear testimony to the high
character, the generous feelings and the noble accomplishments of its
citizens--but he was only a sojourner among them; having been born, and
for the most part reared in the Ancient Dominion. If he were not a full
blooded Tuckahoe Virginian, he would like to be a Bostonian.
All communications of every kind must be addressed to T. W. White,
_Publisher and Proprietor_.
The issuing of the present number has been delayed in consequence of
the change to a _monthly_ instead of a semi-monthly publication. The
Publisher hopes that the change will be agreeable to his patrons. He is
firmly persuaded of its expediency in various respects.
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
SKETCHES OF THE HISTORY
And Present Condition of Tripoli, with some accounts of the other
Barbary States.
No. I.
_Washington City, November, 1834_.
Agreeably to my promise, I send you the sheets containing _Sketches of
the History and present condition of Tripoli, with some account of the
other States of Barbary_ which may perhaps be found worthy of insertion
in the "SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER." They are the fruits of researches
made for my amusement, into the history of those countries, and to
which I was led by information accidentally obtained respecting the
present condition of affairs in Tripoli.
The north of Africa has so long remained in comparative obscurity,
exercising little or no influence in the grand game of national
contests, which forms the subject of our most interesting modern
histories, that works relating to it are few in number, and generally
bear unequivocal marks of the ignorance or prejudice of the writers.
For this reason, it is difficult to obtain a correct statement of
facts, and almost always impossible to arrive at motives; persons
therefore who estimate the propriety of labor, by calculating the value
of its produce, would easily be diverted from such researches, although
they might not object to profit by their results.
I have endeavored to arrange into a regular series, the facts thus
collected, passing lightly over those which are the most generally
known, and introducing occasionally a few observations, which will not
I hope be considered obtrusive. Yet I fear that I shall not succeed in
communicating any interest to the pages of your periodical; the details
of selfish intrigue, murder and treachery, never relieved by incidents
springing from generous motives, which constitute the history of the
north African nations, are, I must confess, more likely to excite
disgust than pleasurable emotions; still they exhibit man as he is,
without the light of civilization, or the restraints of moral duty; and
may serve to attach us still more strongly to those social and
political institutions, without which a similar state of things might
exist among ourselves.
I am, sir, &c. R. G.
The countries lying on the southern shore of the Mediterranean, and
usually denominated the Barbary States, have for many ages been almost
forgotten by the christian world, or only remembered as the abode of
pirates and ruffians. The maritime powers of Europe seem however at
length to have recollected, that at a short distance from them, are
territories of great extent and fertility, capable of producing most of
the articles now obtained, by means of long and dangerous voyages, from
the East and West Indies, and offering every facility for commercial
intercourse, with the countless nations inhabiting the vast continent
of Africa. These territories are, it is true, already inhabited by
people living under acknowledged governments; but a continued course of
misconduct, which experience has shewn to be incorrigible, has caused
them to be regarded as completely out of the pale of civilization; and
if they retain their independence much longer, it will be rather from
jealousy among their powerful neighbors than from any respect for their
claims to nationality.
The French have already set the example, by the conquest of the
principal places on the coast of Algiers, and although they have as yet
penetrated but a short distance into the interior, there can be no
doubt that steady and well directed efforts, such as they are now
pursuing, must eventually secure to them the possession of a large and
valuable tract. The British have indeed protested strongly against the
retention of these conquests, but never, that we have heard, on the
grounds of injustice to the vanquished party.
Tunis, the next in power as in situation to Algiers, would be even a
more important acquisition in a political or commercial point of view,
than Algiers; but it would not probably be reduced without an immense
expenditure of blood and treasure; for its resources are comparatively
great, and its government efficient and well organised. Besides which,
it has not of late afforded any cause for dissatisfaction, having
yielded with a good grace to the necessity of abandoning piracy, and
evinced a disposition to seek for wealth, by the surer means of
industry and commerce.
Tripoli, the other and least important of the States of Barbary, had,
until lately, pursued a course similar to that of Tunis, and its
condition was highly prosperous; it was in fact the first to desist
from piratical cruises, for which the world is indebted in a great
measure to the efforts of the United States, during the years 1803 and
4. But dissensions in the family of the sovereign have at length
produced a civil war, in which the foreign residents suffer as well as
the natives; and thus have motives, at least specious, for foreign
interference, been given to the two powers which divide between them
the empire of the Mediterranean. The French, as usual, took the lead,
by sending a squadron to Tripoli, which in 1828 dictated the terms of
the redress to be made to their citizens; and they have since that
period, by the aid given indirectly to one of the contending parties,
obtained a degree of ascendancy which has excited the jealousy of Great
Britain.
These circumstances induced inquiries into the present condition of
Tripoli, which naturally led to others respecting its past history and
that of the neighboring states; and the results being considered
interesting, have been thrown together in the following form.
* * * * *
The north-western part of the African continent is traversed by a lofty
and extensive mountain range, which is known to us by its classic name
of ATLAS. On the northern and western sides, these ridges extend to the
sea, forming by their projections numerous capes and promontories,
which have been the dread of navigators in every age. On the south,
they in many places disappear as abruptly in the great ocean of sand
called _Zahara_, or the Desert, which stretches across the continent,
from the Atlantic to the valley of the Nile, and the shores of the
Mediterranean; the descent is, however, generally gradual, leaving
tracts of productive soil between the steeps and the desert; these
tracts, though not adapted for the growth of grain, are so highly
favorable to the Palm, that they are known by the name of
Bilad-oul-jerrid, or the Country of Dates.
The mountains are highest and most continuous in the west; towards the
east they become gradually lower, and there are many breaks in the
chain, through which the sand makes its way from the desert; at length
they disappear entirely beyond the great bend which the coast of the
Mediterranean makes to the southward near Tripoli; and the sand having
no barrier to check its advances, is rolled by the prevailing southerly
winds to the shores of the sea.
Thus bounded and cut off from other habitable countries by sea and by
sand, the region of the Atlas may be considered as one vast island; and
these circumstances of its situation should ever be borne in mind, in
moral or political speculations concerning it. Hence it was, that
civilization did not gradually overspread it from the east, and that it
could only be colonized by maritime powers; that neither the Egyptians,
the Persians, nor the Macedonians effected its conquest, as they
neither possessed adequate fleets, nor troops accustomed to the
peculiar difficulties and dangers of the desert; and that the Arabs
alone, a people bred among trackless wastes of sand, ventured to invade
it without assistance from the sea. Indeed the little that is known of
the geology of northern Africa, encourages the supposition that at some
past period this country was encircled by water; and ingenious attempts
have been made to prove that it was in reality the famed island of
Atlantis, which was vainly sought by the ancient navigators in the
ocean beyond the Pillars of Hercules.
The climate and soil of these countries are various, as may be
suspected from their situation and the inequalities of their surface.
Of the interior we know but little, and deductions from facts must
supply the place of observation. On some of the mountains the snow
remains during nearly the whole year, while the valleys and plains have
yielded sugar, coffee and other productions, which require regular and
intense heat. Grain is raised abundantly in the west, and the olives,
grapes and figs of Barbary have been celebrated at all times. Of its
general fertility, the immense population which it formerly supported
is a sufficient evidence, while the athletic forms of the inhabitants
prove its salubrity. But few rivers flow from the interior into the
sea, and the largest streams are said to proceed from the southern
sides of the mountains, whence they are discharged into lakes or
dispersed in the sand.
The coasts, as already observed, are precipitous and dangerous,
particularly in autumn, during the prevalence of northerly winds; they
are however free from shoals and other hidden difficulties, and have
many ports which are safe and easy of access, while others might be
rendered so by art. It is likewise certain, that many of the existing
obstacles to the navigation would disappear, if a proper survey were
made, and lighthouses were established where requisite; for the charts
now in use are very defective, and no provisions whatever are made by
the governments of the country; this, however, there is reason to
believe, will ere long be corrected.
The superficial extent of Barbary cannot be as yet calculated; we know
that it has coasts of five or six hundred miles on the Atlantic, and of
about fifteen hundred on the Mediterranean; but the breadth between the
sea and the desert varies considerably, and is no where correctly laid
down. It is probably greatest in the vicinity of the Atlantic and in
Tunis, where it may be one hundred and fifty miles; in Algiers, Shaler
considers it generally to be about sixty miles; but Tripoli is merely a
narrow strip of soil, on the Mediterranean, in many places traversed by
rocky spurs from the mountains, and tracts of sand from the desert.
The materials for the early history of this country are very imperfect;
we possess no works of ancient native writers, and the accounts from
which all our information must be drawn, appear in the form of episode,
in those of Greek and Roman historians. It seems to have been
originally inhabited by fierce and intractable tribes, of which those
most advanced in civilization, had only reached the pastoral state.
Herodotus gives us the names of many of these tribes, which it is now
useless to enumerate; those of the eastern part were comprehended by
the Greeks under the general name of _Nomades_, or wanderers, which,
unknown among themselves, was afterwards converted by the Romans into
_Numidians_, and became their distinctive national appellation; the
_Mauri_ occupied the western part, and this term, (in English,
_Moors_,) is now applied by Europeans to all the natives of Barbary.
The enterprising Greeks and Phoenicians did not allow the advantages
offered by northern Africa to be neglected, and they established
colonies on its coast, which attained a high degree of prosperity. The
Greeks made their settlements on the sterile shore now forming the
eastern part of Tripoli, and lying immediately south of Peloponnesus,
where the Mediterranean forms a gulf anciently called the Great Syrtis.
As the surrounding country is by no means productive, these colonies
could only have been supported by trade with the interior of Africa;
and were probably the resort of caravans bringing gold, gums, spices,
ivory and other precious articles, to be exchanged for the manufactures
of Greece and Asia. Such a traffic, we know from the accounts of late
travellers, is still carried on from Tripoli; and the part of the
desert lying south of it is better adapted than any other for that
purpose, on account of the many _oases_, or islands of cultivable soil,
which are scattered through it, offering rest, and a supply of food and
water to the caravans while on their march. By these means, the Greek
cities acquired great wealth, and became the seats of luxury,
refinement and science; and stupendous ruins, the haunt of the jackal
and hyæna, still remain to attest the former splendor of Cyrene and
Apollonia.
The more adventurous Phoenicians made their settlements farther
westward, in the fertile region now composing the states of Algiers,
Tunis and a small part of Tripoli; they flourished even more than those
of the Greeks, and became the principal seats of commerce in the
western Mediterranean. Of many of these colonies, history has preserved
to us the names, and nothing more; one of them, however, far outshone
the rest, and its struggle for supremacy with Rome, forms the subject
of one of the most interesting portions of ancient history. Of
Carthage, perhaps it might be as Sallust conceived, "_melius silere
quam parum dicere_," better to say nothing, than only a little; yet a
few remarks on its political system and the results of that system,
will serve to illustrate the condition of northern Africa during this
early period.
The situation of this celebrated city near the narrow streight which
separates Sicily from Africa, was admirably adapted for commerce with
either division of the Mediterranean; its rivals, Agrigentum and
Syracuse, possessed indeed the same advantages of site; but Carthage,
besides a soil equally fertile, had the superiority in her intercourse
with the central parts of the continent. Of her constitution we know
too little to be able to judge what share her government may have had
in her advancement; there is every probability, however, that wealth
had great influence in her councils, and that its acquisition was at
first the great end of individual and national enterprise. The first
object of her statesmen seems to have been, to extend her dominion over
the territory at home; this was attempted by means of colonies
judiciously placed, which by amalgamation with the native tribes, and
by the example of the advantages to be derived from fixed habits, and a
respect for rights to landed property, were gradually subduing and
civilizing the rude aboriginals; these could not from their habits be
easily extirpated, as they might retire to the mountains, or if there
pressed, find a safe retreat in the _land of dates_ behind; they were
moreover valuable as soldiers, and as carriers across the desert. The
other Phoenician colonies, though many of them were never subject to
Carthage, yet all acknowledged her as the head of their league, and she
relied upon their support, in case of invasion from abroad. But they
too were to be reduced, and gradually incorporated into the
Carthaginian empire; things were rapidly advancing towards this
consummation when Carthage fell.
The other grand object of their policy was the subjection of the whole
country surrounding the western half of the Mediterranean, which was to
be carried on by the quiet and sure means of trading colonies,
established at convenient places on the coast. Thus, was the African
shore to the streights of Gibraltar, that of Spain, the south of Gaul
and the neighboring islands, dotted with colonies from Carthage, each
of which had a territory behind, constantly increasing in extent. To
support these establishments fleets were necessary, which could be
easily manned by a nation having so extensive a trade by sea, while the
native tribes of the interior furnished the hardiest soldiers.
Yet with all this apparent strength, the feet of the Carthaginian
colossus were of clay; the wealth which enabled her to carry on this
system made offices venal, narrowed the minds of her citizens and
debased their character, while it excited the cupidity of her
neighbors. Mercenary troops she could hire, and was sure of their
fidelity while she paid them punctually; and with such, a general who
should succeed in gaining their confidence, might effect immense
results; but a succession of generals capable of doing this was not to
be expected; and a single defeat was likely to be attended by
depression and disorganization. She had, comparatively speaking, but
few citizens in her armies; but few persons who could be urged by
patriotism or interest in the public glory; and without such a class,
no nation can long sustain itself against extraordinary difficulties.
These defects would have ceased in time, when her possessions at home
had been consolidated, and the other cities had been reduced under her
government; but she was not destined to arrive at this point.
The prosperity of the north African nations, did not fail to excite the
jealousy and cupidity of surrounding powers, and accordingly we find
that all the great conquerors of the East formed plans for their
subjection. The Persians after conquering Egypt sent an army which took
and plundered Cyrene, but retired without proceeding farther. But
another project was formed against their independence by a conqueror
the most sagacious and successful who has ever yet appeared. Among the
commentaries left by Alexander of Macedon, as recorded by Diodorus
Siculus, (_Book_ xviii. _Chap._ 1.) was found a project for the
"invasion and subjection of the Carthaginians, and others dwelling on
the coasts of Africa, Spain and the adjacent islands; for which a
thousand ships were to be built, in the ports of Phoenicia, Syria,
Cilicia and Cyprus, larger than those of three tiers of oars; with
directions for carrying a straight and easy road along the shore of the
Mediterranean, from Egypt to the Pillars of Hercules." With such an
armament, and such a leader, it is highly probable that the project
could have been carried into effect; the Grecian colonies already
acknowledged his power, he was therefore secure of finding friends in
the most difficult part of the country, either for naval or land
operations; and the efficiency of his political arrangements in all
other cases, does not permit us to doubt, that he would have founded in
north Africa, a permanent and substantial empire. But this was not to
be; Alexander died in the early summer of life, and of those who shared
his dominions, no one was alone able to carry such a project into
effect, and each was too much engaged in securing his own part, for any
operation to have been conducted in concert.
While the designs of Carthage were advancing towards fulfilment, she
was gradually becoming a military state. Her fleets covered the sea,
often transporting a hundred and fifty thousand combatants, and her
armies of mercenary troops, led on by one of the most persevering and
ingenious leaders of whom we have any account, overran an immense
extent of territory, surmounting natural obstacles of the most
appalling character, and overthrowing enemies celebrated for their
skill and courage. But her commerce suffered, and the expenses of the
war exhausted her treasury. Of the other African cities, many had
declared and acted in favor of her enemies, while others were ready to
desert her when a favorable opportunity should offer. The native tribes
had acquired civilization sufficient to unite them, and to make them
aware of their own importance; their chieftains had become ambitious,
and Rome made offers to them which Carthage could never have advanced.
In this conjuncture, her long absent and long victorious army was
recalled, to meet the enemy on her own shore; but Hannibal had grown
old, and was routed at Zama; during his absence a generation had arisen
which knew him not, and banishment succeeded his defeat. The once proud
republic had lost all, and consented to a treaty, the ruinous terms of
which she was forced to receive as a boon, and did not dare infringe.
Her navy being destroyed, Spain and her other conquests soon fell into
the hands of the Romans, and at length the decree went forth "Carthago
delenda est." The fate of this renowned city is well known. Within a
century from the day on which Hannibal sent home the spoils taken at
Cannæ, the banished Roman Marius sought refuge among the desolate ruins
of Carthage.
The other Phoenician as well as the Greek colonies, submitted to the
conquerors on favorable terms; the chieftains of the wandering tribes
who had adhered to Rome, were rewarded by the titles of kings; and
enjoying the semblance of sovereignty over territories named by a
majority of the Roman Senate, served to keep each other, and the
cities, in check. In process of time, even this last shew of
independence disappeared, and the region of the Atlas finally became
one Roman province, under the appellation of Africa.
As a part of the Roman dominions, Africa reached its highest state of
civilization; the cultivation of the land was carried to so great an
extent, that it was considered the granary of the Mediterranean, and
the cities on its coast were the depots of a most extensive trade with
the interior of the continent. Carthage arose with additional splendor
from her ruins, and for more than eight hundred years continued to be
the capital of the province. The inhabitants retained their former
characters; those of the coast were ingenious and industrious; fond of
luxury and not celebrated for their good faith or moral character; the
mountaineers kept up their reputation for courage, and we read of few
battles gained by the Roman arms without the assistance of Numidian
archers, or Mauritanian cavalry. Nor were the Africans excluded from
office, for we find three of them successively filling the Imperial
throne. They embraced christianity with the rest of the empire under
Constantine, and churches innumerable marked the fervor of their
devotion. Their religious zeal was farther shown in the bloody
controversy between the orthodox and the Donatists, which desolated the
country during the fifth and sixth centuries of our æra, and nearly
extinguished the light of civilization. The invasion of the Vandals
soon after inflicted another blow upon its prosperity; these barbarians
were however soon reduced to submission by Belisarius, and Africa
continued under the government of the emperors of Constantinople, until
the commencement of the eighth century. At this period the followers of
Mahomet every where successful in the East, turned their arms towards
the setting sun, and traversing the Desert which separated the Roman
province from Egypt, appeared before the frontier cities, presenting to
their astounded inhabitants the alternative of the Koran or the sword.
Tripoli was the first country in the African province invaded by the
Saracens,[1] and in order that its subsequent history may be better
understood, it will be necessary to make a few observations on its
ancient condition, which could not well have been introduced before.
[Footnote 1: It should here be noticed that the followers of Mahomet
were at first merely termed Arabians, but when their conquests extended
over Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and other adjacent countries, they were
known by the more general name of Saracens, or _people of the East_,
from the Arabic and _Sharak_--meaning _East_. Africa was and still is
called by Asiatics, _El Magrab_, or the West; though in Barbary the
term is strictly confined to the Empire of Morocco. When Africa had
been overrun, and the same conquerors had passed into Spain, they were
termed Moors by Europeans, as coming from the ancient country of the
Mauri, although the generals, and probably the greater part of the
troops, were natives of Arabia.]
In the narrow tract between the Mediterranean and the desert, westward
of the celebrated gulf called the Great Syrtis, and adjoining the
proper territory of their republic, the Carthaginians had at an early
period established several colonies, of which three, Leptis, Oea and
Sabrata acquired great importance as commercial stations under the
Romans, and the district containing them was called Tripolis, or the
Three Cities. Of these Leptis was the most eastern; and extensive ruins
still remain as evidences of its former greatness, in the little town
of Lebda, about seventy miles from Tripoli. Sabrata was at the western
extremity of the district, on the spot now occupied by a village called
Old Tripoli.
Oea was situated between these two, on the western side of a small bay,
formed by the projection of a rocky point of land into the sea. A
triumphal arch dedicated to the emperors Marcus Aurelius, and Lucius
Verus, and considered the finest monument of that kind remaining, with
several other ancient relics, give reason to suppose that it may have
been a splendid city; and it is mentioned as such by Pliny, Strabo, and
some other writers of the latter days of the Roman empire. We however
learn nothing from them respecting its history; and in the year 647 of
the Christian æra, when the Saracens invaded Africa, Leptis and Sabrata
had sunk into comparative insignificance, while Oea had appropriated to
itself the name of the whole district, and was a large, wealthy and
strong city. The seat of government of the Roman, or rather Greek
dominions in Africa, continued to be Carthage, where resided the
emperor's Prefect or lieutenant; Utica, Hippo, and other ancient places
were still flourishing, and several had grown up to importance, whose
names do not appear in the pages of Roman history; of these the
principal were Sufetala, Bugia, and Tingi or Tangiers.
The Saracens appeared before Tripoli in number forty thousand, under
Abdallah, governor of Egypt, and Zobeir a distinguished soldier; but
the strength of its walls baffled the attempts of enemies totally
unacquainted with the art of besieging, and enabled its inhabitants to
remain secure, until an immense army had been collected by the Prefect
for its relief. It at length appeared, and actions daily took place, in
which nothing was decided in favor of either party. Gregory the Prefect
fought with gallantry, attended in the field by his daughter; yet this
example was not sufficient to encourage his troops, although they far
outnumbered their enemies; and as a last effort, he proclaimed that his
daughter's hand with a hundred thousand pieces of gold, should be the
reward for the head of the Saracen general. Thus excited, the African
youths took courage, and Abdallah considering his own person as too
important to be exposed to such dangers, remained during the ensuing
action in his tent; but he was soon shamed from this retreat by the
fiery Zobeir, who insisted upon his replying to Gregory's proclamation,
by promising the lady and a similar reward for the head of the Prefect.
This promise restored to the Saracens their former courage and vigor,
and in another action Gregory was slain by Zobeir, in his daughter's
presence, and she herself became a prisoner. Thus far we have materials
for the commencement of a romance, but the sequel throws a doubt over
the charms of the lady, or the gallantry of the hero; for Zobeir
received her and her dowry with ascetic coldness, declaring that "he
labored for a recompense far above the charms of beauty or the riches
of this transitory life." The Africans dispirited by these losses, at
length gladly purchased a precarious peace and the retreat of the
Arabs, at the price of a sum equal to about six millions of dollars.
This act of submission on their part, brought upon them the ire of
their despotic masters at Constantinople, who instead of assisting them
to repair their forces in anticipation of another attack, loaded them
with taxes, as a penalty for their pusillanimity. By such treatment
they were reduced to despair; and when in 668 the Arabs again crossed
the Desert under Bashar, they were hailed as deliverers; and the great
mass of the inhabitants threw off not only the government, but the
religion of their Greek oppressors, and submitted to those of the
Caliph of Damascus. Africa had suffered severely in the religious wars
occasioned by the schism of Donatus; and since those sectarians had
been put down, or rather extirpated, the utmost tyranny had been
exercised in affairs of religion by the haughty and unrelenting
hierarchy. From this circumstance perhaps, their creed hung but lightly
on the lower orders, being associated in their minds with stripes and
fines; otherwise it is difficult to account for so sudden and extensive
a change, of which history no where else offers an example. Thus
favored, the march of the Saracens was a continued triumph: a
reinforcement arrived, and under the command of the energetic Akbah,
nearly the whole country was subdued. Carthage was besieged, they
having by this time learnt the use of engines and the art of mining;
Tripoli, Utica, Sufetala, Bugia and the wealthy Tangiers were stormed
and plundered; and the fierce conqueror rushed into the Atlantic,
crying, "This sea alone arrests my progress."
The christian powers of Europe beheld the conquests of the Mahometans
with dread, and a combination was formed among them for the recovery of
Africa. Expeditions were sent from Constantinople, Sicily and Spain,
which united under the command of John the Patrician, a renowned
Captain, proceeded to the relief of Carthage. Before they arrived, that
city had fallen; they however recovered it, and instantly gave battle
to the enemy, under the walls of Utica. The christians were totally
defeated, and the small remains of their army took refuge in the ships,
and abandoned the country. The Roman power was every where overthrown;
Carthage, retaken by the Arabs, was razed to the ground; and fifty
miles south of it was founded a new city, called Kairuan, which was
long the capital of Africa, the seat of Mahometan splendor and learning
in that quarter.
But the invaders received a new check from a direction whence it was
least to be expected. The sea coast as we have observed, although much
reduced in point of wealth and refinement, by the excesses of the
Vandals and the religious wars, was still a cultivated region,
supporting a numerous population, the descendants of the Greeks,
Phoenicians and Romans. But the mountains and the country behind them
remained in possession of the aboriginal race, who under the name of
Berbers, retained their old pastoral and predatory habits, and were a
constant source of trouble to the foreign rulers of the province. Among
these people appeared a female named Cahina, of extraordinary courage
and address, who persuaded them that she was inspired, and that an
opportunity was offered for regaining possession of the country. An
immense multitude were thus speedily assembled under her banner,
equally daring and enthusiastic with the Saracens, who were attacked
with an impetuosity never before displayed against them in Africa.
Success encouraged the mountaineers, and in an incredibly short space
of time the invaders were driven into Egypt. This being effected, the
prophetess proposed to take away all inducement for their return, by
laying waste the country. Her proposal was readily assented to by
persons who had no property but their tents, flocks and horses; and
dreadful were the consequences of this determination. The fertile
territory was made desolate, and the splendor of civilization, already
much dimmed by the fury of Vandals and religionists, was entirely
obscured. The unfortunate inhabitants of the coast, thus pressed on all
sides, in their despair, invited the Saracens to return, and aided by
them, made head against their savage destroyers. In the first battle
the Berbers were totally routed, and their queen slain; this bond of
union being destroyed, they were soon dispersed, or reduced to slavery.
The Arab power was now undisputed; in a very short period there were no
more christians to be taxed. The few remaining churches became mosques;
all traces of former manners and institutions disappeared; and a
torrent of Asiatics overflowed the country, establishing in every part
their own customs and language. Of the Arabs many betook themselves to
the Desert, where their descendants still wander, scarcely
distinguishable from their brethren of the Arabian sands. The others
gradually amalgamated with the natives, and at the present day, the
fixed inhabitants of Barbary form one race, differing but little among
themselves in appearance, habits or language, and known to Europeans by
the general name of Moors. The mountains and the borders of the Desert
are still possessed by tribes speaking a language totally distinct from
all others known--nominally professing the Mahometan religion, but
regardless of its precepts--dwelling in tents, and wandering from
pasture to pasture with their flocks and herds--displaying the same
fierce and indomitable character which distinguished the aboriginals,
from whom they are in all probability descended. The most powerful of
these tribes are the Kabyles, who principally inhabit the territory of
Algiers, where by their impetuous inroads, they present the greatest
bar to the establishment of the French.
Africa was scarcely possessed by the Saracens, ere those restless
conquerors passed over to Spain. Their character seems however to have
been already softened; for we no longer find among the Moorish invaders
of the peninsula, the fierce barbarism of the early followers of
Mahomet; and the kingdoms which they founded in that delightful land,
were celebrated for the industry, ingenuity and cultivation of their
inhabitants. The Moors of Spain soon threw off their allegiance to the
Caliphs in the East; and two independent kingdoms were also founded in
Atlantic Barbary. In 790, Edris-ben Abdallah, governor of Almagrab, _or
the West_, which name was applied to the ancient Mauritania, assumed
the title of Sultan of Fez, from his capital city; his successors ruled
supreme over Western Africa, until the middle of the eleventh century,
when the Almoravides, a fanatic sect, obtained possession of the
southern part, and established the kingdom of Maraksh, or Morocco.
These two principalities now form the empire of Morocco. Eastern
Barbary in the gradual dismemberment of the Arabian dominions, first
became one kingdom under a family of sovereigns called the Aglabites,
who for some time reigned with great splendor at Kairuan, they were
overthrown in 909, by an expedition from Sicily, then a Saracen
province, and the country was for nearly six hundred years after, ruled
or ravaged by various dynasties.
At length, towards the commencement of the sixteenth century, the
Moorish kingdoms in Spain were overthrown, and a rage for conquests in
Africa pervaded the Peninsula. Eastward of Morocco and Fez, Barbary was
at that time divided into a number of small principalities, each
consisting of a strong town with as much of the surrounding country as
it could keep in subjection; the principal of them were Algiers, Bugia,
Oran, Tunis, Telemsen and Tripoli. Against these places numerous
expeditions were sent out from Spain which generally proved fruitless;
however, some places on the coast were taken, among which was Tripoli,
or Trablis, as it was then called. It fell into the hands of Ferdinand,
the Catholic, in 1510; but his more politic successor, the emperor
Charles the Fifth, probably not knowing what else to do with places so
inconvenient, surrendered it twelve years afterwards, with the adjacent
island of Malta, to the knights of St. John, who had just then been
expelled from Rhodes by the mighty Sultan Solyman. Malta was a barren
rock, and Tripoli had sunk from its former greatness, little remaining
but its walls, its castle and its port. Both places were however
capable of being strongly fortified, and the knights required nothing
else; they therefore accepted the assignments, and applied all their
energies to render their new habitations capable of resisting the
shocks to which they would soon inevitably be exposed.
The Turkish power was at this period in the zenith of its prosperity,
and Europe again trembled as in the days of the immediate successors of
Mahomet. The Mediterranean was swept by innumerable cruisers under its
flag, commanded by daring and ferocious captains, who completely
destroyed the commerce of christians in that sea, and made frequent
descents on the coasts of Italy, Spain and the islands, which they
plundered, carrying off the inhabitants for the purpose of extorting a
ransom. Of these the most famous were Urudsch or Horuc, and his brother
Chaireddin, successively dreaded in their day by the appellation of
Barbarossa, or the _red beard_.
Urudsch being anxious to have some port in the Western Mediterranean,
to which he could at intervals retire with his booty and prisoners,
offered his assistance to the prince of Algiers, who was endeavoring to
regain his possessions from the Spaniards; and no sooner had he
effected this, than he seized upon the city, murdered his confiding
ally, and declared the country subject to the Porte. On his death,
which soon after happened, his brother Chaireddin assumed the command
and succeeded in expelling the Spaniards from a small island, close to
the city called Algesr or _the island_ which they had for some time
held; he then connected it with the main land by a causeway, and thus
formed the present port of Algiers, which takes its name from the
island. He was afterwards regularly invested by the Porte, with the
title and powers of a Pasha, or viceroy; and obtaining large additions
to his army, composed entirely of foreigners, he reduced the country to
subjection.
This being effected Chaireddin turned his attention to the neighboring
state of Tunis, against which he prepared a powerful armament,
nominally for the purpose of reinstating its exiled prince Alraschid;
under this pretence, he easily gained the capital, which he instantly
declared to form a part of the Turkish empire. Alraschid died a
prisoner in Constantinople; but Muley Hascem, whom Barbarossa had
driven out, applied for assistance to Charles the fifth, which was
readily granted, and that emperor himself commanded the expedition
against Tunis. It appeared before the city on the 19th of July, 1535,
consisting of five hundred vessels, bearing thirty thousand veteran
troops. Barbarossa was not taken unawares, and the conflict was
terrible; the celebrated fortress of the Goletta, which commands the
entrance into the bay of Tunis, was defended with great bravery, by
Sinan a renegade Jew, but it soon fell before the artillery of the
fleet, and Tunis lay exposed. Chaireddin assembled his forces, and gave
battle to the invaders; but he was totally defeated, and the outbreak
of ten thousand christian captives from the prisons of the city,
increased the confusion; the Turkish army fled to Bona, and Tunis was
instantly stormed by the imperial troops. Muley Hascem was restored to
his throne, on terms most favorable to the christians; but in a few
years more, we find the Turkish power again established, and this
country continued to be governed by Pashas, from Constantinople, until
1684, when a certain Hassan-ben-Ali obtained sovereign possession, and
his family have ever since held the crown under the title of Bey,
paying however a tribute to the Sultan.
Charles the fifth was so much elated by his success at Tunis, that he
led another expedition in 1541, against Algiers, which was governed by
Hascen Aga, Barbarossa having been elevated to the office of Capoudan
Pasha, or High Admiral. The imperial troops landed at a short distance
east of the city; but immediately after there arose one of those
terrific storms of wind and rain, to which that coast is subject in the
autumn; the troops unprovided as yet with tents, were drenched in rain,
their ammunition was spoiled, and they were thrown into confusion at
the first onset of the Turks. The ships were many of them lost, others
dismasted or driven on shore, and the Emperor, after great personal
hardships, made his escape with a small remnant of his gallant force.
The unfortunate issue of this attack probably contributed more than any
other circumstance to the long impunity enjoyed by Algiers, which
continued until within a few years past to insult the rest of the world
by its piracies, and had come to be considered as absolutely
impregnable. It was governed at first by a Pasha, appointed from
Constantinople in the same manner with other parts of the empire; but
in time, the garrison were permitted to elect their own chief, subject
however to the confirmation of the Porte, which was never refused as
the request was always accompanied by a present. The garrison and all
the officers of the government were foreigners; no native even though
the son of Turkish parents, being eligible to any; and no where else
probably in the world would have been found such a collection of
abandoned miscreants. The chief was in reality a Pasha of three tails,
or viceroy of almost unlimited powers--his peculiar appellation being
derived from his enjoying the right of having three horse-tails borne
before him in public. In the christian world he was usually known by
the appellation of _Dey_, which word however means _uncle_ in Moorish,
and was perhaps originally a nickname; it was never applied in Algiers.
No prince or officer ever held his place by a more precarious tenure;
seldom has one died a natural death, and it is certain that the ex-Dey,
Hussein, who surrendered the city to the French, is the only one who
could have said "I was once Pasha of Algiers."
Tripoli remained in possession of the knights of St. John until 1551,
when they were attacked by a Turkish army under the command of the same
Sinan, who had defended the Goletta against Charles the fifth, aided by
the squadron of Dragut a noted captain, in character similar to the
Barbarossas. The besieged conducted their defence with great gallantry,
but the town being burnt, they were forced to take refuge in the
castle, which they continued to hold out in hopes of relief from
Europe. But none came; the Seigneur d'Aramont, while on his way as
ambassador to Constantinople from Henry the second of France, stopped
at Tripoli and endeavored to obtain a suspension of the siege, until
some arrangement could be made with the Porte; but this proposition was
rejected by Sinan, who was sure of his prey; and all, that the
ambassador succeeded in procuring, was a capitulation on more favorable
terms, which being accepted, the governor John de Vallier surrendered
the castle, on the 16th of August, 1651, and retired to Malta. Dragut
took possession of the place which he rebuilt and strengthened; and
having been declared Pasha, established a system of government, similar
to that of Algiers; it was however more dependant on the Porte, the
chief being always appointed from Constantinople.
The states of Barbary thus became reduced in number to four, viz: the
independent empire of Morocco in the west, and the regencies, as they
are termed, of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, under the suzerainty of the
Sultan. Several places were taken and held at different periods by
Spain; for instance Oran, which was surrendered to Algiers in 1792,
after having been held since its capture in 1510 by the famous cardinal
Ximenes; and Ceuta a strong place nearly opposite Gibraltar, which is
still subject to Spain, and serves chiefly as a place of imprisonment
for political delinquents.--These states occasionally carried on some
commerce among themselves, or with Europe and Asia; but their principal
support was derived from piracy. Their cruisers were generally small
vessels, crowded with desperate ruffians, who succeeded chiefly by
boarding, either directly from the decks, or by the aid of boats; thus
their prizes were but little injured, and were sold profitably in
Barbary, whilst the crews were retained in slavery, unless redeemed at
a high ransom. To preserve their citizens from this horrible fate, many
commercial nations were obliged to pay enormous sums as presents to the
governments of these countries, which regarded no treaties while this
was neglected. It is, however, to the honor of the United States, that
our government opposed these demands, as soon as it was in a condition
to render resistance effectual; and it was while successfully employed
in humbling these audacious pirates, that our cannon were first heard
in the Mediterranean.
The length of this article renders its entire insertion in this number
impossible,--it will however be concluded in our next.
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
THE DYSPEPTIC MAN.
MR. WHITE,--I am so unfortunate as to be the wife of a dyspeptic man,
and shall find some relief if you will permit me to spread my
complaints upon the pages of your Messenger. Men are "_April when they
woo, December when they wed_," as I have found to my cost. My husband
was once as tender and affectionate as I could wish, but poor man he is
now totally changed; I suppose it is owing to his having the dyspepsia.
He is so peevish and fretful I hardly dare speak to him;
"He's always compleenin frae mornin to e'enin;"
and it is impossible to keep pace with the endless variety of his
aliments. If I happen to make a mistake and inquire after the wrong
pain, he flies into a violent passion and reproaches me for a want of
sympathy in his sufferings. It was but yesterday I happened to say, my
dear how is the pain in your back? [I had forgotten it was his side.]
This was enough; he cursed matrimony and swore it was the vilest of all
institutions; that a wife was nothing more than a legalized tormentor;
that if he were single, he would not marry any woman under the sun--no,
not if she had a bulse of diamonds torn from a Begum's ear, and much
more in the same strain; and at last cooling down, he asked me if I did
not remember that his last pain was a pain in the side, and then
entered into such a history of his malady, that I sorely regretted I
had opened my lips upon the subject. What right have we to worry other
people thus with our maladies? I never tell mine to any but the doctor,
because I know that nobody else listens, and I doubt very much whether
_he_ does half his time. If any one gives my husband the common
salutation of how d'ye do? oh dear, he begins at the beginning of his
disease, [like an old gentleman of my acquaintance who always begins at
the Revolution,] and traces it down through all its variations for the
last five years--tells all the remedies he has used and their effects,
until you may see a half suppressed smile lurking about the lips of the
interrogator, which increases at length to so broad a grin, that I am
in agony for the consequences. He has tried in turn every remedy of
every quack upon earth, and has gone so far as to punch himself almost
to death with his _own fists_, by the advice of one Halsted. At first
he is always pleased with the medicine, but at the end of two or three
days he protests that he is worse, much worse; and vents his spleen
upon the physic, the inventor, and upon me for permitting him to use
such vile trash. Sometimes he comes to me and tells me exultingly that
he has at last found out the panacea--the grand catholicon for all his
sufferings. "My dear B----," he will say, "let me explain to you the
philosophy of this matter. When food is taken into the human stomach,
if it cannot undergo a proper digestion it goes through the
putrefactive process; just such a process as would take place in animal
or other substances, if exposed to the action of heat and moisture in
the open air: a quantity of carbonic acid gas is disengaged, and this
gas filling the stomach acts by mechanical pressure, and thus produces
the pain I feel. Now I have discovered that in consequence of my habit
of eating fast, my food is not sufficiently _triturated_, and of course
the gastric juice [heaven help me!] cannot act upon it; and I am
exactly in the situation of the sheep or any other ruminating animal,
who swallows the herbage whole, and then _regurgitates_, that it may
undergo a better mastication. Well what then is the remedy? I will tell
you; I will make John pound my food in a mortar, which will supply the
necessary trituration, and thus I shall be a well man." He sent off
immediately to a druggist and purchased a nice little wedge-wood
mortar, and there stood John every day behind his chair, pounding his
meat, bread and vegetables, into a revolting mass, until my poor ears
were well nigh deafened with the shrill din of the pestle against the
sides of the mortar. Was ever woman so beset? At the end of a week,
finding himself no better, he threw the mortar, pestle and all at
John's head, and would certainly have pounded _him_ to death but for a
fortunate dodge, which permitted the mortar to come in contact with my
china press, where it made sad havoc among my most valuable ware. He
was very glad he said, because I had no business to let the press stand
there. It was on the tip of my tongue to say, "bray a fool in a
mortar," &c., but I checked the impulse, and mildly said, I was very
sorry indeed that he could get no relief. This somewhat mollified him,
and the next day he came to me and apologized for what he had done, and
promised to repair the damage by making me a handsome present; but this
calm was of short duration, for he soon relapsed into gloom--and as he
sat by the fire smoking his pipe, he all at once declared that it must
have been the cursed tobacco which had poisoned his existence; that
during the combustion of the tobacco an oil was disengaged, which
mixing with the saliva, was taken up by absorption into his lungs, and
had eaten them to a honeycomb. John was immediately called: "Here,"
said he, "John, take this pipe, and d'ye hear sir, hide it--hide it
where I never can find it again." John accordingly took the pipe, but
struggled in vain to choke his laughter. Before he could escape from
the room, he burst out into such a loud, distinct, irrepressible ha!
ha! that there was no mistaking the thing, and he was soundly caned for
his involuntary breach of decorum. About three days after this, in the
evening after tea, my husband's favorite time for smoking, I observed
him very restless indeed; he rose, walked about the room, sat down,
whistled, hummed a tune, and rose again. At last he began to rummage
about the wainscoat and mantlepiece, and behind the book case, and
suddenly turning round he called John in a softened voice; "John, my
good fellow, where is my pipe? I must have left it in the study; do go
and look for it." John hesitated and grinned.--"What the devil is the
fellow laughing at? Begone sir, and bring my pipe immediately." John
speedily vanished. Turning to me, you see, said my husband, my unhappy
condition; my very servants turn me into ridicule, and you do not
reprove them for it. I could not reply, but felt anxious to point out
to him that he could never hope to be well, because he would not adhere
for a space of time sufficiently long to any plan whatever. His scheme
now is to eat nothing but cold bread. It must be set away in a pure
place to _ripen_, as he calls it. Hot bread just from the oven he says
is giving out carbon continually, and has not imbibed a sufficiency of
oxygen to make it wholesome. Can you forbear smiling my friend? Now I
know that there is nothing of literature in all this, unless the
chemical disquisitions of my wretched husband may be so considered; but
nevertheless I flatter myself you will give me a place in your
Messenger, because many a victim of dyspepsia may look in this mirror
and see himself.
BELINDA.
BEAUTIFUL EXTRACT FROM LACON.
Posthumous fame is a plant of tardy growth, for our body must be the
seed of it; or we may liken it to a torch, which nothing but the last
spark of life can light up; or we may compare it to the trumpet of the
archangel, for it is blown over the dead: but unlike that awful blast,
it is of earth, not of heaven, and can neither rouse nor raise us.
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
THE REPORTER'S STORY,
OR THE IMPORTANCE OF A SINGLE SYLLABLE.
How much may depend on a single syllable! What direful consequences may
be produced by the suppression of even the smallest component part of a
word!--Gentle reader, be as patient as you are gentle, and the perusal
of the following _true_ story will convince you of the correctness of
these exclamatory positions.
Late in the autumn of 1826, I left the city of New York in a steamboat
for Philadelphia, on my way to Washington, where I was to perform the
arduous, if not very dignified duty, of reporter of debates in the
Senate of the United States, for the leading journal of that
metropolis. My wife accompanied me, and on stepping on board the Swan,
(so was our steamboat justly called,) we found ourselves elbowed and
jostled by a throng of travellers from various parts of the Union,
wending their way, in most instances, to the capitol.
When the steamer had left the wharf, and the haste and bustle of the
moment had ceased, I had time to inspect the countenances of the crowd,
and recognized with much pleasure, the single familiar face of an
officer of the treasury department, with whom I had formed a partial
intimacy during a former visit at Washington. We met with much
cordiality, and soon became engaged in recalling our recollections of
past events.
