The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-23 00:00:00

TEXAN LADIES.

The Texan ladies seldom show themselves to stran-
gers, and, like those of the United States, they use either
the pipe or the swab. The swab is a piece of soft wood,
about three inches long, which they chew at one end un-
til it forms a brush, then dipping it into a small bottle
of brown rappee snuff, which they carry about for the
purpose of cleaning their teeth ; this operation being
performed, the swab is placed in one side of the mouth,
while the pipe sometimes takes the other. They have
little neatness or cleanliness of person to attract the eye.
Their figures are scarcely to be described : coarse from
neglect, or emaciated by self-indulgence, their skins have
borrowed from the sun the exact hue of the lemon ; and if
the countenance be an index to the mind, I doubt not
that their dispositions have somewhat of the peculiar
flavour of that sour bullet-of the tropics; but yet to those
who admire silence above every thing else in woman,
permit me to introduce the ladies of Texas par excellence
as mutes.

According to Mr. Maillard the climate of
_Texas is not a jot more inviting than its inhabi-
tants. The prairies he describes as swamps
covered with water for several months in the
year, and hardly habitable from the bites of in-
sects during the dry season. The City of Sabine
he says, is" very unhealthy," the City of Gal-
veston, " extremely unhealthy and insalubrious,"
the town of Valasco, "very unhealthy," and the
City. of Matagorda, " most unhealthy." • •
Even religious toleration, Mr. Maillard con-
tends,, does not exist in Texas--a matter which
he leaves us to infer would give him no trouble
were the country again delivered up to Mexico.
Though professing Protestantism, he enters into
a disquisition to prove that the religion of Rome
is a religion of civil democracy, and therefore
well suited to Republican States. This is a fal-
lacy which it is not Worth while contradicting.
He tells us that " the first Anglo-American co-
lonists who entered Texas with General Austin