My friend, it appeared, was personally and officially known to several
individuals of our company; and without the formality of introduction,
I soon found myself on easy travelling terms with four or five genteel
looking men. Among these, the only persons necessary to mention, were a
member of the House of Representatives from Massachusetts, whom I
choose to designate as Mr. C.; another from a neighboring state, who
will be sufficiently known to the reader as Mr. D.; and a young naval
officer, whose name, if he had one, I have forgotten.
A free and easy, gossiping conversation was kept up with considerable
vivacity by this group of strangers, the topics of which were various.
Politics and theatricals predominated--New York was then, as she is
now, the focus of both. The election of De Witt Clinton for the last
time, as governor of the state, over a young and popular candidate,
supported by the fragments of several exploded parties--the rising
importance of the anti-masonic party--the Italian Opera, and Signorina
Garcia, then in great vogue--the last appearance of Edmund Kean, after
his fatal frolic in Canada, and the first appearance of Macready, who
had just then made his debut on the American stage, to surprise and
puzzle the people by a style as new as it was polished and severe. Such
subjects beguiled the hours--and as I had long been almost as
conversant with the green room as the editor's closet, I was enabled to
contribute my full share to the gossip of our little coterie.
My Massachusetts acquaintance was a stout, well built, middle-aged man,
with a bold and open countenance, which expressed good humor, and not a
little self complacency. It seemed as if one could read on that face
the conviction of its owner, that he was born to be a member of
congress, a great man, and a clever fellow. A travelling cap, worn
carelessly, or rather with a careful affectation of negligence, on one
side of his head, and a slight rattan, which he twirled with a
practised hand, evinced a determination on his part to appear to the
very best advantage. Without these, and other affectations, which I
observed in Mr. C., no one could have mistaken him for other than a
well bred gentleman. His attempts to enforce the acknowledgment of the
character by aping the airs of fashionable folly, might cause a
momentary doubt, whether the whole was not affected. We often perceive
similar mistakes in ambitious men brought up in seclusion--but in the
present instance, a stranger was soon undeceived by the conversation of
Mr. C., which gave assurance of a cultivated mind, and the habit of
associating with the learned and the intellectual.
The characteristics of the other lawgiver to whom I have alluded, were
less complicated. His was a face as black as night. His beard,
whiskers, hair and eyes were coal black--the latter small and piercing.
No other feature was worth noticing, and the whole taken together,
formed, if not an _ugly_ countenance, one which came very nearly up to
that epithet. His dress was a pepper-and-salt frock, vest and trowsers,
and his hat had evidently passed its prime. In manners he was the
opposite of Mr. C. There was a bluntness in his remarks, and a
sharpness and brevity in his replies, entirely unaffected, but not
altogether pleasing. On a partial acquaintance, you had such doubts of
him as you would entertain of a partly tamed _bruin_.
The young naval officer was like all _young_ naval officers, with a
dash of spirit which he seemed solicitous to display--a stiffness of
deportment which evinced that the thoughts of discipline could not
easily be shaken off, and an apparent consciousness of the admiration
to which his profession and his _dress_ entitled him from people of
every degree. Nevertheless, he was agreeable, and condescended, most
benevolently, to mingle in the conversation with those around him.
Passing the time between these companions, and an occasional peep into
the ladies' cabin to see that nothing was wanting to the comfort of my
wife, (who was deterred by the chilliness of the atmosphere, from
joining me on deck) the journey was uncommonly agreeable, until we
reached Philadelphia. At that city my treasury friend left us, not so
much regretted as he deserved to be, because his place was supplied by
the new companions to whom I have alluded.
We were shortly transferred to another steamboat, in which, after about
two hours' delay, we proceeded to New Castle. A change of considerable
extent had taken place in our company. We had lost many faces to which
we had been familiar during the morning--and we had gained many others
which wore the first gloss of newness. I have already said that I had
not been formally introduced to the gentlemen whose acquaintance had
been pressed upon me--yet we had learned each other's names, and used
them with freedom. Probably I was the only _incognito_ among them--the
only man whose profession was unknown, and therefore the only one
liable to doubt or misconception. But of such a chance I did not then
dream.
Among the new passengers were two ladies, one quite young, although the
mother of two or three children. She was pretty, and, as I afterwards
found, very talkative. The other was a matron more advanced in years,
and with a still larger number of children. Her dress was half
mourning, her manner grave and lady-like. With these ladies I perceived
that my wife had entered into conversation on their first arrival on
board, and my occasional visits to the cabin shewed me that their
gossip, was kept up with much spirit. Returning from one of these
calls, a strange gentleman addressed me, and asked if my name was
S----; I replied in the affirmative, and after a very civil preface, he
requested, (as I was the only gentleman with a lady on board,) that I
would give my protection to a female acquaintance of his and her
family, who were on their way to Washington. He observed that he should
go no farther than Baltimore, and from that place he would be obliged
to me to take charge of them. I readily assented: we went to the
ladies' cabin, where I was introduced with all due form, to Mrs. M.,
the elder and graver of the two ladies already mentioned. She had made
herself acquainted with my wife, and all parties seemed pleased with
the arrangement.
On going above, I found my friends, the two members of congress and the
naval officer, laying plans for a game of whist on board the Trenton
steamboat, which was to take us from Frenchtown. I was asked to make
one of the party, and assented. A few hours brought us to New Castle,
where stages were in readiness to transport us across the isthmus, to
Frenchtown--for it must be remembered, that there was then neither
canal or rail road between the two points.
As the oldest passengers, I presume, my wife and I were seated in stage
No. 1, with a motley group of persons. Not one of our newly formed
acquaintances were with us, and in our carriage there was not an
individual with whom five minutes conversation could be sustained. I
made repeated efforts to arouse our fellow passengers, but after
receiving each time a monosyllabic rebuff,--a crusty yes or no, as the
case might be,--I relinquished the attempt, and confined my endeavors
to make myself agreeable to my good woman, who gave me an amusing
detail of a conversation while on board the steamboat, between herself
and the younger of the two ladies to whom I have already referred. Mrs.
R., as my wife informed me, had favored her with a detailed history of
her family, her husband, children and herself, with all things
thereunto appertaining, even down to the fashion of her last new
bonnet. Having thus exhausted herself by this unsolicited confession,
or as the Scotch say, having "made a clean breast," she remained
silent, apparently expecting a similar display of frankness from her
auditress. But my wife did not readily recognize the principle of
reciprocity in such cases--and accordingly gave the conversation a
different turn. This, however, failed to meet the views of the
communicative lady. Nothing short of mutual confidence seemed to tally
with her notions of politeness to strangers. And finding that my wife
still hung back, she proceeded to cross-examine her upon her domestic
affairs, family connexions, and most closely on my objects and pursuits
in life, and purpose in visiting the capitol at this season. To all
these questions my wife answered briefly, but truly, although with
reluctance.
I was much diverted at this novel specimen of female curiosity, and the
tactics observed in its gratification. It appeared to me uncommonly
_equitable_--for what could evince greater fairness than to prelude an
investigation of the private affairs of your neighbor, by a voluntary
detail of your own.
About eight in the evening, we reached Frenchtown, where our supper was
waiting on board the Trenton. Having despatched the meal with a good
appetite, and the ladies having withdrawn for the evening, the
engagement for a game of whist occurred to me. I had not, up to that
time, observed any one of our party, and I set out to collect them
together for our match.
I first encountered Mr. C. pacing up and down the cabin with great
gravity. Walking up to him, I reminded him of the game of whist,
proposing that we should collect our party. To my great surprise, the
manner of the man towards me was entirely changed. He gave me a glance
which looked exceedingly like contempt--replied to my question with a
rude and hasty negative, and turned upon his heel.
I was astonished, as well I might be, at receiving a cut direct from a
man, who but a few hours before had lavished upon me so large a share
of familiarity and attention. I was chagrined at his contemptuous
manner, and I was puzzled to divine its cause. Indeed, my perplexity
was far greater than my chagrin.
While I was pondering the matter, I caught a glimpse of my other
congressional friend Mr. D., at some distance from me. I went to meet
him, and put to him the same question I had addressed to Mr. C. As I
spoke, he wheeled partly round, fixed his small black eye upon me for a
moment, with a scrutinizing glance, and without vouchsafing one word in
reply, wheeled back into his former position, and walked from me with a
stateliness and decision of step, which precluded any farther
conference. There could be no mistake in this. It was the _ne plus
ultra_ of _cutting_. It was more than the cut direct--it was the _cut_
irrevocable, immutable, eternal!
Good heavens, said I internally--what can this mean?
Is it the moon ----
That comes more near to us than she was wont,
And makes men mad?
If, thought I, the young "Middie" plays me the same game, it will be
evident that they act in concert. It is worth testing--and _apropos_ to
the thought, he just then passed quite near me. I assumed as much ease
as the circumstances of the case would permit, (for it will not be
thought remarkable that I had been considerably disconcerted)--and
reminded him of our contemplated game of whist. He looked at me with
cool indifference, as though he had never seen me before in his life,
observed that a party could not be made up, and, waiting no further
question, passed me, whistling some naval air, and looking in another
direction.
This last rebuff completed my indignation and perplexity. But it was an
evil which must be borne,--for however annoying I might find such
treatment--the caprice of strangers in being at one moment as familiar
as old friends, and withdrawing their familiarity at the next, was not
good argument for a quarrel. I could have no claim for satisfaction or
explanation, on an individual to whom I had not been formally
introduced, and with whom my intimacy was of less than twelve hours
standing, for choosing
-------- "to face me out of his acquaintance,
And grow a twenty years removed thing
While one could wink."
I had schooled myself to patience under these undeserved inflictions,
and was preparing to retire, when I was called to the door of the
ladies' cabin by the waiting maid--and met there my wife, who seemed in
a state of tribulation not inferior to my own. She said that since our
arrival on board the steamboat, the two ladies who had been previously
so kind and social, had scarcely noticed her, and had repelled every
attempt at a renewal of former civilities; in truth, that she had been
treated by her companions in much the same manner as I had been by
mine. This was an additional mystery. How could it happen that
contumely and disrespect were cast upon us from parties who were
strangers, having no connexion with each other? The mystery seemed
unfathomable, and after wearying myself with vain endeavors to conceive
some adequate cause for the altered conduct of our fellow travellers, I
fell asleep, and dreamed of myriads of self-important members of
congress, and self-admiring naval officers.
We found ourselves at the wharf at Baltimore in the morning, and in the
scramble to disengage our baggage from the mass heaped upon deck, (to
which every traveller is premonished by the oft-repeated advertisement
that "baggage is at the risk of the owner")--I met my whilom friends,
but without the slightest token of recognition on either side. The
talkative lady looked grave when I approached her, and was silent, ("an
excellent thing in woman")--the older matron, to whom I was to act as
protector for the remainder of her journey, shrunk from me as I
advanced with the salutation of the morning; and when all was prepared
for our departure from the steamboat, she declined my proffered arm, as
I conducted her to the carriage. To my wife she was equally
distant,--nor did a sumptuous breakfast at Barnum's, break the ice of
her reserve, or rather, her aversion. Certainly, thus far, our society
did not promise to be agreeable on either side. The lady kept as far
aloof from us as circumstances would allow, avoiding every opportunity
of conversation--and we were soon as silent as she, from a mingled
feeling of pride and resentment. We embarked in a stage about
mid-day--the roads was infamous, the weather chilly and obscure. We had
the carriage to ourselves, and the ride was therefore the more gloomy,
as among a promiscuous party we might have found some one willing to
cheer the way by conversation: but as we were situated with our
taciturn companion, excepting in an occasional colloquy with the
driver, our organs of speech were unemployed, and during the greater
part of our journey, we might have been taken for a party of mutes. As
we drew near to Washington, this reserve wore away in a measure.
Whether the lady's tongue became impatient of so long a period of
inaction, or whether her assumed dignity gave way under a requisition
upon it too great for its power--I know not. Certain it is, that she
occasionally deigned a remark, and sometimes condescended to put
interrogatories to me, relative to the distance to the city, and
similar grave matters.
It was dark when we arrived. I had ordered the coachman to set me down
at Brown's--but I was informed that there was not a vacant room in the
house, and also that every other hotel in the city was full. This
overflow of company as I afterwards ascertained was caused by the
assemblage at Washington of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Convention,
adding some hundreds to the ordinary visiters of the period. To add to
the discomfort of wanting lodgings, it was raining with great violence,
and I dreaded a drive through the interminable streets of the federal
metropolis. Our lady companion had observed that she was to be dropped
at the residence of some relative, and moreover stated that it was a
boarding house. But she avoided proposing that we should quarter with
her; and not until I had seen her safely within the house, and was
returning to the stage, did she mention our plight to her relative. The
latter was immediately urgent that we should remain at her house,
declaring that she had several unoccupied rooms, which were entirely at
our disposal.
This new position of affairs was highly gratifying, and we anticipated
all the comforts of a good supper, and comfortable lodgings, with a
satisfaction which can best be conceived by those to whom those
commodities have, at times, been wanting. My wife was safely seated in
the well warmed dining room, the baggage deposited in the hall,--and I
took the opportunity afforded by a delay in the appearance of supper,
to step across the street, and inform the gentlemen with whom I was
engaged, of my arrival, which was a day or two later than they had
anticipated. On my return to the boarding house, to my utter
astonishment, I saw my wife standing at the street door, in her bonnet
and cloak, while my trunks were piled upon the steps.
Hey dey, said I, what does all this mean--why are you not warming
yourself at the fire, instead of standing here muffled up, as if your
journey was now to commence instead of being ended?
We cannot remain, said she, in a tone of chagrin.
Cannot! What is the reason? Are the people mad here, as well as on the
road?
It would seem so. I had scarcely been five minutes in the house, when
the landlady, who was at first so eager that we should lodge with her,
changed her mind, and informed me that she could not accommodate us.
But she will not turn us out supperless, I hope, such a night as this?
I am not so certain of that. She appears to be infected with the same
disease under which all our travelling companions have labored. People
seem actually to avoid us as though we carried the plague about in our
garments. She bowed me out of the dining room with as little ceremony
as she would have shewn to a mendicant.
Well, well, said I, come in out of the air, and I will reason with her.
So saying I led the way to the principal apartment in the house, which
served as parlor, drawing room, and dining room--where the landlady
soon made her appearance. She was a small, thin-faced woman, her form
wiry and attenuated; her motions rapid and nervous; countenance much
wrinkled, and of most forbidding expression, and a voice from which no
art could have extracted a sound bearing the remotest relationship to
harmony. Her dress was evidently suited to the season, when members of
congress are seeking quarters for the winter, and when those who have
them at disposal, are interested in putting the best possible face on
every thing appertaining to their establishments. Her costume was, a
silk frock, stretched upon her bony frame, and a yellow gauze turban,
of monstrous size, decked with crimson ribbons, perched upon the top of
her head, which thus seemed enveloped in "fire and brimstone:"--These
awkwardly worn habiliments betrayed the fact that the lady had passed
the day in attending the calls of the law-givers of the land, with the
laudable design of enhancing the value of her accommodations, in the
eyes of some rustic Solon, but newly caught, by the genteel appearance
of their mistress.
I addressed this formidable figure, with an inquiry whether we could
not remain with her for the night, referring to the state of the
weather as rendering it almost impossible to make search for lodgings
that evening.
The lady eyed me with great scrutiny, and there was an elevation of her
nasal organ, while looking at me, which distorted to a more hideous
expression than was natural, her weather-beaten visage.
"Indeed," said she, "you can't stay, and that's all about it. Three
_members_ have just sent down to say that they would take the rooms
what they look'd at this morning, and that they must be fix'd up this
very night. So you see you can't stay. It a'nt my fault--and so I can't
say no more about it."
"Then we _must_ look for other lodgings. But you can give us supper.
The members of Congress have not bespoken _that_ also, I presume."
"Well--no. You _can_ eat your suppers here I spose."
"And this lady can remain here until I can obtain other quarters."
"Well, I've no particular objection to her sitting here awhile."
Just then supper was served, and we partook of it. Our travelling
companion was at the table, but scarcely recognized us, and the
landlady was barely civil. When the meal was over, I requested the
latter to allow a servant to accompany me in my search, as I was
ignorant of the location of the principal boarding houses. Her son, a
pert lad of about thirteen, volunteered to pilot me, and without delay
we sallied out.
It occurred to me as we passed up Pennsylvania avenue, that I had
forgotten to deliver a message of some importance to my employers, when
I called to announce my arrival, and I turned a little out of my way to
the office of the N---- I----, where, while I was closeted for a few
moments with one of the editors, my juvenile guide remained in the
clerk's office.
On leaving the office, I was surprised at the altered tone of the lad.
"You had better go back," said the manakin: "it is too late to get
lodgings to-night. My mother can keep you as well as not."
"But she has refused to do so, and insists that it is out of her
power."
"Never mind that. Go back with me--I'll work the old woman over. See if
I don't tell you the truth."
"You are a promising lad," said I, "but a little too forward. Let us go
on."
Finding me determined to prosecute the search, he yielded, and we
called at several houses; but all were full. Against my will, I was
forced to return, with the resolution of making good my quarters for
the night, at any rate, with or without the consent of the lady of the
house. My guide assured me that he could "manage the old woman," and
told me to give myself no uneasiness on the subject.
After a dreary walk, we reached the house. There sat my wife with her
bonnet still on, for no one had asked her to remove it--and there sat
the lady in the brimstone turban, and fiery ribbons, in whose ugly
visage the words "_turn out_" seemed written, in characters not to be
mistaken. As we entered, the boy motioned his mother, who joined him at
the door, where they held a whispering colloquy for a few moments.
While they were thus engaged, I learned from my wife that there had
been no change in the sentence of exclusion, altho' no new lodgers had
made their appearance.
The whispering ceased, and the landlady approached me. What was my
astonishment at perceiving that the gorgon face, before so hideous with
frowns, was puckered into the queerest attempt at a smile that was ever
before witnessed on the human countenance.
But this was not all. Not only did her face exhibit these convulsive
efforts, but the form approached us, curtseying with a most unhappy
imitation of grace.
The devil is in the hag--said I internally. What new trick is to be
played now? I was not long in suspense. The boy had kept his promise it
seemed, for he or some one else, actually had "worked the old woman
over." She affirmed that she had just received messages from the three
_members_, stating that they were not in haste for the rooms--and she
assured us they were entirely at our service.
We knew that this was a fiction; but we were fatigued, and disposed to
take the good the Gods provided for us, without much question. We were
shewn to our apartments and slept soundly, forgetting all the vexations
of the day.
The next morning, after having exhausted ourselves in wonderment at the
freaks which had been played off upon us, I left my wife, to make some
calls in the city. I had not been long absent, when she received a
visit from Mrs. M., our travelling companion, who, after the usual
salutations had passed, seemed struggling to suppress a disposition to
laugh, which my wife took to be another mad freak, to be classed with
those she had previously witnessed.
The propensity at length overcame her, and she burst into a fit of
uncontrollable laughter, which lasted for many minutes.
Indignant as my wife was disposed to be, at such an unexpected
explosion of mirth, from a lady who had for two days treated her with
haughty reserve, if not absolute contempt, she bore it with patience,
and awaited in silence the conclusion of her visiter's merry humor, and
such explanation of its cause as she might choose to give.
Every thing must have an end--and the lady at length ceased her
laughter, from absolute exhaustion.
"My dear madam,--she gasped out--my dear madam--this is very rude--very
rude indeed. You must be surprised at such conduct, and I beg your
pardon but"----
"It would be an unnecessary dissimulation, to say I am not surprised;
but I presume I shall soon learn to be surprised at nothing."
"You really then, think you have been associated for the last few days,
with persons little better than bedlamites."
"I have certainly been exposed to strange conduct."
"Well, I have come to explain the whole mystery. Do not be offended at
my mirth. I could not resist it. The laugh was more against myself than
you--and the whole affair is so ridiculous, that you will laugh too,
when you know the truth."
"I own that I have a strong curiosity to be acquainted with the cause
of the strange treatment we have met with. I presume it arose out of
some mistake."
"Entirely, entirely--and then a blunder so ridiculous--so uncommon!
Excuse me, but really I must laugh--ha, ha, ha. But I will keep you in
suspense no longer; besides, I wish you to laugh _with_ me, and
therefore I will tell you my story. Listen. You remember that at
Newcastle, you and your husband took one of the first stages. Myself
and children were seated in another, in company with Mrs. R., (the
pretty, talkative woman with light hair,) two members of Congress, and
a young naval officer. We had scarcely started, when Mrs. R. commenced
with her usual volubility, running over the various persons who had
fallen under her observation in the steamboat. At last your turn came
to be criticised: 'Did you observe Mrs. S.,' said she, 'the lady with
black hair and blue eyes--rather pretty, and at first I took her to be
quite a genteel personage.' Yes, I replied, I had been introduced to
you, and was to place myself under the protection of your husband, from
Baltimore to Washington."
"'Did you ascertain any thing of their standing and character,' said
Mrs. R."
"Not a word said I. My friend Mr. H. told me they were genteel people,
and their appearance warrants his opinion."
"'Well, really,' said Mrs. R., 'how easy it is to be deceived by people
that one knows nothing about. You would not believe it--I am sure I
would not, if Mrs. S. had not told me with her own lips--I say,
otherwise, I would not have believed that Mr. S. was going to
Washington in such a _menial capacity_.'"
"What!" said I.
"'_Menial capacity?_' said one member of Congress."
"'_Menial capacity?_' echoed the other member."
"'I took him for a gentleman,' said the naval officer--'Confound the
fellow's impudence.'"
"But, said I, you must be mistaken, I'm sure. I am to go to Washington
with him."
"'There must be some mistake,' said the two members of Congress, and
the young naval officer, all in a breath."
"'Why we have engaged to make up a game of whist with him this
evening,' said the latter."
"'Certainly!' said one member of Congress."
"'Certainly!' said the other member of Congress. 'Oh, there must be
some mistake, my good madam. _Menial capacity!_ Impossible!'"
"'No mistake at all,' retorted Mrs. R., with some asperity. 'I tell you
I had it from Mrs. S's own mouth, and she owned it after a good deal of
hesitation and reluctance. I put twenty questions to her before I could
get an answer.'"
"Well, said I, if you are so well satisfied that you are right, we are
interested to know who and what these people are. I do not choose to
travel under the protection of a man of _menial capacity_."
"'Yes, yes,' said the naval officer, '_what_ the deuse is the fellow. I
should not wonder if he were a pick-pocket, or a black-leg, to judge by
his easy impudence.'"
"'Very likely,' said one member of Congress."
"'I have not a doubt of it,' said the other member. 'But let us know,
if you please madam, what he is.'"
"'As I said before, I would not have believed it if Mrs. S. had not
told me herself,' said Mrs. R., hesitating."
"'Oh, no doubt you are right,' said the naval officer: 'but please let
us know who it is we have been so familiar with.'"
"'Well,' said Mrs. R. 'Mrs. S. told me that her husband was going to
Washington to be _Porter_ to the Senate.'"
Here my wife interrupted Mrs. M. with a fit of laughter almost equal to
that with which Mrs. M. had indulged herself in the outset.
"So," said the former, "Mrs. R. mistook the word _Re_porter, for that
of _Porter_,--an important omission."
"So it would seem," rejoined Mrs. M. "But let me go on."
"'_Porter to the Senate!_' exclaimed every voice."
"'A fellow who runs errands for the Senators, fetches and carries
bundles, &c., I suppose,' said the naval officer."
"'I can't conceive what station he is to fill,' said one of the members
of Congress, 'unless it is that of _old Tobias, the black man_, who
kindles fires, and carries messages.'"
"'That is it I dare say,' said the other member."
"'We must cut him,' said the naval officer."
"'To be sure.'" "'To be sure.'"
"So it was settled by all present that you were to be cut without
benefit of clergy."
"I should not have consented to place myself under your protection,
continued Mrs. M., but that I had no choice. Knowing no other person
with whom I could travel, I reluctantly accompanied you; and I trust,"
said she, laughing, "that on the road, I shewed a very laudable
aversion to the contaminating society of a _Porter_ and his wife."
"No one can deny you that merit," said my wife.
"Well, I cannot ask your pardon for it. There was no malice in the
mistake, and I am almost as much annoyed at it as you can be. After you
arrived here last night, the landlady insisted on knowing what business
brought your husband to Washington; and I reluctantly told her what I
had heard. At the bare idea of lodging a _Porter_, her feathers
bristled up like those of a Barbary hen. Her yellow turban looked blue
at the idea of such an indignity. She protested that she would have no
_Porters_ in her house, nor no such rapscallions as had the impudence
to go about dressed like decent people, to take in the flats. And so,
my dear madam, you were turned out without much ceremony, and might
have spent the night in the street, but for the information obtained by
the boy at the office of the N---- I----, which, by giving another
syllable to the profession of your husband, shewed beyond a doubt that
you were entitled to christian treatment. You know the rest, and I
trust we shall all of us when we remember these blunders, acknowledge
the IMPORTANCE OF A SINGLE SYLLABLE."
S.
Extracted from a Virginia Newspaper, Printed in 1775.
ON SLEEP.
O sleep! what though of death thou art
To be an image said,
I wish thee still with all my heart,
The partner of my bed.
Thy company, soft sleep, then give,
While in thy arms I lie;
How sweet! thus, without life, to live!
Thus, without death, to die!
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
THE COTTAGE IN THE GLEN.
In traversing that region of country in the wilds of Maine, that
borders one of her finest rivers, if you look carefully on your right
hand as you pass through the town of ----, by the post-road, you may
observe a cart-path leading directly into a thick wood, where the trees
tower in majesty and beauty to the very clouds, and look as if they had
thus stood ever since the day when "the heavens and the earth were
finished, and all the host of them." Were it not for this same
cart-path, with its three ridges of bright greensward, and its four
lines of dusky brown, you might doubt whether the silent grandeur of
the forest had ever echoed to the voice or the footstep of man.
There is something truly grand and impressive in forest scenery. The
lofty trees stretching high toward heaven; the graceful and majestic
waving of the branches, breathing nature's own soft music, which
scarcely removes the impression of profound silence--or which, to
parody the words of Milton, "just makes silence audible;" the deep, and
seemingly "boundless contiguity of shade," and the awful solitude, make
man shrink into himself, and feel that he is in the presence of the
Eternal. The weak spirit of a creature frail as man, is soon
overpowered, if it give itself up to the impressions naturally produced
by contemplating, in solitude, the grandeur of creation. The first
feeling is delight,--next admiration,--then wonder,--then awe,--and
then oppression;--and when it arrives at this point, the sight of such
a little cart-path as I have mentioned, is a great relief to the
feelings: for it shows that a being having passions, and feelings, and
sympathies like his own--as short lived, as dependant, as insignificant
as himself, is, or has been near. The deep shade has been penetrated;
the solitude has been interrupted; and an unbroken and eternal silence
has not forever reigned in the forest.
If the reader wishes, we will follow this path, and see whither it will
conduct us. Its course is a little devious, probably to avoid the
trunks of the trees, for not one appears to have been felled to shorten
the distance, which is about three fourths of a mile, under the
unbroken shade of the same noble woodland. Now the path begins to
descend a little, and by almost imperceptible degrees, you arrive in a
valley lying between two lofty ridges, that become more and more abrupt
as you advance; and when you have proceeded about the fourth of a mile,
they seem nearly perpendicular on either side. And their summits being
crowned by the lofty trees of the same far stretching forest, adds much
to the apparent depth of the valley, and you feel as if verging towards
the centre of the earth. That little ripling stream in the valley,
beside which we have been walking, now begins to widen, and presently
expands itself into a mimic lake, restrained on the one hand and on the
other by the mountain side, leaving just room enough on the left for
the unbroken cart-path. Your ear is now assailed by the sound of
rushing waters, and a roof appears beyond the lake--so that a
habitation of man is near. No, it is a mill; the dwelling house is
sixty rods below: there it lies, on a beautiful swell in the narrow
valley, made, it would seem, on purpose for its site--and the again
diminished stream is softly murmuring by its side. That is the Cottage
in the Glen. If you please, we will descend, and take our station in
front of it. Before we turned that angle to attain this spot, you were
about to exclaim, "This is the very home of solitude, shut out from the
rest of creation." But look straight down the valley, and far--far off,
see the picturesque and busy village of ----, and the sparkling waters
of the river. The valley is so straight and narrow, and widens so
gradually towards its mouth, and the banks on either side are so
precipitous, that it produces the same effect on the scene beyond, that
a tube does in viewing a picture. Is it not beautiful! Now if you will
climb with me to the foot of that tree that stands part way up the
bank, we will be seated in the shade, and I will give you a sketch of
the inhabitants of the cottage.
* * * * *
Mr. Kirkwood, a native of Massachusetts, and head of the family, is now
upwards of seventy-five years of age; and until verging towards sixty,
was decidedly a man of the world. He was educated at Harvard
University, and at the age of twenty-eight, when he married, was a good
scholar, a finished gentleman, and a successful lawyer.
"There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune."
Mr. Kirkwood seized the favorable moment, and his wealth rapidly
increased. He wished to be rich; not to hoard his wealth--but that he
might be enabled to procure all the indulgencies and elegancies of
life, and move at the head of society. His wish was gratified. He
became rich; lived in splendid style; and his house was the favorite
resort of the wealthy, the elegant, and the fashionable. His wife was a
model of good housewifery, propriety and politeness; and his only
child, a son, was all that the heart of a man of the world could wish.
Highly gifted by nature, and favored with every advantage for the
cultivation of his talents, young Kirkwood was ushered into society,
elegant in person, elegant in mind, and correct in morals. It was
generally conceded that whoever obtained him, would gain a first rate
prize in the matrimonial lottery. Of course, there was no little
competition among mothers who had daughters to dispose of; and young
ladies who wished to dispose of themselves. But the lovely, well
educated, and retiring Mary Bust, engaged his affections without
seeking them; and in winning her heart, and securing her hand, he
insured his own earthly felicity. Gentle by nature, polished and
enlightened by education, unblemished in reputation, and thoroughly
well principled, through the assiduous care and unwearied instructions
of wise and pious parents,--she was all a man could wish for as a wife,
companion and friend; all he could wish for as the mother of his
children. The son's choice gave perfect satisfaction to his parents;
and when in the course of a few years, the young wife gave successively
to the arms of her husband, three sons and a daughter,--there seemed to
be around this family, a confluence of all that constitutes the
felicity of earth.
But, alas, in the tide of men's affairs, there is an _ebb_ as well as
_flood_; and this the Kirkwood family now began to experience. The
elder Kirkwood had just begun to discover that his affairs were in some
confusion, when his wife was suddenly snatched away by death. It was a
heavy blow, and he felt it as such. But men seldom die of grief!
Millions have buried the wife of their youth, and been very comfortably
supported under the bereavement; and so was Mr. Kirkwood. Indeed he had
little time to spend in unavailing sorrow, or in brooding over the
memory of the departed one; for the clouds of adversity became more and
more dense about him, and he soon found that the combined energies of
himself and son, could not avert the storm. Poverty seemed coming upon
them "like an armed man." In the meantime, two of the blooming
grandsons were in quick succession conveyed to the tomb; and just as
the storm burst upon them in all its fury, the younger Kirkwood
followed his mother and his two children to the world of spirits. After
this tempest of adversity, Mr. Kirkwood stood like an oak, scathed by
the lightning,--its verdure blasted, and its branches scattered abroad.
He sunk, overwhelmed, and gave way to the most hopeless despondency.
There is a spirit in woman that will sustain her under circumstances
which will drive man to despair. And when that spirit is moulded,
guided, and strengthened by religion, it is invincible. Soft as the
harp-tones of the "sweet singer of Israel," did Mary's voice now
breathe on the ear of her disconsolate father.
"'Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive
evil,' my father? Let us endeavor to say, 'The Lord gave, and the Lord
hath taken away, and blessed be his name!' Arise, my father, and call
upon our God. He 'hears the young ravens when they cry,' and will he
not give his children food? He clothes the lilies of the field, and
will he not clothe us? He binds up the broken heart; will he not then
console ours?"
"Alas, my daughter," cried the old man, "He is thy God, but not mine.
In the hour of prosperity I forgat him; in the hour of adversity I dare
not approach him. May he, indeed, feed, and clothe, and console thee,
and thy remaining little ones. For me--his vengeance alone will pursue
me. Would I could hide me from his avenging hand, and lay my head in
the grave!"
The despondency of her father added not a little to the load of sorrow
that pressed on Mary's heart; but she had no time for idle lamentation.
She had duties to perform; duties to him, herself, and her children;
and laying herself low before the throne of mercy, she spread her
sorrows and her wants before her Father in Heaven, and taking fast hold
of Almighty strength, she went forward.
"My father," said Mary, "'Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom he receiveth;' and, 'like as a father pitieth
his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.'"
"But I have not feared him, Mary,--therefore he does not pity me. And
his chastening is the chastening of an offended judge--in
vengeance--not the chastening of a father."
Mary despaired not, though her father thus repelled all consolation;
and when he sat absorbed in melancholy, and she scarcely dared intrude
upon his thoughts, she would move about the room, just breathing the
lines,
"Come ye disconsolate, where'er you languish,
Come, at the shrine of God, fervently kneel;
Here bring your wounded hearts; here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal;"
and at the same time raise a fervent prayer, that his sorrow might not
ultimately prove to be that "sorrow of the world that worketh death,"
but the "sorrow that worketh repentance unto salvation." Her prayer was
heard; her efforts were successful. It was not long ere with heartfelt
gratitude, she heard him say, "'It is good for me that I have been
afflicted.' 'The Lord gave,' but I have abused his gifts; and he 'hath
taken away,' and blessed be his name for thus bringing an erring son
near to himself." When this happy change first took place in the
feelings of her father, Mary felt as though she had scarcely a care or
a sorrow left. A future world, uncorroded by cares, unstained by tears,
unblemished by sin, and unvisited by sorrow, opened on the eye of
faith,--and all was peace within. But their pilgrimage was not yet
accomplished; this home was not yet attained; and in the meantime,
something must be done. Scarcely a wreck of their fortune remained; and
Mr. Kirkwood, verging towards sixty, with the energies of his mind
crushed by misfortune, felt it impossible to begin again his career as
a lawyer. The remaining pride of his heart, rendered it extremely
painful to remain amidst his former associates, with whom he could no
longer, on equal terms, hold intercourse; and where every scene called
back the visions of former splendors, and buried friends, with a
sickening influence.
"Let us fly far from hence, my daughter," said he; "elsewhere I may
recover something of my energy, and be capable of making some effort;
_here_ I can do nothing. Let us fly from the world, and hide ourselves
in seclusion. My soul needs repose. A withering blast has swept over
it, to tear away its idols. The work is done--but the wounds are still
bleeding: and though, I trust, the great physician is at work, there
needs time to perfect a cure. Let us fly from hence, and in some new
and humble occupation, strive to support ourselves for the remainder of
life's journey, and rear these little ones for immortality."
So that she could be with her father, and her children, to receive the
blessing of the one, and the caresses of the others, it mattered little
to Mary what spot on earth she called home. She was a "_widow indeed_."
The long, bright vista, through which she had looked on years of future
happiness, with the husband of her love, was closed by death; and what
mattered it, where she fulfilled the remaining duties of life, so they
were but faithfully discharged?
Through the agency of a friend, the Cottage in the Glen, with the mill
that appertained to it, and a few acres of ground, were purchased. Mary
collected together the few articles that remained of former abundance;
and with the feelings of a woman of cultivated mind and literary taste,
and with all the providence of a mother, foreseeing the future wants of
her children, did she most carefully gather up all the books that
remained of the once large and well selected library. All things
finally arranged, they removed hither.
A complete revolution had taken place in Mr. Kirkwood's views. He felt
that nothing is really degrading that is not sinful; and he resolved,
as far as practicable, to do his own labor with his own hands. But,
until he could learn the art himself, he was constrained to hire an
assistant, to take charge of his little mill; once familiar with the
business, it was his own employment. The family were very comfortable,
and soon became very happy. Though the furniture of the cottage was
scanty, it was arranged with so much taste, and kept in such perfect
order, that it wore the air of gentility; and a profusion of wild
flowers in the summer, and a blazing fire in the winter, gave an
additional cheerfulness to its appearance. The mill supplied them with
bread, and many other comforts of life, beside paying a poor man for a
day's labor now and then on their little enclosure of potatoes. They
procured an honest and faithful maid servant, who milked their two
cows, prepared the butter and cheese, and spun the wool of their half a
dozen sheep, beside doing all the more laborious work of the family. No
human eye was upon them that had seen them in former days, and they
were fast forgetting a world, by which they were already nearly
forgotten. No real want of nature remained unsatisfied, and their
Heavenly Father was as near them here, as in any other place. Glorious
and consoling idea! that his children can be carried to no spot in
creation, where he will not be present to sustain and comfort them! How
glorious the idea of an Omnipotent God!
Nothing, under the power of religion, served so much to console the
heart of Mr. Kirkwood, as the presence and the happiness of his
grandchildren. Frederic was eight, and Clara three years old; and they
were as happy at the Cottage in the Glen, as they would have been in
the palace of the Thuileries. From his heart, he could adopt the
language of Paley: "I seem to see the benevolence of the Deity more
clearly in the pleasures of young children, than in any thing else in
the world. The pleasures of grown persons may be reckoned partly of
their own procuring; but the pleasures of a healthy child are so
manifestly provided for by another, and the benevolence of the
provision is so unquestionable, that every child I see at its sport,
affords to my mind a kind of sensible evidence of the finger of God."
"These children are happy, Mary," he would say; "they feel no regrets
for the past--no fears for the future, but enjoy the present with zest.
Our wants are scarcely greater than theirs. Let us, then, not regret
the past; let us not be anxious for the future; but in performing
present duty, and being grateful for present good, let us trust our
heavenly father, without fear or misgiving."
Neither Mr. Kirkwood nor his daughter found any leisure for idle
repinings. The indispensable labors of each day, with the care and
instruction of the children, occupied them fully. Frederic was sent to
the district school, there to acquire what he could of education; but
he was an intellectual and thinking boy, and soon began to call on his
grandfather to assist him through the difficulties he encountered, as
his mind rapidly developed. The education of Clara, Mrs. Kirkwood
considered her own peculiar business. And when the little girl was old
enough to go to school, she still preferred pursuing the task herself,
as she dreaded lest her daughter should breathe other than a pure moral
atmosphere.
Next to religion, the abundant means of education is undoubtedly the
glory and bulwark of New England. And the district school, where the
son of the town pauper may obtain the foundation of an education that
will render him intelligent and useful, is an incalculable blessing.
But wherever human nature is, there is depravity; and where human
beings mingle together, this depravity is called into exercise. Even
young children are not the innocent creatures some persons appear to
suppose; but in almost every school may be found the _germ_ of almost
every vice. So thought Mrs. Kirkwood; and it led her to educate her
daughter entirely at home.
Time rolled on; and the children at the cottage increased in wisdom and
stature: the parent and grandparent in meetness for the kingdom of
heaven. Industry and economy, both of time and goods, was the order of
the house; and the children cheerfully followed the example set them by
their superiors. Frederic was always diligently employed, when not
engaged with his books; and the healthful and joyous little Clara was
the assistant of each one, as circumstances required, from her
grandfather in the mill, to the servant girl at the washing tub.
Permission to play in the open air, was a holiday to her heart; and she
was light and joyous in spirit as the warblers of the grove. Content
and peace reigned in the family. With each returning sun, their orisons
were duly offered on the family altar; and when the shades of evening
closed around, their thanksgivings and praises ascended to the throne
of the Eternal.
"A holy incense--sweeter, richer far
Than that upon the golden altar shed
In Judah's sacred fane."
No change of any moment took place in their circumstances, and nothing
in futurity was looked forward to with peculiar interest, until
Frederic attained his fifteenth year. Then, one evening, after having
been unusually thoughtful and silent, he suddenly looked up, and said,
"I want to be a minister of the gospel, and I want to go to college,
grandfather."
Both the grandfather and the mother looked up in some astonishment; but
they listened patiently to his plans, and heard him declare what
efforts he was willing to make--what deprivations to endure.
"Dear grandfather--dear mother," said the eager boy, in conclusion, "do
listen to me kindly. It will do me no harm to make the attempt. You,
grandfather, and our good pastor, will help fit me for college; and I
doubt not, that by my own industry, and what you can conveniently do
for me, I shall some how or other get through. I feel that I can do
nothing without an education."
"We will think on the subject, my son," said his grandfather, "and in
due time let you know the result of our deliberations. Meantime, attend
to your present duties, and 'take no _anxious_ thought for the
morrow.'"
The important subject was not mentioned again for the evening; but it
engrossed Mrs. Kirkwood's mind, and kept her waking many hours of the
night. From her son's birth, she had consecrated him to the service of
her Heavenly Father, though she knew not in what way that service might
be demanded. Now she hoped he had consecrated himself; and that what
seemed so aspiring in a youth in his situation in life, was an impulse
from above, rather than the natural workings of an ambitious mind. But
she was helpless in herself, and could only ask to be directed by Him
who is perfect in wisdom; to be provided for by Him who is infinite in
riches. What needed she more!
The next day Mr. Kirkwood and his daughter held a consultation on the
subject; and when, toward evening, Frederic saw his mother searching
over a chest of old books, his eyes sparkled, and his heart throbbed
with feverish impatience to ascertain if his conjectures were accurate.
His joy was complete, when he saw the necessary books and grammars come
forth; some in a mutilated state, it is true,--but no matter, so the
important parts were but entire. He went about his task like one in
earnest; his progress was rapid; and in due time he was admitted at
college.
The years of his collegiate life passed rapidly away. The vacations of
spring and autumn he spent in the bosom of his family, giving delight
to the hearts of all by his improvement; assisting in their
labors,--and superintending with deep interest, and assiduous
tenderness, the education of his sister. But the long winter vacation
was devoted to school-keeping,--the most lucrative employment to which
he could, for such limited periods, devote himself. Once he was so
highly favored as to get a school in the neighborhood of the Glen; and
then his labor was a delight, rather than a task, as he could be with
his beloved friends, and direct his sister in her studies. The family
at the Glen, it is true, had to practice more than wonted frugality, to
help in defraying his unavoidable expenses; but no self-denial was
hard, when one so dear was to be benefitted--no sacrifice painful that
was made for so important an object. Clara was by no means the least
efficient in her endeavors to aid her darling brother. As soon as she
completed her thirteenth year, at her earnest and reiterated
entreaties, the servant girl was dismissed, and she cheerfully took her
labors on herself, that Frederic might have the considerable sum thus
saved to the family.
Meanwhile, Clara's own education progressed, notwithstanding her
situation seemed so unfavorable for study. But she was a rigid
economist of time; and when that is the case with any one, great things
may be accomplished. Although her hands were busily employed a large
portion of the time, a mind, thirsting for knowledge, surmounted all
difficulties. She could not, indeed, touch the keys of a piano, or the
strings of a harp; the spinning wheel and other domestic machines
demanded too large a portion of her time, to have permitted the
acquisition of skill on these instruments, even had she possessed them.
But she knew who Dugald Stewart was, and what he thought of the "active
and moral powers of man;" with Smellie she was intimately acquainted;
and Rollin, Hume, Gillies and Gibbon were her daily companions. The
works of Pascal and Massillon she could read in the language in which
they were written; and with Virgil she could converse in his native
tongue. Above all, she had studied the volume of inspiration, and had
learned the way of eternal life.
Never had the family at the Glen been happier than when Frederic
returned home, bearing his parchment roll, duly adorned with the
riband, and the imposing seal; and, after some preamble, running thus:
Notum esto, _quod nos, consentiendibus honorandis admodum ac reverendis
collegii antedicti_ Inspectoribus, _anno Christi_ MDCCC--_admisimum_
Fredericus Kirkwood _ejusdem alumnum, ad gradum_ Baccalaurealem _in_
Artibus; &c. But when he joined the domestic circle, authorized to
preach the everlasting gospel, their joy was of a deeper, holier
character. Would I could show you a picture of the group, as they
encircled the blazing hearth on that happy evening. I will even make
the attempt. There sits the venerable grandfather, in his large
arm-chair, his white hairs smoothly parted from off his ample forehead,
with every feature speaking of passions subdued, and a heart full of
gratitude, content and love. Next the mother, with something like the
bloom of youth stealing over her matron cheek,--while her eye moves in
a tear that rises from that deep fountain of mingled feeling, known
only to a _pious mother's_ heart, as she looks on the son of her love,
and that son a _believer!_ Between these two sits Frederic, comely in
manly strength, his whole countenance expressing heart-felt benevolence
to all mankind--and peculiar love, gratitude and veneration for those
by whom he is encircled. Last, and the darling of all, is Clara, seated
on her brother's knee, with one arm around his neck, while her other
hand is sometimes clasped in his,--sometimes straying amid his dark
luxuriant hair. She is not exactly beautiful, but she is lovely. Her
stature is rather below than above the medium size; and fresh air and
healthy exercise have given elasticity to her limbs, and a bloom to her
cheek, that rivals the richness of the peach. If her features are not
regular, they defy criticism; for her whole face has such a glow of
love and happiness, that the delighted beholder cannot seek for
defects. Thus they all sat, enjoying the full tide of domestic
happiness; and each might have said to the other, with Galatee,
"Tu me demandais ton bonheur,
Et c'etait moi que tu rendais heureuse."
Even the knowledge that Frederic was soon to leave them, to enter on
the duties of his vocation, could scarcely moderate their joy.
He has now entered on his holy calling; and though far removed from
those who loved him so tenderly, nurtured him so carefully, governed
him so wisely, and made such personal sacrifices to fit him for
usefulness, they are happy still. Far from selfishly regretting that at
the moment he was fitted for action, and capable of making some return
for all their kindness, they are obliged to resign him altogether,--in
the benevolence of their hearts they rejoice that they have been used
as instruments to prepare him for a life of usefulness in the world;
and their most fervent prayer for him is, that he may "turn many to
righteousness," and then "shine as a star forever."
Yes, the family at the Glen are happy still. The aged grandfather is
"waiting patiently his appointed time till his change come," with a
"hope full of immortality." The mother, patient, gentle, subdued,
serene, in fulfilling her quiet and unostentatious duties, is carefully
laying up treasure, where "neither moth nor rust corrupt nor destroy."
And the lovely Clara is the sunshine in the path of both. She hushes
the sighs,--wipes the tears,--soothes the pains, and lightens the cares
of each. Her voice is music to their ears; her presence brings gladness
to their hearts; and they both pronounce her blessed.
But you inquire,--is she who breathes such fragrance around, forever to
be immured in this sequestered valley? No--she will move in a wider
sphere; yet it is doubtful whether she elsewhere tastes such pure and
peaceful happiness as she has tasted here. She may find more luxuriant
roses, but then she must encounter the thorns; and what she may gain in
untried sources of happiness, will be counterbalanced by unknown cares
and sorrows. Yet she will, by and by, run the hazard: for her brother's
dearest college friend once begged an invitation to spend a vacation at
the Cottage; and when he left it, he left his heart behind him. Clara
could do no less than give her's in exchange; and so she has promised,
at some future day, to become his wife.
And now, as I have finished my sketch, we will leave the valley.
Do you further inquire what is the secret of their happiness? and
whether she who has been so eagerly sought through the wide world, has
chosen this for her favorite residence? I will give you the answer Mr.
Kirkwood gave to Clara, when she asked him a question of similar
import.
"Happiness, my daughter, has, on earth, no local habitation. She _may_
dwell in the palace or in the cottage; with the rich, or with the poor;
with the learned, or with the ignorant. Her seat is in the soul,--and
its security does not depend on external circumstances. A _peaceful
conscience_, and a _humble_, _contented_ heart, grateful for blessings
bestowed, and feeling no craving desire for those that are withheld,
are the pillars of her throne. But there are two classes of persons
that she will never deign to visit, be their rank or station what it
may. Neither the _idle_ nor the _vicious_ are ever happy."
S. H.
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
PICTURE OF OLD VIRGINIA.
Look here upon this picture--and on this,
The counterfeit presentment.--_Hamlet_.
Virginia had been beautiful
And owned a lovely land;
Her sons, who were so dutiful,
Went with her heart and hand;
They raised her to the highest seat,
By talents and by worth,
And sent her name in accents sweet,
Far ringing through the earth.
But lately she had fallen off;
Her beauty was impair'd;
Her younger sons were heard to scoff--
_They_ might at least have spared.
'Twas said that she was growing blind,
Was lazy and supine,
And that she weakly lagged behind
Her sisters, grown divine.
That all her days were spent, forsooth,
In one eternal chime
About her deeds of early youth--
"Resolves" of former time.
Naught could be said and nothing told
But she more devils spied;
"_More devils than vast hell could hold_--"
Or all the world beside.
And strangers[1] did her land deride--
With wagging tongue, reviled;
Wild beasts, they said, had multiplied
In that most barren wild;
Her houses were untenanted--
The fox[2] had _manned_ her walls;
And "_rank grass_" waved around his head,
As in old Ossian's halls!
Her moral strength and physical,[3]
Aye, both of them were gone,
And every man seem'd phthisical,
Or like to tumble down;
Her talents all were buried deep,
Or in some napkin hid,
Or with the mighty dead, did sleep
Beneath the coffin lid.
But far! oh far beyond all these,
She had displeased her God;
_Inter dolosos cineres_,
She on volcano trod;
She could not get o' nights her rest;
At midnight bell for fire,
She hugged her infants to her breast,
Prepared for fun'ral pyre.
Virginia roused herself one day
And took her picture down;
And as she gazed, was heard to say--
Am I thus hideous grown?
And am I stupid--lazy--blind--
A monomaniac too!
Relaxed in body and in mind?
Oh no! it is not true.
There lies outstretched my glorious land,
With her capacious bay;
My rivers rush on every hand,
With sail and pennon gay;
My mountains, like a girdle blue,
Adorn her lovely waist,
"_And lend enchantment to the view_,"
As in "_the distance_" traced.
I'll hie me straight to Richmond town,
And call my liege men there;
And they shall write these libels down,
Or fill me with despair.
I have a friend, who'll make some stir,
And take my work in hand;
I'll send him forth my "MESSENGER"--
To "_spy out all the land_."[4]
That Messenger went gaily forth
Throughout her old domain,
And there found many men of worth
Would snatch their pens again;
And since their mothers' blood was up--
To cast her odium by,
Would shed--of ink--their latest drop
T' inscribe her name on high.
The land which he went out to sift,
_No milk and honey floods_--
_It takes not two her grapes to lift_--[5]
But grapes festoon her woods.
No want of food, for beast or man,
There met his eager gaze;
Find better bacon!--greens!--who can?
Or finer fields of maize![6]
Her Tuckahoes 'tis true, are slim,
And of a bilious hue;
But then he found the Anakim
Beyond the mountains blue:
Some men he found in safety chains--
All crossed upon the breast--
_They_ seem'd indeed to have no brains:
But these all lands infest.
The women look'd so passing fair,
How shall their charms be told?
By their Iachimo's[7] they were
Like brilliants set in gold.
Of such _pure water_ was each maid;
So sparkling unto view--
No wonder that it should be said
They never could turn _blue_.
No foxes here, peep'd windows through;
But oft at early morn
They're seen to brush the glittering dew,
Pursued by hounds and horn:
Her "_hounds are of the Spartan breed_"--
"_So sanded and so flew'd_,"--
All "_dewlap'd_" _they, and all_ "_crook-kneed_"--
As Cadmus e'er halloo'd.
In short, all zealots are run mad
T' abuse this pleasing sod;
Where people sleep as sound, egad,
As in the land of Nod:
What! colonize old coachman Dick!
My foster brother Nat!
My more than mother, when I'm sick!
"_Come, Hal, no more of that._"
NUGATOR.
[Footnote 1: See Col. Benton's description of Virginia, done into
verse, beginning thus:
"As Benton jogg'd along the road,
'Twas in the Old Dominion,
His thoughts were _bent-on_ finding food,
For preconceiv'd opinion," &c.]
[Footnote 2: "The fox peeped out of the window, and the rank grass
waved around his head. Desolate is the dwelling of Moina--Silence is in
the house of her fathers."--_Ossian_.]
[Footnote 3:
Man's strength is gone, his courage--zooks!
And liberty's fine motions, &c.--_Benton_.]
[Footnote 4: And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan.]
[Footnote 5: And they came unto the brook of Eshcol and cut down from
thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between
two upon a staff, ... and they told him, and said we came unto the land
whither thou sentest us and surely it floweth with milk and honey, and
this is the fruit of it.]
[Footnote 6:
In old Virginia stint of food
Diseases have engender'd--
The mind is gone--to want of blood
Good morals have surrender'd.
Houses are fallen--fences down--
And men are now much scarcer--
Wild beasts in multitudes are known,
That every day get fiercer.
Flee gravel--grit--and heartless clay--
Nor corn nor oats will grow there--
To westward hie--away--away!
No heartless Clay you'll know there.--_Benton_.]
[Footnote 7: The yellow iachimo.--_Shakspeare_. [Cymbeline.]]
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
A LEAF FROM THE JOURNAL OF A YOUNG AMERICAN TOURIST IN ITALY.
The "sable goddess" had been seated for some time upon her "ebon
throne," when we passed through the ponderous gate and rattled along
the principal street of Genoa the Proud. It was a beautiful night. The
firmament was studded with sparkling gems, and the silver queen rode
steadily in the heavens, diffusing that pure and hallowed illumination
which prompted the ancients to worship her as the goddess of chastity,
and uninterrupted by any of those envious clouds whose intervention
between her face and the earth furnishes poets with so favorite a
figure to express the idea of virtue obscured and oppressed with
misfortune. It was not, however, a night in which "creation
sleeps,"--or, to use the pompous phrase of Racine, in which "tout dort,
et les vents et Neptune,"--for the wind was tempestuously high, and the
waves evinced all their usual restlessness at being roughly visited by
the subjects of old Æolus. As we whirled along, nothing like an
animated being was to be seen; not even a mouse was stirring; and the
rush and whistling of the wind through the street, seemed to bring out
the solemn stillness which otherwise prevailed, into the strongest
relief. How we strained our eyes to catch glimpses of the glorious
palaces which have so filled the trump of fame, and to which the city
is indebted for her magnificent title! And how impressive, how imposing
was their appearance in the partial development and mellowed effect of
their splendor, afforded by the beams of the moon! The whole street was
one consecutive, uninterrupted row of princely buildings,--and
exquisite indeed was the effect of light and shade there
exhibited--"leaving that lovely which was so, and making that which was
not."
We had given directions to be taken to the Hotel of the Cross of
Malta--_L'Albergo della Croce di Malta_, and when the carriage stopped,
we got out with the expectation of being at our destined domicil. No
sign, however, of a hotel was visible, and one of our party began to
make an accompaniment to the noise of the wind by storming a little at
the postillions for not obeying his orders,--when the courier informed
us that we were as near as the vehicle could get to the house, as it
was located in a street hard by, too narrow for any but pedestrians.
This position of one of the principal hotels of a city denominated _la
superba_, appeared singular enough, and with our ideas of its
superbness somewhat diminished, we followed the man a short distance up
a lane in which two persons could scarcely walk abreast, until we
reached the door of the establishment, whose aspect was not
particularly inviting, in despite of its towering altitude. Our fears,
however, as to the manner in which we might be accommodated, or rather
unaccommodated, were soon put to rest, when we mounted the spacious
stairway, and were ushered into a suite of apartments which to the
simplicity of an American, republican eye, wore an air of absolute
magnificence.
What a difference there was between the first aspect of things in this
our Hotel of the Cross of Malta, and that which is presented in the
places of entertainment for man and horse in the United States. Instead
of being ushered into a bar-room filled with the fumes of whiskey and
tobacco, crowded with boots to be blackened, decorated with
"tintanabulent appendages" innumerable, and affording palpable evidence
in every way that the establishment is as much entitled to the motto,
"e pluribus unum," as the government of the country itself, we were
received at the portal by a single domestic and conducted to our rooms
without seeing or hearing the slightest indication that any other
"mortal mixture of earth's mould" besides ourselves, was in the house.
And then the difference in the appearance of the apartments! The
recollection of the closets or pigeon holes, styled chambers by the
courtesy of our mother tongue, so limited in their dimensions, that
like the cell of the poor Hibernian, in which he "did nothing but walk
up and down," you cannot "stand in them at all," furnished with a bed,
a wash-stand, two chairs, and a looking glass, in which you may see one
moiety of your face at a time, if you exert yourself with sufficient
industry, did not certainly excite any very lively regrets, as we gazed
on the spacious apartments glittering with mirrors, the walls and
ceiling frescoed and gilded _ad unguem_, mantles supported by
sculptured goddesses, chairs and lounges covered with damask, and beds
so richly curtained and attired, that it seemed as if one could
scarcely sleep in them, for thinking of the luxury in which he was
reposing. The hotel was formerly a palace, whose glories, in part, it
still retains. Yet, to tell the truth and shame a certain nameless
gentleman, before my head had been long laid upon the pillow, I would
willingly have exchanged the grandeur and the spaciousness of the room
in which I was courting the sweet restorer of tired nature, for the
plainness and contractedness of any of the closets to which I have
alluded. Verily I paid for my magnificence. Never did I suffer from
cold as on that night--the very exercise which I took in shaking and
shivering ought to have induced perspiration, but in spite of a
respectable quantity of bed-clothes, with the addition of all my
habiliments piled on top of them, I could not make myself warm enough
to allow the god of sleep to exercise his balmy influence upon my eyes
for an instant. Italian dwellings, unfortunately, as I thought then,
are constructed much more in reference to the weather of the torrid
than of the frigid zone. Every method is devised of letting in as much
of the coolness of the external atmosphere as possible, and of adapting
the materials of the apartments to the nullification of all caloric;
and the one in which I was quaking, was in no way an exception to the
prevalent custom. The marble floors and unpapered walls,
notwithstanding the warmth of the colors with which the latter were
filled, created a resistless disposition to chilliness in themselves;
the wind came pouring through several windows, reaching almost from the
ceilings to the floor, whose looseness provided it with abundant
facility for ingress; no fire-place offered its aid for combating the
power of the blusterer; and the bed in which I lay, curled up into a
heap, to prevent the "genial current" from entirely freezing, was of
amplitude commensurate with the dimensions of the chamber. Napoleon,
with his whole staff, might have been accommodated in it, when he
visited Genoa. Whenever I attempted to make a change of position, I
might as well have fallen into an ice-house. What joy when the
morning's light dawned upon my eyes! Never did I observe the maxim with
regard to early rising with so much good-will, as when I left the
inhospitable couch, determined not to entrust myself to it again. By
the time I had dressed I was as near congelation as I well could be;
the only thing that kept my blood in circulation was the prospect of an
exhilirating fire in the sitting-room, and there I steered with all
possible speed; but alas, for human expectations! On opening the door
my optics were immediately filled with smoke, and as they are not of
that "nice" character which are requisite "to see what is not to be
seen," I could discern nothing like a blaze. The badly constructed
hearth manifested the most invincible repugnance to permit the wood to
ignite, but kindly enabled us to obtain all the warmth we could from
fumigation. I confess I became somewhat dispirited. One of my motives
in coming to Italy was to escape the cold of the winter at home, and
here on my very entrance into its mild and genial atmosphere, as it is
always called, had I suffered more chattering of the teeth than I ever
did before for the same length of time. This may be an escape thought
I, but if it is, it is one amazingly like that of Lieutenant
O'Shangnessy, who _escaped_ from the field of battle into the ranks of
the enemy.
W.
NEW ENGLAND.
The place from which the following letter is indited, can be forgotten
by no one that has ever seen it. A fine view of _Northampton_ may be
had from the top of the _Mansion House_, where the visiter commonly
abides; but whoever ascends _Mount Holyoke_, is rewarded for his pains,
with a prospect of surpassing beauty. In _Virginia_, we may have from
our summits, a view of mountains on the one hand, and on the other a
country comparatively level, with occasional spots of cultivation; but
there is seldom any greater variety. Nothing else is afforded by the
_Peaks of Otter_. _Mount Holyoke_, furnishes a combination of beauties.
The spectator beholds mountains and lowland; a country wild and rugged
in one direction and in the highest state of cultivation in another. He
has before him the lovely village of _Northampton_, with others not far
distant. And the _Connecticut_, is seen winding its way, amongst its
fertile meadows, in so circuitous and yet so regular a manner, as to
make the country on its banks resemble a beautiful parterre. The water
prospect gives to the scene its chief source of interest. _Mount
Holyoke_, rises not so high as _Catskill_; nor is the _Connecticut_ so
distant from it, as the _Hudson_ from the latter. And it is owing to
this, that the water view, is finer from its summit, than from the
_Pine Orchard_. The distance is sufficient to "lend enchantment to the
view"--not so great as to prevent a spectator from seeing any beautiful
object that a nearer view would embrace, with all the distinctness that
is desirable. A Virginian, who has high authority for supposing that a
visit to _Harper's Ferry_ is worth a trip across the Atlantic, may ask
if _Mount Holyoke_ surpasses this famous _Virginia_ scene. State pride
must yield to candor, and acknowledge that it does. The prospect from
what is called the _Eagle Rock_, two miles distant from Harper's Ferry
on the Loudoun side, is certainly very fine, and calculated to remove
in some degree that disappointment, which one who has read Mr.
_Jefferson's_ description is apt to feel, when the scene from the
_Jefferson Rock_ is first beheld by him. But the view of the streams at
Harper's Ferry, beheld from any point, cannot compare in beauty with
the Connecticut at Northampton. And, in other respects, Harper's Ferry
must yield to Mount Holyoke. It will not do to put the workshops of the
former against the beautiful villages seen from the latter. Harper's
Ferry cannot in any way obtain pre-eminence, until the spectator
becomes conscious of the justness of _Mr. Jefferson's_ opinion as to
the mode in which the water first passed through the Blue Ridge. And,
to be able to acknowledge the correctness of that opinion, must be a
work of some difficulty after looking at the _Potomac_ and
_Shenandoah_, and seeing how small a power is produced by the two
streams combined.
The author of the letter, in speaking of the ladies of _New England_,
repudiates what he terms a leading argument for slavery. The individual
who is led by a perusal of the letter to make the following remarks, is
certainly not an advocate of slavery; but his own observation, has
brought him to some conclusions, from which he inclines to think, the
intelligent gentleman by whom that letter was written, will scarcely
dissent. Whoever has travelled in a stage or steamboat in Virginia, and
travelled also in stages and steamboats in the non-slave-holding
states, must have perceived that more deference and respect are shown
towards female travellers with us, than in the northern and eastern
states. In a southern steamboat, men will not be seen scrambling for
seats at table, before the ladies are provided with places; and, in a
southern stage, a female traveller will always be offered that seat
which it is supposed she would prefer. If more consideration be shown
for female travellers, in the slave-holding than in the
non-slave-holding states,--the next inquiry is, whether slavery be the
cause of the difference. It may be admitted, that in the southern
states, the men who travel are for the most part gentlemen; while to
the north, a large proportion of those who are perpetually moving
about, are persons who have never been accustomed to any good society,
and have very little idea of good breeding. Again--it may be admitted,
that our steamboats are generally less crowded, and there is
consequently less inducement to be guilty of that indelicacy, which is
so often seen in a northern boat. Do these facts explain the cause of
the difference above alluded to? They do not. For we find to the south,
that a theatre, or a place for the delivery of a public speech, may be
filled by citizens, without any distinction of persons; and yet
respectable females coming to a place thus crowded, would be treated
with more consideration than would be shown towards them at the north
under similar circumstances. There must be some other cause for the
difference; and slavery is in a great degree that cause. To the north,
in consequence of the absence of slavery, many females, even in
respected ranks of life, perform duties which here would devolve upon
our slaves. Nor do the duties which they perform consist merely of
unseen employments within doors. A very large proportion of the sex
engage in the business of buying and selling, and travel about
unattended. Thus embarking in what with us would be regarded as the
proper offices of men, the consequence is that they are treated with
not more respect than is shown towards men. This remark is applicable,
as before stated, to a large proportion--to so large a proportion, that
the general rule of deference towards the sex, which prevails to the
south--can scarcely be said to prevail, in the northern states; but
those by whom, and to whom that deference is there shown, are rather to
be regarded as exceptions. A gentleman to the north, will treat one
whom he _knows_ to be a lady, with courtesy and respect. To the south,
this previous information, is not so indispensable. We act upon a
general presumption in favor of the sex. A female with us, is treated
with courtesy and respect, unless something be known as to her
character, or be apparent in her conduct, which justifies the
conclusion that she is not entitled to be so treated.
C.
From the Fredericksburg Arena.
LETTERS FROM NEW ENGLAND.--NO. 1.
BY A VIRGINIAN.
_Northampton, Mass. July 24, 1834._
And you will positively "excommunicate" me if I do not send you "some
_first impressions_" of Yankee-land? Have at you then; though, really,
my time has been so filled with seeing and hearing, that hardly a scrap
remains to write down a hundredth part of the curious or striking
things that meet my eyes and ears.
Unusual opportunity has been afforded me for seeing various lights and
shades of Yankee character. In stage and steamboat, in jersey wagon and
on foot, on highways and by-ways, in farm houses and city palaces, I
have seen and chatted with all sorts of people, from the ---- of the
---- down to the tavern porter and the country laborer. Five days I
have spent in a pedestrian stroll, calling often at the country houses
to get a draught of water, rest myself, and talk with the farmer or his
wife. These gossipings, you may well suppose commonly produced
amusement and frequently solid information, at least solid materials
for reflection; and, considering that it is only a little more than
three weeks since my entry into New England, methinks I have a pretty
exact measure of Jonathan's foot. Yet for all this preface, do not
expect any very astounding revelations. From the thousand incidents
that, unitedly, make my tour extremely interesting to myself, it is not
certain that any one, or any dozen can be selected, which will
materially interest another person.
In the _visible_ face of Massachusetts and Connecticut, the features
which, by their novelty or beauty, most strike a Virginian eye, are the
small farms, usually of from fifty to two hundred acres; the small
fields in proportion, there being sometimes fifteen or twenty in one
farm; the stone fences, rendered necessary and numerous in many places
by scarcity of timber, and by the troublesome superabundance of stone;
the universality of _hay_ crops, on hills as well as in meadows; the
almost entire absence of wheat, (the only grains generally cultivated
being corn, rye and oats,) the clustering of habitations together in
villages, instead of having them dispersed at intervals of a mile over
the country; the white painted village churches, all with stately
spires, visible for miles around, having gilt vanes, and clocks of
hands so large and stroke so loud, that I have repeatedly seen and
heard the hour half a mile off.--The country is more hilly, or
_rolling_, as our farmers would say, than the lower half of Virginia;
and the hills have, generally, a smaller base and a more gracefully
swelling, dome-like top, than our hills. These rotundities, with their
concomitant hollows, traversed by numberless stone fences, with here
and there patches of woodland and detached white farm houses, half
imbosomed in elms and fruit trees; while, perhaps, two or three
villages, with steeples piercing the sky, are at once within the view,
exhibit everywhere landscapes of a beauty unknown to eastern, or
indeed, to western Virginia. Here is not a hundredth part of the
appearance of abject, squalid poverty, that our state presents. I have
not seen a log house in New England; and nine-tenths of the ordinary
farm houses are painted. Brick and stone buildings are not common,
except in the cities. This village, the most lovely to the eye in all
the north, and Worcester, (take care to call it _Wooster_) having
respectively, 3000 and 4 or 5000 inhabitants, contain, both together,
hardly more than one hundred and fifty brick and stone houses.
But the _morale_ of New England, the character of her people, their
tone of thought and feeling upon some important subjects, their social
and political institutions, regulations, and usages, have interested me
far more than her physical lineaments.
Would that time and space were mine to explain the road, pauper, and
school systems of Massachusetts and Connecticut. (They and Rhode Island
are the only states of New England which I have visited.) But that
would require too much detail. Their felicitous organization may be
inferred from their effects.
The common roads are all, or nearly all, _ridged up_, turnpike fashion,
and fully as good as our turnpikes. I do not mean such as a certain one
not far from ----, which the traveller knows to be a turnpike only by
the tolls and the jolts, but those in the valley, and near Richmond.
There is probably not a beggar by trade (except solicitors for pious
charities and subscriptions) in New England. The needy are sent to a
poor house, having a farm attached to it, on which they work for the
parish, or are let to the lowest bidder for their maintenance, as the
people of each township choose. In different townships (or _towns_, as
the provincial dialect hath it,) the number of paupers greatly varies.
I have been told of five, ten, twenty, and even thirty, or more, upon
the list; and, as there are many "towns" in a county, perhaps the
number of such pensioners here, equals ours. But mark! the expense here
is next to nothing--sometimes absolutely nothing: nay, some "towns"
actually derive a revenue from the labors of their parish poor. Salem
has thus gained several thousand dollars in a year. All who are able
render a fair equivalent, sometimes more, for the relief they receive.
Every person in this state, above four years of age, is entitled to
instruction, at the charge of the "town," in the useful common branches
of knowledge; and a man or woman who cannot read, is here a
prodigy.--Nine-tenths, at least, of the whole population take, or read
newspapers. (In Virginia not more than half the white population does
so.) Here seems to be not a fourth of the tippling that we have;
gambling is even far more rare: there is not a race course in New
England; and, considering the density of the population, (eighty to the
square mile, ours is only nineteen,) I do not believe there is a fourth
so much vice and crime as with us. In moral science, and not least in
that branch of it which investigates the texture of a people's
character, it is hard to ascertain causes and effects with
precision.--What was _effect_, by a sort of reaction frequently becomes
_cause_; they give each other reciprocal impulses, like the mutual aid
of parent and offspring; sometimes various causes mingle their
operations, in unseen, perhaps invisible degrees,--and there is no
laboratory, no apparatus for resolving the inscrutable compound into
its elements. The moral chemist should, therefore, diffidently ascribe
the order, industry, sobriety, thriftiness, and intelligence, which
characterise these people, to any one cause, or to any set of causes.
But general consent, and the reason of the case, leave little doubt
that much, if not most of these virtues, must be attributed to the
system of COMMON SCHOOLS. Yet it may be questioned if, in producing
social good, the school system has not in these states a
_co-efficient_, of equal or superior influence. The road and poor
systems--nay, the school system itself, it seems to me, owe nearly all
their virtues to the TOWNSHIP SYSTEM.
Each county is subdivided into districts, of no uniform shape or size,
though usually four, five, or six miles long and broad. By an
impropriety, too fast rooted ever to be eradicated, these are called
_towns_; which word is never understood here in its English sense, as
opposed to _country_, and meaning an assemblage of houses, but always
as signifying one of the _districts_ I have mentioned. Protesting
against its lawfulness, I shall yet use it now in the New England
sense. Each town is a sort of republic. Its people, in full town
meeting, elect a representative, or representatives, in the
legislature, _selectmen_, (nearly equivalent to common-council-men)
assessor, and collector; decide how the poor shall be kept, schools
organized, or roads altered or repaired, and what amount shall be
raised by taxes for these and other purposes. A town meeting is held
statedly, in the spring, for elections; and two or three others,
whenever ten voters request it of the selectmen, in writing. At
deliberative meetings, a chairman (here called "Moderator,") is chosen
by the assembly; great decorum prevails, and earnest debates arise. The
town, as a corporate person, is liable for any damage sustained through
neglect to keep a road in repair; and damages have frequently been
recovered. It is obliged by law, to support schools enough to educate
all its children in the manner prescribed. It is bound to maintain its
own poor. And the near interest, the direct agency which every citizen
has in the performance of these duties, cause them to be attended to
with an exactness and an efficacy which a government less _local_,
never would attain. This is the very system which it was the leading
wish of Mr. Jefferson's life to see established in Virginia.[1] No one
can see its admirable effects without owning that wish to have been one
of the wisest which his wise and patriotic mind ever cherished. Such an
organization is not only a nursery of statesmen,--it diffuses among the
multitude habits of reflection and of action about public
affairs,--makes them feel often and sensibly, the dignity of
self-government,--and fits them better and better for the exalted task.
It is, morally, what a _well disciplined_ militia would be physically.
Not the wretched militia that, by our own disgraceful neglect, has now
become our own scorn, but that which our forefathers recommended to us
as a main "bulwark of our liberties," and "the best defence of a free
state."
[Footnote 1: See his letters to Kercheval, in 1816.]
_All the direct taxes in this state are laid by the towns._ The state
government is maintained entirely by the interest on some accumulated
funds, and by a tax of half of one per cent. on the capital of the
state banks. By the by, there are at least one hundred of these in
Massachusetts, having a capital altogether, as is computed, of about
thirty millions! And this for a state of 7,800 square miles, and
640,000 people. Verily "_incedit per ignes suppositos cineri doloso:_"
or, in English, "she _sits_ upon a mine of gunpowder." Perhaps sailing
through the air in a car buoyed by bubbles, might be as apt an
illustration.
The _common_ schools (so those supported by taxation are called) are
not the only ones, for even elementary instruction. Many wealthy
persons, unfortunately for the public weal, prefer sending their
children to teachers of their own employing: and thus numerous private
schools of various grades, and some of these of great merit, are
planted over the state. _Unfortunately_ I say, because such persons are
often those whose _interested_ countenance and supervision are most
essential to the good management of the _common_ schools,--which,
deprived of them, lose half their usefulness. Female education is well
attended to. Good schools for females, (reputedly so, I have not
entered one of them) seem much more numerous than with us, allowing
duly for population. And a judgment of the trees by their fruits, would
confirm that belief; for in my casual and diversified intercourse, I
have met, I think, with a larger proportion of well taught women than
would occur in a similar range through our own society. Yet such a
comparison is very fallacious, and perhaps not worth making. Of one
thing I am satisfied, by personal observation; that the additional work
rendered necessary to ladies in New England, by the imperfect and
unservant-like "help" which they hire, is not at all incompatible with
refined delicacy of mind, manners, and person. That it _is_ so,
however, is a leading argument with some of our _philosophers_ for
slavery. If memory served me, I would quote for their benefit, a
caustic passage from the "Three Wise Men of Gotham," to the effect that
"a _genuine philosopher_ is never at a loss for _facts_ to support any
theory, however absurd or ridiculous. Having constructed _that_
according to the most approved principles, and upon the most ingenious
plan, he goes to work, and either _makes_ all the facts needful to
uphold it, or distorts actual facts to suit his purpose."
It has been my good fortune to meet with some admirable female minds in
New England. Since the spells of romance were shaken from me, I have
never hoped to see more happily exemplified, that trait of a capital
heroine of our favorite Miss Edgeworth: "you could discover that the
stream of literature had passed over her mind, only by the verdure and
fertility you saw there." (I mar the quotation, doubtless, but that is
its substance.) No pedantic harping upon books, and authors, and
sciences; some cross-examination would be requisite, to find out that
she knew their names. But let a subject be tabled, calling for ideas,
or for exertions of intellect, to which a conversancy with books,
authors and sciences was indispensable--and you might see that she knew
them well. Then too she knew much that they--but for fear you should
think I am about to fall in love, (which however is impossible,) I will
suppress the rest of my encomium.
_Abolition_, if not dead here, is in a state too desperately feeble to
give us an hour's uneasiness. Of the many intelligent men with whom I
have conversed on this subject in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and
Connecticut, there is but a single one who does not reprobate the views
of Messrs. Tappan, Cox, Garrison and Co. as suggestions of the wildest,
most pernicious fanaticism. Tappan has two brothers in Boston, both
ardent colonizationists, and decidedly opposed to his mad notions. Not
only do the persons I have talked with, themselves reprobate
interference with that painfully delicate and peculiar concern of the
south: they testify to the almost entire unanimity of their
acquaintance, in the same sentiment. And such multiplied and decisive
proofs have I, of the sound state of the public mind on that subject,
as leave me not a doubt, that nine-tenths of the votes, and ninety-nine
hundredths of the intellect of the country, are for _letting us wholly
alone_. You have little idea of the contempt in which Garrison, and his
will-o'-the-wisp, the _Liberator_, are held here. I have heard him
spoken of as a "miserable fanatic," and "a contemptible poor creature,"
in companies so numerous and mixed, as to demonstrate--none gainsaying
it--that the speakers but expressed the public thought. "There is in
this, as in other communities," said a Cambridge Professor to me,
"always afloat a certain quantity of moral _virus_, or noxious _gas_,
ever and anon imbodying itself in some such form as this, of
abolitionism. Not long ago, it was anti-masonry. In two years,
abolitionism will be as prostrate as anti-masonry is now. It may,
meanwhile, spread fast and boldly: it may create disturbances and
alarms: it may prevail so far, in some districts, as to have
representatives in Congress, who will there bring forward some scheme
of emancipation: but triumph finally, or even extensively, in the
north, _it never can_." And all that I saw, or heard, convinced me that
Mr. G---- was not widely mistaken.
At Worcester, last year, an apostle of abolition from "some where away
down east," delivered a lecture, in the Baptist Church, against
slavery; depicting its wrongs and evils, and insisting upon its
extirpation. He was heard patiently; but when he closed, the pastor of
the church arose, and, to the satisfaction of a numerous audience,
completely answered every argument; vindicated the southern
slaveholders from all wilful injustice in being such; shewed the
impracticability of any but the most cautiously gradual emancipation,
and the madness of attempting even that, by officious intermeddling
from the non-slaveholding states. Our apostle wanted to lecture again
the next day; but the excitement against his doctrine had grown so
strong, that he was refused a further hearing, and admonished, by some
of the leading citizens, that if he remained longer, he was in danger
of tar and feathers. Among the warmest of his reprobators, were the
late and the present governors; both residing there. He wisely
decamped; and has had no successor in Worcester. The manner in which
the New York riots have been spoken of in New England, strikingly shews
the bad odor of abolition here. Instead of the leaning towards that
side, which I feared would result from sympathy and indignation at its
being made the object of a mob's fury, the abolitionists seem to be
regarded by the majority as most chargeable themselves, with all the
mischief that has been done. It is the common sentiment, that they
deserved the treatment they received; and the censure thrown upon the
mob is very _gentle roaring_ indeed. I find almost every New Englander
readily assenting to the positions,--That two millions of slaves could
never be turned loose amongst us and live, while _we_ lived: that the
existence of the two _castes_ in the same country, in a state of
freedom and equality, is morally impossible: that emancipation, without
removal, therefore, is utterly chimerical: that, unjustifiable as
slavery is in the abstract, rights of property in slaves have been
acquired, which, sanctioned as they are by the constitution, and by a
claim prior and paramount to the constitution, cannot be violated
without an outrage, destructive at once of our social compact: that,
let slavery be ever so wrong, abolition ever so just and easy, it is a
matter which concerns _us alone_; and as to which, we are so
sensitively jealous of extraneous interposition, that every agitation
of the subject in other states is calculated to weaken our attachment
to them, and bind faster the chains of slavery.
In a word, the south may be assured, that on this point, New England is
sound: at least the three states which I have visited. Colonization is
popular here--with those, I mean, who know or reflect at all about it.
The majority (like the majority with us,) are without either knowledge
or thought on the subject. The abolitionists find fault with
colonization, because, say they, its aim is to postpone or prevent
emancipation. Our southern _illuminati_ oppose it, on the ground that
it _favors_ emancipation! Do not these inconsistent objections
neutralize each other, like opposite quantities in Algebra, or opposite
simples in Chemistry?
N. P. WILLIS.
We extract the subjoined article from the _Norfolk Beacon_, believing
that it will be both new and interesting to most of our readers. That
paper has recently passed into the hands of Mr. Hugh Blair Grigsby, a
gentleman of fine education and literary taste; and as he has declared
himself a neutral in politics, we have a right to expect that the
Beacon will be frequently rich in other matter interesting to the
general reader. The eulogy upon Willis, or rather his vindication from
those ill natured aspersions, which are always cast upon aspiring
genius,--is honorable to the feelings of early friendship which
dictated it. We have suppressed one or two passages near the
commencement of the article, having reason to believe that Mr. Grigsby
would not have written them if the circumstance to which he alludes had
been better understood. That Willis is a man of genius and an admirable
writer both in prose and verse, will not be questioned we think by a
large majority of those who are at all familiar with his productions.
There are some it is true, who affect a sneer at his pretensions,--and
there are others doubtless, who without affectation, do not admire him.
The world is infinitely diversified; and there is nothing in which
diversity is more strongly exemplified, than in matters of taste.
Shakspeare, Milton, Pope, Byron,--nay, almost all the illustrious
votaries of the NINE, have occasionally had their revilers,--and it
would perhaps be rather an unfavorable indication for any writer, that
his works had never been censured or criticised. The unfavorable
opinions formed of Willis's reputation, as deduced from his habitual
idleness at college--his repugnance to mathematical studies--or his
eccentricities either in dress or behaviour--seem to us to rest upon
very unphilosophical grounds. What if the merits of the immortal bard
of Avon, were to be tested by his diligence in the early acquisition of
knowledge! Even Lord Byron was not remarkable either for industry or
attainments whilst at school. As to the mathematics,--we dare say that
the more bigoted disciples of Euclid and Hutton, would deem it evidence
of bad taste, not to be inspired by the beauties and mysteries of the
triangle and cone;--but what would they think of the learned and
eloquent Gibbon, of whom it is said that so great was his disgust or
inaptitude for their favorite science, that he could scarcely be
brought to comprehend or demonstrate the three first propositions in
Euclid. The truth is, there is an ethereal quality in genius, which
disdains to be trammelled by the rules and systems of human invention.
That it is so, is perhaps unfortunate,--yet the fact itself cannot be
controverted. We commend Mr. Grigsby's article to our readers, not only
because it is well written, but because also it is the testimony of a
fellow student in favor of a writer who, whatever be his merits or
demerits, has acquired acknowledged distinction in the literary world.
* * * * *
"Few men of his age have passed through so fiery an ordeal, and come
out of the flame with greater purity, than N. P. WILLIS. It is indeed
without a parallel in literature, that a young man of unblemished
virtue, of accomplished genius, and of a good heart, should be sought
out and hunted down with such an implacable spirit of vengeance.
* * * * *
"To those who knew Willis in his early days, it was evident that he
would become, what Edmund Burke said of Townshend, 'a first rate figure
in the country.' The first notice that the public had of his budding
genius was a little poem in six verses, the two first lines of the
first verse being
The leaf floats by upon the stream
Unheeded in its silent way.
We cannot recal the whole stanza; but our fair readers may remember
that their albums contained some time since, a beautiful vignette
representing a lady resting in her bower listening to the notes of a
pretty songster perched above her. This engraving was taken from these
lines in this poem:
The bird that sings in lady's bower,
To-morrow will she think of him?
"This little poem gained the prize awarded by the Mirror, but what the
prize was, we really forget. We have not looked over this poem since
the morning we first read it, near ten years since; and, with a little
effort, we think we could recal it. It was regarded at the time as a
very pretty production.
"Some of our readers, who are not wont to frown at the lighter efforts
of literature, may remember some poems under the signature of Roy,
which were republished in every paper in the United States, and
occasionally, it is said, in the British periodicals. Those were from
the pen of Willis.
"Every one who has a soul for poetry has read the scripture sketches.
Hagar--Absalom--the sacrifice of Abraham--Zepthah's Daughter, are all
the productions of a rich imagination. They have their faults, we
allow, and so has another piece which he has called 'better moments,'
and so with many others; but we will take either and all of these, and
will plead the splendor of his genius before any tribunal of taste
under heaven. Willis's poems have passed through several editions. He
also pronounced a fine poem before Brown University. But the fame of
Willis, however proudly it may rest on his poetry, is still more widely
diffused by his prose.
"It was a cold morning in the winter of 1824-5, before sunrise, in a
division room of Yale College, that Willis gave the first sample of
that mellifluous prose which has since attracted such general
admiration. He was then commencing his sophomore year; and the student,
who had tried a freshman hand on the translations from the classics,
was now called to essay an original composition. We were class-mates,
but were not in the same division. It was not our good fortune,
therefore, to hear his first composition; but we never can forget the
merriment which it produced in college. If we mistake not, the theme of
his first essay was the dilemma of an old man who had lost his wife;
and was in sad perplexity about the plant which he ought to place at
the head of her grave. One suggested that an oak sapling was best; but
the old man contended that it would not in its infancy protect the
grave from the sun and rain; and when it grew up, it would produce no
good fruit, and would, moreover, with its spreading branches, _rot the
shingles of his house_. Plant after plant, and tree after tree, were
mentioned, the merits of which Willis scanned with great felicity of
thought and language. At last, after a due reflection on the useful and
the becoming, the old man resolved to plant a _cabbage_ on the grave of
his wife. The cold blooded critic, who delights to fasten his fangs on
rising merit, may pronounce the theme a very unfit subject for
merriment; but fellows of eighteen are no philosophers; and we doubt
whether any composition read within the walls of old Yale, ever
produced such a happy effect as the one we have just noticed.
"It has been urged against Willis that he spent his time idly at
College, and was totally unversed in those studies which are supposed
to test with the greatest severity the powers of the understanding. If
the meaning of all this be that he is not a profound mathematician, we
readily admit the charge; and declare that we would confide as little
in his judgment, as we would in that of Moore, Rogers or Campbell, in
case either or all united should attempt a new edition of the
Principia, or a full translation of La Place--but as we never heard of
any such intention, we must in candor believe that the objection has
some other meaning. If it were to appear, however, that he is not well
versed in mathematics, we are willing to assign him any punishment
which any one will declare that a boy of seventeen, who has failed to
plunge head and ears into the mathematics, ought to receive.
"At the same time we are free to declare that the system of teaching
pursued at Yale College, is the most defective the wit of man ever
devised. We mean, of course, the tutorial system. A few raw lads, who
have passed through the collegiate year, and rusticated for a
twelvemonth afterward, are called to preside in the division rooms, and
to perform all the most important duties of education. These gentlemen,
if they went forthwith to supply their great and glaring defects, and
to qualify themselves to perform their delicate and honorable duties
with credit to themselves and honor to the university, would command
our respect; but no sooner do they accumulate a sum of money, than they
bid farewell to the cause of education. And herein rests our chief
objection; which is not that the tutors are _young_ but that they are
utterly insensible to the dignity and importance of their office, which
we deem the most honorable on earth; and merely consider teaching as
the drudgery to which they must submit, to obtain money enough for
their advancement in their various modes of life. In this aspect the
whole system is faulty, and requires thorough amendment. We said that
we did not object to the youth of the tutors--we rather deem it an
advantage, when teaching is to be the great object and end of pursuit.
We think that superannuated generals and professors rank in one and the
same degree. The mind, after a certain time, clings to its ancient
convictions, and shrinks from the field of experiment. And as the
splendid example of Napoleon has opened the eyes of the world on the
subject of old generals; so ought the example of Bichat, the younger
Gregory and the lamented Fisher, to produce a similar result on the
subject of old professors. The spring-time of life is illumined by a
warmer sun than ever lights up the breast of the old man. Youth is the
time of pure aspirations, of lofty daring and successful achievement.
The heart yet untouched with the sickening lusts and cankering cares of
the world; alive to the finest impulses of our nature, and glowing with
the desire of immortality, is a noble thing; and we verily believe that
such a heart is rarely to be found unless in the bosom of youth.
"We have blamed freely the tutorial system of Yale College; but we have
given the dark side only. There are advantages accruing from the
system; but they are, in our opinion, utterly inadequate to
counterbalance its great and ruinous defects.
"While however, we freely denounce the tutorial system of Yale College,
we would not be unjust to the able men who preside in the institution.
For Doctor Day, Mr. Kingsley, Mr. Goodrich and Mr. Olmstead, we
entertain the highest respect; and believe them to be ripe scholars;
but we know the influence of ancient habit, and that miserable system
is so mixed up with the entire machinery of the institution, that we
have barely a hope of seeing it amended by the present administration.
Could Willis have found such a tutor as Mr. Jefferson has represented
Mr. Small to have been--one whose learning inspired respect, and whose
parental kindness melted the heart of the obdurate, and won back the
wayward--we should not have heard this grave charge against him; as it
was, while his classmates were calculating eclipses, moral and
mathematical, he passed with ease from beside them; and assumed an
honorable station in the literature of his country.
"But to Mr. Willis as a writer of prose. And one great source of wonder
with us is his uncommon acquaintance with the vocabulary of the
language. He moves over the spacious field with the ease and grace of
the most accomplished scholar. And then his sentences flow so sweetly
on, that you liken them to some limpid rivulet from the hill of the
muses flowing around and about the rich landscape before you, and if
for a moment concealed from the eye, it is only to burst upon you in
all its fullness and beauty. So much for the style of Willis, in its
mechanical sense. But there is something beyond this; and which is far
more important. It is the life of style. And here is the particular
forte of Willis. He reverses the rule of the logician; and instead of
advancing from general to particular, he paints the species with the
minutest care. The letter which we gave yesterday is a happy specimen
of the philosophy of his style. His theme is a voyage on the Hudson in
the summer season, when all are thronging northward, and to this
miscellaneous multitude he seeks to introduce us. He selects a few
individuals, and finishes their portraits with the greatest care and
the most consummate skill. But first observe the connection of the
trip. Whoever has travelled the Hudson in the summer season, will at
once recognize the group of passengers who have arrived '_just_ thirty
seconds too late;' and the striking description of a steamboat 'built
for smooth water, long, shallow and graceful, of the exquisite
proportions of a pleasure yacht; and painted as brilliantly and
fantastically as an Indian shell.' Then we have the Kentuckian to the
life, 'sitting on three chairs;' and the Indian, who does not deign to
show the slightest curiosity, unless in eyeing the broad chest and
sinewy form of the Kentuckian--detecting with characteristic skill the
hardy dweller of Kentucky in the unnatural disguise of ruffled shirt
and fine broadcloth coat 'cut by a Mississippi tailor'--and the
Alabamian, whom the common eye would confound with the Kentuckian, and
who is a different species altogether; and next, the southern beauty
from the interior of Alabama, 'dressed in singularly bad taste;'
graceful as a fawn, but untutored in the mysteries of the dance. In
fine, the whole scene is painted before us almost with the distinctness
of actual life. We pass over the great excellence of this sketch in
other respects; but we are sure that he who reads the letter will long
retain its striking passages in his memory.
"It will be asked by that race of cynics who set a wonderful value on
the fabrics of their own manufacture, but show no admiration of the
noble structures reared by the genius of others,--it will be asked by
such, what good can such productions accomplish in the business of
life? While we heartily repeat the sentiment first uttered by Dr.
Johnson, and afterwards endorsed by Sir Walter Scott, that we hate a
_cui bono_ man, we will enter the lists in the cause, and declare that
they produce a right and proper effect on the general mind. Now we have
shown that the leading excellence of the writings of Willis consisted
in minute and exceedingly graphic sketches of the natural world in all
its varied aspect of mountain, plain, and river, and that still more
varied chart of instruction--Man. His pages then reflect like some
beautiful stream, with lights and shades, all the rich and stirring
variety of nature. And who will deny that nature hath not a voice and
eloquence that rightly speak to the bosoms of men? And herein resteth
the power of Willis.
"It may with propriety be inquired, if Willis could not select a more
extended field of fame? We believe that he might select a theme of
higher bearing, and that he is now preparing the path before him. His
present sketches are so many notes from which, in riper years, he will
strike a nobler harmony. We know that he has a fine ambition; an
ambition that looks far beyond the pages of the New Monthly, or the
Mirror,--and which stirreth within him a desire of a great and proper
poem, which 'men will not willingly let die,' and which will weave his
humble name with the destinies of his country."
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
WASHINGTON AND NAPOLEON.
THE CONTRAST.
----"Urged by a curiosity common to all strangers, Captain Lockerby
visited the tomb of Bonaparte. The spot where the tomb stands is only
accessible by ticket. It was railed round with green palms, and a
sentinel walked round it night and day to prevent approach within the
railing."----
Behold what a contrast is here!
Two heroes gone down to decay--
The grave of the one, how deserted and drear!
While the other is deck'd in its marble array
And a sentinel guards it by night and by day.
Oh, what was the life of the first,
That in death they have left him thus lone?--
Was the crown of the Tyrant his thirst?
And mounting in blood on the steps of a throne--
Had he murdered his thousands to aggrandize one?
Of grandeur of soul was there none
In that bosom, transform'd to the clod;
The end of its government done,
To abandon the lictor, the axe, and the rod,
When it look'd on its nothingness--thought of its God?
But see what a far different scene!
The tomb of the valiant and wise!
Encompass'd secure by its paling of green,
And gleaming in white, as those tropical skies
Beam down on the waste where St. Helena lies.
Lo! numbers resort to that spot,
And beauty bows too at the shrine--
Oh virtue! how envied thy lot!
The grave cannot darken thy splendor divine
Nor sully thy brightness, but adds to its shine.
Yet CHRISTIAN!--come nearer and read,
For conjecture hath led us astray--
Hast thou heard of one, false to his creed?
Of a blood loving tyrant--ferocious--whose sway
Was supported by rapine, while earth was his prey?
'Tis to him that these honors are paid,
And his dust must be guarded--from whom?
Are the terrified nations afraid
Lest he yet should arise from the curse of his doom,
And bursting its cerements, escape from the tomb?
Ah no! he lies powerless now!
But thousands would bear him afar:
To this Juggernaut, long did they bow,
And were abjectly crush'd by the wheels of his car,
As triumphant he rode through the red fields of war.
Is virtue then, nought but a name?
Let us turn to the spot we have passed--
If guilt can exult in its shame,
The good in his grave may be silently cast--
Abandoned--unnoticed--the scene but a waste!
Yes, yes, thou art dumb with amaze--
'Tis WASHINGTON slumbers below--
Was language too weak for HIS praise?--
Was the grief so profound, that it baffled all show,
Or the feeling too deep for the utt'rance of wo?
Let us hope that it was--let us trust
That we honor the Friend of Mankind--
That the Corsican despot in dust,
His merited meed of abhorrence shall find
In the progress of truth and the march of the mind.
MINERAL WEALTH OF VIRGINIA.
The following interesting communication from Peter A. Browne, Esq. of
Philadelphia, was submitted last winter, by the Governor of Virginia,
to the General Assembly. It was printed with the documents accompanying
the annual message, and bound up with the legislative journals, but has
had no other publicity. It is therefore _new_ to nineteen-twentieths,
if not to ALL of our readers. We confess we feel somewhat mortified,
that the valuable hints and suggestions thrown out by an intelligent
and scientific stranger, should have failed to attract the attention of
our public functionaries. We are not without hope, however, that a
subject of such vital importance as a geological survey of the state,
will claim the earnest and speedy consideration of the people, as well
as their representatives. It is one of those subjects upon which all
parties, however divided by sectional jealousies or other adverse
views, may meet on common ground, and unite in harmonious action. There
is no portion of the commonwealth which is not deeply interested in the
development of its mineral wealth--none which ought not to lend its
hearty sanction to a scientific survey of the country by a skilful
geologist. To say nothing of the noble example of other states--among
them some of our youngest sisters--our interests are too deeply
involved in the proposed undertaking, longer to defer it.
Agriculture,--commerce,--the arts,--are alike concerned in the
successful prosecution of a work which promises to each such essential
benefits. The people of Virginia have been too long ignorant and
unmindful of their own vast resources. Who would have dreamed a few
years since, that a vein of precious gold, which, for two centuries,
had escaped observation, actually enriched our soil? Who now can form
an adequate conception of the various hidden treasures which science
and enterprise may bring to light. Can the paltry consideration of a
few thousand dollars expense, outweigh the magnificent advantages which
are likely to result? Shall the present generation fold its arms in
supineness, and leave every thing to be done by posterity? We earnestly
exhort our legislators to take the subject into serious consideration.
The writer of the subjoined communication will be pleased to learn that
the mineral springs of the state, (which might in themselves be made a
source of boundless wealth,) have been subjected to careful analysis
during the past summer, by an able chemical professor in one of our
colleges. It is understood that the results of his observation will in
due time be laid before the public.
_Philadelphia, Sept. 30, 1833._
SIR,--Although I have not the honor of a personal acquaintance with
you, I have no hesitation in making the present appeal to your
patriotism and wisdom, not doubting but that I shall find in the great
and growing interest of the subject to the country at large, and
particularly to that portion of the Union over which you preside with
so much dignity and discretion, a sufficient apology for occupying so
much of your valuable time, as will enable you to give the present
communication an attentive perusal.
I have recently returned from a _geological_ excursion to Virginia. I
entered the state near the head waters of the Potomac, passed thence to
Winchester, followed the course of that fine valley to the Natural
bridge; retracing my steps, I turned westwardly at Staunton, crossed
the mountain at Jennings's gap, and visited the justly celebrated
medicinal springs in that region; returning, I went from Staunton
through Charlottesville to Richmond, and down the James to its mouth.
When this tour is taken in connection with a former visit to Wheeling,
it will be conceded that I have seen enough of the state, to enable me
to form a rough estimate of its geological and mineralogical
importance; and I do assure you, sir, that although my anticipations
were far from being meager, I was astonished at the vastness and
variety of interesting objects in that department of natural history,
that were constantly developing themselves, inviting the mind of man to
reflection, and his hands to industry, and displaying at every step the
wisdom and beneficence of the great Creator.
I determined upon respectfully suggesting to your excellency the
expediency of a topographical, geological, mineralogical and
oryctological survey of Virginia. Should the enlightened
representatives of the freemen of your state concur in this opinion, it
will redound to the honor of all concerned, by the encouragement it
will give to the study of the natural sciences--by the enhancement in
value of lands in the interior, thereby enriching the state and its
citizens, and giving a very proper check to unnatural migrations to the
extreme west, by bringing to light and usefulness innumerable valuable
crude materials, thereby not only enlarging the field of manufactures
and the useful arts, but furnishing carrying for the canals and roads
already constructed, and assisting in new internal improvements in
locations of equal importance. That I may not appear to be too
enthusiastic, pardon me for pointing out some of the most obvious
features in the geology of Virginia. Whether we consider the comfort
and convenience of our species, or the industry and prosperity of a
state, there is no mineral production that can outvie in importance
that of _coal_. In this country, where we have hitherto always had a
superabundance of fuel, owing to the vast extent of our natural
forests, the importance of a constant and abundant supply is not felt,
and we are too apt to neglect properly to appreciate its value, but it
is not so elsewhere, and a moment's reflection will shew that it ought
not to be so _here_. Without fuel, of what use would be to us the
metallic ores? for instance iron, which is now moulded, drawn and
worked into thousands and tens of thousands of useful instruments, from
a knife, to the complicated machinery of a steam engine, would forever
remain an indissoluble and useless mass of matter without the aid of
fuel--even the steam engine itself, that colossus of modern machinery,
without the assistance of fire would be inactive and impotent.
The Rev. Mr. Conybeare, an eminent English geologist, speaking of the
coal veins (or coal measures, as they are there called,) of his
country, thus expresses himself:
"The manufacturing industry of this island, colossal as is the fabric
which it has raised, rests principally on no other base than our
fortunate position with regard to the rocks of this series. Should our
coal mines ever be exhausted, it would melt away at once, and it need
not be said, that the effect produced on private and domestic comfort
would be equally fatal with diminution of public wealth; we should lose
many of the advantages of our high civilization, and much of our
cultivated grounds must be again shaded with forests, to afford fuel to
a remnant of our present population. That there is a progressive
tendency to approach this limit, is certain, but ages may yet pass
before it is felt very sensibly; and when it does approach, the
increasing difficulty and expense of working the mines of coal, will
operate, by successive and gradual checks, against its consumption,
through a long period, so that the transition may not be very violent;
our manufactures would first feel the shock; the excess of population,
supported by them, would cease to be called into existence, as the
demand for their labor ceased; the cultivation of poor lands would
become less profitable, and their conversion into forests more so."
Where is the state in this union--I might, perhaps, safely ask, where
is the country in the world, that can surpass Virginia in the variety
of position and abundance of supply of this valuable combustible? She
possesses, not only in common with her sister states, a liberal
quantity of bituminous coal in her western and carbonaceous regions,
where, according to geological calculations, bituminous coal might be
reasonably expected to be found; but in the eastern division of the
state, within a few miles of the tide water of a majestic stream, which
empties its ample waters into the Atlantic ocean, in a geological
position, where bituminous coal never would have been sought after,
because bituminous coal could not there have ever been expected to have
been found, bituminous coal of a good quality, and apparently in great
abundance, has been found; nature seeming, as it were, in this
instance, to enable her to favor an otherwise highly favored land, to
have defied all her own rules, and baffled the skill of the gravest
geologist, by depositing bituminous coal upon the naked and barren
bosom of the uncarbonaceous granite! I have often wondered why this
anomaly did not strike the capacious and highly gifted mind of
Jefferson, and why he, or some other of the many reflecting men of
Virginia, was not led by it to inquire, what else there might be in
store for the good people of that state? By neglecting to seek for
them, we ungratefully reject the proffered kindness of our Creator; the
laws of inanimate matter are, in this respect, in unison with those
that govern animated nature; we are furnished with the material and
means, but in order to stimulate us to useful and healthful industry,
we must labor in their appropriation. God gives us the earth and the
seed, but we must plough and sow, or we can never reap; so he has
bountifully placed within our reach innumerable valuable rocks,
minerals and combustibles, but to enjoy them, we must delve into the
bowels of the earth--and having found them, we must, by various
laborious processes, render them fit for our use. To those who are
accustomed to regard these things, it is difficult to determine which
causes the most painful sensations, to observe how few coal mines, in
comparison to what might be, are opened in the neighborhood of
Richmond, or the want of skill exhibited in the selection and working
of those recently opened. Nor is the deposite of the bituminous coal
upon the granite, the only geological anomaly of this quarter.
Proceeding from Charlottesville towards Richmond, almost immediately
after you leave the Talcose formation of the Blue Ridge, you are
astonished at the fertility of the soil; you can scarcely persuade
yourself that you are travelling over a country of primitive rocks.
Soon, however, you discover that the fertility is not universal, but
confined to patches of a brick-red covering, that overlay the
disintegrated materials of the primordial formations, and upon seeking
further into this curious matter, your surprise is not a little
increased, upon discovering that this brick-red covering owes its
existence to the disintegration of a rock, which, in most other places,
is exceedingly slow to decompose, and which, when decomposed, forms a
cold and inhospitable soil. It is the _hornblende sienite_. Here it is
surcharged with iron, which oxidating by exposure to the atmosphere and
moisture, the rock freely disintegrates, and the oxide of iron being
set at liberty, imparts its coloring to the ground, and fertilizes the
soil in an extraordinary degree.
Professor Hitchcock, in his report of a geological survey of
Massachusetts, makes the following remarks in relation to the effect of
iron upon a soil:
"No ore except iron occurs in sufficient quantity in the state, to
deserve notice in an agricultural point of view. In the west part of
Worcester county, the soil, for a width of several miles across the
whole state, is so highly impregnated with the _oxide of iron_, as to
receive from it a very deep tinge of what is called iron rust. This is
particularly the case in the low grounds; where are frequently found
beds of bog ore. I do not know very definitely the effect of this iron
upon vegetation; but, judging from the general excellence of the farms
in the Brookfields, Sturbridge, Hardwicke, New Braintree, Barae,
Hubbardston, &c., I should presume it to be good. Certainly, it cannot
be injurious; for no part of the county exceeds the towns just named,
in the appearance of its farming interest--and nearly all the county,
as may be seen by the map, is of one formation. It would be an
interesting problem, which in that county can be solved, to determine
the precise influence of a soil highly ferruginous upon vegetation."
Next in geological and statistical importance, I would place the
mineral springs of Virginia; and these would form a legitimate subject
of investigation to those who should be appointed to conduct a
geological survey.
I am not aware of any portion of country of the same extent, possessing
an equal number and variety of mineral springs, as the counties of
Bath, Greenbrier and Monroe. This is a subject upon which one might
easily compose a book, but I must confine myself to a few lines. The
waters are thermal and cold; the former of various degrees of
intensity. They hold in solution a variety of metals, earths, acids,
and alkalies, combined in various proportions, and suited to relieve
the sufferings of invalids from a number of diseases. Mineral springs
of less interest than these, have excited the attention of the learned
in almost every age and country; and Virginia owes it to her high
mental standing, independently of every other consideration, to assist
the cause of science, by investigating the causes of the high
temperature, and making accurate analyses of these waters. It is the
duty of states, as it is of individuals, to furnish their quota to the
general stock of information; and this is peculiarly the duty of a
republican state, whose happiness, nay, whose very political existence,
depends upon an improved state of the minds of its citizens. Mr. John
Mason Good, in his "Book of Nature," after describing the barren state
of society in the middle ages, says, "we have thus rapidly travelled
over a wide and dreary desert, that, like the sandy wastes of Africa,
has seldom been found refreshed by spots of verdure, and what is the
moral? That ignorance is ever associated with wretchedness and vice,
and knowledge with happiness and virtue. Their connections are
indissoluble; they are woven in the very texture of things, and
constitute the only substantial difference between man and man," and I
would add, between state and state.
Has the heat of these waters any connection with volcanic phenomena? Or
is the temperature entirely chemical, originating in the decomposition
of sulphuret of iron, as I suggested some years ago in a paper
published upon the subject? At the Hot Springs, the hot sulphur water
and the cold pure water, issue out of the calcareous rock at the base
of the Warm Spring mountain, within a few feet of each other. One of
these Virginia Springs, makes a copious deposite of calcareous tufa;
and at another, you perceive newly formed crystals of sulphate of iron.
The White Sulphur Spring takes its name from a rich white deposite, and
the Red Sulphur from one of that color. If this is not an uncommon and
a highly interesting section of country, calling aloud for
investigation, and meriting legislative interference, then have I taken
an entirely erroneous view of the subject.
The Warm Spring mountain is white sandstone. The rocks of the valley of
the Hot Springs are calcareous, argillaceous and silecious; they are
all nearly vertical. At first the two former, and afterwards the two
latter, alternate. They have all been deposited in a horizontal
position, and between their narrow strata are thin layers of clay
covering organic remains.--Those of the lime and slate are principally
zoophytes. That of the silecious is the fossil described by Doctor R.
Harlan, from a specimen obtained by me in the western part of the state
of New York. He supposed it to be a now extinct vegetable fossil of the
family fucoides, and he has called it _Fucoide Brongniard_,--in honor
of M. Brongniard. But I suppose it to be _animal_, and to belong to the
family of the Encrinites.[1]
[Footnote 1: See an essay of Richard C. Taylor, F. G. S. on the
geological position of certain beds which contain numerous fossil
marine plants of the family fucoides; near Lewistown, Mifflin county,
Pennsylvania, in vol. I. part I. of the Transactions of the Geological
Society of Pennsylvania, page 1.]
The mountain ranges of Virginia are more numerous, and the valleys
consequently narrower, than they are in Pennsylvania; but some of them
are very interesting. The great valley, as it is sometimes called, or
par excellence, _the valley_, situate between the Blue Ridge and the
North and Alleghany Mountain, is by far the most extensive. The rocks
often obtrude, rendering the soil rather scanty, but nevertheless this
is a fine district of country.
I could find no fossils in this rock. In regard to the metallic ores, I
would observe, that I discovered sufficient indications of their
existing in Virginia in quantity sufficient to justify a more accurate
examination. Iron abounds in almost every part of the western section
of the state. Traces of copper, lead, manganese and chrome, have also
been discovered near the Blue Ridge; and the gold of Orange County is
equal to any found in the Carolinas or Georgia.
I have never seen any thing that exceeds the richness and variety of
coloring of the serpentine of the Blue Ridge. This mineral is easily
cut, and the fineness and closeness of the grain renders it susceptible
of a high polish. At Zoblitz in Saxony, several hundred persons are
employed in its manufacture. Besides the minerals belonging to the
Talcose formation, and generally accompanying serpentine, are many of
them valuable in the arts--for instance, steatite, (soap stone,) talc,
chromate of iron, clorite slate, and native magnesia. A geological
survey would, most probably, lead to the discovery of most of these
minerals.
I could make large additions to this communication, but for the fear of
trespassing upon your patience. I will, therefore, close my
observations with noticing two instances of want of confidence in the
mineral productions of your own state, which I am persuaded that a
geological survey would tend to correct. I met many wagons loaded with
sulphate of lime (gypsum,) from Nova Scotia, being taken to the
interior to be used as a manure; but I did not see one wagon employed
to bring carbonate of lime (common lime stone,) from the inexhaustible
quarries of the great valley to any other district to be used for the
same purpose. In the beautiful and flourishing city of Richmond, I
observed the fronts of two stores fitting up in the new and fashionable
style with granite (so called,) (sienite,) from Massachusetts, while
there exists in the James river, and on its banks, in the immediate
vicinity of the town, rocks of a superior quality, in quantities amply
sufficient to build a dozen cities.
I have the honor to be, sir,
Your obedient servant,
PETER A. BROWNE.
_To his Excellency John Floyd,
Governor of Virginia._
LAFAYETTE.
The following tribute to the memory of Lafayette, having been
transmitted from Paris for the purpose of being published in some
American periodical, the gentleman by whom it was received, has
requested that the same may be inserted in the Messenger.
He breathed not the atmosphere of cities at his birth; he was born on
the mountain top; he inhaled with the breath of life, the breath of
liberty. Though sprung from a lordly race, he was the people's friend;
and, under every trial, he displayed the inborn dignity of man.
Rich too he was, but lucre was not his idol; and his liberality was as
unbounded, as his heart was generous. At that season of life which, to
common men, is a time for pleasure and dissipation, he heard and obeyed
the holy call of freedom.
Far off, beyond ocean's bounds, a young and promising nation was
struggling for its rights. He felt, as if instinctively, the part
allotted to him on the stage of life; and he became America's adopted
and beloved son, when in his native land, his name was scarcely known.
On returning to France, he found her laboring under mysterious
warnings--of good or evil he knew not--the foreboding pangs of
political convulsions; and he put his trust in the cause of humanity,
because he judged of other men from himself.
But vain was his boldness and wisdom in council; in vain did he beard
in their very den, the infuriate demagogues; a bloody pall was spread
over his devoted country; he gave her up in despair, and the dungeon of
Olmutz closed upon him as a tomb. When a brighter day arose, his
freedom was stipulated as the most glorious trophy of his nation's
victories. But the hurricane had swept the ancient fabric from the
earth; not a vestige of it remained, so dreadful had been the storm.
All the powers of the state were centred in one man; a man of
selfishness and pride, who aimed at absorbing all wills in his own. And
in sooth he did this, with one sole and great exception. The instinct
of freedom, which was as the vital spark in our great citizen, kept him
aloof from the man whose empty and ephemeral triumph is stained with
the blood and tears of every nation. He retired to his paternal fields;
and at a time when the sword ruled paramount, he guided the fruitful
ploughshare.
Liberty was no more; and by a hard but just retribution, it was made
the rallying word of nations against us. Then fell upon our country
unheard of disasters and defeats; after which dawned a milder reign. He
now reappears upon the public stage; he comes to heal our wounds, to
rekindle in our hearts the love of liberty. He devotes himself to the
task with a zeal unceasing, enlightened by long-tried experience,
inspired by a pure and upright heart, and animated by a spirit of self
denial never equalled. In the prosecution of this noble attempt--he
dies!
He was one of those men who, at far and distant intervals, appear in
days of degeneracy to arrest the right of proscription against virtue.
He disdained power, he despised riches, he abhorred corruption. He
wished that all men should be happy and free.
Yet in the age of barefaced egotism, and under the reign of fraud and
knavery, such disinterestedness and candor must inevitably be deceived;
therefore is it that our political jugglers sneer at this great and
good man--their grovelling minds understand him not.
But his name, pronounced with reverence in both hemispheres, is become
the watchword of mankind laboring to be free; and it will stand for
ages, as the brightest symbol of humanity.
Thy soul, oh Lafayette! was a pure and glorious emanation from that GOD
in whose bosom thou now hast found a resting place. He alone can reward
thy manifold virtues, thy constant love of humanity, thy inexhaustible
charity, thy piety and truth. Thou art blessed in Christ.
ALEXANDRE DE BOINVILLE.
_Paris, May 1834._
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
PINKNEY'S ELOQUENCE.
Hear you this triton of the minnows?--_Coriolanus_.
"Yet Mr. Pinkney is not an eloquent man; he is convincing, to be
sure--and that is to be eloquent in one way; but he would be more, and
fails." "Nothing can be further from eloquence, if by eloquence be
understood any thing that is persuasive, beautiful, dignified or
natural, than the declamation or reasoning of William Pinkney." "His
best speeches are a compound of stupendous strength, feeble ornament,
affected earnestness, and boisterous turbulent declamation." "But God
never meant him for an orator; he has no property of mind or body--no
not one, calculated to give him dominion in eloquence."
As old Doiley says in the farce, when told that "gold in the balance of
philosophy was light as phlogisticated air," this must be deep, for I
don't understand a word of it. The above are extracts from a work, in
which the author undertakes to deny to Mr. Pinkney the praise of
eloquence. No kind of composition confounds me more than criticism, and
especially that sort which pretends to develope the characteristics of
some distinguished orator. If one
----------------should
So get the start of the majestic world
as to "bear the palm alone," we feel a very natural curiosity to know
what was his appearance, his manner, and peculiar style of eloquence;
but alas! in the hands of the critic, he assumes so many shapes, that
the imagination is absolutely bewildered, and we turn away in despair
of finding out what the man was like. The critic like the newspaper,
contradicts himself at every step. One sentence tells us what another
denies; and we rise from the perusal of his sketch jaded and worn out
with the variety of contrariant ideas which have passed through our
brains. I am no critic, and heaven forbid I should ever belong to that
cold hearted fraternity, who more often pervert taste than improve it;
but I cannot forbear contesting the truth of this writer's assertions,
and declaring that he seems to me to be a Lilliputian about the body of
a Gulliver.
It has been said of Demosthenes, "that he has been deservedly styled
the prince of orators. His orations are strongly animated, and full of
the impetuosity and ardor of public spirit. His composition is not
distinguished by _ornament_ and splendor. Negligent of the lesser
graces, he seems to have aimed at the sublime, which lies in sentiment.
His action and pronunciation are said to have been uncommonly
_vehement_ and _ardent_. The Archbishop of Cambray gives him the
preference to Cicero, against whom he makes the objection of too much
_ornament_." According therefore to this author, if Wm. Pinkney was not
an orator, it follows that Demosthenes was none; because their style of
eloquence seems to have been alike in almost every particular, except
that Pinkney aimed at _ornament_, of which Demosthenes had none and
Cicero too much. If speeches, characterized by _stupendous strength_,
and _turbulent declamation_, and _convincing argument_, are neither
"persuasive, nor dignified, nor natural," then was not Demosthenes
persuasive, nor dignified, nor natural, and of course he was no orator
according to this definition. If ornament be a fault in Mr. Pinkney, he
had it in common with Cicero; but perhaps the author may say that
Cicero attained what Pinkney only aimed at. Hear him then again on the
subject of ornament, so passionately loved by Mr. Pinkney. "Bring him
in contact with a truly poetical mind, and his argument resembles a
battery of colored fire-works, giving out incessant brightness and
reverberation." It would seem then that ornament is not a common trait
of his eloquence, but a glitter which is effected by attrition against
poetical minds. It is then that he draws upon the inexhaustible stores
of beauty laid up in his mind, gathered from the writings of Shakspeare
and others, and retained by the force of a powerful memory. He has no
fancy of his own, but uses the fancy of others. Then surely he is so
far superior to Demosthenes, whose eloquence was thought to border on
the hard and dry; alike impetuous, vehement, stupendous and convincing
with him, and superadding a relish for the beauties of poetry; not
aiming at any _ornament_ of his own, but contented with what suggested
itself in illustration of his argument from the pen of others. Then how
is he feeble in ornament? But again; if there be nothing of dignity or
nature in Pinkney's _reasoning_, how is it discovered that his mind is
"_adamant clamped with iron_," [a poor conception, and suiting the
ideas of a blacksmith better than a belles-lettres scholar--for the
iron adds nothing to our thoughts of the strength of adamant;] that it
is "a colossal pile of granite, over which the thunders of heaven might
roll," &c. &c. It is useless to quote the rest of the unmeaning fustian
of the sentence.
After all this avowal of stupendous strength of argument, we are told
in a subsequent paragraph, that say what we will of Mr. Pinkney's
argument, he the author, never saw him yet--no never, pursue his
argument steadily for ten minutes at a time. Then how can it be so
overwhelming and convincing? Nothing lessens so much the force of
argument as a perpetual aberration from the subject. Again; "God never
meant him for an orator; he has no property of mind or body," &c. &c.
Not to say any thing of the presumption and impiety of determining for
God, I would ask what are the _bodily properties_ of an orator? This
writer has not condescended to define them, although he dwells at large
upon such as he thinks cast discredit upon Mr. Pinkney. It is scarcely
necessary to observe that Demosthenes was ungraceful in figure and
action; and that not only _orators_, but very wise and learned men,
have been repulsive in their persons, their features, and their manners
also. Though Cæsar and Cicero were exempt from defect in this respect,
as far as I remember Demosthenes stuttered--Socrates was bald and
flatnosed--Anthony a rough soldier--Lord Chatham's eloquence was
forcible, but uniform and ungraceful--Fox was a fop of Bond street, and
wore high heeled morocco shoes. Mr. Pinkney therefore may, without
reproach, be a "_thick, stout man, with a red fat English face_," and
Mr. Fox will keep him in countenance as a fashionable man. The
facetious Peter Pindar has said, that
Love hates your large fat lubberly fellows,
Panting and blowing like a blacksmith's bellows;
but I never heard that oratory did.
In the next breath we hear that "Mr. Pinkney has a continual appearance
of natural superciliousness and affected courtesy." _Continual_--and
yet afterwards "his manner is exceedingly arrogant and unpropitiating;"
and his deportment had been already described as "_brutal, arrogant,
full of sound and fury, accompanied by the rude and violent gestures of
a vulgar fellow_." One moment he is a giant, not only _metaphorically_,
but in sober truth, if we may judge from his stentorian lungs, which
have caused the author's whole system to jar--and from those violent
gesticulations, which indicate uncommon personal strength;--the next,
he turns out to be only five feet ten, and a petit maitre, and
affectedly courtly and conciliatory; and yet "nothing could make a
gentleman of him; he can neither look, act, _speak_, sit, nor _talk_
like one." Notwithstanding all this scurrility and abuse of Mr.
Pinkney's person, the author is not yet exhausted, but lavishes more
upon his intellect. "The physical powers of Mr. Pinkney," he says, "are
to my notion, strictly correspondent with his intellectual ones; both
arc solid, strong and substantial, but without grace, dignity or
loftiness." Loftiness! the same man who has such "prodigious elevation
and amplitude of mind," "and both have _a dash of fat English
dandyism_." I confess myself wholly at a loss to comprehend what the
fat dandyism of the intellectual powers is. A man's mind might, by a
forced metaphor, be said to be dandyish, perhaps; but a _fat mind_, is
a solecism in words wholly inadmissible, I think. "His style of
eloquence," it is added, "is a most disagreeable and unnatural compound
of the worst faults of the worst speakers." "He is said to resemble
Lord Erskine as he was in the day of his power: it is a libel on
Erskine, who was himself a libel on the reputation of his country as a
speaker." "The language of Mr. Pinkney does resemble that of Lord
Erskine; his reasoning is about as forcible." If the term style here be
the manner of speaking appropriate to particular characters, I have
shown that the censure is equally applicable to Demosthenes, the prince
of orators, who, in addition to his vehemence, was so ungraceful in his
motions, that it was necessary for him to practice with a naked sword
hanging over his shoulder; and therefore to compare Demosthenes to Lord
Erskine is a libel on Lord Erskine, himself a libel on his country as a
speaker--and _argal_, as Shakspeare says, Demosthenes is inferior to
English orators. If, again, the word style mean the manner of writing
with regard to language, these sentences would involve a contradiction,
and Mr. Pinkney is like and unlike Lord Erskine at the same time.
Yet why do I talk of Demosthenes? In the following sentences the author
admits that Mr. P. copied too closely after Cicero and Demosthenes. "He
desired to be eloquent; he thought of Demosthenes and Cicero, and his
heart swelled with ambition. He remembered not that he was to be a
lawyer, and that Demosthenes and Cicero were declaimers. He who should
look to move a body of Americans in a court of justice by the best
thundering of Demosthenes, would only make himself ridiculous." Very
true; and this may certainly prove that Mr. Pinkney might have been a
greater _lawyer_, by bending the whole force of his mind to that one
pursuit; but it has nothing to do with the premises. The ground is here
changed; this is not the point to be proved--not the quod erat
demonstrandum. The point to be proved is not the _propriety_ of
displaying eloquence before a jury, but that Wm. Pinkney was never
meant by God for an orator; that he has no property of mind or body to
make one. This is assuredly the scope of the extracts. Had Mr. P. not
aimed at _ornament_, his ashes might have passed undisturbed by the
author, who allows that he was decidedly the greatest _lawyer_ in
America, but is very angry that he was not the greatest in the world.
In spite of all this, however, Pinkney "pursued his way like a
conqueror, and had well nigh established himself as the high priest of
eloquence in America." Why, what a stupid, blind, misjudging race we
must be, to think of choosing a man for our high priest of eloquence
whom God never meant for an orator, and who had no property, not one,
of mind or body, for his business--and never to awaken from our folly
until this writer tore the urim and thummim from his breast. "The
giant," he says, "is gone down like a giant to the household of death,"
and there should at least have escaped the imputation of baseness which
deserved shooting. How _giants_ die, I pretend not to know; but imagine
such giants die pretty much like other people; and it seems to me
perfectly ridiculous to talk of a man's dying like a giant. At that
awful hour, the littleness of the greatest genius is a subject of
melancholy reflection. I will only add that I know nothing of this
writer. If his object was to guard us against the mischievous effects
of a false taste in eloquence, he cannot be angry with me for wishing
to guard against the equally bad effects of a false taste in criticism.
NUGATOR.
THE DANDY CHASTISED.
In this metropolis a real, downright exquisite is rarely to be seen.
Curiosity may be gratified by a good description of the animal as
exhibited in other places. The following communication is from one
residing in a city much more fashionable than ours. Its author seems
well informed in the science of æsthetics; and it is to be hoped that
he will exert himself to correct mistaken impressions as to the
beautiful. Further notices by him may be beneficial.
C.
Among the follies and vices of mankind, there is nothing more
remarkable or ridiculous than the continual effort, among all classes
and kinds of people--savage, civilized, and pseudo-civilized--to
increase or impart beauty and comeliness to their forms and features.
Through what various and opposite means is this cherished object
pursued! This savage tattoos his cheeks--that smooths and oils them,
and would esteem the gratuitous tattoonry of the small-pox a graver
misfortune than all the pain attendant on the disease.
The Indians on our Western border are wont to assume the character of
the bear, the panther, or some "other interesting beast of prey," and
place their ambition in enacting the look and conduct of such beast to
the life--and "to the death."
The belle of that age is surrounded by a vast circumvallation of
hoop--of this, is pinched into a narrow breastwork of steel and
whale-bone.
To cramp the feet into unnatural littleness is now the sad task of
those who, to be beautiful, are willing to suffer the tortures of the
thumb-screw--or the toe-screw, (it matters not.) The fashion changes,
and long pointed shapeless boots deform the human foot.
In no age--in no condition, can men and women be persuaded that God
Almighty has made them well,--albeit he hath "made man after his own
image," and woman much better than man.
They must fall to reforming their forms by some fanciful deformity.
But the innovation stops not here. Thus far it might be borne. The
human form cannot be wholly changed by all the ingenuity of vanity and
fashion. It must still retain its principal attributes, and lose not
all its lustre. Not so with manners. They are more plastic. From
fashion and human folly they accordingly suffer most. Fashion is the
sworn foe of nature, and in this field there is no natural bound to its
triumphs.
On the face of the earth, or in the waters, there is no animal to my
feelings so wholly hateful as a modern exquisite: a wretch that has put
off his natural aspect to put on a clay mask, hard, ungainly,
inflexible, of lifeless mud--which no Prometheus could vivify: a thing
which can boast neither the humor of the monkey, nor the fierce
respectability of the wild beast,--not the usefulness of the
tame--still less the dignity and bearing of a man.
Sometime since, after sauntering an evening through a ball room, in
which some such caricatures of men were existing, I went home and
vented my rage in the following doggerel:
The Indignant Rhymes of a Natural Proser.
Oh! Muse, assist me in my strain!
Your Museship I would entertain
With a poetic flagellation:
Assist me Muse, to lay the lash on,
With pen formed from a dog-wood switch,
Fit to chastise a dunce: with pitch
For ink, and bull's hide parchment handy;
Now aid me, Muse, and we'll chastise a dandy.
That petty, puny, paltry, pretty thing--
In form a wasp, but destitute of sting;
Vain as a peacock, soulless as a gnat,
Brainless as soulless, finical as flat:
Of apes the ape most awkward and most vile--
Jackall of monkeys, and without jacko's wile.
The jackall serves none but the noblest beast,
But this base thing takes lessons from the least.
As Egypt's sons did bow the knee of yore,
And worship apes, the eternal God before--
He, in god image framed, with godlike mind,
Would be a god--of Egypt's monkey kind.
A traveller sage! Europe he hath explored--
His mistress fashion, and an ape his lord.
No dignity finds he in native man,
Acting and thinking after nature's plan;
No wisdom, save in artificial fools--
Nature's apostates--slaves to senseless rules:
No beauty sees he, save in gold and lace,
A made up figure, and a painted face;
And no politeness, save in mere grimace.
Go! thou vile satire on the human race;
Go! _on all fours_, and seek thy proper place:
Go! thing too mean for any mighty ill--
Go! petty monster, "pay thy tailor's bill."
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
PLACED WITH A ROSE UPON A LADY'S CHEEK.
Roses on roses I bestow;
Bright rose! to brighter roses go--
Bask in the sunlight of her eyes,
Nor dread their fires; the dews which rise
In pity for a heart that grieves,
Will shed reviving coolness on thy leaves.
QUESTUS.
_Norfolk_.
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
THE ALLEGHANY LEVELS.
The following description of a part of Virginia and Maryland, seldom
visited and but little known, may have sufficient interest to deserve a
place in the columns of the Messenger.
The country alluded to, is in the northern part of this state, and
comprehends that corner of Maryland included between the North Branch
of Potomac and a line due north from the Fairfax stone, at the head
spring of that stream, to the Pennsylvania line; and also a portion of
the territory at present in dispute between the two states; Maryland
claiming as her boundaries the South Branch of Potomac and a meridian
thence to Mason and Dixon's line,--while the first mentioned limits
only are acknowledged by Virginia.
A short notice of the origin of these conflicting titles might,
perhaps, be interesting to some readers; but in addition to our lack of
complete information, the limits of this sketch will not permit it.
Between Cheat river, at the fertile bottom called the Horse-shoe, and
the summit of the mountain which divides the Western from the Atlantic
waters, the country is thinly peopled, and only cultivated in the
largest tributary vallies: the long spurs of the Backbone being too
sterile to serve any other purpose than ranges for cattle and animals
of the chase. The approach to the Great Backbone of the Alleghany
region is here, as elsewhere on the western side, characterized by a
broad and gentle acclivity, covered almost entirely with loose rocks of
various sizes, many of them of the species of agglomerated quartz,
familiar to the west under the name of country mill-stone, and valuable
for the domestic molendinary uses of the simple and hardy race
inhabiting those regions.
There is little timber of large size, the growth being chiefly chestnut
oak and small moss-grown white oaks, exhibiting upon their blackened
roots the scathing effects of flames, which, through the negligence of
hunters in firing the dry leaves, have often and fiercely swept down
the mountain side. The more recent inroads of fire are denoted by large
tracts of underwood, black and denuded of leaves, and so stiffened by
scorching as to present vexatious obstacles to progress, independent of
the minor, though, in that place, unimportant annoyance of soiled
clothes and person.
Large pine and birch trees, and a thicker undergrowth--detached blocks
of stratified sandstone, some of them of huge size--and an increasing
wildness and desolation in the aspect of the scenery, inform the
traveller who may have ventured so far, that he is on the confines of
the Alleghany wilderness.
The mountain top, near Lord Fairfax's stone, is crowned with a bold
irregular precipice, which the hunters belonging to the exploring party
of which the writer of this article was a member, termed the
Bear-holeing, from its being the winter abode of great numbers of those
animals,--the numerous cavities of the rocks, and the tangled laurel
thickets, affording them a secure refuge from foes, whether biped or
canine.
We were not without hope of being treated to the novelty of a bear
hunt, our guides being veterans of the rifle, and accompanied by fine
dogs, one of them as his master informed us, having engaged Sir Bruin
more than fifty times.
The perils of this sport may well give a reputation for boldness and
hardihood to our western yeomanry, when we consider that these
encounters always occur in most intricate thickets of stubborn tangled
laurel, in which the bear must have greatly the advantage in
progression,--the sharp form of his head, and its close proximity to
the ground, making it perform, in relation to his huge muscular body,
the office, it might be said, of the coulter to a plough. But few of
them are killed without the sacrifice of one or more of man's zealous
confederates in this dangerous sport; and the rescue of the faithful
brutes, (such is the inexpugnable nature of the foe and his
extraordinary vital energy, which seems often to defy even the rifle,)
obliges the hunter, with a personal daring not inferior to that of the
Roman gladiators, to terminate the conflict with his hunting knife;--he
dies invariably biting the ground or whatever else may be within his
reach; showing to the very last the propensity to combat, which he
exhibits even while a cub.
The range of precipice of which we have spoken, either terminates, or
is interrupted for some distance north of this point--whence, for more
than thirty miles, the country is totally without human inhabitant, and
will probably for a long time, if not always, so remain.
The land may be said to lie in lofty tables, though the vallies are of
great depth--the latter circumstance alone reminding the traveller that
he has descended a mountain,--the seemingly interminable tract of flat
forest land impressing, most forcibly, the idea of a lower situation,
though these are without doubt among the very highest lands in
Virginia. They are called by the hunters and settlers upon their
outskirts, the Alleghany Levels. In them are the principal sources of
all the great waters of Virginia. The North and South Branches of
Potomac, Jackson's river, and the Shenandoah, Greenbrier and Gauley,
Cheat and Tygart's Valley--which flow north, east, west and south,
seeking by long and winding courses, the Ohio or the Atlantic Ocean.
The greatest singularity of this country consists in its primeval
appearance: the ground is carpeted throughout with an elastic and
verdant moss; black spruce and hemlock pines, of dark funereal aspect,
tower above the soil like an army of Titans,--the interlacing of their
umbrageous arms converting the noonday into seeming twilight. Under its
mossy covering, the surface of the ground is completely reticulated
with roots of trees--nature seeming to compensate in numbers for the
defective character of her supports, as large trees may be often
observed whose roots do not enter the ground for some feet below the
trunk, being previously contorted and spread out like the arms of a
polypous, and clothed in the same mantle of moss which overspreads
rocks, trees and earth, in this fantastic region.
This moss may be stripped from the soil in sheets of any desirable
size, and, when not previously saturated with rain, affords a most
comfortable substitute for a mattrass, as in our bivouacs we more than
once experienced.
The underwood is mostly streaked maple or elkwood, (the _Acer Striatum_
of Michaux,) diversified with immense tracts of the _Kalmia Latifolia_
and the large rose-bay-tree, (_Rhododendron Maximum_,) more popularly
known as the "little and big laurels." The last named plant, when in
flower, is the ornament of the wilderness. Those who have never seen
it, may have some conception of its appearance, if they imagine tall
bushes, from eight to twenty feet in height, with dark evergreen
leaves, (not unlike in form and color to those of the magnolia
grandiflora,) bearing clusters of full blown peonies, or large double
damask and cinnamon roses, the intensity of the color seeming to vary
with situation.
It is to be feared that this beautiful plant cannot easily be
naturalized in this climate--an attempt made by the writer of this
article, possibly from a too warm or not sufficiently humid exposure,
having failed.
The geographical position of these "laurel beds" is a necessary part of
the hunter's lore. Frequent instances are narrated of persons
bewildered in them many days, and some are said to have perished. A
farmer, born and residing on Stony river, five miles north of this
wild, by whom we were supplied with provisions, accompanied us to the
skirt of the forest, but could by no entreaty be induced to proceed
farther.
These laurel thickets are most frequent in approaching vallies, which
are as before remarked, of great depth; the descent is sudden, in
general by what resembles a rude flight of steps, moss grown and
ruined. To casual observation there would appear to be no water at the
bottom; but a subterraneous rumbling, and occasional flashes through
the interstices of the fragments on which he steps, inform the
passenger that a stream of volume and power is beneath him.
The largest streams however, as in other regions, flow in open
channels, their waters having a dark ferruginous tinge, derived it is
said, from the laurel roots, but more probably from deposites of ore
through which they flow.
The wild animals are no doubt many, as well as various, though the
noise attending our own operations kept them from our sight. We daily
saw tracks of bears, deer and elk; of the latter, a drove of some
threescore is said still to inhabit these almost inaccessible wilds. Of
birds, we saw none living except a few silent and melancholy snow
birds; but our nightly lullaby was the whooping of owls, which here
abound in great numbers.
To the reputed wonders of rattlesnake dens, where these reptiles lie in
monstrous cumuli, refusing to uncoil until the whole mass has been many
times assailed with rifle balls and other missiles, we cannot testify,
having never, though very desirous of so doing, the fortune to find
one.
The soil is a cold argillaceous loam, unsuited to the production of the
nobler grains, but susceptible of becoming, under proper culture, good
grazing land, and no doubt proper for rye, oats and potatoes,--the
invariable products of the whole mountain region.
The botany of the wilderness proper, is confined chiefly to the two
species of pine before mentioned, the hemlock pine (_Pinus
Canadensis_,) and the black spruce (_Pinus Nigra_ of Lambert.) Some
stately specimens of the wild cherry and scattering patches of red
beach complete the list.
On emerging from the wilderness, the customary variety of oak, ash
maple and hickory presents itself, mingled with the cucumber tree
(_Magnolia Acuminata_,) and that invaluable treasure to western
housewives, the sugar tree,--announcing the neighborhood of
cultivation.
This dreary expanse of forest terminates on the summit of the Eastern
Front Ridge, at the head of the North Fork of Patterson's creek, itself
an inconsiderable tributary of Potomac, but deserving celebrity for the
grandeur of its scenery. It appears to have cut its way through three
lofty mountains in succession, affording a more sublime exhibition of
river gap landscapes than I have witnessed in any other part of the
state,--the boasted grandeur of Harper's Ferry fading into
insignificance when compared with it.
At the first farm east of the wilderness,--in the homely but
comfortable dwelling of one of the worthy Dutch farmers, our little
party enjoyed the unwonted luxury of beds, and were able to breakfast
without performing for ourselves the office, which has occasioned our
species to be so properly designated as "cooking animals."
C. B. S.
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
THE CYCLOPEAN TOWERS, IN AUGUSTA COUNTY, VA.
On a fine morning in September 1834, a party of which the writer was
one, consisting for the most part of gentlemen who had met together in
the town of Staunton from various sections of the Union, resolved on a
visit to certain remarkable NATURAL STRUCTURES which lay in the
neighborhood of the Augusta Springs, and about twenty miles distant
from the place of their departure.
After passing over a hilly and picturesque country, the road opened
upon a fertile valley, which though in places narrow, was of
considerable length,--and when seen from an elevated position, appeared
like the bed of an ancient lake, or as it really is, the alluvial
border of a flowing stream. The strata of limestone hills, followed
their usual order of parallel lines to the great mountains of our
continent, as though a strong current had once swept through this
magnificent valley,--forming in its course islands and
promontories,--which are now discoverable in numerous short hills and
rocky bluffs, that are either naked and barren, or covered with a
growth of stately trees. It was at such a projection, that we first
descried the gray summits of what seemed a ruinous castle,--resembling
those which were raised in feudal times to guard the passes of the
Rhine, or like such as are still seen in mouldering majesty on many an
Alpine rock. These summits or towers, of which there are seven, lifted
their heads above the lofty elms, like so many antique chimnies in the
midst of a grove; but, on approaching them nearer, our pleasure was
greatly increased, to find them rise almost perpendicularly from the
bed of a small stream, which winding around their base, serves as a
natural moat to a building not made with mortal hands. The southern
front of this colossal pile, presents a wall of about sixty feet
elevation, terminating in three towers of irregular height, and
perforated at its base by a cavern,--which, by an apt association, was
denominated "_Vulcan's Forge_." The tower on the extreme right, was
unanimously called "_Cocke's Tower_"--in honor of one of our party who
ascended it. On the left, are two other isolated towers,--of which the
centre or smaller one was distinguished as the "_Hymenial Altar_,"--a
name which had its origin partly in a _jeu d'esprit_, and partly on
account of a shady bower in its rear, which seemed an appropriate shade
to mantle maiden's blushes. The furthest and tallest, received the
title of the "_Tower of Babel_." This is also the most perpendicular of
all these rocky structures; an archway passes through it, by which
there is an easy ascent to the remaining two, which stand on the
acclivity of the hill,--and though of less altitude, are not of
inferior beauty to the rest. One of them, which is of a round form, and
flat at the top, and on that account received the appellation of the
"_Table Rock_"--affords from its summit a splendid view of the whole;
the other, and last of the five, we distinguished as "_Shelton's
Rock_"--from one of our party.
These rocks in their formation resemble the palisades on the Hudson
river--but are more regular in their strata,--which appear to have been
arranged in huge masses of perfect workmanship--with projections like
cornices of Gothic architecture, in a state of dilapidation. Those who
are acquainted with the structure of the Cyclopean walls of the
ancients, would be struck with the resemblance,--which suggested the
name at the head of this article.
We pause to inquire why these primeval fragments of the world have
remained so long unnoticed? Why is it that men are so easily awakened
to the liveliest interest in distant objects, and yet neglect those
which are nearer and more accessible? "A prophet" it hath been said on
high authority, "hath honor save in his own country,"--and to that
strange propensity of the mind to contemn whatever is familiar, must be
attributed the neglect of many of the richest treasures at our own
door, which frequently impart both wealth and distinction to foreign
enterprise. For many years these towers have been known in the
surrounding country, by the homely appellation of "THE CHIMNEYS,"--but
no one has ever stopped to examine them, or to inquire how nature
formed so curious a pile in such a spot. Imagination may indeed
conceive that this noble structure was once the _Scylla_ of a narrow
strait connecting the waters of the north and the south, until their
accumulated pressing burst through the blue ridge at Harper's Ferry,
and left in their subsidence these towers, as a perpetual memorial of
their former dominion.
G. C.
[We do not remember where or when the following _Sonnet to Lord Byron_
was published. All we know is that it has been in print before, and has
been ascribed to the pen of the Hon. R. H. Wilde, of Georgia.]
ORIGINAL SONNET TO LORD BYRON.
Byron! 'twas thine alone on eagle's pinions,
In solitary strength and grandeur soaring,
To dazzle and delight all eyes, out-pouring
The electric blaze on tyrants and their minions;
Earth, sea and air, and Powers and Dominions,
Nature--man--time--the universe exploring,
And from the wreck of worlds, thrones, creeds, opinions,
Thought, beauty, eloquence, and wisdom storing.
O! how I love and envy thee thy glory!
To every age and clime alike belonging;
Linked by all tongues with every nation's story,
Thou TACITUS of song!--whose echoes thronging
O'er the Atlantic, fill the mountains hoary
And forests with a name which thus I'm wronging.
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
MUSINGS III--_By the Author of Vyvyan_.
JAMESTOWN.
Yet could I seat me by this ivied stone
Til I had bodied forth the heated mind
Forms from the floating wreck which ruin leaves behind.
_Childe Harold's Pilgrimage_, _Canto_ iv. _Stanza_ civ.
Tawnor nehiegh Powhatan.
_Salvage dialect_, _apud Capt. Smith_.
I stand on hallowed ground--the sacred sod
Which once an ill-starred people bravely trod
In native freedom, ere the wanderer crost
The broad Atlantic waters and love lost
The fair reward of labor, ill repaid
By base desertion--country--friends betrayed--
Misery and exile from a native land,
Ending in death upon a foreign strand.
* * * * *
My spirit falls into a deeper mood
And thought goes darkly forth to gather food
For bitter contemplation;--for I trace
Some record of the spoilers of that race
Most gallant, wheresoe'er I turn mine eyes,--
While of the exiled--neath their native skies
Is scarce a token left--save what belongs
To a sad history of unnumbered wrongs.
Methinks the very sun's departing rays
With melancholy meaning seem to gaze
Upon the hostile monuments of yore,--
Yon ruined arch with ivy overgrown--
Those shattered tombs of moss-discolored stone--
That slowly moulder by the silent shore.
* * * * *
Might I the Genius of Old Time invoke,
This were the hour--the place--where many an oak
Tosses its arms and points to ancient graves
Beside the aisleless tower, which o'er the waves
Shall no more send its voice upon the air,
To call to matin or to vesper prayer.
Alone, it stands, like some grim sentinel
And in stern silence bids the world farewell!
* * * * *
Lift we the veil of vanished centuries--
Beneath the shade and shelter of these trees
The careless Indian smoked his calumet--
(The CHRISTIAN had not crost the ocean yet)--
Without a thought to mar his musing, save
To strand his light canoe beyond the wave
Or fasten it with sedgy rope secure,
Lest the next tide should steal it from the shore.
But lo! one evening as he lay beside
The margin where his native waters glide,
A sight of wonder on his vision broke;
And the deep voice of flame in thunder spoke
The doom of wo to him and all his race.
Yet fear, which might have blanched a paler face,
Quenched not the flashings of his dauntless eye,
Nor for an instant quelled that bearing high
Which best became the warrior of the wild--
The Hunter bold--the Forests' lordly child!
Ay! tho' the evil spirit of his sky,
For such well might his inexperienced eye
Have deemed it, lurked within the snow-white mist
That brooded o'er the silent river's breast,
And spoke in accents of the dark storm-cloud,
From out the folding of its gleaming shroud,
He stood prepared to meet the worst--like one
Who hath no fear of aught beneath the sun.
Methinks I see him watching by the shore,
With strained eye, intently gazing o'er
The river's course. Well may he clasp his brow
In doubt and wonder--is he dreaming now?--
The cloud seems gathering up its folds of snow,
And straight spars glitter in the sunset glow,
Far loftier than the loftiest pine that rears
Its stately crest above its tall compeers:
Beneath--a huge dark mass is seen to glide
With stealthy motion o'er the heaving tide,
Crowded with moving forms of human mould,
But of an aspect well might daunt the bold,
Gazing the first time on that pallid crew,
So foreign and so ghastly in their hue!
But hark!--the distant shout that wildly pours
Its thousand echoes on the strand, assures--
Swift to the Chiefs he speeds--the wise--the bold
In council meet--his tale is briefly told;
Then far and near they gathered in their might
And 'gainst the invader battled for their right,
As valiant men should for the altars reared
By their forefathers and the homes endeared
By thousand ties and recollections past
To which the heart clings warmly to the last.
But not to lengthen out a thrice told tale--
The Red Man never yielded to the Pale,
Though forced by foreign fire to wander far,
Homeless and houseless, neath the evening star.
Slowly and sad, the western hills they climb,
Yet find no rest beyond for wearied limb
And aching heart--no single spot of earth,
Of all the wide spread land that gave them birth,
Is theirs. They gaze upon the setting sun
And feel their course like his must soon be run--
They hear their requiem in the deepening roar
Of waves that dash upon the distant shore--
But they must wander on unceasingly
So long as space remains for footing free,
Til hemmed at last twixt ocean and the foe
They turn to bay _once more_ and perish so.
* * * * *
Oh! little dreamed the tender hearted maid,
By love and her own gentleness betrayed,
That death and desolation's fellest wrath
So surely followed--in the very path
Of good intent--to whelm her race with woes
She would have warded even from her foes.
Where yonder temporary structure frail[1]
Extends across the strait its slender rail,
The shallow waves at flood scarce overflow
The sandy bar the ebb reveals below--
'Twas there the royal daughter crost to save
The pilgrim strangers from an early grave.
Who that had seen her on that fatal night,
Swift gliding, like a startled water sprite,
To that lone Island-Fort where calmly slept
The dreaming foe, in fancied safety wrapt--
Who could have aimed at such a breast the shaft?
Tho' well apprised no other means were left
To baffle treason--not as such designed
In the simplicity of her guileless mind.
Had she been only destined to inherit
A portion of that fierce determined spirit
And deep prophetic hate--like vestal fire
Nursed in the bosom of her royal sire,
A nation's doom had not been rashly sealed
By mercy thus so erringly revealed--
But it is done--and lo! the love which hurled
An ancient race to ruin--GAINED A WORLD!!
[Footnote 1: Alluding to the new bridge erected by Collier Minge, Esq.
affording passage from the main land to the island, where a wharf has
been built for the accommodation of steamboat travellers.]
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
THE FATED CITY.
'Twas evening, and the sinking sun
Streamed brightly in the sky,
And cast his farewell beams abroad,
Like smiles of an approving god,
O'er plain, and mountain high--
O'er waving fields of floating gold
That, round his gorgeous pyre, were rolled,
And o'er the city's glistening spires,
That flashed beneath his blazing fires.
There lay that city;--wealth and pride
Had built their temples there,
And swift-winged commerce there had brought,
From many a clime, her trophies caught:--
From Indian isles afar,
The pearl, the beryl and the gem;--
But treasures, far outvieing them,
Were with that city's wealth combined--
The priceless treasures of the mind!
The sun went down, and night came o'er
That city's winding walls;
The white moon rose along the sky,
And looked down calm, and silently,
Upon the shouting halls,
Where music rang, and laughter went,
From lip to lip, in merriment;--
Where all was careless, heedless, light,
Besporting on that festal night!
An hour passed on;--what cry was that,
Which thrilled that city so?
What shrieks are those,--what means yon cloud
That wraps the temple, like a shroud,
And fills the breast with wo?--
What mean yon flames, that blazing, run
Along that mountain dark and dun?--
Why quakes the land,--why heaves the sea--
Why peal the heavens dreadfully?
Night left the earth;--the sun arose,
As wont, above the sky,
And looked,--not on that city bright,
Which he had left before the night,
With turrets gleaming high;
But on a black and blasted waste,
Dread desolation's hand had traced,--
Upon a flood of _lava_, where
Once proudly stood POMPEII fair!
A. B. M.
_Tuscaloosa, Alabama_.
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
HYMN TO THE STARS.
BY D. MARTIN, _of Mobile_.
Ye burning blazonry of God!
Ye glittering lights that never die!
That pace the realms by seraphs trod!
And hold untiring watch on high!
And circling heaven's eternal king,
Ye dwell--His glorious fashioning!
Creation saw your timeless birth,
When from your own clear sapphire skies,
Ye looked upon the virent earth,--
An everlasting paradise!--
And seemed to mock with silent gaze,
Nature's green garb and tuneless lays!
Since then ye've read the world's black page,
And seen a stream sublime,
Roll its dark waters o'er an age
Of countless years of time!--
In whose deep, dark, unletter'd caves,
Earth hides her mighty as in graves!
Life's wasting--but ye still shine on,
And seem to me to be,
The lights upon the horizon
Of eternity's black sea!--
Pointing to the sun-lit far off west,
Where all immortal spirits rest!
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
TO * * * * *.
Believe not that my heart is cold,
And feels not friendship's sacred fire,
If I sometimes myself withhold,
And from thy festive scenes retire.
Oh, no! I love the social bower
Where friendship smiles with joyous mirth,
And yet to me there is an hour
More dear than all those scenes on earth.
'Tis when in pensive mood, the mind,
Retires within itself to muse,
And some bright dream, long since resigned,
With sad though pleasing thought reviews;
Some golden dream of early years,
When all the heart was warm and true;
And life, unshaded yet with cares,
Displayed its best and brightest hue.
'Twas then I dreamed of faithful love,
That would o'er time and change prevail--
Food, fairy scenes of pleasure wove--
Bright, verdant spots in life's dark vale.
But time advanced, and at one sweep
My air-built castles tore away;
And, like a wreck upon the deep,
My shattered hopes and prospects lay.
Upon life's ocean still I'm tossed;
And tho' the skies are sometimes bright,
Yet on the waves again I'm lost,
Midst howling storms and pitchy night.
Believe not then my heart is cold,
And feels not friendship's sacred fire,
If I sometimes myself withhold,
And from thy festive scenes retire.
L.
_Pittsylvania_.
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
THE GRAVE SEEKERS.
BY R. S. F.
Come part the crowd, and open a way,
For those who are seeking the grave;
Some are pressing on in the light of day,
Some by the moon's obscurer ray,
Some on land and some on the wave.
Now come with me to the festive hall,
Where in mirth they dance and sing,
Till echo is answered by echo's call,
As the merry peals ring from one and all;
To the grave they swiftly wing.
Again with me, come haste away
Where the theatre shines so bright,
For there the lamps, with their peerless ray,
Have darkness changed into brighter day.
They gaze on the stage with delight!
Come follow this crowd which moves as the wave
On the gently ebbing sea;
With the scenes of the night their bosoms heave,
But little they think the next is the grave,
Not of the stage--but eternity.
See, reckless youth--maturer age
Alike are far from heaven;
In festive scenes their time engage--
They idly sport--they madly rage--
While to the grave they are driven.
Ye may trace their path as ye move along
The busy crowds of care;
In the house of God--in the house of song--
In distant isles--the waves among,
To the grave they must all repair.
So part the crowd, and open a way,
For those who are seeking the grave;
Some are pressing on in the light of day,
Some by the moon's obscurer ray,
Some on land and some on the wave.
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
TO A YOUNG CHILD.
BY D. MARTIN, _of Mobile_.
Thou hast a clear, unsullied brow,
A bright and dreaming eye,--
And a spirit free and chainless,
As cherubs in yon sky!
The meteor lights of intellect,
Glance lightly on thee now,
And play like fairy revellers,
Upon thy parian brow!
Well, be it so--and may thy life
Be like a summer stream,
That sparkles into gladness,
Beneath the sun's bright beam.
May thy brow ne'er wear the coloring
Of passion's stern commotion,--
Which darkens many a God-like one,
While on life's stormy ocean!
May the sunny hours of childhood
Be the last to pass away,--
And the setting sun of life's dark night,
Dawn on a brighter day!
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
CUPID'S SPORT.
"Am I in fairy land?--or tell me, pray,
To what love lighted bower I've found my way?
Sure luckless wight was never more beguiled
In woodland maze, or closely-tangled wild."
Some where in Virginia, and in a certain year,--but I beg you will not
inquire when or where, for you will break the thread of my discourse,
and I shall be compelled, like corporal Trim when he was rehearsing the
Lord's prayer before my dear uncle Toby, to begin at the beginning, at
every interruption,--there lived a young man, in a certain town--
Now my dear reader, do you suppose I intend telling you a story without
a single name, date or place in it? If you do, I am afraid you would
see me at Kamschatka, or in Simms' hole, before you would make up your
mind to travel one inch with me, or listen to one syllable.
Well, then, in a _certain_ place, and at a _certain_ time, as young
_Timothy_ was sitting in the cool evening's shade, musing o'er the
events that human life befall, and reflecting upon the many ups and
downs he must necessarily encounter during the residue of his life,
that _old_ heathen god, who, paradoxical as it may appear, is still as
_young_ as he was at the day of his birth, I mean sly Cupid, who was,
is, and ever will be a boy to all eternity, happened to have been
snugly perched upon a branch of the very tree under which our friend
was reclining, and the little urchin sat pluming his variegated wings,
and feeling the points of his keen feathery arrows, preparing for his
evening's sport.
Poor Tim! how little did he dream he was the subject the young god had
selected for as merry a frolic as ever fortune smiled upon in her
merriest mood. Tim was in his twentieth year,--"a leal light heart was
in his breast," he knew not the cares and anxieties of the world, nor
had he yet encountered fortune's frowns; he had enjoyed a full portion
of her smiles and blandishments, and his life had flitted along like a
gay summer's dream. He had yet to learn that all his castles were but
air built and fanciful, and it was necessary he should plod a little
upon his mother earth. Tim was none of your dashing thorough-going
bloods, who soar aloft with the eagles of the day, ever and anon to
pounce upon some harmless pigeon,--nor was he one of your gig and
tandem boys,--flourish and dash,--tinsel and paint,--who whirl about
for a season, and are all the go while the chink or the credit lasts,
but who, finally whirl off to jail, or into obscurity and
insignificance, nobody knows where, and nobody cares when. He was a
mild, pleasant, merry-making fellow. As for his person,--my dear miss,
you must excuse me; I know from your looks, you are curious to know
whether he had black hair and black eyes,--or light hair and blue
eyes,--or red hair and grey eyes,--but, really, I can't tell
you,--certain it is, he had eyes and a nose, and
"When he happened to grin,
His mouth stood across
'Twixt his nose and his chin."
There he lay, all defenceless, on his right side, (I like to be
particular,) with his clean white roundabout, and his waistcoat
unbuttoned, both thrown carelessly over his left arm; there lay his
heart, gently swelling and subsiding and he unconscious of its
undulating flow--while Cupid--I was about to say, while Cupid's keen
eyes were penetrating its inmost recesses, and eyeing it as a hawk some
sunny perch in a limpid stream,--but, alas for Cupid--the ancients have
interdicted the use of his eyes; nevertheless, on the present occasion,
it is necessary for my purposes that Cupid should, at least, take the
bandage from off his eyes, and the ancients to the contrary
notwithstanding, I do maintain that the sly god has as beautiful a pair
of eyes as ever were seen,--yes, and he is able to change them at his
pleasure. At one time, he appears with the mildest, softest, kindest,
clearest, heavenly blue eyes;--at another, with the keenest, blazing,
and yet the blackest eyes that ever flashed wit, and eloquence, and
expressing all the passions that the heart ever darts through its open
portals. All eyes are his, of every hue and every form,--and at this
moment, he was using as playful and as devilish a pair, as ever
bewitched and enchanted a trembling maiden. He sat quietly selecting
the most mortal parts of that defenceless heart, with bow well strung,
and barbed arrows, and ever and anon, he placed the winged messenger to
the string and twanged his silver bow. Cupid sometimes but tips his
arrows' point with a poison, as rapid in its action and as efficacious
as the most powerful prussic acid, and wo to the youth or the maid who
feels the deadly pang; at other times, he slightly dips the barb, and
leaves it to time and circumstances to develop its potent influence. On
the present occasion, having smitten poor Tim with a double portion,
away he flew, to practise his wiles on other subjects. Gentle reader,
you are now introduced to our young friend Tim,--you have seen him in a
condition worse than that of Daniel in the lions' den, and whether he
is delivered or not your patience will enable you to discover. Would
that I could have interposed a shield to protect the youth, but what
the fates decree no mortal can prevent,--and you know, what is to be,
happens for the best.
Have you ever seen a lady setting her cap for a beau? This is an every
day occurrence, and yet how difficult to explain, though ever so easy
to perform. It is one of those things that delicate fingers alone can
accomplish or pourtray. For my part, I have seen, and heard, and
thought, and talked much and often of these caps, that, nine times in
ten, are no caps at all, and yet the exact method of setting them is
not to be described. Were I to describe the lady's habiliments, you
would have not the least idea how her cap was set,--were I to dwell
upon the peculiar cut of the cap itself,--its points or its quillings,
its trimmings or its laces, and how it was placed, whether on the tip
of the head, or down upon the ears, or a little to one side, or
square,--or round,--it matters not, you would still be wide of the
mark; but yet, when the "cap is set," there is no mistake in the
matter.
Good reader, you are not acquainted with my little Mary. She had as
happy a knack of setting a cap, as ever a lass had since the days of
mother Eve, and on this very evening, she will appear with it set to
such advantage, that all the family servants, as she passes them, will
utter an involuntary "umph--u--u!"--Can you conceive the peculiar sound
here vainly attempted to be embodied--for of all utterable exclamations
it is the most exhilirating to a miss in her teens. If you
cannot:--know, that it signifies, "I tell you what, young massa, you
better steer clear." Little Molly is not the greatest beauty of the
age, nor yet the loveliest flower that ever bloomed, but she was pretty
enough to make Cupid's little arrows rankle in Tim's susceptible heart,
and fate would have it, that they should accidentally meet, some how or
other, wherever they went. She had a peculiar way of her own, of fixing
on a bonnet,--a little gipsy bonnet,--down the sides of which, hung her
long flaxen ringlets, and where she parted her hair on her forehead,
there was carelessly pinned a half blooming moss rose, behind which sat
Cupid laughing in his sleeve. I say carelessly pinned, because it
seemed as though it mattered not whether 'twere there or not, and yet,
more care had been used in giving it its particular position, than all
the rest of her dress,--and perhaps, after all, this was "setting her
cap." Tim had never seen little Molly look half so sweet before, and
when his eyes and her's would meet, there was a sensation created that
thrilled through his every fibre; to him, that rose bud seemed to be
instinct with life and animation, and Cupid's laughing eyes and smiling
face made every leaf "a heart quake." Tim had been thought to be brave,
his comrades always looked up to him as a leader in daring enterprizes.
Men have been known to walk up to the cannon's mouth when the gunner
stood with the lighted match within a few inches of the powder, but to
storm a rose bud, manned by Cupid, on so polished a brow, required a
dare-devil spirit that human nature shrunk from,--and though Tim would
have given the world to have touched that bud, he could not have
advanced his finger an inch towards it by any possibility. This first
symptom of the operation of Cupid's arrows but few have escaped. You
would give the world to approach the loved object, and yet a touch
would create a shock as violent as that from a Leyden jar, well charged
with the electric fluid. Little Molly's was what would be termed a
laughing face, her clear blue eyes were lighted up by a mind vivid and
playful; cheerfulness and contentment were conspicuous on her
brow,--but yet she was one of your real mischievous little imps, who
knew a thing or two, and was up to all kinds of tricks,--in truth, she
used to say of herself that she had a little devil in her;--now don't
be alarmed my good reader; I don't mean the evil spirit who roams
about, seeking whom to devour--"that tailed, horned, heartless
chiel,--the very deil,"--but, she had a way of practising so many
little artful, innocently wicked things, and they were done in so
artless a manner, that though you would think from their effects his
satanic majesty alone was the guilty perpetrator, yet you could not
help loving his highness the more for his misdeeds. Of all things in
the world, she seemed to derive most pleasure from practising her
playfulness on friend Tim, and at every successive effort, Tim would
only exclaim, "surely the devil's in the girl! what in the devil does
she mean?" Tim had better have suffered the devil to go about his
business--but no, he kept inquiring what in the devil the girl meant,
till Cupid had him, head and ears, neck and shoulders, heart and soul,
body and life, as safe a prisoner as ever was incarcerated in a
dungeon's darkness. Little Molly was perfectly innocent of any
intention to entrap our friend; nothing was further from her thoughts;
she only intended at the outset to gratify her disposition for fun, and
she knew no more the state of her own heart than if she had been
deprived of that throbbing, thumping, turbulent member; but when
kindred hearts often sport together, and kindred eyes often meet with
kindred glances, kindred throbs will beat, awakening kindred feelings,
which some little flaxen haired, clear, blue eyed lassies find truly
difficult to obliterate.
Reader, dost thou expect me to give thee in black and white my hero's
courtship? Of all the things in the world, the most tame and insipid
are lovers' courtships,--it may be the most interesting, animating,
soul-stirring, thrilling courtship that ever mortal breathed, but canst
thou enter into the feelings and go along with the heart in its gentle
outpourings? 'Tis not words, sentences, nor ideas, clothed in the dress
of fancy, or robed in imagination's best attire. 'Tis the look, the
touch, the action, that constitutes the universal language of love none
can misunderstand.
I must take thee my good friend, (for we must be friends who are
travelling so cosily together,) and place thine eye at a key hole,
where "you shall see what you shall see." Alas poor Tim! I have been
watching thy movements; thou evidently knowest not what thou
doest,--instead of reading as thou wast wont, thou hast been serving
thine apprenticeship to that _manufacturer_ Cupid! Of all the epithets
that ever were applied to a heathen god, none can be more appropriate,
though I say it who should not, than this epithet bestowed by me upon
Cupid.--Cupid a manufacturer? Yes, a manufacturer. Whenever you see a
poor fellow sweating over the fire, filing, and stretching, and
polishing rings, carving hearts and diamonds, and the like, you may set
it down that Cupid is teaching his apprentice the first rudiments of
his art,--for he is the master workman who superintends the manufacture
of all such invaluable tokens, and teaches the how, and the where, and
the when, they are to be distributed and bestowed. You are now seated
at that key hole; I have told you what has been Tim's employment, make
the best use of your eyes, and tell us what you see. Who ever saw a
fellow try on a ring in that way before?--putting the ring upon the
fore-finger?--the rogue knows as well as you do, that that little ring
will not go over the first joint of that finger, but then it is so
pleasant to try, the finger is so soft and white. Trying it on the
middle finger?--he knows that the ring will not go over the nail, but
that finger is so tapering, how could he avoid it. Had it been you or
I, we should have placed it at once on the ring finger, and there would
have been an end of the matter,--but look! the fellow is trying it upon
the little finger--that finger is so little, and some how or other, so
lonely, he feels for it a tender compassion. A little finger look
lonely when in company with three fingers and a thumb?
Aye,--lonely,--and its little nail is so thin you may see the blood
circulating under it, and of all things to see the blood flowing fresh
from the heart, so delicately tinged, is----The fellow has slipped the
ring on, is gently squeezing the whole hand, and "has raised his
wistful eyes to heaven,"--and little Molly has gently tapped him on the
cheek with her fan, as much as to say "you rogue."
Get away from the door, my good friend, you have now seen as much as we
bargained for: and my dear miss, you are curious to know what
conversation passed all the while between Tim and little Mary; I'll
tell you: there did not pass one solitary word, but two little hearts
were in as much of a flutter as ever was made by a flock of partridges,
springing from their cover.
By this time Tim had become grave and sentimental, and oh! if you ever
heard music!--morning, noon, and night, there was the most incessant
fluting,--fluting,--fluting. It was all of that soft die-away kind, you
would have thought that Tim's soul was melting away and softly escaping
through his flute. His heart, too, had undergone as thorough a change
as that of the silk worm transformed into the fluttering moth. His mind
was etherealized: instead of the humdrum, commonplace, prosing thoughts
he once indulged in, his imagination now soared aloft,--he was dwelling
amid the heights of Parnassus, his soul was drinking in the nectar of
poesy and revelling in the ambrosia of fancy. You may talk of the
pierian spring as the fount of knowledge; you may invoke the muses from
their heavenly habitation, and Apollo and Minerva may attend in their
train, but unless Cupid's arrows have drank of the heart's blood,
tinging the sources of the mind's impressions, poesy will still be
steeped in Lethe's wave, and never spring into life's gay morn. Now,
every thought is dressed and ornamented, and oh! the fantastic
flights!--oh! the soft mellow pastorals,--the country life, the blue
vaulted arch unspotted with a cloud--nature, simple and gay; there she
is, sweetly clad all beautiful and fresh--aye, and the loved
one!--pearls and gems, and diamonds, and roses, and lilies, and stars,
and suns, and firmaments in splendor glowing, and "could the busy bee
but taste those lips, he'd quit his hollow domes to revel 'mid the
sweets upon that hallowed spot."
As for little Molly, she, too, had undergone a metamorphosis, she who
was wont to play so many "tricks before high heaven," who loved to play
them off upon poor Tim, better than on all others, had grown so shy,
you would have sworn she hated the very sight of him. In the company of
others, when Tim was present, she scarcely opened her mouth,--to him,
she scarcely ever spoke,--of him--no word of remembrance broke from her
lips,--you would have thought he was obliterated from her mind; but
more could be read by these two in a single glance of the eye, than
volumes could express. As for me, I'd rather have the sensation
produced by one of those stolen glances than be made a king. In such a
situation, I would not be compelled to talk, by all the racks of the
inquisition--silence is delight. But at such a time, to be bored with
one of your real clatter, clatter, jabbering, never ending, incessant
talkers, is the most horrible purgatory. Poor Tim was just in this
situation. Little Molly had a noisy, officious cousin, who, he thought
uglier than the veriest hag that ever shrank and shrivelled into
stringy nothingness, and yet the girl was comely enough. She had taken
it into her head, that her cousin Mary hated the aforesaid Tim, and
therefore kindly volunteered to rid her of so troublesome a companion;
and in consequence of such sage surmises, never failed when Tim paid a
visit, to intrude herself among them;--and oh the clatter!--Tim's heart
sank within him--he came not to talk!
My dear young miss, whoever thou art, that seest these lines, let me
advise thee as a friend, to take thyself to thine own apartment, and
remain in solitude the balance of thy life, rather than interfere in
these critical moments; for you may rely upon it that thou art hated,
contemned, abhorred and despised to a degree that is truly sinful. Thou
art cursed with ten thousand more curses than ever Dr. Slop poured upon
the head of luckless Obadiah.
Gentle reader, (for thou must be gentle to have travelled with me so
far without wincing, and yet have heard so little,) can you tell me how
it is that when a man is in love, however rambling and roving his
disposition may have been before, as soon as he is fairly caught, he
becomes from that moment confined to one solitary route. Let me explain
myself,--for I have been carefully noticing our friend Tim. He and
little Molly lived in the same town, but at a considerable distance
apart, and yet to whatever part of the town Tim was called, he was as
certain to pass by little Molly's house as he was to pass out of his
own door. For instance, he would go to the post office, and from the
frequency of his visits, you would have supposed he had more
correspondents than all the merchants of the place put together, and
while the post office was up town, little Molly's was down town, and
yet he invariably went down town by little Molly's to get up town to
the post office. One might suppose that Tim expected to see little
Molly at the windows, but she was not one of your starers, who employ
themselves in gazing at the comers and goers, and I'll venture to say,
that in six months, Tim never saw her once, and yet go in what
direction he might ultimately intend, go down town in the first place
he must,--and he experienced more pleasure in passing that house than
in eating his breakfast or his dinner.--This is a species of
hydrophobia that I will leave you to think on and cure.
These incidents had occurred--these symptoms had been made
manifest.--In the mean time two years rolled onwards.--Tim was in his
twenty-second year, and little Molly in her eighteenth.
One day as Tim stood ready with his hat in his hand to take his leave
after an interview,--it had been a long and hopeless one,--looking
wistfully at her, he said energetically and in a voice deep toned--"It
is the _last_ time I will ask. If you are in earnest, I go forever!" I
listened, but could not hear the reply. There was a pause. Perhaps,
nothing was said. I thought I heard a kiss. I may be mistaken, but
certain I am, that instead of hearing Tim leave the house, I heard him
walk rapidly to the table, and throw down his hat. When I again saw
him,--the pensive, musing, meditative Tim was the merriest fellow that
ever cracked a bottle.
When a man has had his hat in his hand, and with a wo-begone
countenance has risen to make a final adieu, under the impression that
he is utterly discarded and despised, and suddenly resumes his seat
with such evidences of change of purpose; we generally presume he has
obtained the liberty of hanging his hat up, which is tantamount to
obtaining the liberty of the domicil, and is what I should call the
gentleman's setting his hat, in contradistinction to the lady's setting
her cap.
Day after day, go when you would, and peep into that passage, you would
find Tim's new beaver hanging upon the same hook, and these two young
innocents sitting side and side, cheek and joke, feasting on each
others' eyes.
Tim would sometimes talk of the future, and develop his little schemes
for their mutual happiness; but if ever he touched upon that most
delicate of all subjects, the ascertainment of the period when their
two hearts were to be linked indissolubly together, all the delicacy of
the female character would instantly be aroused, and little Molly, in a
playful mood, would sing out "time enough yet, time enough yet."
Matters remained in this unsettled condition, our friend Tim still
enduring the same uncertainty, living in that half delightful, half
vexatious state which totally unfits a man for any occupation, unless
it be "breathing soft music through a mellow pipe." Our friend thought
more than once 'twas time these scenes should be ended: accordingly he
determined to inform his good mother of his happy prospects, as a
prelude to his future movements. Many ineffectual efforts were made,
but it was a delicate business. How to commence these soft narrations
has puzzled more heads than one. He had given the old lady repeated
chances to help him out, by sly hints and inuendoes, but she would
never perceive what he was driving at. The truth was, she had selected
in her own mind a most eligible match for her son, and she could not
believe he was so blind as not to discover its advantages. Money was
the foundation upon which that edifice was to be erected; but Tim, poor
fellow, belonged to an ill-fated family. Not one of his ancestors had
ever married other than a poor girl, from the remotest antiquity, and
he had a sentimental notion of such affairs, that would forever exclude
the idea of his marrying a rich one, whatever other qualifications she
might possess.
At length, Tim succeeded in getting his mother safely cornered, the
door shut and no one else present. Walking backwards and forwards for a
minute or two, he stopped suddenly, as if he was about to commence. The
old lady was knitting away by the fire. Instead of commencing, Tim
walked to a chair as if he was about placing it close along side and
stating the whole case like a man; but turning about, he deliberately
sat the chair in the corner and folded his arms.
"Mother," said Tim, and then he cleared his throat. "What, my son?" "I
have been thinking whether it would not be better to have our old house
painted?" This was a new idea, one that never had crossed Tim's mind
till it was uttered, and as it happened, 'twas not an inappropriate
one. "But, my child, it will answer very well as it is, for such an old
body as I, and if you begin to paint, you will be compelled to furbish
up every thing else." "But, mother, suppose I should think of courting
some young body?" "Oh, if you will fall in love with my little
favorite, you can afford to paint and furbish too." That was a chord
Tim had heard struck before to-day. "Suppose _she_ wont love me, and
somebody else will." "Faint heart," said his consoling mother, "never
won fair lady." The old lady was off upon the old track; but Tim having
fairly begun, was not to be so easily baffled this time--so taking up
his chair, he walked deliberately to the fire and seating himself,
placed his feet upon the fender.
"Mother," said Tim, "it is time I should tell you that"--rap, rap,
rap,--tantarara, bang--rang the old brass knocker at the outer door.
"See who is there, my son." Hang all the world thought Tim--shall I
never have an opportunity of telling the old lady? Tim took no candle
with him to the door. "Who's here?" "Harry, sir." "Well, uncle Harry,
what do you want?" "Mass Tim, Miss Mary send her complements, and tell
me give you dis letter." Tim ran his hand into his pocket and gave old
Harry a bit of silver. "I reckon," said Harry, who began to think Mass
Tim and he were old cronies, "I reckon young Missus dont send letters
to young Massa for nutting." "Wait for an answer a moment, uncle
Harry," said Tim kindly. "Who's at the door, my son?" said the old
lady, as Tim returned, holding an open letter in his hand. "A servant,
madam," was the reply. "What," said Tim to himself, as he walked to the
candle, "does my Mary want?"
Good reader, while old Harry is waiting at the door in the best humor
in the world, because he had the good fortune to be the bearer of a
_love letter_ as he shrewdly suspected, from his young mistress to so
good a young gentleman, and while the good old lady is knitting away
and thinking how to induce her son to fall in love with _her_ favorite,
if thou wilt follow my example, thou mayst perceive what is going on
for thyself. Thou seest that I am about to take a sly peep over friend
Tim's shoulder, and if thou wilt peep over the other, thou mayst
discover what otherwise thou wilt never have an opportunity of
perceiving.
"_Saturday Evening_.
"MR. TIMOTHY WILBERFORCE.
"Can Mr. Wilberforce forgive and forget one who has injured him much?
Oh! how I reproach myself for having given you hopes, my friend, that
can never be realized. Mr. Wilberforce, you must forget me; and oh, can
you not attribute my strange conduct to my youth? I am so young and
thoughtless. Indeed, I would not willingly give you pain. Can we not
continue friends? I hope we may, but indeed you must forget the
promises I have made you, and if possible forgive me. I find I do not
love you as I ought. Let us be friends, but nothing more. MARY."
Tim had seen his mother watching his countenance while he was reading:
so putting on a smile, "Is that all? Pshaw, I thought it was something
important," said he, going to the outer door. "Harry, there is no
occasion to wait--no answer is necessary." Slam went the door. The bolt
rang with a double turn. The letter was wadded in his breeches' pocket.
"Who was that letter from, Tim?" said his mother. "A young friend has
asked me to go serenading with him," replied honest Tim. Down he sat,
with his feet upon the fender, and his arms folded over his breast.
Then seizing the poker,--punch, punch, punch--you would have sworn it
was freezing. Every coal was upturned--the room was filled with dust
and smoke. "My son, it is not very cold to-night." Tim kept stirring
the fire. "Did you desire to have the old house painted, Tim? If you
wish it, my son"--"madam?"--"You were saying, Timothy, that you were
about to tell me something?" "Did I?" Down went the poker, and Tim
paced the apartment.
My good friend, were you in such a situation, what would you do? Only
think of that rap at the door at such a moment--of the contents of that
_love_ epistle--of that dear uncle Harry! For my part, I shall ever
believe as long as I live, that there is something in names, and that
none but a very old Harry Scratch himself could have been charged with
such a scrawl. What would you have done? Tell the old lady the whole
matter? What! with all those contending, conflicting
feelings--passions--hopes--blasted and utterly destroyed! As for me, I
think a man would be _almost_ excusable if he had walked premeditatedly
to his razor case and cut his throat. Tim did no such thing. He walked
to--bed.
Will you be so kind as to explain to me, why little Mary--our sweet,
innocent, flaxen-haired little Molly, who was as much in love as ever
lassie was, should have acted thus strangely? You who pretend to fathom
the profundity of human motives and to ascribe proper causes for every
action, will you unriddle this enigma? But the day before, she was as
kind, as affectionate as usual, and in every way the same to Tim. From
this time forward, too, she was as friendly as any other friend; and
yet, as indifferent as if their hearts had never beat in unison--as if
their eyes had never read the inmost thought of each others soul--as if
their lips:--to me and to Tim, it is utterly inexplicable.
Time--old father time--flies with his mowing scythe. This is the
account the ancients give of the matter, but I have a notion that we
should as well exclaim, time--old doctor time--flies with his healing
balm, cicatrizing every wound; for if it was not for doctor time, Cupid
might be more appropriately represented with his sickle gathering in
his harvest; but time with his "balm of Gilead," or some pleasing
draught, manages to cure many a bleeding heart. I thank thee, good
doctor, thou hast come "with healing under thy wings," more than once
to me.
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
MY CLASSMATES.
By the author of the "Extract from a Novel that will never be
published."
There were two among my companions at College with whom my intimacy was
particularly close. They differed much from each other, as I did from
them, in character and mental powers, but we were from the same state,
viz. Virginia, although from different parts of it; and the presence of
each of us spoke to the others of our distant homes, and formed a tie
that bound us closely together. There is besides, a strong local
attachment, separate and distinct from national feeling, (a peculiar
one, as far as my observation extends, in our country,) pervading the
native born inhabitants of that state, particularly the eastern and
southern section of it, which draws them like brothers together when
abroad. However reserved a Virginian may be to others, his heart
immediately opens to one who possesses the same birthright with
himself; and for him, if called upon, he will encounter pecuniary
inconvenience and personal risk. I have known many instances of this
feeling. But to my tale. The elder of us three, by name Morriss
Heywood, was one of those beings on whom has been bestowed the
fearful--almost fatal gift of genius. He stood pre-eminent among us
all, towering in intellect, piercing the veil of truths hid from our
dimmer eyes, revelling in the gardens of imagination barred to our dull
and every day capacities. While we with pigmy steps and slow, crept
along the paths of knowledge, urging our toilsome way with many a
groan, he pressed forward with a giant's stride, and left us a
sightless distance in the rear. His disposition too was noble as his
mind. Generous beyond the bounds of prudence--brave to the verge of
rashness--ever ready to afford assistance to those who required it--to
promote their welfare, and to condole with, and partake of their
grievances. Like most persons of extraordinary powers, his temper was
unequal. At times gloomy and abstracted, shunning all communion,
avoiding all recreation, abstaining from exercise and almost from
food,--he would bury himself in the seclusion of his chamber, devoting
day and night to intense application; then sated for a time with his
"deep draught" at "the well spring of science," he would come among us
full of life and gaiety, the soul and promoter of every frolic,
breathing into us the spirit of his own warm heart, robing common
things with the hues of his own bright fancy, and lighting up the very
regions of dulness with the quick and brilliant flashes of his wit. The
grave professors regarded him with amazement, and some of them even
with fear; for sometimes in the spirit of mischief, he would sport with
their heavy and useless learning, and puzzle them sadly with the
subtleness of his inquiries,--leading them unconsciously into the mazes
of metaphysical absurdities, and then leaving them with a quibble or a
jest to pick their way out as they could, floundering at every step,
and conscious of the ridicule they incurred. My other friend, Charles
Drayton, had no peculiar characteristic that calls for present
description. He had ordinary intellect, great application, a kind but
not a warm heart, and a disposition to submit to legitimate authority;
for all which, when we were graduated, he was rewarded with some fifth
or sixth rate honor. The busy pursuits of life soon separated me from
them after our departure from college. They commenced the study of the
law, while I doubting my powers to succeed in the learned professions,
and naturally inclined to an active life, turned my attention to
commerce, and in the course of business, was called on to leave "my
native land" to sojourn in a far distant one, and my return was not
until after an absence of many years. During those years of labor and
various fortunes, my time and talents devoted to one ruling object, the
acquisition of wealth, (but not, I trust, influenced by sordidness, or
ever induced to employ unworthy means,) my communications with home had
been very rare, and of my early friends I had received no tidings; but
often after reposing from the toils of the day, when the bustle of
occupation was hushed, and the wearied mind revolted from following up
the many schemes of aggrandizement that so constantly taxed it, memory
would roll back to those halcyon days of my youth, and the images of
Heywood and of Drayton would be mirrored in freshness to my fancy,
while I busied myself in conjectures as to their probable fate and
fortunes. Were they still among the living? Had Heywood fulfilled the
promise of his early youth, and climbed with vigorous step
"The hill, where fame's proud temple shines afar?"
Had the perseverance of Drayton won for him wealth and respectability
in his profession? More he could not attain to. And amid their busy
struggles, did they ever recur to the friend who was absent, with the
same deep feeling that dwelt in his heart for them?
After many efforts, sometimes crowned with success, and often, very
often marked by adversity, fortune at last smiled upon them, and placed
me in a situation (as I was alone in the world,) of comparative wealth.
I wound up my affairs as speedily as possible, and embarked for home.
My voyage was prosperous: once more I trod the free soil of the United
States of America, and bent my way without delay to the town of ----,
where first I drew my infant breath. It was evening when I reached it.
I found it much altered, enlarged and improved; but around me were many
a memorial of the times gone by;--and as the slanting rays of the
setting sun threw their purple and gold on the broad summit of the well
remembered hills, and played in ever changing beauty on the ripple of
the chrystal stream, I seemed borne back from the present, when Time
had furrowed my brow and sprinkled his snows upon my hair, to that
past, when the smooth forehead and the curly locks, the long loud
laugh, and the joyous leap, were tokens of the happy boy. In passing
along the main road leading to the town, I had observed at some little
distance from it, a very large and handsome brick edifice, in the midst
of highly cultivated grounds, where formerly there had stood a very
indifferent wooden building, on a neglected farm, the property of an
idle and dissipated gentleman. It was very foolish to do so, and yet I
uttered a half sigh at the change; for although the present state of
things was infinitely more agreeable to the eye, it struck coldly on my
heart and jarred the chord of cherished associations. When I had fairly
established myself at the "best inn," and answered as I pleased, all
customary inquiries as to who I was, whence from, where going to, and
numberless other impertinencies, I commenced querist in turn, and the
information I then and subsequently obtained from other quarters, I am
now about to lay before the reader. Both of my college friends after
obtaining their licenses, had removed to my native town, which then
offered the best field in the state for the practice of the law.
Heywood had, as I was sure he would, commenced his career at the bar
with signal success. His very first appearance, his maiden speech, had
given him a station far beyond his youthful competitors, and indeed
among the foremost ranks of those who had grown gray in their vocation.
He had been entrusted, with others, in the management of a case of
great difficulty, and involving property to a large amount; and in the
examination of the witnesses, had exhibited a knowledge of human
character, and a power to discover and elicit truth, that in one so
young and so unpracticed, seemed absolutely marvellous; while his
familiarity with the abstruse points and technicalities of the law,
appeared as close and intimate as if he had spent years in acquiring
it. He was regarded as a prodigy, and indeed he was one. I have seen
many men in many climes, but never have I met with Heywood's equal in
native genius; and then the godlike mind with which he was endowed, was
set forth and enhanced by a corresponding face and figure. His stature
was tall and his bulk in proportion, but there was no clumsiness. His
limbs were
"Heaped with strength, and turned with elegance;"
His presence was lordly, with his statue-like brow, crested with short
dark curls, the Roman nose, the sharp cut lips, and the full large
pellucid eye, in which "the lightning played." His was
"A combination, and a form indeed,
On which, every god had seemed to set his seal,
To give the world assurance of a man."
One thus gifted was eagerly sought after, and while business poured on
him from all quarters, his society was every where courted. The
presence of Heywood was an indispensable requisite to any meeting whose
object was pleasure. Nor did he refuse it, or hold himself aloof from
the amusements sought after by others. He could be gay with the gay,
and sedate with the grave, and without an effort; and even in the midst
of what may be termed dissipation, none had cause to complain that
their affairs entrusted to his care were not faithfully attended to and
ably managed. Thus did he go on increasing in usefulness and
reputation, and men looked forward to the time when he would rank among
the master spirits of the day, and perhaps reach the highest honors his
country could bestow. Indeed a new career had now been opened to him,
which promised to lead to such a result. He had been chosen to
represent his county in the state legislature, and there as at the bar,
his success was immediate and brilliant. To him it truly seemed
----------------"an easy leap,
To pluck bright honor from the pale faced moon;"
and, (to follow up the quotation,) he might fairly hope
"To wear without corrival all her dignities."
Such then was Morriss Heywood; in years a youth, a man in wisdom--the
possessor of genius, health, reputation and beauty; his career as yet
unchecked by a single obstacle--his hopes undimmed by the shadow of a
fear. There resided at that period in the county of ---- an individual,
who, by a long course of unremitting industry and the most grinding
parsimony, together with less honest, if lawful means, had amassed an
overgrown fortune; and having money at command, had contrived by
lending it to the neighboring farmers, (generally improvident men,) and
exacting high interest for its use, taking mortgages on their estates
as security, to make himself the real if not nominal owner of half the
landed property of the county. Having it at his will at any moment to
strip many of their possessions, he was vested with a power that
(although in their secret hearts all men detested him, and execrated
his very name,) challenged opinion, and made dangerous as regarded him
its public expression. It so happened that one of those gentlemen on
whom his gripe was fixed, and whose debt, from an originally small sum,
had swelled with usury until it covered his whole estate, had been a
patron and valuable friend of this man, who was originally his
overseer--had established him in the business with which he commenced
his career, and aided him both with money and his name. It is a well
established maxim, which hard experience has gathered from human
intercourse, that you insure yourself an enemy when you bestow a
benefit on a bad man. A noble mind may find an obligation burthensome,
and be galled by the sense of dependence created by it. This feeling,
however, does not destroy gratitude to the benefactor; but the mean and
unprincipled hate those who give to them, from the consciousness that
there is an utter dissimilarity of character between the giver and
themselves. It grieves them that any should possess a virtue which they
have not; and the performance of a good action, even although they
themselves are its object, is gall and wormwood to their souls, from
the secret knowledge that they are incapable of doing the same. This
violence of hatred which the wicked, without apparent motive, entertain
for the good, is forcibly pourtrayed by Shakspeare, (nature's magician,
who applied his "Open Sesame" to that dark cave the human heart,
penetrated its recesses, and explored its most secret nooks,) when he
makes Iago give as a reason for desiring the death of Cassio,
"He hath a daily beauty in his life
That makes me ugly"----
The feelings engendered in the heart of Willis, (for that was the name
of the usurer,) by the kindness of his benefactor, were envy and bitter
hatred. Envy, that he possessed the means to be generous; hatred, that
having them he was so. But his heart rejoiced when he reflected that
this very generosity would betray itself; and as he counted his own
increasing gains, and became acquainted with the diminished and
decreasing resources of his friend, he foresaw the time would come when
their relative situations would be changed--when the patron would in
turn become the suitor, and be dependant on his former menial's bounty.
The time did come. A small loan was requested, and granted with
cheerfulness. "The spider" as Heywood afterwards said, "had spun his
first line." Then came a demand for a larger sum, which was raised with
a pretence of great difficulty. Another thread was wrapped around the
body of the victim. Slowly, silently, cautiously, these tiny lines were
drawn, with a touch so light, that they were not felt until the web was
fully formed--the prey secure--fluttering and struggling in the
toils,--but vainly struggling; for those little threads had been plied
and twisted into a cord of strength to bind the unshorn Sampson.
Of all the galling miseries that man is heir to, the most intolerable,
the most debasing, the most corroding to the heart, the most
destructive to the mind, is the consciousness of debt without the means
of payment. Oh! what days of humiliation, what nights of nervous
wakefulness, or else of dreaming horror, does he abide, on whose
oppressed spirit is laid the load of payments he cannot meet, of
obligations he cannot cancel. For him, though the sun shines abroad,
there is no beauty in his beams. The earth is clothed with verdure, and
a thousand odorous flowers are scattered in his path. He heeds them
not; their perfume is wasted on him. The moon rides in liquid lustre,
and the myriad stars break forth in light, and the whole heaven is
clothed with exceeding glory; but there is a darkness in his soul no
light can penetrate--a grief at his heart no beauties of nature can
assuage. His energies are dead; they fester beneath the pall of
despair.
When at last every inch of his property was covered by debt, and the
remorseless creditor was about to strip and turn naked on the world,
him from whose hand he once had fed, kind death stepped in and released
the poor old gentleman from his troubles; and what he himself was too
honorable to do, his heirs did without hesitation. They resisted
Willis's claim upon the plea of usury. Heywood was their advocate.
Fired with indignation at the base ingratitude of the man, he summoned
all the powers of his eloquence against him, and so awfully severe was
the attack, that Willis, although in general bold and impudent, slunk
away from the court amid the hisses and groans of the crowd. The very
next day, to his utter amazement, Heywood was waited on by Willis, who
placed in his hands business of great value, and paid him down a
handsome fee.
"You see, Mr. Heywood, I can forgive and forget, as bad as you think of
me, and as much as you have abused me. The fact is, sir, you are what I
call a real clever man, and to my notion the best lawyer I've met
with--so you're the man for my money; and I suppose if I pay you your
fees, you'll do my business as soon as another man's--and I can make it
worth your while, I tell you. You said yesterday, I was a vampire
bloated with the lifeblood sucked in secret from the veins of my
victims. I remember the words, but not in malice. Well sir, when I see
fit I can bleed pretty free myself; and if you'll just consider
yourself my lawyer in all my cases, I'll pay you fifteen hundred a
year, and say done first."
"Mr. Willis," replied Heywood, "I have no hesitation in accepting your
offer, and will to the best of my ability serve you, as I would any
other individual who called upon me. It is my trade, or profession, to
advocate that cause in which I am retained; and although I rejoice when
I find I am on the right side, I have in common with my brethren, no
scruples in doing battle on the wrong."
And so they parted. It may perhaps be thought unnatural that Willis
should have acted in the way he did; but he was a shrewd, worldly wise
man, and could make any sacrifice to promote what he deemed his
interests. Now he had not forgiven, much less forgot. On the contrary,
his hatred of Heywood was deep and concentrated; but he knew him to
possess talents that were formidable when opposed to him, and on which
he could with safety rely when enlisted in his behalf.
The transactions of business necessarily carried Heywood to his
client's house, where one day being detained until the dinner hour, he
was introduced to Miss Louisa Willis, an exceedingly beautiful and
interesting lady of about eighteen. He was much struck with her, and
indeed it was impossible for the coldest disposition to withhold its
admiration from charms seldom surpassed, and then in the very fulness
of their bloom. With a form over whose round and soft proportions
hovered an atmosphere of the most soul subduing voluptuousness, she was
the possessor of a countenance, whose features in themselves almost
faultless, habitually wore the bewitching expression of confiding love;
as if for all she looked upon, there existed in her bosom a living
spring of kindness; and the consciousness of her own deep charities,
taught her to expect a like return from others. She was the adopted
daughter of Willis. Her parents, poor but highly respectable people,
died while she was yet an infant, having been carried off within a few
hours of each other, by one of those pestilential fevers that sweep
whole districts of our country, and leave in their path the silence of
death or the sob of mourning anguish, where the sounds of merriment had
been wont to break upon the ear. Willis was alone in the world. There
was no human being connected with him by the ties of consanguinity:
there was not one whom he had propitiated by the exercise of kindness:
and although the consciousness that he was hated only served to harden
and imbitter his feelings, there were moments when he felt the
loneliness of his situation, and longed for something that even he
could love.
He took the little orphan to his home, and in her found the object he
had sought. Upon her he lavished all his bounty--bestowed upon her the
best education the capabilities of the country afforded--and at a
proper age, placed her in an eligible seminary in the city of ----,
whence indeed, at the time of Heywood's first interview with her, she
had just returned.--Perhaps the disposition of Miss Willis--that of
great sweetness with very little energy or passion, was particularly
calculated to win upon such a man as Heywood. Himself all passion,
burning with the consciousness of uncommon powers, urged into action by
the ever goading stimulus of a brain that teemed with strong and
beautiful thought,--now breaking out into commanding eloquence--now
running over with sparkling wit,--it was enjoyment to him to find
repose in another. His mind self taxed to its utmost limit, was
refreshed, and soothed, and solaced by the calm and even purity which
dwelt within that form of intoxicating loveliness. Perhaps with persons
constituted like Heywood, the same ardor of passion might be exhibited
towards any object, "in whose fresh cheek" they might "meet the power
of fancy;" perhaps their glowing temperament would vest with beauty
both of mind and person, those who to common eyes had nothing to
distinguish them. Be this as it may, it is certain that he loved Miss
Willis, deeply, devotedly, ardently--with tender delicacy and with
manly passion. Whether his feelings were reciprocated by her, to the
extent of which she was capable, it is not for me to say: that secret
lies within her own bosom. Heywood thought so. He was constant in his
attentions to her, which seemed to be well received, and were certainly
encouraged by Willis. The only annoyance Heywood experienced, arose
from his feelings towards the latter. Greater familiarity with his
character had not, it is true, increased his abhorrence of it; perhaps
it had diminished it;--for as the visual eye becomes accustomed to look
without winking upon the disgusting and even the terrible, so does the
mental, and sad to say, the constant recurrence of deeds of vice,
lessens the sense of detestation which they at first inspired. But
there was something very galling to his pride, in the idea of
connecting himself in so close a manner with Willis as he must
necessarily do, if he married his daughter; only his adopted daughter,
it is true: but still in no action that could evince a parent's
fondness and a parent's care, had he been wanting to her--and he was
unquestionably entitled to a full return of that affection that might
be looked for from a properly disposed child; and as certainly did he
receive it from Miss Willis, whose respectful love for him was without
stint or measure. The struggle between pride and passion, seldom
eventuates in favor of the former, particularly where our feelings are
uninfluenced by the effect our actions may produce upon the minds of
others, and have no reference to a _degrading_ change of situation that
may be produced on us in society. Heywood might by marrying Miss
Willis, excite the sneers of the unsuccessful and the envy of the
disappointed; but he would not be the less loved, esteemed and
respected by the great bulk of his acquaintance, while by many it would
be thought a fortunate circumstance; for in the event of their
obligations falling into his hands, they might look for an indulgence
it were vain to hope from the ruthless usurer. Heywood, as might be
expected, yielded to the suggestions of his heart, and proffered his
affections to Miss Willis. She of course referred him to her father;
and with much embarrassment and hesitation of manner, Heywood announced
to him the fact, and solicited his approbation. He received the
information with a smile of peculiar meaning, of gratification--but
apparently of malicious gratification, as if he were about to win a
triumph he had been long seeking to obtain. He said but little however
in reply, nor was that little, discouraging or otherwise. He professed
himself honored by the proposal, coming as it did from so distinguished
an individual.
"To be sure," he said, "Louisa Willis was not an every day sort of
girl, and she might fairly look for as good offers as any lady in the
country. She had that, or she would have, which was all the same, that
would command them. It commanded every thing else, _he reckoned_, even
talents. She was young enough too, and likely enough, for the matter of
that, and he had had other views for her. Hows'ever, there was no
hurry--he would see about it; he must have some little time to think
before he made up his mind: when he had, he would let Heywood know what
it was."
To talk to such a man of the urgency of one's affections, was
ridiculous. Heywood felt it so, and therefore made no objection to the
delay.
It was about a month after this interview, during which interval there
had been no communication between Heywood and Willis, that the latter,
accompanied by another individual, a Mr. ----, entered the office of
the former. They had called for the purpose of explaining their mutual
understanding of the nature of a conveyance which was to pass between
them, and to request him to draw it out in proper form. He accordingly
made a rough draft of it, read it to the parties, who expressed
themselves satisfied, and Mr. ---- took his leave, with a promise to
return and execute the deed when the fair copy should have been made
out. Willis remained behind. After a few minutes silence, (of torturing
silence to Heywood, for he expected he should now receive an answer on
the subject nearest his heart,) "Mr. Heywood," said the hard featured
old man, "let me see that deed." Heywood disappointed, handed it to
him. He conned it over attentively, as he sat with one elbow placed
upon his knee and his chin resting in the hollow of his hand.
"It is all right?" said Heywood inquiringly.
"Why--ye-es," replied Willis, "but there are one or two little words
here I would like to have changed; that is, I would like to have some
others put in their place. It's of no great consequence, but somehow
they please me better."
"What words are they? Be so good as to point them out."
"Why these," answered Willis, as he shewed them with his finger, and
peered into Heywood's face, over his spectacles, with half closed eyes.
"Suppose now, instead of them, you _was_ to use _such_ words," and he
mentioned those he wished adopted.
"But sir," rejoined Heywood, "these words that I have used are
technical words, and express in a legal sense what I understand most
positively to be the intention of the parties. Were I to substitute for
them those that you propose, I should make the granter convey a title
it is by no means his wish to do."
"Pray, Mr. Heywood, are you acquainted with Mr. ----, and do you
consider yourself employed by him or me?"
"I am but slightly acquainted with Mr. ----, sir, and it matters not to
me by which party I am employed. It is my business as an honest man, to
execute to the best of my ability, what I consider myself intrusted by
both to perform, and that I have done."
"Then let me tell you Mr. Heywood that I know ---- well, that he has
not had quite as much as either you or I to do with deeds, and that if
you make the alteration I want, it's a hundred to one he will never
find it out to the end of time--so where can be the harm?"
"You surely jest with me, Mr. Willis," quickly answered Heywood; "you
cannot seriously propose to me to do that, which according to my view
of the matter, would be neither more nor less than a legal fraud."
"A fraud, sir! do you mean to say _I_ would commit a fraud, sir?" cried
Willis, in an angry tone and blustering manner.
"I have not said so, Mr. Willis," calmly replied Heywood; "I only said,
that with my knowledge of the law, _I_ should commit one were I to do
what you request."
"Well then," urged Willis, "suppose you let me go for Mr. ----, and
have the alteration made before his eyes. Will that satisfy your
squeamishness?"
"Certainly, if Mr. ---- consents to it, and is made fully aware of the
situation in which he thus places himself."
"But _you_ aint no ways bound to tell him that."
"Pardon me, sir, I am every way bound to do so."
"Very well, sir, very well, we'll drop the matter then--I don't care
much about it; only you aint as much _my_ friend as I thought you
was--that's all. But let that pass, it don't signify no great deal. And
now Mr. Heywood, for what you would call a more interesting subject."
Heywood's heart beat quick. "You told me t'other day you loved my
daughter, and would like to marry her. Now, sir, suppose you had a
daughter, and you could afford to give her as much as would make the
best men in all the land snap at her--and suppose there was one man who
despised you in his heart, though he was willing to work for your
money, and who had abused and insulted you in the public court, and
refused to befriend you, in a small way, when you wanted his
friendship, and _he_ of all men in the world was just to pop up and
say, Give me your daughter and a fortune,--what would you say to him?
Would'nt you tell him, certain, and thankee to boot, sir? Would'nt it
please you to the heart to have a son-in-law, who if he could help
himself, would'nt speak to you when he met you, nor shake hands with
you, if there was any body by to see him do it? Now just answer me
that, Mr. Heywood; you're a mighty ready man with your bills and
answers--answer me that if you please."
"Mr. Willis," stammered Heywood, "this is not--a fair way to--treat
me."
"Aint it? Now I think it is--so there we differ again; any how it's my
way, and I can afford to have my ways as well as most folks. Hows'ever,
since you don't seem to fancy those questions, I'll try again. Do you
_really_ love my daughter, for herself alone mind you, and will you
marry her if I tell you, and I am in earnest, that if you do, you never
shall, nor she either, touch a farthing of money or an acre of land
that belongs to me."
"Most readily, most willingly, and think myself but too happy in
maintaining her by my own humble efforts."
"Money is not a thing to be despised, Mr. Heywood, and it would be a
heap of it I can tell you, and as you partly know, that you would be
giving up; you'd better think again."
"This is not a matter of reflection and calculation with me, sir. It is
a feeling deep and durable, and I cannot hesitate to choose between
what I esteem my happiness and my misery. With her, portioned or
unportioned, I shall be happy--without her, though Croesus' wealth were
showered on me, I know I must be miserable."
"Say you so, sir," shouted Willis, with an air of vindictive triumph.
"Then be miserable, for I would see her, gladly see her, and I love her
too, a rotting corpse in her winding sheet--or worse, a common beggar
in the public road, for all the world to spit on if they choose, before
you should call her wife. I am glad that you love her too. If you loved
her ten thousand times better than you do--if you went mad for love, as
they tell me some fools do, I should like it all the better. I wanted
you to love her, and I saw you would love her, and I sort of encouraged
you to do so, just that when you were fairly fixed, I might have the
satisfaction to tell you that you should not have her; and now I think
we're quits. You dared to tread upon me--to flout me in the open
court-house, before a whole crowd of people, when you could have all
the talk to yourself, and my mouth was shut and my hands as good as
tied. But my turn has come, and if I have'nt paid you back, and with a
stinging interest, my name is not Abraham Willis; and so good morning
to you. You need'nt write no notes, nor send no messages to my
daughter. She knows my mind, and she is satisfied with it. She wants no
man for a husband who has abused her father. Once more, good morning to
you." And with another of his demon like smiles, he departed.
Heywood remained as a man stupified, without change of position or
movement of a muscle, every feature rigidly fixed as if cut out of
marble, his whole appearance more like a breathing statue than a living
creature. Yet who shall say what torturing thought was pressing on that
brain--what stormy passions struggling in that bosom. Did the uprooting
of his heart's affection, the total prostration of his hopes, the utter
destruction of his anticipated bliss, smite him to despair; or did his
powerful mind confront the evils that beset him, and although deeply
wounded, rise in triumph from the conflict? It is only by the effects
we can judge, and these to common observation were not remarkable. It
is true, he resigned his seat in the legislature, and altogether
withdrew himself from social intercourse, and save when necessitated by
his professional duties, rarely left the solitude of his rooms. There
his time was devoted to study; not confined to the acquisition of legal
knowledge, but of literature in general. He collected about him a noble
library, and made himself master of its contents; but though he heaped
up knowledge such as few possess, and added daily to his mental stores,
it was even as a miser gathers pelf, to gloat upon the heap in private,
but impart to none its benefits. Still, although he thus secluded
himself, when he did appear abroad, there was nothing of gloom about
him, or marked reserve in his manner to his fellow men. He might even
sometimes have been thought gay. He would jest himself, and laugh at
other's jests; but all this was but "outward seeming." There was no joy
of the heart--no "flow of soul"--no living sympathy with mankind,
teaching him to be glad when they rejoiced, to sorrow when they
mourned.
There were none to whom he imparted his feelings, none to whom he
communicated his sentiments. On none of the usual topics of
conversation among men, whether of politics or literature, were his
opinions ever expressed--not even on legal points, unless when sought
for professionally. He lived strictly alone, concealing thought and
passion within the impenetrable recesses of his unfathomable mind.
Here for the present I will leave him, to give a short account of
Drayton's career, connected as it is with the main interest of my
narrative.
With the assiduity, industry and application for which he had been
distinguished at college, he pursued his professional studies; and
although denied the gift of eloquence, or rather I should say,
embarrassed by a slow and hesitating manner of speaking, it was obvious
enough that his knowledge of the law was sound, and that he perfectly
understood its application to the point he might be advocating. If too,
he lacked the graces of oratory, and could distil no honied words into
the ears of his auditory, he possessed that happy manner, which imposes
on society the opinion that there is a fund of wisdom and learning to
be drawn on, whenever the exigency of the case might require its use.
He had a serious, business like look, and if he walked abroad for
exercise, he seemed to have a deeper motive for the action. His
progress was nevertheless very slow in the commencement; still he
advanced by degrees, and his patience was inexhaustible. Drayton had
another advantage too, that to him amply compensated for the want of
purely professional business, and even the glitter of fame. A relation
had bequeathed him a few thousand dollars, and this enabled him to make
occasional advances to a needy client, where the claim was eventually
secure, and also to carry on a traffic in bonds, exchanging one for
another at a large discount, and thus in a short time doubling his
original capital. One or two lucky hits in land speculation returned
him large profits; and people beginning to find out his merits, as they
perceived these accessions to his worldly wealth, in course of time his
practice became respectable and lucrative. Between Heywood and Drayton
there continued the same kindness of feeling they had mutually
entertained at college, up to some short time before the philippic
delivered by the former against Willis. But about that period a
coolness grew between them. This arose from no misunderstanding or
quarrel, but simply from a dislike Heywood entertained to the very
obsequious manner Drayton exhibited towards all men who were superior
to him in private wealth or public station; and the former could not
refrain from telling him one day, after some display of the sort, that
he reminded him of Sir Pertinax McSycophant, in the "Man of the World,"
who never in all his life could stand straight "in the presence of a
great mon." Drayton was conscious that there was truth in the
application of the sarcasm, and although he made no reply, he was hurt,
and thenceforth avoided one who could and would tell him disagreeable
truths. After the rupture between Heywood and Willis, the latter
transferred his business to Drayton, who received from Heywood all the
papers in his possession, with the necessary information and
instructions, which were given to him with perfect freedom, and without
the slightest manifestation of chagrin or resentment. This perhaps was
not exactly pleasing to him. He would have liked on Heywood's part some
small exhibition of a consciousness that he was deprived of a
considerable advantage.
"This should be a valuable business I have had the good fortune to fall
into, Mr. Heywood," said he; "Mr. Willis's concerns must be very
extensive, and require much legal advice, as well as other matters in
our way. I fear he will be hardly content with my poor management,
after the able assistance he has derived from you."
"You will certainly find the business profitable," replied Heywood;
"Mr. Willis pays liberal fees, and it depends upon yourself to make
larger gains than I have done. I congratulate you on having obtained
it."
"I suppose I shall be so unfortunate as to have you opposed to me
occasionally, and if so, I trust you will not be quite so hard on my
poor client as you once were," said Drayton with an insinuating smile.
"Circumstances, sir," answered Heywood, "have put it out of my power to
speak of Mr. Willis as I think of him. You need entertain no
apprehensions for your _poor_ client; he is safe at least from my
invective."
Some few months after this conversation, rumor babbled of the
particular attentions paid by a certain lawyer, to a very wealthy young
lady, and in the course of a year, the babble was confirmed by the
marriage of Charles Drayton, Esq. to the all accomplished, &c. Miss
Louisa Willis. Drayton was now become a very wealthy and of course a
very influential man. He was sent to the legislature, then to the state
senate, thence to congress, and finally having been created a judge, he
took up his residence near ---- on a farm given him by Willis, where he
built the handsome brick house, I had observed on my return home. Two
or three days after I had fixed myself at ----, I fell in with Drayton,
whom I found much altered. He had grown quite fat, and had a very
justice-like rotundity of body. His manner was kind enough though
somewhat pompous, and he had the air of one who was on especial good
terms with himself. I dined with him and was introduced to his family,
consisting of his wife and four children; the eldest, a handsome lad of
seventeen, the others girls, the youngest about eight years old. Mrs.
Drayton, was very pale and apparently in bad health. I endeavored to
converse with her, but found her little disposed to talk. Willis was
there. He was a tall, lean man, with very sharp features--small grey
eyes somewhat inflamed, and almost hid by long bushy, wiry eye-brows, a
pinched, sharp pointed nose, thin, pale lips, much drawn in and
compressed, and a projecting chin. He endeavored to assume ease in his
manners, but his vulgarity was very apparent. There were two other
gentlemen of the neighborhood there, and on the whole, my time was not
spent so pleasantly then, or afterwards, as to induce me to repeat my
visits often, although I occasionally called in as an old acquaintance
of the master of the house. Heywood's name was of course, never
mentioned there. I once did make some inquiries of Drayton, when only
he and I were together. "Ah poor fellow, yes," said he, "he has been
absent from ---- for some time, went up the country to his brother's,
who I hear is lately dead. Heywood turned out badly sir with all his
genius,--thrown himself completely away--no prudence--ruined himself to
pay his brother's debts, and took to drinking--little better, if any,
than a common blackguard." "So much for early friendship," thought I,
as I turned away in disgust.
The marriage of Drayton to Miss Willis seemed not to affect Heywood; if
he felt, his feelings were perfectly concealed. When he met Drayton, he
congratulated him on the event, without the slightest awkwardness or
embarrassment, although the former exhibited much of both; to all
appearance he had entirely conquered his ill fated passion. His
studies, however, became more and more intense, and his seclusion
closer than ever. He scarcely eat or slept, and took no exercise. He
gave up the practice he had hitherto pursued in the adjoining counties,
and confined himself to that of the one he lived in. This mode of life
could not fail to injure his health. He grew pale and thin, and
experienced great languor: to remedy the latter, instead of resorting
to the only proper mode, a change of habits, he applied to artificial
stimulants for temporary relief. They naturally increased the evil, by
leaving behind them when their momentary excitement had worn off, a
greater degree of depression than they had been employed to remove. He
was probably aware of this, but he changed not his course. On the
contrary he increased the dose, and repeated it the more frequently,
until gradually his libations amounted to intoxication, which after a
while became daily. This, at first, was confined to the after part of
the day, but by and by he was frequently found in an unfit state for
business, by those who called upon him in the morning. Still, so great
was his reputation as a lawyer, and so powerful were the displays he
made when he appeared at the bar, that men continued to employ him,
although they were put to the inconvenience and expense of associating
other counsel with him, who would attend to the minutiæ and drudgery of
their cases. About this time, his brother (whom I did not know,) a
careless, extravagant man, with a large family, became entirely
insolvent, and the farm on which he lived was exposed to sale. Heywood
became the purchaser, for the wife, and nearly exhausted his own means
in doing so; for though he had received large sums of money in his
profession, and might with a little economy, have been very
independent, if not rich, he had not retained much of his hard earned
gains, and money had never been to him an object of solicitude.
Besides, his library had cost him no contemptible fortune. By degrees,
as the vile and fatal habit he had acquired, grew upon him, he became
more and more unfit for business, and his clients were reluctantly
compelled to abandon him, and transfer their cases to others. Finally,
(what he had never done before,) he was compelled to run in debt. He
raised money on his books, a paltry sum in proportion to their value;
that was soon exhausted, and they were forced off at auction at an
enormous sacrifice. Hitherto, his intemperance had been confined to the
privacy of his chamber, but now he commenced frequenting taverns, where
he was frequently to be found in a state of beastly drunkenness.
When I arrived at ---- he was absent, as Drayton stated, at the
brother's whom I have mentioned, and did not make his appearance for
several months. One evening as I returned from my accustomed walk, I
entered the bar-room of the inn where I lodged, for the purpose of
making some inquiries of the landlord. A man was sitting at a table,
with his back towards me. He was dressed in a rusty black coat, coarse,
dirty, white trowsers; shoes and stockings that were covered with the
dust of the road, and a worn out straw hat, around which was a piece of
ragged, soiled crape. I naturally took him for some common vagabond,
and paid no farther attention to him, but commenced my business with
the landlord, who was standing at the bar door with a pint decanter of
common whiskey in his hand, intended, no doubt, for his _genteel_
looking customer; who, growing somewhat impatient at the delay I
occasioned by my conversation, called out in a hoarse voice, "Mr.
Tomlins, do you mean to bring me that liquor or no? I tell you I am
dying of thirst." "Certainly, sir," said Mr. Tomlins. "Excuse me a
moment, sir," addressing me, as he proceeded to the table with the
spirits, a pitcher of water and a glass. The man poured into his glass
about a gill of spirits and drank it off at one gulph, taking a little
water after it,--and then, without stopping, proceeded to take a second
dose. I gazed at him with mingled emotions of contempt and pity. The
landlord touched me on the arm. "You have frequently inquired of me,
sir, about Mr. Heywood; that is _him_." "Great God!" I exclaimed aloud,
"that Heywood?" He turned immediately on hearing his name, and I
hastened to him, extending my hand. "You are familiar with my name,
sir," he said, "and act as if you had a claim upon my recognition, but
I have no recollection of your countenance."
"Have you entirely forgot then, your old friend S----."
"S----," he exclaimed, and he rose and took my hand in both of his, and
gazed with earnestness some moments in my face. "Thirty years--yes,
thirty years have fled since last this hand was clasped in mine. They
are nothing in Time's record, but much to us poor, three-score-and-ten
mortals, and they have shown their power on us both. S----, my friend,
for _you_ were my friend, and I loved you even with the warmth of a
brother's love, I look in vain for the marks by which I once knew you.
The fair cheek of youth, the laughing eye, the bold, self-confiding
air, have fled. Age is a sad destroyer of good looks, is it not? It has
not been over lenient with me; but never mind; our hearts are filled
with hot blood yet, though sometimes I think mine is growing cold: it
will be cold enough by and by, and yours too, S----; the more's the
pity, for there are men, my friend, and you are one, who should never
die; they should live to redeem mankind from the charge of utter
selfishness; to save this Sodom and Gomorrah of a world from the curse
of an outraged and offended Heaven."
"Heywood," said I, interrupting him, "come with me--come to my room; I
have much to say to you, and this is no place for it; I cannot talk to
you here. Come where we will be private and uninterrupted."
"Not now, not now; I have just got here, after walking all day, for I
am compelled to take exercise on foot for the benefit of my health as
well as from poverty;" and he smiled bitterly. "I am fatigued and
soiled with dust, and unfit for conversation."
"These are paltry excuses between friends--I cannot admit them. What!
be thirty years apart, and when we meet have five minutes conversation
in a public bar-room. That will never do."
"Well, well, then, allow me a little time to step to my room, and I
will join you in an hour at farthest." This I could not refuse,
although I parted with him with very great reluctance, as from the
avidity with which he swallowed the spirits in my presence, I was
apprehensive he might render himself unfit for rational conversation.
There was a dreadful change in his appearance. I have described him as
a remarkably handsome man, both in face and person. He was no longer
so. I found him much emaciated, though his features were bloated; his
hair was entirely gray; and in the place of the freshness and manly
ruddiness of complexion for which he had been distinguished, his
countenance was overcast with a sickly yellow hue; and those eyes, once
so clear and expressive, were bloodshotten and dull. Age might, and
would, no doubt, have made an alteration for the worse in his looks;
but the prime agent in the destruction I witnessed, was habitual
intemperance. That insatiate fiend, on whose bloodstained altars reeks
the sacrifice of myriad hetacombs, whose worshippers, in the frenzy of
their zeal, yield up all that is valuable in life; the world's respect,
health, fortune, fame, domestic ties, their present good, their future
hope; and whose reward is racking disease, infamy, an early and
dishonorable grave.
Before the appointed time, Heywood returned. He had undergone a
purification, which somewhat improved his looks, and he bore no
evidence of having increased his potations. We had a long, and to us
highly interesting conversation; but Heywood was not the man he had
been; the mind--that glorious mind had suffered in the wreck. It is
true he was occasionally eloquent, grand in his conceptions, pouring
out burning thoughts, and exhibiting amazing knowledge; but there was a
want of solidity and continuity in his discourse, and there were abrupt
starts from deep pathos, when he touched upon his situation, to a wild
and reckless jocularity that made me shudder. I had determined in my
own mind, difficult and delicate as I felt the task to be, to strive to
the utmost to reclaim him. It was a sacred duty devolving on me as a
friend; it was a conscientious duty belonging to me as a man; and I
felt if I could turn such a being from the path of evil, and lead him
once again to the high and honorable station he was by his talents so
eminently entitled to, it would be a deed whose reward even here would
be inappreciable, and might plead against a thousand errors at the
judgment seat of a righteous God. It required great tact, however, to
approach the subject, for his sensitiveness was very keen, and I knew
if I offended him there, I should lose my hold upon him; therefore I
waited until he himself should give me an opportunity of entering on
the subject. None occurred that night. Occasionally, as I have said, he
would advert to himself and his present miserable situation, but in
such a manner as deprived me of courage to speak upon the subject. At
one time he observed, when Drayton's name had been mentioned, "It is
somewhat strange S----, that man seems to have been born to supplant
me. Who would have thought it? The quiet, easy, dull Charles Drayton,
to supplant Morriss Heywood! Why, in the exuberance of my youthful
vanity, I should have thought my wings beat an atmosphere too refined
and rare, to sustain his heavy weight; that my eyes looked unwinking on
a light that would have seared his duller optics. And yet he reached
me, and he passed me. And while I descended in rapid whirls, until I
grovelled in the very dust, he sustained his flight and held aloft his
station. Yes, he supplanted me in my profession--supplanted me in
public life--supplanted me in love. Ha! ha! ha! It is a strange tale to
tell. What would our college mates say to it? What _does_ the world say
to it? I know what it says. No matter,
'They can't but say I had the crown;
I was not fool.'
And yet I was a fool, a miserable fool; but as it is a great approach
to wisdom to know our own weakness, I am in a fair way to become a
Solon, and should not be surprised, if ere long, public honors were
decreed me. They must hurry them tho', or it will be to my senseless
ashes they will bow, and hang their laurel wreaths upon my urn. But it
grows late, my friend, and I must leave you. We are neither of us the
boys we were, when we could stare the rising sun in the face, as he
peeped upon our protracted revels. We will meet again soon." "Soon!" I
exclaimed; "yes, tomorrow; I have not exhausted the half of what I have
to say to you." "Faith, I have given you but little chance," said
Heywood; "I am in truth a sad talker. Good night, or rather morning,
for 'methinks I scent the morning air.'" And he left me, not without a
promise however, with difficulty obtained from him, that he would join
me at dinner on the morrow. He was punctual to his engagement, and I
was much pleased to find that he was free from all artificial
excitement. After we had dined, and I had discussed my usual allowance
of wine, (in which Heywood did not join, alleging that it did not agree
with him,) I proposed to him to take a stroll, for I felt as if I could
make the effort I had determined upon, with more ease in the open air,
than when seated in a small room _tete a tete_. After we had cleared
the skirts of the town, I commenced making my approaches from a wary
distance, to the subject I was anxious to enter upon. "To-day was the
first of the sitting of the superior court for this term, I believe,
Heywood; were you there?"
"No, not I; what should I do there? I have always made it a rule not to
thrust myself into a place where I have no business."
"Have you entirely given up the practice of the law?"
"No, but the practice has entirely deserted me."
"How happened that? I have heard your legal attainments spoken of in
terms of the highest praise."
"I neglected it, as I have neglected every thing else; health,
reputation, my obligations to society, and my duty, if not my reverence
to God. This is a painful subject, S----; let us quit it. If I dwell
upon it, it will unman me, and I shall then break through a resolution
I this day made, and fain would keep."
"Will you tell me what that resolution is?"
"I had rather not;
'Be innocent of the knowledge,
Till thou applaud the deed.'"
"Heywood! will you let me act towards you as one friend should act
towards another?"
"How? in what way? explain yourself."
"It is in your power to be all you have been--nay, more; for many men
rise to eminence, but how few when once they have sunk, have energy and
firmness to regain the proud height from which they fell. It may be a
work of time to you--it must be one of unbending resolution; but with
such a mind and such attainments as your's, it will require nothing
more. In the meantime, you shall not be harassed by debts, nor tortured
by poverty. I have means, my friend--ample means; wealth beyond my
hopes or wishes. It is useless to me, for my habits are frugal, and my
expenses do not reach a fourth of my income. I will place in your hands
the requisite sum to free you from all incumbrance, and enable you to
pursue the plan I propose; and it shall be a debt between us, to be
repaid when you are once more in prosperous circumstances. If this
place be disagreeable to you, remove to some other; I will accompany
you: all places now are the same to me. Do this Heywood, I conjure, I
implore you; and you will confer on me a degree of happiness which
nothing I have ever yet compassed could equal. What say you?"
"I say as Nero said--'It is too late.' You speak of my mind and my
attainments. It must be plain to you as it is to me, that whatever that
mind may have been in the flower of my youth and the pride of my
manhood, it is now weakened, broken, dropping to decay; and what avails
knowledge, learning, the deep research into ancient wisdom, the
unwearied study of modern science? When the judgment that should direct
their use is fled, they become a pile of worthless lore. No, I am a
lost, degraded wretch--a mockery and a byword--
'A fixed figure for the time of scorn
To point his slow, unmoving finger at.'
There is nothing left for me but to die and be forgotten."
"Heywood, you do yourself injustice. A steady course of life, as it
will remove the cause of your depression, (for your mental malady is
nothing more,) so will it the effect, and I feel confident that it
requires but exertion to regain all you have lost, and even to surpass
your former excellence. Come; be a man. Call your philosophy to your
aid--rouse from your lethargy, and start once more upon the race of
honor." He placed one hand upon my shoulder, and pointed forward with
the other: "Behold," he said, "yon blasted pine; its giant limbs have
been snapped in twain, and its lordly trunk clove from the summit to
the root by the forked lightning,--while around it in the green hues of
health, full of pride, vigor and beauty, are congregated its glorious
brethren of the forest. Bid that stricken tree drink in the life sap,
shoot out its rough red boughs, clothe them with their feathery
foliage, erect its noble crest, and stand once more pre-eminent in
loftiness and grace; and what would be its answer, as its shattered
body creaks to the passing breeze? 'There is no other spring for me.'
And that reply is mine. Therefore torture me no more; for it is torture
to me to recur to the past, or dwell upon the present. _One_ favor I
will ask of you. When I am dead, and I feel a certainty that time will
soon arrive, if you are near and survive me, bury me in some private
place, and do not raise even a mound, much less a stone, to mark the
spot; but let the grass grow over and conceal it--for even as lonely
and obscure as my latter days have been, so would I have my grave. Will
you promise me this?"
"I will--I do," I replied, much affected.
The remainder of our walk was passed almost in silence; and when
Heywood left me, which he did immediately upon our return to town, he
pressed my hand to his heart, and sobbed, "God bless you."
The next day upon my inquiring for him, I found he had left town early
that morning, saying that it was uncertain when he should return. This
I regretted extremely; for although disappointed in my first attempt, I
was not without hopes I might still succeed in bringing him back to the
paths of virtue and of honor, from which he had so unfortunately
strayed. I determined at all events to remain where I was until I had
again seen him, and make another appeal to his friendship and his
pride. Days and weeks passed however, and he came not. It was now the
latter part of the month of May; the weather was delightful. I got
tired of the solitude of my chamber, and walked out to enjoy the
balminess of the air and the freshness of nature, as yet unscorched by
the ardent beams of the summer sun. I took the road that led to
Drayton's, and when I reached his gate, paused, as I had many a time
before, to admire a noble oak that formed one of the gate posts. This
splendid tree was at its base full five feet through, and its trunk
shot up a height of forty feet before it gave out a branch. Thence its
boughs spread out to an immense distance, forming a canopy over the
road, beyond the opposite side of which they extended, and mingled with
those of the trees growing there. It looked like a patriarch of the
primeval forest, and seemed destined to stand while all around might
decay. I sauntered along a mile or two, until I reached a favorite and
secluded spot, well known to me when I was a boy, and which remained
unchanged, while all else was changed or changing. There I seated
myself on a moss covered rock, under the shade of a thick leaved birch,
and while the bright waters rippled at my feet, passed in review before
my mind some of the scenes of a busy and adventurous life. About an
hour had elapsed in this pleasing melancholy of reverie, when I became
conscious that a change had taken place in the weather. The refreshing
breeze had died away, and the air become close and sultry, with that
heavy suffocating feeling I had observed in high southern latitudes, as
the invariable precursor of the coming hurricane. I made what haste I
could to reach my home, which was full three miles distant, by the
shortest path I could choose. I reached the upper part of Drayton's
enclosure, where there was an open field on either side, and paused as
well from fatigue, as a desire to ascertain whether I could probably
outstrip the approaching storm, or should be compelled much against my
inclination to seek for shelter at Drayton's abode.
As I looked up, I perceived that the heavens were embossed with dark
clouds that hung heavily in the atmosphere, scarcely moving their
stations, or varying their forms, so completely stilled was the
breeze--not a leaf trembled on the slenderest twig. Presently, on the
extreme verge of the horizon to my right, a small, jagged cloud arose,
that rested as it were a moment on the summits of the trees, and then
darted high up the sky and emitted a brilliant flash of lightning,
accompanied by a quick, sharp crash of thunder--as if this had been a
signal summons, from all quarters of the heavens, seemingly by
voluntary impulse, the hitherto inert vapors rushed with eagle speed to
the spot, like mailed warriors to the battle field; concentrating, and
condensing their huge forms into one, vast, deep, substantial looking
body of impervious gloom, heaving to and fro with a mighty sound, like
unto the rush of liberated waters that have broken down their rocky
barrier. As I gazed in horror on this awful sight, there gradually
descended from the centre, mass on mass of clouds, as if enormous folds
of blackest velvet had been lowered down, narrowing in their descent
until they almost formed a point: and then amid the lightning's
incessant flashes, and the music of its own appalling roar, that
drowned the loudest thunder; and the groans of the forest, as its
mightiest trees were uprooted, or twisted from their stems, as a child
would break a straw; the tornado marched on its appointed path of
desolation. No words, at least none I can command, avail to describe
its horrid majesty, its incalculable power. It was as if the very demon
of destruction had clothed himself in robes of hellish grandeur, and
came in the pride of his unimaginable strength, to strew with ruins the
world's fair orb, and revel amidst his fiendish sport. I have in the
course of my journey through life, encountered many a peril, and looked
on many a sight that might strike the coward with despair, and blanch
the cheek of the bravest. The appalling cry of fire has broken upon my
ear, when my bark was rolling in the midst of the wide spread ocean,
and the apparent choice was to leap into the wave, or perish by the
flames. I have been with a crew, when the match was held by a resolute
hand that would in an instant have hurled us in the air, rather than
become the prey of the remorseless pirate. The storm upon the sea, the
hurricane on land, and the terrors of battle upon both, I have beheld;
but never did there weigh upon my heart such a feeling of unmixed
dread, such a consciousness of utter helplessness, as now--still, I was
not entirely deprived of my presence of mind--I was aware that the
force of the tornado, although it might be extended to many miles,
would probably be confined within narrow boundaries; and if I could
ascertain its course, I might place myself beyond its influence. At
this moment, however, it was difficult to conjecture to what point its
fury would be directed: for as I have said, it was a perfect calm; the
winds seemed to be enclosed within the lurid bosom of that horrible
prodigy. Its approach was certainly in a line towards myself, but how
soon it might swerve from that route, I could not tell; so that I dare
not trust to flight. While I stood thus hesitating how to act, a
horseman passed me at full speed. My attention had been so fully
absorbed, and so deafening was the voice of the cloud, that I had not
heard his approach, and barely caught a sufficient glimpse of the face
to recognise it as that of Willis, and that it was overspread with an
ashy paleness. He had not passed me a hundred yards, when as if by
magic a strong wind burst from the north west, encountered the tornado,
and turning it from the direction it had hitherto pursued, drove it
obliquely in front of Drayton's house at about a quarter of a mile from
it, and immediately towards the gate and the oak, I have spoken of. It
now moved with immense velocity from me, and feeling that all personal
danger was past, I could observe its appearance and effects with
greater accuracy. The interior of the lower part was illuminated by
_flames_, I may call them, of lightning; for so incessant and
continuous were the flashes, that they appeared as one; and I could
distinguish in the centre, large limbs of trees, and trees themselves
suspended, tossed, and whirled about like feathers. Its wake was
defined by the upturned ground, as if many ploughshares linked together
had passed over it. Whatever lay in its track was instantaneously
destroyed. It drove full upon the giant oak, and the forest Titan on
whom many a storm had harmlessly broken, whose noble head was scarcely
bowed in recognition of the furious gale, was wrenched, and severed
from its trunk, and dashed upon the ground; that trembled as it
received the enormous weight, as if an earthquake shook it. The
destroyer passed on, and I stood watching it, until its noise was lost
upon my ear, and its form had faded from my sight. Slowly then I bent
my steps forward, mentally returning thanks to a gracious providence,
for my escape from so imminent and appalling a danger. Suddenly, the
recollection of Willis rose upon me, and a strong presentiment that he
must have been overtaken by the cloud pressed upon my mind, and filled
it with horror. The presentiment was destined to be realized. I
quickened my steps, and as I approached the gate, I found the road so
much impeded by the broken boughs and scattered fences hurled about in
every direction, that I was compelled to make a considerable circuit in
Drayton's field, to enable me to overcome the various obstacles that
obstructed my passage. As I saw no trace of Willis, I began to hope he
might have escaped, although it seemed scarcely possible; at all
events, I thought it would be but proper for me to step to the house, a
distance of some five hundred yards, and see if he had arrived in
safety. I had, it is true, no respect for him, and perhaps his death
could scarcely be deemed a calamity; but he was one of the great family
of man, and what right had I to sit in judgment on my fellow creatures?
I found Drayton at home, standing at the front door, surveying the
ravages committed on his estate. He greeted me, and commenced a
harangue on the terrible phenomenon he had witnessed, which I cut short
by inquiring if Mr. Willis was within--"within! No he had not seen him
for several days." As briefly as I could, I then informed him of
Willis' passing me on the road, of the obvious danger he had incurred,
and requested he would accompany me with some of the servants, with
axes and other implements, that might be necessary in prosecuting our
search. He hastened to comply with the request, and we soon set forward
with some dozen assistants. We commenced our disagreeable undertaking,
at the gate on the lower side of the prostrate oak, which lay obliquely
across the road, endeavoring every now and then, to peep through the
confused mass of tangled and shattered boughs that lay in heaps about
us. Presently, one of the negroes uttered an exclamation, and pointing
with both hands, cried out that he saw a man under the tree. We
immediately gathered around him, and looking in the direction
indicated, could perceive not only the object he had discovered, but
also the prostrate body of a horse. There was now little doubt that
Willis had here met his wretched fate.
The sun, which had come forth, was about an hour high, but we had great
difficulties to overcome before we could reach the spot, where the body
lay. One of the men was despatched to the house for further assistance,
and we soon had all the efficient laborers of the estate at work; while
the boys and women, whom curiosity brought there, were employed in
holding torches, for the evening shades had fallen, before we got half
through with our labor. At length, we succeeded in freeing Willis's
body from the superincumbent load that pressed upon it. Life was
totally extinct; his death had doubtless been instantaneous, for his
bones were broken in many places, and the scull driven in, until its
sides almost met. We hastily constructed a hand-barrow on which we laid
the mangled remains, and were about to move off, when one of the boys
came running to us from the wood on the opposite side to the gate, and
with terror in his looks, informed us there was another man lying dead
there. We hastened to the spot, which there was little difficulty in
reaching, for the individual lay just on the skirt of the prostrate
trees, and had probably been struck down by an upper bough as it fell.
His face was towards the ground, and his hands outstretched. The back
of the head had received a severe wound. We gently turned the body
over. My heart sunk within me and a faintness came over my senses, as
the light of the blazing torches revealed to my view the pallid face of
Heywood. I soon recovered, however, and stood and gazed upon the
features of the corpse, those features that I had so often seen lit up
with intelligence, now rigid in death. Those eyes, whose piercing beams
once reached the very hearts of men, and gazed upon their secret
motives, had lost their "speculation," and those lips whose surpassing
eloquence once filled his hearers with deep delight, ruling them with a
master spell; now rousing apathy into action, now stilling passion in
its wildest mood; were hushed in eternal silence. Before us was the
motionless form of clay, the immortal spirit had ascended to its God.
Both the bodies were removed to the house. The remainder of that night,
I sat by the corpse of Heywood. The next day, I procured a plain
coffin, and taking with me a couple of assistants, proceeded to the
place where I had reposed after my walk on the preceding afternoon. At
the foot of the birch tree we dug his grave, and heaped the earth upon
the coffin to the level of the plain, and over it we spread the verdant
turf: and there, in his "narrow and obscure bed," sleeps the misguided
son of genius; while a splendid mausoleum marks the spot where the
bones of Willis lie, and a marble slab records his thousand virtues.
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
The study of poetry has been to me its own exceeding great reward: it
has soothed my afflictions; it has refined and multiplied my
enjoyments; it has given me (or at least strengthened in me) the habit
of wishing to discover the good and the beautiful in all that meets and
surrounds me--_Coleridge_.
STANZAS.
It is the Fall! the season now,
Of rustling airs--of fading flowers;
And Nature with a saddened brow,
Sits brooding o'er her leafless bowers.
Yet Autumn's reign was aye to me
A season of felicity!
I'm standing in a dark recess
Of a vast, dim, primeval wood,
And on me is the consciousness
That springs from such a solitude.
No sounds are nigh save those I love--
No scene my heart's content to move.
A streamlet, gushing from above
Goes dancing past me wild and free,
As the fond boy is said to rove,
Commission'd by Love's Deity.
But _he_ in cities gaily flaunts,
While _this_ seeks only nature's haunts.
And as it tracks the forest's maze,
Through greensward alleys wand'ring wide,
Affects not Folly's treach'rous ways,
Nor looks to Fashion for its guide.
How lulling to my sense its song,--
As thus it sweeps its course along!
The winds are also stirring now,
In murm'ring tones, yon stately pine,
Whose giant branches tend to throw
A deeper shadow o'er this shrine--
This nobler shrine than priest or king
Is wont to use for worshipping.
But lo! 'tis sunset--and the dew
Is settling fast on herb and tree;
Darkness will soon be shrouding too
Each object in obscurity.
My steps again I therefore turn,
_To mix with man, and inly mourn!_
* * *
For the Southern Literary Messenger.
SONNET.
There is a splendour in these southern skies,
Ofttimes at sunset, which I've nowhere seen,
Wide as my range about the world hath been,
Save on Italian shores; and there the dyes
Have less of magic in them!--Who that tries,
(Artist or Bard,) to paint such glowing hues
As, in the west, mine eye this moment views,
But must confess how passing far it lies
Beyond his utmost skill?--High o'er my head
A blue intense fades into purplish gray;
And this anon to richer tints gives way,
Of yellow--orange--then of deepening red,
Until at length, in his all gorgeous bed,
Proudly sinks down the monarch of our day.
* * *
ORIGINAL LITERARY NOTICES.
POEMS BY A COLLEGIAN, Charlottesville, Va. Published by C. P. McKennie.
Printed by D. Deans & Co. 1833.
A neat and unpretending volume of poems, with the above title, was
issued last year from the Charlottesville press. As a Virginia
production _altogether_, and the first fruits of poetical genius,
emanating from the University of Virginia, the collection deserves
honorable mention in the pages of the Southern Literary Messenger.
Criticism might be disarmed of some of its wonted severity, when it is
known that all the poems contained in this volume, were written by the
author between the ages of sixteen and nineteen. This fact, however,
only increases our favorable opinion of his talents, and induces us to
estimate still higher his natural powers of mind.
We propose, instead of an analysis of the volume before us, and a
regular review of its contents, to extract specimens of the POETRY,
which struck us as displaying that fire of genius so necessary to
constitute a true POET. Our readers we are sure will agree with us in
the favorable opinion we have expressed, after they have perused these
specimens.
One of the best and most spirited of the poems, is the Address to
Constantinople on its anticipated fall, written on receiving
intelligence that the Russian army was on its march to that capital in
1829. We give the two first stanzas.
"Thy plumes are ruffled now, proud bird!
O'er land and ocean, forest, solitude,
The echo of thy last, sad shriek is heard!--
The glance of majesty
Is quailing now from thy fierce eye,
And the deep wailing of thy scattered brood
Is dying to a murmur. Sadly dark
Is thy soiled plumage, and thy gilded crest
Has fallen--so often fall the loftiest and the best.
Hark!
To the tread of the devouring foe!--
But ere thou art laid low,
Shall not one last avenging blow
Be struck? Rouse thee, proud bird!
Thy voice of triumph 'mid the nations, yet
May swell from mosque and minaret--
May with the bravest and the first be heard!
Stamboul! proud city of the East!
Sister of Rome!--old mistress of a world--
Wilt thou from thy high state be hurled?
Shall not thy sinewy arm be strung
With its accustomed power?--at least
Gird on thy mail, and let thy dirge,
If thou _must_ die, upon the battle's verge,
Amid the shock of arms, be sung!"
The energy of the language and the appropriateness of the figures,
appear to us worthy of high praise.
We have several beautiful descriptions of calm and quiet scenery. What
follows, contrasts admirably with the lines we have just quoted.
"I look upon the stars sometimes--I love
To watch their twinkling in the azure ground
Of Heaven's o'er-arching canopy, where move
Ten thousand worlds--which, starting with a bound--
Plough with fiery track, the unseen waves
Of fathomless immensity; to see,
Age after age, that sky hung o'er the graves
Of buried nations, as a tapestry--
A funeral canopy when dyed with gloom;
That sky, which, robed in majesty, looked bright
Upon Columbus, when he sought the tomb
Of all his hopes, or strove to snatch from night,
And claim the birthright of a world. 'Tis when
I view the stars, bright handmaids of the moon--
Who walks among them as a virgin queen--
That, with those stars to riot, seem a boon
From Heaven; I love to see that moon's pure beams--
Like lightning shot upon the watery waste,
Which like a mine of living diamonds gleams--
Each sparkling but an instant--as in haste
To hide its liquid lustre in the wave--
A jeweled bathing place--a starlit home--
Fit--ay, beautifully fit to lave
The light of worlds in upper air which roam."
There is much of that highly romantic and poetical imagery in this,
which must please every reader of taste. A stanza of similar style is
in the lines to page 32.
"And when the stars were breathing out
Their holy light to earth,
And diamonding the glad blue sky
For the young moon's queenly birth,
I've gazed upon some lovely one,
And thought that it might be
A glorious home in the afterworld,
In which to live with thee."
And this at page 82.
"The air is like a tideless sea
Of pure and silvery light,
And the waters glance transparently,
Illumed by the queen of night.
The crested waves as they dash on high,
And dissolve in pearly beads,
Appear as a carpet spread gaudily,
Where the giant sea-god treads."
There is much, too, in the following lines, which comes over the senses
"like the sweet south."
"Evening is stealing with her nectared breath,
Slowly and calmly down to kiss each flower
That pouteth in rich beauty from beneath
Its emerald colored guardians--the bright leaves--
('Tis strange what solace brings that magic hour
To every heart that hopes, or loves, or grieves--
It is the fitting time for fervent prayer,
Which rises holily on kindred air--
For then the air _is_ holy--'tis the time
For love--the only time to gaze and die
Beneath the lustre of a diamond eye;
Yet strange to tell, it is the hour for crime!)
In golden majesty the glorious sun,
With light too pure for eye to gaze upon,
Is sinking slowly in the gorgeous west--
A monarch going proudly to his rest.--
He's gone, and mellow twilight creeps along
As gently as the cadence of a song,--
Twilight, to whom each poet in his day,
Hath breathed melodious and impassioned lay,
While o'er his soul thy witchery was stealing,
As sweetly as the whispered tones of feeling.
Evening--'tis then the o'er fraught heart doth pour
Its wealth of pious incense at the shrine
Of deity--the spirit then may soar
Into those regions where the angels twine
Wreaths for the glorious of our earthly race;--
'Tis then that we can see, and feel, and trace
His glory in the realms of starry space!"
We were pleased with the lines to ----, commencing thus:
"Memory! Memory!--'tis like the talisman
We read of in the page of Eastern story,
That magi used the inmost soul to scan
Of friends or foes; or oft mayhap to call
From his bright crystal, gold, or diamond hall,
Some brother in his supernatural glory--
The talisman of feeling, that doth bring
Back on the heart the deeds of other days,
With all their dark or glorious coloring--
The wizard of the soul, whose wand can raise
The disembodied spirits of the dead
Palpable as it were to touch;--impress
The face of such as long ago have fled
Into their state of holy blessedness,
Upon the mind."
The poem, with which the volume opens, "To My Country," contains many
brilliant passages;--and throughout the work, the reader will linger at
almost every page to dwell upon something which must please his fancy.
Indeed the extracts that we intended to have made have so multiplied
upon our hands, that we have not now space to give place to them all.
We trust, however, that what we have given will suffice not only to
show that our own opinions are correct, but to bring the public, and
especially the Virginia public, better acquainted with the author and
his work. In a future number we may adorn the columns of the Messenger
with further extracts from the POEMS BY A COLLEGIAN.
In the preface, the author states that his motive for preserving his
poems in their present form, was his desire "to leave among those who
have taken an interest in his welfare, and with whom he has been in
habits of daily intercourse, a slight memorial of himself, ere more
important duties urge their claims to consideration." We know that his
Alma Mater will always be proud of such a son, and that his friends,
with him, under her instruction will long cherish the "memorial." A
favorable opinion of it will, however, not be confined to them alone. A
discerning public will see and appreciate its excellence.
MY NATIVE LAND, AND OTHER POEMS. By Frederick Speece. Philadelphia:
Printed for Augustine Leftwich, Lynchburg, Virginia. 1832.
Having been obligingly furnished with a copy of these poems, we take
pleasure in introducing them to the notice of the public. We are
somewhat surprised to learn that although published two years since in
Lynchburg, they have attracted no notice in that quarter, either of
applause or censure. It is perhaps, more agreeable to an author, that
his works should come under the lash of satire, than that they should
pass altogether without observation. The chilling neglect of the public
however, furnishes no stronger proof of a writer's demerit, than do the
too frequent carpings of illiberal criticism. Some of the greatest
poets have been doomed whilst living, to indigence and obscurity, and
owe all their honors to posthumous fame; and it is asserted of Homer
especially, that seven cities claimed the honor of his birth, not one
of which perhaps would have furnished a morsel to save him from
starving.
We design not to raise extravagant expectations respecting Mr. Speece's
poems--nor can we hazard the conjecture that the praise of future times
will compensate him for contemporary injustice. We do not hesitate
however, to recommend his work as incomparably superior to much of that
glittering trash which passes under the name of poetry. There is a vein
of good sense,--of just and honest feeling--of tender melancholy--and
sometimes of rich imagination--which runs through his volume, and which
cannot fail to delight such readers as have any soul for poetical
composition. His versification for the most part, is sweet and
melodious--though occasionally there is a little inattention to
syllabick quantity, which produces rather an unpleasant effect upon the
ear. There are other faults too--but they are inconsiderable when
compared with the many redeeming beauties which shine through the
volume. The poem of "My Native Land," in its general tone and harmony
of verse, brings to recollection Goldsmith's Deserted Village--and the
"Sketches," which are also descriptive of the pleasures of juvenile
life and the picturesque scenery of his native hills--contain many fine
passages. In the "Juvenalis Redivivus"--the author has pointed the
arrows of satire against men and manners with no little severity--so
much so, that he has found it necessary in his preface to acknowledge
that time had softened much of the harsh coloring which he had thrown
into his pictures. Many of his minor pieces abound in beautiful
thoughts, expressed in smooth and flowing numbers--and upon the whole
we think if Mr. Speece had been sufficiently encouraged in early life
to persevere in the delightful but unprofitable task of poetical
authorship--he might have reached a highly respectable rank. The
following passage from "My Native Land," will probably remind the
reader of Cowper's touching address to his mother's picture.
"My mother! Melancholy was the morn
That found me orphaned, and almost forlorn.
My friend! My guide! Oh, could not mercy save
Her for her child, or lay me in her grave!
Why cheer my drooping and unsheltered head,
When to the skies her gentle spirit fled?
Why bid me live, since riper years must pay
Their long arrears to that lamented day?
I had a mother, tender, kind and true,
Her virtues many and her failings few;
With warm solicitude and watchful eye,
She taught me what to follow, what to fly;
And warned me disappointment and distress
In life must be my portion, more or less;
That fierce disease would often banish health;
Pride point the insolence of power and wealth;
Folly and vice allure; pretended friends
Abuse my confidence for private ends;
And fears and sorrows, hovering round my head,
Pursue me to my last and narrow bed.
Yet would she say, in Virtue's path was found
A balm to heal the bosom's deepest wound:
Winged my young thoughts to better worlds above,
There to repose my confidence and love.
Her fond affection never would deceive,
But these were things I could not then believe.
Yet though her warnings vanished from my mind,
Her precepts left a faithful trace behind;--
In memory's careful records still remain,
And long experience proves they were not vain."
The same poem concludes in the following lines--being a farewell
tribute to the place of his nativity.
"Adieu! Perhaps forever! Should it be,--
'Land of my Fathers! I will think of thee,'
Long as its motions last, and vital heat,
Within my heart, thy lovely name shall beat.--
Tho' rude thy piny hills, a thankless soil,
Whence scanty products meet the tiller's toil,
Tho' thy wild scenery, and thy fickle clime,
Exhibit little beauteous or sublime;--
And timid Superstition's witching tales,
And Gothic ignorance linger in thy vales;
The charms that could my infant love engage,
Have fixed the feelings of maturer age.
So strongly linked to joys and sorrows past--
I loved thee first--loved long--will love thee last.
Whether, where Beauty taught me first to feel,
And mutual passion fixed the sacred seal
On treasures, Heaven reserved for me alone,
A friend, a bosom dearer than my own,
On Staunton's banks my wandering feet shall rest,
Or in some Eden of the rosy West,
In Alabama's ever verdant clime,
Or where the wild Missouri rolls sublime;
Or, 'mid the Bedford hills, whose limpid streams,
Pay scanty tribute to the mighty James.--
Land of my birth! and where my fathers sleep,
Oft shall remembrance turn to thee and weep,
And though my steps be doomed to wander far,
Affection tremble to her Polar Star,
Till the last throb shall lay this bosom low,
Where _Memory_ and _Affection_ cease to _glow_."
We select a passage at random from the satiric poem, as a fair specimen
of the author's style and manner.
"There was a time, our good old fathers say,
(Perhaps it was so in their better day,)
When coats and gowns were patch'd without disgrace,
And men wore hats that cover'd all the face;
When ragged virtue was not kick'd aside,
Nor worth and equipage identified,
Nor taste and genius by possession squared,
Nor merit sold, like riband, by the yard.
Temperance and charity were then esteem'd,
And men and women were just what they seem'd.
Labor and health with vigor strung their arms,
Themselves less cultivated than their farms.
No smart young master, impudent and vain,
Play'd with his cue, or silver-headed cane,
Forsook his grammar ere he learn'd the rules,
To pilfer pins, or rifle reticules;
Nor beardless hero boasted laurels won,
From maids deceived, or jilted, or undone.
The rosy girls, content with native bloom,
Sought not the flowing robe and waving plume;
Nor wish'd to gain the empire of a heart,
Where half the victory was achieved by art.
No wanton fashion taught with lace to deck,
The shorten'd waist, and lengthen down the neck.
No everlasting clack of slanderous tongues,
Raised sad solicitude for female lungs;
Nor had the sex divided all their cares,
To sorting silks and mangling characters."
If Mr. Speece were at this time a younger man than we presume him to
be, we should take the liberty of pointing out some of his defects--but
various allusions in some of his minor pieces, authorise the inference
that his affections are now almost alienated from the once charming
society of the muses. Domestic sorrow seems to have had no
inconsiderable share in producing this result. His "Apology to A. L.
Esq."--is full of the poet's as well as the father's anguish at the
sudden death of a favorite son sixteen years old. We give the whole to
the reader.
"The generous friend may justly claim
The offspring of my musing,
But to excite the Muse's flame
No more obeys my choosing.
Life's warmest hopes, its light and pride,
Fail'd with my darling when he died.
My harp, that once in rapture rung,
Full-toned to joy and gladness,
Lies all unheeded and unstrung
Beneath the cloud of sadness;
Vain were the task, the effort vain,
To wake its thrilling notes again.
Once skill'd to wreath poetic flowers
Around the brow of Beauty,
My hand has now forgot its powers,
Nor heeds that gentle duty;
Fled is their bloom; the task were vain,
To wreath those wither'd flowers again.
The heart that feels the mortal stroke,
The bosom anguish-riven,
Sinks hopeless as the blasted oak
From the fierce bolt of Heaven:
The oak no genial season feels;
The wounded bosom never heals.
Youth may regain its honors reft,
And bloom again in gladness;
Age, when bereaved, has little left
But ever-during sadness;
And gathering years and grief dissever
Hope from the heart that bleeds forever."
A VISIT TO TEXAS: Being the journal of a traveller through those parts
most interesting to American settlers. With descriptions of scenery,
habits, &c. &c. _New York:_ Goodrich & Wiley. 1834.
The proximity of Texas to the United States,--the facilities of
intercourse between the two countries--and the migratory habits of our
citizens,--are sufficient to invest with more than ordinary interest
every thing which relates to that part of Spanish America. The volume
before us, is an unpretending and agreeable narrative, and is
calculated we think to do good, by pointing out the mischiefs and
inconveniences of emigration to the Mexican republic, and especially by
calling the public attention to the many ingenious frauds which are
practised by land companies and speculators. The author was a purchaser
of twenty thousand acres from the Galveston Bay and Texas Land Company
through their agents at New York, and full of golden dreams about this
new Eldorado of the south west, he embarked in person at New Orleans,
in order to take possession of his splendid principality. His
disappointment and vexation may be easily imagined at finding himself
on his arrival totally deceived on the subject of his title! It was not
worth the parchment on which it was written, and after all his
fruitless expense, anxiety and hardship, he did not enjoy even the
melancholy satisfaction on his return to New York of obtaining from the
trustees their sympathy, much less remuneration. Our traveller might
indeed have acquired "a quarter of a league of unappropriated land, on
condition of professing the Roman Catholic religion, becoming a citizen
of the Republic of Mexico, and residing on the soil for six years,
receiving his title from the government;"--but he was too conscientious
and honorable to submit to such requirements. The truth is, that whilst
there is much in the climate and soil of Texas to allure the settler,
there are also numerous objections which ought to discourage the rash
experiment of emigration. Our own country, particularly in its new
states and territories--holds out sufficient inducements to such as
find it either convenient or necessary to change their abodes; and
there are no superior advantages in a residence on the Brassos or
Colorado to compensate for the sacrifices of friends and
connexions,--free government and the rights of conscience. It seems to
us therefore to be little short of fatuity, especially in the present
unsettled state of the miscalled Republic of Mexico, for a citizen of
the United States to abandon for a settlement in that quarter his
native land, unless indeed, he be a violator of its laws and a refugee
from punishment.
In truth, it appears that this desperate class of men constitute no
inconsiderable portion of the population of Texas;--and our author
relates that on one occasion he sat at the same table with no less than
four murderers who had fled from justice. True, there is a large
portion of the country extremely beautiful and fertile, and the labors
of the planter and herdsman are richly rewarded;--but these advantages
are greatly counterbalanced by the insecurity of the government and
laws--the intolerance of religious bigotry--and the absence of most of
the elements which constitute a virtuous and happy community. Minor
evils and inconveniences are also felt. The spacious plains and
luxuriant prairies--though they furnish abundance of food for horses
and cattle, are scantily supplied with wood, and altogether destitute
of stone;--and the usual incidents of southern latitudes,--bilious
fever,--poisonous reptiles and insects, and alligators of enormous
size, serve to fill up the revolting picture.
We have no fears therefore, notwithstanding the enchanting coloring
which even the temperate feelings and chastened imagination of our
author have thrown around a Texas landscape--that there are many
persons of sober minds, when they shall have balanced the good with the
evil, will be much enamoured with the thought of a permanent "visit" to
that region. The book, therefore, may be recommended as a tolerably
certain antidote to any lurking desire for a ramble across the
Sabine,--and if perchance the spirit of migration shall have become too
obstinate for cure,--it may still have the effect of confining the
wanderer's steps within the limits of our own republic.
There are many things in our author's narrative both curious and
amusing--and not among the least so, is the account he gives of that
intractable animal, the _mustang_, or wild horse of the country. With
one of that strange species he was necessarily obliged to cultivate an
intimate acquaintance, having no other means of transportation between
different parts of the country. The manner in which they are reduced to
subjection, and the untameable perverseness of their nature, are thus
related:
The first thing to be attended to, was the purchase of a horse; and
this was easily effected. The small horses of the country, called
_mustangs_, introduced by the Spaniards, and now numerous in the more
northern prairies, run wild in droves over these parts of Texas, and
are easily taken and rendered serviceable by the inhabitants. When
caught, it would be a problem to a stranger to confine them, where
there is neither tree nor rock to be found: but the Mexicans put on a
halter, knot it at the end, dig a hole about ten inches deep, put in
the knot, and press the earth down upon it. The pull being sideways is
at a disadvantage, and the horse is unable to draw it out. They are
driven to market, purchased for three or four dollars, branded,
hobbled, turned out again, and entirely abandoned to themselves until
they are needed. Whenever a vessel arrives, some of the inhabitants
send into the woods and cane brakes for such a number as they suppose
may be wanted by the passengers; and this I found had already been done
in anticipation of the wants of those who came in the sloop Majesty. In
the log stable belonging to Mr. Austin, at whose house I lodged, I saw
a number of them, with all the wild look which might be expected from
their habits of life. They are small, generally about 13 hands high,
well formed, rather for strength, and of different colors. I saw others
in several other stables; and at length made choice of a white one; and
having paid for him a doubloon and four dollars, (a handsome advance on
his original cost,) stuffed a pair of saddle bags with a few articles
of food as well as clothes, and was soon ready for my journey.
As the brands on horses afford the only evidence of their identity, and
the property of their owners, the rules observed in respect to them are
very strict.
These horses are very useful in the country, and may perhaps become at
some future time a valuable article of export, as they are innumerable,
and cost only the trouble of catching. This is done with a strong
noosed cord, made of twisted strips of raw hide, and called a _lazo_,
which is the Spanish word for a band or bond. It has been often
described, as well as the manner of throwing it, as it is in common use
for catching animals, and sometimes for choking men, in different parts
of America inhabited by the descendants of the Spanish and Portuguese.
A man on horseback, with a rope of this kind coiled in his left hand,
and one end of it fastened to the horse, whirls the noosed end in the
air over his head as he approaches the animal he intends to seize: and,
on finding an opportunity, throws it over its head or horns, and checks
his horse. The noose is instantly drawn tight, and the poor creature is
thrown violently down, without the power of moving, and generally
deprived of breath. They are sometimes badly injured, and even killed,
by bring dashed to the ground; but generally escape with a severe
practical lesson on the nature of this rude instrument of civilization,
which they afterwards hold in great respect all their lives, yielding
immediately whenever they feel it again upon their necks.
The mustangs often carry to their graves evidence of the violent means
adopted by the Mexicans in breaking them to the bridle. Many of them
are foundered, or otherwise diseased. A horse which has been lazoed is
blindfolded, mounted by a rider armed with the heavy and barbarous
spurs of the country, after having their terrible lever bits put into
his mouth, a moderate pull upon which might break his jaw, and if he
runs is pricked to his speed, till he falls down with exhaustion. He is
then turned in the opposite direction, and cruelly spurred again. If he
is found able to run back to the point from which he started, he is
thought to have bottom enough to make a valuable horse: otherwise he is
turned off as good for little or nothing. The process is a brutal one;
and the agony inflicted by the bits is extreme: as blood flows freely
from the mouth which is often greatly swollen; and the animal yields to
mere force.
In the morning we mounted our horses and proceeded to the river, where
the ferry boat, a large scow, was lying near the shore. I dismounted,
and taking the bridle in my hand, attempted to lead my horse in after
me. Most fortunately I was looking at him, and was better prepared than
I was sensible of being, to make one of those sudden instinctive
motions, which sometimes prove essential to our safety. Had I been
turning the other way, or a little less active, I should probably have
lost my life, or at least have been seriously injured: for instead of
following me into the boat, as an honest horse should, and as I had
expected him to do, he fixed his eyes upon me with a malicious
expression, and sprung at me like lightning, clearing the ground
entirely, and making a leap of about eight feet. I jumped aside, and
barely in time to avoid his feet, with which it seemed to me he
designed to beat me down. I do not know that I ever had experienced
such feelings as this occurrence excited in me. It betrayed a degree of
spite mingled with craft which I had never seen in an animal of his
species; and laid the axe at the root of all that confidence and
attachment which a traveller loves to exercise towards his horse. I
have been thus particular in mentioning this little occurrence, because
the wit of the country appears to be largely invested in the horses;
and this was the beginning of my white mustang.
Some other particulars of our traveller's own rebellious steed may also
be extracted. He was not indeed "a Tartar of the Ukraine breed"--but he
was as wild, mischievous and wicked an animal as ever pranked.
It was our intention to proceed to Bingham's that day: for one of my
companions, who had travelled the road a short time before, had
calculated that his house would afford us a very comfortable lodging
after a good day's ride. We rose therefore to proceed on our journey.
But I had a chapter or two more to read on the character of mustangs
before I was destined to leave the place. I had never been informed of
one particular propensity which they have, that is, to draw back and
pull violently when approached in front, and therefore walked up to my
white horse rather hastily to untie and mount him. He sprang back and
pulled for a moment so hard upon the sapling to which I had fastened
him, that it came up by the roots; and after a few leaps and kicks,
which freed him from my saddle bags, and broke the bridle, he made off
towards the middle of the prairie at full speed, with his head and tail
both raised, and in a state of exultation which formed quite a contrast
to my own feelings.
My companions threw off their valises, mounted immediately, and gave
chase to the pestilent runaway, which, after a short gallop, had
halted, and with the most provoking coolness began to eat grass from
the prairie. As they approached him, however, he flew off again as fast
as his legs would carry him; and thus he led them to a great distance,
on a chase apparently hopeless. I watched them till I was tired,
coursing over the prairie here and there, now on this side, now on
that, at such a distance that they looked no bigger than cats, and anon
further diminished to mere mice. My white mustang led them up and down,
round and crosswise, as if he delighted in worrying them, occasionally
stopping, as coolly as before, to crop the grass, and then off in a new
direction, like a wild creature as he was. This chase lasted without
intermission for four hours, at the end of which they succeeded in
driving the little white animal towards the house. Mr. Bailey, seeing
him approaching, despatched a messenger to a neighboring farm for
assistance; and a man soon came hurrying down on horseback, provided
with a lazo: a rope with a noose at the end as before described. He
joined in the pursuit with the spirit and skill of one practised in
such employment, and soon got within about eight or ten feet of my
horse, when, with a dexterous fling, he suddenly threw the noose over
his head. Having the beast now completely in his power, he was prepared
to choke him into submission; and the noose was on the point of closing
its grasp round his neck. But here the intelligence and experience of
the mustang stepped in with customary promptitude: for as soon as he
felt the rope round his neck, he stopped stone still, and yielded as
submissively as a lamb. Like an accomplished rogue at last fairly in
the gripe of justice, he seemed in haste to submit, plead guilty and
repent, in order to secure as much leniency as possible; and in a few
moments I was again on the back of this little flying brute, jogging on
as quietly as if he had never rebelled in his life. There was a great
deal of farce in all this: but we had been put to too much
inconvenience by the perverse trick to enjoy the joke: for our loss of
time, we foresaw, would put it out of our power to perform all our
intended day's journey.
It was nearly dark when we reached Hall's: a habitation of which I had
heard, but at which we had not originally intended to stop, as it was
only thirteen miles from Bailey's. I here found that horses in Texas
are always turned out loose to feed, even if a traveller stops but for
the night, which would have ensured another chase, with perhaps even
more unfavorable results than that I had witnessed, but for an
expedient which was recommended to us. This was to "hobble them" after
the fashion of the country: which consists in tying together their fore
legs with a short cord, and not one fore and one hind leg together, as
we do at the north. This operation instantly changes the movements of a
horse, as he is obliged to make every step a fair leap: and it excited
the greatest merriment in me, when I saw the horses of my companions
practising a gait so different from common, under a mode of constraint
which I had never witnessed before. Fully satisfied that such
confinement would be sufficient even for my white mustang, I began to
tie his legs together, which to my surprise he submitted to with the
utmost cheerfulness, without raising his head, for he had already began
to graze on the fine grass. Although so recently accustomed to run at
large in the Brazos forests, he had evidently been familiar with the
hobble: for as if he perfectly concurred in my opinion as to the
propriety of his being bound, whenever he wanted to move he carefully
raised both fore feet together, so as not to interfere with my task,
and made a gentle spring to a knot of fresh feed. Surely, thought I, I
have got a steed sagacious enough to figure in one of Æsop's Fables.
Our traveller had not proceeded far on his journey, before his
vexatious mustang refused to eat, and gave signs of great weariness and
exhaustion. Unable however to supply himself with another, he resolved
after an interval of rest to pursue his way.
We took our departure accordingly; and I had much difficulty in getting
my horse out of the town. In a short time, however, he began to cheer
up, and gradually quickened his pace until his strength and spirits
were quite restored, and he travelled remarkably well. However strange
it may seem, there was every appearance that the whole affair had been
a mere trick of the wily brute; and my opinion was confirmed by several
inhabitants to whom I afterwards recounted the story. They told me that
the sagacity and duplicity of the mustang is well known among them, and
that he is capable of almost any thing, which ingenuity or malice can
invent. So ungrateful a return for all my kindness and care, under such
vexatious circumstances, and aggravated by such persevering imposture,
added to my previous dislike of the animal which had been guilty of it.
One would be almost tempted to think that these provoking yet sagacious
quadrupeds were regular descendants from the race celebrated by Swift,
and which that eccentric satirist endowed with superior intelligence to
men.
From our author's account, Texas would undoubtedly furnish its full
quota of contributions to a cabinet of natural history. The feathered
tribes luxuriate there, especially on the coast, in great abundance and
variety. The wild fowl congregate in prodigious flocks, and the
ornithologist might find almost every order, genera and species in
creation. The tenants of the forest are not less numerous,--there being
an ample supply of wolves, bears, panthers, wild cats, wild hogs,
foxes, rackoons and squirrels. The waters too, furnish their finny,
testaceous and crustaceous treasures,--the red fish, buffalo, cat,
drum, pearch, oysters, crabs, &c. Nor is there any want of those
amphibious annoyances, crocodiles and alligators--and to crown the
whole, there is an anomalous species called the
alligator-garr,--consisting not of the fanciful compound of half horse
and half alligator--but of the actual and bona fide admixture of one
moiety of fish, and the other of alligator. We must not forget either
in enumerating the zoological curiosities of that region, one which we
do not recollect to have seen described by naturalists. We give the
words of the author.
One of the prettiest little animals I ever saw, is the "horned frog;"
which, notwithstanding its name, is far from being amphibious, as it is
found on the prairies at a distance from water. Indeed it bears little
or no resemblance to a frog, appearing more like a lizard, with rather
a long and graceful form, a tail, and legs of nearly equal length, so
that it runs swiftly and never leaps. I had often occasion to notice
them, both here and on other prairies. They run with such agility, that
although they do not take alarm until you have approached very near
them, they dart off, and generally disappear immediately. One might
often mistake them for quails, while in motion. They are of a yellowish
color, mottled, and have horns about half an inch long, projecting from
the front of the head. Several were caught and kept for some time in a
barrel at Anahuac, and though it could not be perceived that they ate
any of the various kinds of food which were offered them, they lived
and continued active for a considerable time.
That formidable reptile the rattlesnake, is also found in the grassy
prairies of Texas. Our traveller killed one of the "largest and
noblest" of that venemous family--it being five or six feet long and
about six inches in circumference. It was provided however with only
eight rattles, whereas others which had been killed a few days
previously of hardly half the size, were furnished with as many as
thirteen;--from which the author takes occasion to contest the common
opinion that the number of rattles is an indication of the reptile's
age. We have heard the same fact asserted, and the same conclusion
drawn from it by others, whose opportunities for careful and actual
observation were undoubted.
Notwithstanding the many and formidable objections to a permanent
residence in Texas,--there are beauties in its scenery, which, despite
of its unvarying monotony--must fill the beholder with delight. We give
a description of one of the few fine estates in regular cultivation.
We were received with great hospitality by Mr. McNeil and his family,
in which we found every disposition to welcome us. They set before us
the best products of the soil, which is indeed a land flowing with milk
and honey, in a more unqualified sense of the expression than any I had
ever seen. Our exercise had sharpened our appetites; and we were soon
cheered with the sight of an excellent and plentiful meal: for our
hosts, without making a single allusion to the subject, had immediately
given directions, on our first arrival, that our wants should be
provided for, and we soon sat down to a well timed repast. It consisted
chiefly of venison and a fine turkey, and was accompanied with
excellent coffee. The daughter of our host was a very intelligent and
well educated young lady, and had recently returned from the Northern
States, where she had just completed her education.
After eating, we took a view of the charming scene around us. The house
in which we were, constructed of logs, and on the plan common to the
country dwellings of farmers in Texas, is well sheltered from the sun
and the winds by the wood, in the verge of which it is situated: and
when the beautiful China trees around it shall have attained a greater
size, the spot will be rendered still more agreeable. The mansion
fronts upon the estate: a fine, open prairie, over which the eye ranges
with pleasure, no wild or barren spot occurring to interrupt the
universal aspect of fertility and beauty, and no swelling of the
surface being perceptible, which might in any degree interfere with the
clearest view of every part. The only interruption is caused by
clusters of trees of different forms and sizes, scattered at distant
intervals here and there. These clumps and groves, apparently
possessing all the neatness and beauty which could have been given them
if planted by the hand of man, and tended by his greatest care, added
the charm of variety to the eye, while they promised thick and
convenient shelter from sun and storm to man or beast. Without such
variety and such a refuge, the aspect of the prairie, with all its
verdure, would have been monotonous to the sight, and disheartening to
the traveller. It would be almost impossible for a person who has never
seen them, to imagine the appearances of these groves. Although they
are wholly the work of nature, they often present all the beauty of
art: for the trees are of nearly equal size, and grow near together,
without underwood, and present outlines perfectly well defined, and
often surprisingly regular. Some appear to form exact circles or ovals,
while others are nearly square or oblong. It is no uncommon thing to
see a continued line, running perfectly straight, for a mile or more in
length, with scarcely a single tree projecting beyond it: so that I
found it difficult to divest myself of the impression, that much of the
land had been lately cleared, and that these were but the remains of
the forest.
Those groves are called islands, from the striking resemblance they
present to small tracts of land surrounded by water. Nothing can be
more natural than the comparison. The prairie assumes the uniform
appearance of a lake, both in surface and color; and in the remoter
parts the hue melts into that of distant water; and it requires no very
great effort of the imagination, especially in certain states of the
weather and changes of the light, to fancy that such is the nature of
the scene.
The landscape was bounded on the right by a long and distant line of
woodland, which concealed and yet betrayed the course of the river San
Bernard, and about three miles off, and on the left by a similar limit,
which formed the "bottoms" of the Brazos. Between these the prairie
extended its broad, unbroken level before us about ten miles, beyond
which we saw the Gulf of Mexico, reaching off to the horizon.
I stood long contemplating this charming picture, which, as I before
remarked, is entirely overlooked from the door of our hospitable
friend; and what greatly added to its interest, was a vast number of
cattle feeding in all parts of his wide domain. How different a sight
was here presented, from any of the rural scenes with which my eyes had
ever before been familiar! How different was all the system of the
farmer from that prevailing in those regions of my own country which I
had lately visited! I was one moment struck with surprise at the vast
extent of land under the care of a single proprietor, and the few human
hands required to perform the necessary labor; and the next I was
filled with admiration at the various advantages afforded by a mild and
benignant climate, a soil of extreme fertility, and a surface best
appropriate to its use, when subjected to a system of culture to which
it is best adapted. The cotton field and garden, with their two hundred
acres, lay on the one hand, effectually secured against all
encroachment with the most substantial fence I had ever seen, which
stretched off a mile on one line; and around and beyond it lay the
almost boundless prairie, variegated with its numerous islands, spotted
with a scattered herd of six hundred cattle, all belonging to our host.
The breed is larger than those common in the north, with longer and
straiter limbs, broader horns and smoother coats. They all appeared
well fed, active and vigorous, and spend their lives through winter and
summer in the open air. The only attention bestowed upon them, is
merely to mark them when young in such a manner that if they stray they
may be distinguished from the cattle of any other proprietor. Of course
no housing is necessary in such a climate, and no provision of food for
them is to be made, in a country where there is perpetual green. They
feed during the winter in the bottoms, and as yet do not require salt,
for some reason unaccountable to me. One might expect that cattle left
thus to herd together in such immense droves, without the care or
control of man during their lives, would contract habits of timidity or
of fierceness; but I was assured that they are in one respect more
manageable than the tame cattle I have seen: for a horseman can always
readily separate such as he chooses from a herd, by riding after them
one at a time, though this is a task of great difficulty with our
northern cattle, even where they have roads and fences to restrain
them.
We shall conclude by extracting another portion of the work, which in
the simple and unpretending language of the author, presents a picture
of such striking beauty, that the eye of a poet might almost mistake it
for Elysium.
I had never been at all prepared for the indescribable beauty of a
Texas prairie at this season of the year, which I now could not avoid
admiring, even under such unpleasant circumstances. The wild flowers
had greatly multiplied, so that they were often spread around us in the
utmost profusion, and in wonderful variety. Some of those which are
most cultivated in oar northern gardens were here in full bloom and
perfection, intermingled with many which I had never before seen, of
different forms and colors. I should despair of giving my reader any
adequate idea of the scenes which were thus so richly adorned, and
through which we often passed for acres in extent, breaking for
ourselves the only path perceptible on the whole prairie. Among the
flowers were the largest and most delicate I had ever seen, with others
the most gaudy. Among them were conspicuous different species about six
inches in diameter, presenting concentric zones of the brightest
yellow, red and blue, in striking contrasts. In more than one instance
these fields of flowers were not only so gay and luxuriant as to seem
like a vast garden richly stocked with the finest plants and abandoned
to a congenial soil, but extensive almost beyond limitation: for it was
sometimes difficult to discover whether they stopped short of the
horizon. It was singular also that patches were here and there
overspread by mimosas, which, as our horses passed through them, drew
up their leaves and dropped their branches whenever they were brushed
by their feet, thus making a withered trace on the surface, which was
but gradually obliterated as these timid plants regained their courage,
raised their stems again and expanded their withered leaves. The plants
whose sensitiveness had thus been overcome, were rendered
distinguishable to the eye from others, by the exposure they made of
the lower side of their leaves when they folded them up: that side
being of a much lighter hue than the upper. There was a phenomenon
connected with this striking appearance, which I was at the time unable
to account for, and could hardly credit. That was, the shrinking of the
delicate plants a little in advance of us, before we had quite reached
them. A friend who had witnessed the same thing, accounted for it by
supposing that they received a shock through the long horizontal roots
which connect them together.
One of the first flowers which appears to deck the prairie in the
spring, is the prairie rose, which in blossom and fragrance, resembles
some of our rich red roses, though the shrub is quite different. As for
others, I know not what a botanist might make of them: but I am certain
that many of them would be exceedingly admired in our own country, as
rich and new; and as to the scenes over which they were spread, it is
impossible to describe or to imagine their beauty and attraction. After
looking on the rich and ever varying display, I felt a high degree of
pleasure and admiration, so that I thought I could almost give my
mustang his liberty, throw myself on the ground and spend the whole
season among them. Occasionally too a light breath of wind would rise,
and blow the mingled perfumes into my face, giving an enjoyment no less
pure and refined, and most difficult to express.
VIRGINIA HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.
We select the following from the "_The Western Monthly Magazine_," a
very neat and ably conducted periodical, published at Cincinnati. We
are gratified at the favorable notice taken of the first labors of the
_Historical and Philosophical Society_;--a society which, of all others
ever established among us, ought to stir up every Virginian who
possesses a particle of state pride. Why, in the name of every thing
that is dear to us, do we not unite our efforts to establish something
like a literary and scientific character for the Old Dominion. Is there
not something, besides politics, worth living for? We shall devote some
pages of our future numbers to the interests of this excellent
institution.
COLLECTIONS _of the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society_; to
which is prefixed an Address spoken before the Society, &c. by
_Jonathan P. Cushing_, A.M., President of Hampden Sidney College. vol.
i. Richmond, T. W. White, 1833.
The Society from whose labors this pamphlet has been produced, was
originated in the winter of 1831; but owing to the fatal epidemic which
prevailed in that country, in common with other parts of the United
States, and other adverse causes, effected but little during the two
first years of its existence. The interesting publication now before
us, however, affords an earnest that the rich hoard of ancient lore,
treasured in the public archives, or private records, of the ancient
dominion, will not be suffered to lie concealed any longer from the
public eye.
We hail the establishment of this Society, at the head of which we
perceive the name of the venerable Chief Justice of the United States,
as an event highly auspicious to the literature of our country.
Notwithstanding all that has been published, the older states of the
Union abound in fragments of traditionary history, of the most
interesting and valuable character, many of which will soon be lost to
posterity, unless they shall be rescued from oblivion by the efforts of
zealous and learned associations. Virginia especially, is rich in the
materials of history. From the day when the intrepid Smith first
wandered in search of adventure, along the wooded shores of the
Chesapeak, and when the gentle Pocahontas gave to the world an example
of female heroism and affection, more touching than any thing recorded
upon the pages of romance, down to the present era, her annals have
been filled with events of thrilling interest, and high importance.
Long before the revolution, her scholars and statesmen were known to
fame, and her soldiers were distinguished in the colonial wars.
Mistress of the wide expanse of the unknown west, her sons began early
to explore the wilderness, and to lay the foundation of a new empire in
this enticing region. From that state came the pioneers who subdued the
enemy, in the forests of Kentucky, and to whom America owes a large
debt of gratitude. The war for independence, was not fought by our
gallant forefathers upon the shores of the Atlantic only. While our
armies were contending there, the British had turned loose the savage
hordes of the west upon the frontiers, and the backwoodsmen were
successfully repelling the incursions of the barbarian, while
Washington was employed in fighting their regular armies. When we recal
those events, when we recollect the services of Virginia, in defending
the western settlements, and her magnanimity in yielding up to the
general government the broad lands of this Great Valley, the larger
portion of which were her own by right and by possession, it will be
seen that there is no state to whom the inhabitants of this region owe
so much, and none whose history is so nearly connected with our own. We
witness, therefore, with no small degree of gratification, an attempt
to place on record the existing reminiscences of the patriotic and
hardy deeds of the noble generation which preceded our own. And we hope
it will be successful. Abounding as Virginia does, in all the elements
of greatness, there is no reason why she should not perpetuate the fame
of her own sons. Containing within her limits so many men of genius,
education, and comparative leisure, she has at command the most ample
means of collecting and preserving every bright relic which has been
scattered along her career, by the hand of time.
The first article in the pamphlet before us, is the address of
President Cushing, of Hampden Sidney College, in which he sets forth
the objects of the Society, and presses them earnestly upon the
attention of the members. They are such as are usually embraced in the
plans of similar institutions, including not only historical and
biographical details, but facts in relation to the natural history and
actual condition of the state.
The next article is a "memoir of Indian wars, and other occurrences, by
the late Colonel Stuart, of Greenbrier"--a paper which sheds
considerable light upon the events which transpired upon the western
portion of Virginia, during the thirty years succeeding the year 1749.
The writer participated in the eventful scenes of that interesting
period, and was not only a soldier, but a man of strong mind, who has
recorded his recollections in a clear and easy style. The following
anecdote is quite characteristic:
About the year 1749, a person who was a citizen of the county of
Frederick, and subject to paroxysms of lunacy, when influenced by such
fits, usually made excursions into the wilderness, and in his rambles
westwardly, fell in on the waters of Greenbrier river. At that time,
the country on the western waters was but little known to the English
inhabitants of the then colonies of America, being claimed by the
French, who had commenced settlements on the Ohio and its waters, west
of the Alleghany mountains. The lunatic being surprised to find waters
running a different course from any he had before known, returned with
the intelligence of his discovery, which did abound with game. This
soon excited the enterprise of others. Two men from New England, of the
name of Jacob Marlin and Stephen Sewell, took up a residence upon
Greenbrier river; but soon disagreeing in sentiment, a quarrel
occasioned their separation, and Sewell, for the sake of peace, quit
their cabin and made his abode in a large hollow tree. In this
situation they were found by the late General Andrew Lewis, in the year
1751. Mr. Lewis was appointed agent for a company of grantees, who
obtained from the governor and council of Virginia, an order for one
hundred thousand acres of land lying on the waters of Greenbrier
river,--and did, this year, proceed to make surveys to complete the
quantity of said granted lands; and finding Marlin and Sewell living in
the neighborhood of each other, inquired what could induce them to live
separate in a wilderness so distant from the habitations of any other
human beings. They informed him that difference of opinion had
occasioned their separation, and that they had since enjoyed more
tranquillity and a better understanding; for Sewell said, that each
morning when they arose and Marlin came out of the great house and he
from his hollow tree, they saluted each other, saying--good morning Mr.
Marlin, and good morning Mr. Sewell, so that a good understanding then
existed between them; but it did not last long, for Sewell removed
about forty miles further west, to a creek that still bears his name.
There the Indians found him and killed him.
Colonel Stuart gives a very detailed account of the campaign of General
Lewis in 1774, which resulted in the battle at Point Pleasant. That
battle was, in fact, the beginning of the revolutionary war; for it is
well known that the Indians were induced by the British to commence
hostilities, for the purpose of confounding and terrifying the American
people. It was thought that an Indian war would prevent a combination
of the colonies for opposing the measures of parliament, and would turn
their thoughts from resistance to the government, by engaging them in
the defence of their homes. The Shawanese, a fierce, warlike, and
numerous tribe, were employed on this occasion, and they were a tribe
not to be despised--for by them, with their allies, have the most
conspicuous battles in the West been fought. It was chiefly the
Shawanese that cut off the British army under Braddock in 1755, and
defeated Major Grant and his highlanders at Fort Pitt in 1758. It was
they who defeated an army composed of the flower of Kentucky at Blue
Licks--who vanquished Harmer and St. Clair, who were beaten by Wayne,
and conquered by Harrison.
The army sent against these formidable savages by Governor Dunmore, was
composed of Virginia volunteers, led by General Andrew Lewis, a
gentleman of whose military abilities General Washington entertained so
high an opinion, that when the chief command of the revolutionary
armies were tendered to himself, he recommended that it should be given
to General Lewis. He was the companion of Washington in the fatal
campaign under Braddock, and was a captain in the detachment which
fought at Little Meadows in 1752. He commanded a company of Virginians,
attached to Major Grant's regiment of Highlanders in 1758, and on the
eve of the battle in which the latter was so signally defeated, was
ordered to the rear, with his men, in order that he might not share the
honor of the expected victory. There he stood with his brave
Virginians, impatiently listening to the reports of the musquetry, at a
distance of more than a mile from the battle ground--until the
Europeans were defeated, when, without waiting for orders, he rushed to
the scene of slaughter, and by his coolness and skill, turned the scale
of victory, drove back the savages, and saved the regulars from
massacre. "When he was advancing," says the narrative before us, "he
met a Scotch Highlander under speedy flight, and inquiring of him how
the battle was going, he said 'they were a' beaten, and he had seen
Donald McDonald up to his hunkers in mud, and a' the skeen af his
heed.' Grant made his escape from the field of battle with a party of
seven or eight soldiers, and wandered all night in the woods," but
surrendered himself to the enemy in the morning, while the Virginians
marched home in triumph. This was the same Colonel Grant who figured in
the British Parliament in 1775, when he had the impudence to say, he
knew the Americans well--he had often acted in the same service with
them, and from that knowledge would venture to predict, that they would
never dare to face an English army, being destitute of every requisite
to constitute good soldiers.
We regret that we have not room to make further extracts from this
narrative. We shall have attained our object, however, if the remarks
we have made, shall be the means of attracting attention to this
interesting era in our history.
The last article in this pamphlet is a very curious document, being an
exact copy of the "Record of Grace Sherwood's Trial for Witchcraft, in
1705, in Princess Ann County, Virginia." On another occasion we shall
present an account of this singular procedure to our readers.
THE LITERARY JOURNAL.
M. M. Robinson, Esq. editor of the Compiler, has issued the first or
specimen number of a new periodical to be published weekly in this
city, with the title of the "LITERARY JOURNAL." Its contents will
consist of _selections_ from the mass of contemporary literature,
American and foreign. We should rejoice in Mr. Robinson's success, even
if his paper was likely to conflict with the interests of the
"Messenger." In truth however, the two periodicals ought to flourish
together, and be mutually beneficial. Whilst the "Journal" will be
filled _exclusively_ with _selected_ matter, the "Messenger" will
_chiefly_, though not entirely, consist of _original_ articles. The
_former_ will improve the taste and enrich the mind of the reader, by
culling from inexhaustible sources whatever may contribute to his
gratification and amusement; whilst the _latter_ will furnish the means
of exercising the talents of _our own writers_--of imbodying our own
conceptions, and reducing to _practical use_, the knowledge which we
acquire. Whilst in order to write well, much reading is absolutely
necessary, so all the reading in the world will avail but little,
unless the free and familiar use of the pen is also obtained. We
certainly never shall become a literary people unless we learn to use
the treasures we accumulate from books; no more than the theory of
military tactics will ever make an accomplished soldier in his
closet--or the study of jurisprudence constitute a lawyer of one who
never appears at the bar.
The first number of the "Journal" is filled with reviews of foreign
publications, and other articles, which appear to have been judiciously
selected. We take the liberty of making one suggestion however, and
that is, that the source from which each article is derived ought to be
designated. If the name of the writer cannot be given, that of the
Quarterly or Monthly from which it is extracted, ought by all means to
be furnished. It would moreover be doubtless gratifying to the reader
to understand whether he is indebted to an American or British author
for the pleasure he receives.
Mr. Robinson will, it is hoped, be successful in his enterprise.
EXTRACT FROM LACON.
Nothing is so difficult as the apparent ease of a clear and flowing
style: those graces which from their presumed facility encourage all to
attempt an imitation of them, are usually the most inimitable.
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT.
The two preceding numbers of the "Messenger" having been, as far as we
can learn, favorably received by its patrons, we have endeavored in
this to keep pace with expectation, by presenting a rich variety of
original matter, and a few interesting selections. Among the most
important duties of those who have any concern in the management of
such a work--it is not the least to be watchful of an enlightened
public opinion--to profit by the suggestions of others, and even to
receive with patience well-intended rebuke. It is precisely in this
latter spirit that we have noticed in the letters of one or two
correspondents, as well as in the public prints, some animadversions
upon the editorial remarks in the last number. We have been censured,
and perhaps justly, for bestowing too much praise on the contributions
of our friends. However great the error, it was at least honestly, if
not prudently committed.
It was believed that a little commendation was not only justly due, but
might stir up generous minds to increase their efforts in behalf of an
infant and laudable enterprise. We should always prefer erring on the
side of indiscriminate praise, rather than undeserved censure. The true
path, indeed, is to avoid both extremes,--but it is much easier to
prescribe good counsel than always to follow it. We have been
admonished too by a very sensible and judicious correspondent, in whose
judgment we entertain great confidence, that we have imposed
inconvenient and impolitic restrictions upon the writers for the
"Messenger," by limiting the subject matter of their contributions. We
are told that we have circumscribed too much the field of their labors,
by objecting to such materials as are drawn from foreign character and
manners,--and we are gently reminded of an apparent inconsistency,
between our professed attachment to domestic subjects, and the
admission into our columns of copious extracts from an English novel.
We are moreover informed from the same intelligent source, that our
denunciation of all such fictions as are founded upon fairy mythology,
is not very reasonable,--inasmuch as these may imbody the conceptions
of imagination and genius--and may serve to illustrate and display
Virginia talent and literature.
Now, with due deference to these various suggestions, which we know to
originate in perfect good will--it is proper in the first place to
remark, that we do not perceive any inconsistency between our objection
to "the trammels of foreign reading"--and the admission into our pages
of good selections from foreign publications. The "Messenger" is
designed chiefly to encourage the practice of literary composition
among our own writers of both sexes,--and of literary composition there
are great varieties,--some founded on fact and personal observation,
and some which are moulded exclusively out of the creations of fancy. A
writer who will give us facts or sketches of the character and manners,
or scenery of a foreign country, derived either from his own
observation or authentic sources, will render an acceptable
service;--but, in a pure tale of fiction, or in descriptive narrative,
founded for the most part upon the mere inventions of genius--why is it
necessary or proper to slight the familiar materials which every where
surround us, and resort to those hackneyed and frequently distorted
pictures of transatlantic manners, of which we can only form just
conceptions through the secondary medium of books? If we must have
foreign tales for our amusement and instruction, had we not better take
them from those who copy from life, and are more likely to present
faithful and finished sketches! Let foreign writers, therefore, give us
pictures of their own,--and such, as we like we will publish; but let
our own adventurers in the paths of literature, prefer rather to stand
upon ground with which they are acquainted. Let them weave their
garlands with flowers plucked from our native wilds, or our own
cultivated gardens, and not rely, as too many do rely, upon exotic
ornaments wherewith to embellish their pages. It is true that a
_strict_ observance of any such rule as this is not to be expected and
is perhaps not practicable--and we are perfectly aware, that
illustrious examples may be found in our own, as well as in other
countries, of a departure from its letter if not from its spirit. These
examples for the most part, however, will be found on examination, to
rest on peculiar circumstances. The genius of a Scott, may soar amidst
the grandeur of Alpine scenery,--or may depict the curious
superstitions and simple manners of the Shetland Islanders;--but minds
like his,--of such incomparable vigor and fertility, are neither bound
by the confines of space or time. They have a kind of exclusive
privilege to transcend ordinary rules,--and those who would plead their
example, ought at least to shew something like extraordinary merit to
entitle them to the same exemption. If we look to our own country, it
is well understood, that Mr. Cooper owes his reputation as a writer of
fiction principally to those fine romances, which are founded upon
native character and scenery--and that, if that reputation has suffered
at all, it is in consequence of his desertion of a field so wide and
magnificent, for the beaten and monotonous track of European character
and customs. Mr. Irving is undoubtedly most indebted for his literary
fame to such of his productions as are purely American; and it is
probable that in the future estimate which will be formed of his powers
and genius, his Bracebridge Hall, and the Tales of the Alhambra, will
hold no comparison in the scale of merit with his Knickerbocker, or
Salmagundi. But why amplify our illustrations? We will present no
absolute rule on the subject,--but rather choose to throw out these
opinions and suggestions to our readers and contributors, as matter for
their consideration.
In respect to the Legends of Fairy land,--which give such illimitable
scope to the fancy--and operate so feebly, if at all, in imparting
either rational amusement or instruction,--we confess that our opinions
are more decided and our objections more insurmountable. We think that
the day has past when such kind of reading will either be relished or
endured. In this age of comparative mental sobriety,--aliment like
that, is not likely to satisfy the intellectual appetite; no more than
the spectre tales of the last century would suit the rational and
regulated taste of the present time. This opinion it is not necessary
to enforce by a train of reasoning. We think that a large majority of
our readers will concur in the sentiment.
We are also informed from more than one quarter, that we awarded too
liberal and dangerous a compliment in our last number, to one article
especially, to wit--the "_Recollections of Chotank_;"--that we have
thereby, without intending it, given a sanction to vices which were
once fashionable, but now no longer so: that we have offended against
the laws of that chaste empress, TEMPERANCE,--who sits enthroned in so
many hearts, and who will not countenance the slightest inuendo against
her sovereignty; and that we have actually been guilty of the sin of
commending a paper, which contained enticing references to the social
excesses and abuses of ancient hospitality. To all this we reply, that
we spoke of the "_Recollections of Chotank_" as a _literary_
composition,--and that we had no more design, in the tribute which we
paid to its merit, to recommend the vices of "gambling and drinking,"
than we believe the author himself had, when he sat down to sketch his
reminiscences of by-gone days. We hope that the most fastidious will be
content with this disclaimer.
It is impossible that the "Messenger" can always please each one of its
readers. Its contents must be necessarily varied--and it will often
happen, that an article which will dissatisfy one person, will be
particularly acceptable to another. So it is on the stage, at the
forum, and in the pulpit. Some will loath that very part of the
performance, the argument or doctrine, which will inspire others with
delight. As we cannot possibly please all, we must endeavor to satisfy
the greater number, and in so doing we may probably please ourselves.
There is one thing of which our readers and patrons may rest assured,
that we shall never knowingly countenance any thing either false in
taste, or wrong in morals;--and we hold--that purity in both, is
necessary to the dignity and value of literature.
We have been gently reprimanded by some of our friends for not
confining ourselves exclusively to _original matter_, whilst others
have thought, that a few more good _selections_ would add to the value
of our pages. Such is the "incurable diversity of human opinion." Our
own view of the subject is so much better expressed by a distinguished
writer, than we can do it--that we shall give below in the "_Extracts
from the letters of our correspondents_," a full quotation from his
letter.
But what shall we say of the contents of the present number?--shall we
say nothing, least peradventure we may say too much? Must we be
altogether silent, in order that our patrons may judge for themselves,
unbiassed by our own humble opinion? We cannot in conscience be so
uncivil as not to return the kindness of our friends, with the simple
expression of our thanks; and if perchance we should so far suffer our
good feelings to master our judgment, as to bestow praise where none is
due, we feel confident that the superior discernment, and more
enlightened taste of our readers, will correct the error.
Let us therefore take a rapid survey of the feast which we have spread.
Perhaps our bill of fare may tempt curiosity and whet the appetite.
The article entitled "_Sketches of the History and Present Condition of
Tripoli_," will be read and admired, not only for the style, but the
really valuable and interesting information it contains. The source
from which it comes may be fully relied on.
The domestic grievances of "_Belinda_" are we hope not without remedy.
Time and strict regimen may perhaps restore her dyspeptic consort to a
more equable frame. His humors have at least had the effect of
supplying us with a good article.
The "_Reporter's Story, or the Importance of a Syllable_," is by a
practised writer,--whose pen is humorous, caustic and brilliant, as
occasion requires. We should be glad to secure his constant assistance.
The "_Cottage in the Glen_," is by a lady not unknown as a writer.
There are few who will not admire the simplicity and beauty of her
narrative; and to such as are of a serious or religious cast of mind it
will be particularly interesting. We hope that the authoress will often
favor us with the productions of her pen.
The "_Alleghany Levels_," is by a gentleman of scientific acquirements
and classical taste. It is with peculiar pleasure that we insert in the
"Messenger" such articles as his and "_The Cyclopean Towers in Augusta
County, Virginia_." They develope some of those rare curiosities and
remarkable features in the scenery of our state, which have hitherto
been undescribed. The latter article is by one who possesses a
cultivated taste for the beautiful in art and nature.
The story of "_My Classmates_," will be read when it is known to
proceed from the author of "An Extract from a Novel," which was
inserted in the last number of the Messenger. The space which the story
occupies will be its greatest recommendation; it is one of thrilling
interest, and told in powerful language.
We know not how all our readers will relish "_Cupid's Sport_," but
there are some passages in it which Yorick himself would not have been
ashamed to write, even with "the high claims and terrifying exactions"
of the widow Wadman's eyes to inspire him.
"_Pinkney's Eloquence_," it will be seen is from the pen of "Nugator."
His pieces need no commendation from us; we are charmed with every
thing about them except the signature.
The "_Leaf from the Journal of a Young American Tourist_," we noticed
in our last number. It is a graphic sketch, from the port-folio of an
accomplished young traveller.
The "_Dandy Chastised_," will be relished by all who desire to see that
anomolous species lampooned out of countenance.
The _selections_ in the present number are accompanied by prefatory
remarks. "_The Letters from New England_," the first of which is
inserted, though originally published in the Fredericksburg Arena, have
been revised and corrected by their author expressly for the
"Messenger." They deserve a more enduring record than the columns of a
newspaper.
The suggestion has been made to us by one entitled to respect, that in
the present condition of the public taste, too much space has been
allotted in our columns to the productions of the Muse. We humbly hope
that our friend is mistaken in this opinion. Nothing would grieve us
more than the conviction that, among southern readers generally, there
was not felt a lively concern and growing interest in the successful
cultivation of that charming branch of literature; and indeed if this
were the proper place, we think we could easily demonstrate that poetry
exercises a most potent, diffusive and abiding influence upon the
interests and happiness of society. Our present number will be found to
contain some precious gems, which fully establish the claims of
southern genius to high capabilities in the tuneful art. We forbear
however to discriminate, confident that the taste of our readers will
readily discern all that feeble language could express.
EXTRACTS FROM THE LETTERS OF CORRESPONDENTS.
FROM PENNSYLVANIA.
_Philadelphia, Nov. 4, 1834_.
"I thank you truly for your obliging attention in sending to me the two
numbers of your 'SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER,' which I have read with
much satisfaction. I look with a deep interest and pleasure upon every
effort to raise up the literary character of our country; to lay the
foundations of a pure and sound taste, and to stimulate our native
genius to develop and strengthen its powers. In the encouragement of
these attempts, we should all act and feel as the citizens of the
American republic, disregarding sectional divisions, and undisturbed by
questions of state rights and constitutional scruples and
constructions. Here we should be a consolidated people, and whether the
candidate for fame be a native of the north or south, the east or west,
we should claim him as our own, belonging to all alike. When I hear of
the establishment of a seminary of learning; of a scientific or
literary publication; of an invention in the arts; in short, of any
thing which sheds abroad the light of American genius and power, its
particular location is, with me, quite a secondary consideration,
scarcely, indeed, considered at all. It is enough for me that I can say
to the supercilious European, _this is American_.
"With these sentiments, you may be assured that I wish success to your
endeavor to rouse the spirit of the South in the cause of literature;
to draw its intellectual energies from the everlasting and monotonous
discussion of politics, which has run the same round of topics and
arguments for forty years, and to allure her favored sons and daughters
to the kinder and brighter fields of science and letters. If you shall
be able to continue as you have begun, your subscribers will be amply
remunerated for their patronage, and your contributors may be proud to
see their lucubrations on your pages. It is well that you do not
confine yourself to original compositions, but mix them with judicious
and interesting selections from works of established reputation.
Repeated experience has shewn that an editor cannot depend much upon
the voluntary contributions of our own writers, however friendly to his
design, who are too much occupied with their own concerns and the
serious business of life, to be relied on as the support of such an
enterprise as yours.... We have not yet a class or body of _authors by
profession_; writing is the occupation of hours snatched from business,
or the amusement of the few who have leisure for indulgence."
FROM THE VALLEY OF VIRGINIA.
"I look with much anxiety to your _Launch_, (which I wish had been the
title of your work)--the first of any promise in Virginia, heartily
desiring it God-speed--yet fearing that you may meet with some
inaptitude or distaste to mere literary contribution from the educated
of our citizens. This, however, cannot last long; you may feel it at
the outset, but it will soon end; for I doubt not that the Messenger,
as one of its best effects, will draw into literary exercise the
talents which now lie fallow throughout the community, or which have
long extravasated in politics and professions. The mind of Virginia is
unquestionably a quarry from which much that is precious may be
extracted; and you may and I hope will be able to expose its strata to
the light, as the huntsman of the Andes exposed to the eye of the
world, at the foot of the yielding shrub which he had seized upon for
support, how rich and vast was the treasure which an unexamined surface
had concealed."
FROM SOUTHERN VIRGINIA.
"Be assured no effort on my part will be wanting to extend the
circulation of the Messenger, and nothing would give me more unfeigned
pleasure than being instrumental in the promotion of so laudable an
enterprise. Your periodical is truly a pioneer in the cause of southern
literature; and reasoning from the general character of the southern
people, no other conclusion can be legitimately drawn, than a highly
enlarged, extensive and honorable patronage. That this may be the case,
permit me to add an ardent hope to my unqualified belief. We have been
too long tributary to the north; it is time, high time, to awake from
our lethargy--to rise in the majesty of our intellectual strength, put
on the panoply of talents and genius, and _strike_ for the 'prize of
our high calling' in literature. If the object of your labors be
attained, of which there can be no reasonable doubt, posterity will be
more grateful to you than to thousands of the _political exquisites_ of
the day, whose memory will last just so long as their ephemeral
productions."
FROM EASTERN VIRGINIA.
"I shall endeavor to avail myself of the offer of your columns, and if,
as you propose, your periodical shall be issued monthly, I may probably
contribute my full quota to every number. In doing so, I shall try to
remember that I am writing for a _literary_ work, and one which leans
much on the support of light readers. I shall therefore endeavor to
treat grave topics with as little gravity as the nature of the case may
admit of; drawing my reasons less from authority than from common sense
and the nature of things, and addressing them to the untaught feelings
of the heart, rather than to what is falsely contradistinguished as
reason and judgment. I say _falsely_, because when the mind is once
broken in by the discipline of a spurious philosophy, it is too apt to
throw out its view all considerations incapable of being established by
any regular chain of reasoning. Yet these are often entitled to be
regarded as first principles; and their proof is found in nature, and
in the universal acquiescence of mankind, the more conclusive, because
it does not rest on reason, but on a sort of moral instinct. If men
wrote less for fame and more for effect, I am persuaded they would find
it rarely necessary to conduct the reader through a long process of
ratiocination, and that the important end (conviction) would be often
best accomplished by those striking exhibitions of truth which make it
manifest at a glance. Such is the case with most of those great truths
on which the rights, and duties, and happiness of men depend. On such
subjects truth vindicates her title to respect by her very presence.
'She walks a queen,' and the heart gives its homage, and compels the
acquiescence of the understanding, without stopping to look into her
patent of royalty. Does any man doubt such truths? No. Can they be
proved? No; and _therefore_ they are the more certainly true. The fact
that they are universally accepted, is a _fact_ to reason from; and it
is the philosophy that teaches to overlook such facts that I call
false.
"How often, when a man takes up his pen to elaborate a long course of
reasoning, does he find himself attempting to lead his reader along a
track that his own mind did not travel. Can he wonder that his reader
will not consent to be so led? Does he think that he alone has the
privilege of travelling the high road of common sense, which levels
mountains and lifts up vallies, and that others will permit themselves
to be led a roundabout way, picking their steps with painful accuracy
along the dividing ridge between 'right hand extremes and left hand
defections?' And why does he attempt this? Merely to show that he is
too profound, and too philosophical to take any thing for granted."
"Accept my thanks for the Southern Literary Messenger. Its contents I
have perused with pleasure. Its execution is not to be surpassed in
accuracy and neatness. Can a discerning public withhold encouragement,
especially when the benefits will be mutual? Indeed I consider the
advantages more likely to be on the side of the public provided a
liberal spirit prevail, and the well stored minds of the South
contribute to establish, through the Messenger, that high literary
reputation which is within their power to erect. The pride of the Old
Dominion should respond to your appeal by a generous contribution of
subscriptions and mental effusions. Please consider me a subscriber."
"The reception of your Literary Messenger gave me much pleasure, and I
thank you for your polite attention in sending it. The cause you have
in hand is one very dear to my heart, and I sincerely wish you success;
I must not omit, however, to testify my zeal in a more substantial way,
and accordingly send you five dollars, and desire to be considered a
subscriber, and promise to use every exertion to procure you others."
FROM MIDDLE VIRGINIA.
"... Taking now as many papers as I can well pay for, I am induced to
support the Messenger nevertheless, from the great anxiety which I feel
for the progress of literature in the South, and to show to the country
that the soil of the Old Dominion, so fertile in the production of
patriots and statesmen, can also support and rear to age the bright
scions which adorn smoother and more ornamented fields. I feel that
this is a solemn duty, which the youth of Virginia owe to the memory of
their fathers,--the mantles of whose patriotism have descended upon
them unsoiled; to men who were cast upon so rough a sea as to have
little time to think of any thing else save the dangers around them:
their whole lives having been spent in bringing the noble vessel,
freighted with every thing dear to American bosoms, into a safe harbor,
where she has ever since continued to ride triumphantly in prosperity
and glory, it can be nothing more than sheer justice in us to raise
this 'tardy bust' to buried merit. As almost the pioneer in this noble
undertaking, I bid you God speed, and I trust that the success of your
paper may not only blot out the only spot on the escutcheon of
Virginia, but in every way equal your most sanguine expectations."
FROM A SOUTH CAROLINIAN.
"The objects you have undertaken to accomplish, and which, judging from
your prospectus and the character the public have given of your paper
and yourself, will most certainly be attained, are highly meritorious
and praiseworthy. Such a periodical has been long desired at the south,
whose literary reputation is far inferior to that of the north--to
awaken the dormant faculties--to arouse the ambition, and direct and
concentrate the energies of a people, whose abilities are _at least
equal_ to those of any class of men on earth. Incitement is all that is
wished, and your paper, southern in its principles, and established in
a southern city, will produce it, if any thing can. Capacity it is well
known is not deficient. Only bring it fairly into play, and your
columns will, and a hundred such would be filled with the most valuable
matter--with the most finished efforts in every branch of literature."
FROM THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
"I have yours, with the several copies of the Literary Messenger, which
I will dispose of to the best advantage, and shall be happy if I can be
instrumental in circulating extensively in the West, a periodical that
promises so much, and in its first number presents evidences so
flattering, of the genius and refined taste of Virginians. I hope you
will find ample encouragement to persevere in your work. The pride of
Virginia,--_the mother of states_,--will surely not allow a work such
as yours to fail for the want of patronage."
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO CONTRIBUTORS, &C.
We regret that various articles of merit both in prose and verse are
necessarily excluded from the present number. Among the former, "_Hints
to Students in Geology_"--"_Eloquence_"--"_The March of Mind_"--and the
"_Description of a Fourth of July Celebration_," shall certainly appear
in December. Among the latter, "_Lines to D----_," by a lady--"_Beauty
and Time_"--"_Autumn Woods_"--"_Powhatan_;" and "_Lines Suggested on
Viewing the Ruins of Jamestown_," shall be published.
So also shall appear "_The Invocation to Religion_," and other pieces
by our esteemed correspondent "L."
We hope that our talented friends of Mobile and Tuscaloosa will be
patient. We could only delight our readers with a part of their
contributions in the present number. We greet the literary spirit of
our young sister of the southwest.
We regret being obliged to decline the publication in the present
number of the lines on "_The Creation of the Antelope_," being unable
to decipher some of the words in the copy sent. Can we be favored by
our correspondent "C" with another copy?
We have placed _Mr. French's Grammar_ in the hands of a skilful
philologist for examination.
We have been favored with a sight of the _Poetical Manuscripts_ of the
late excellent and lamented _Mrs. Jean Wood_, and we shall take the
earliest opportunity to present some selections from them to the notice
of our readers.
The essay on "_Luxury_" was received too late for the present number.
We are unable to decipher the manuscript of "_Alive_."
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol.
I., No. 3, November, 1834, by Various
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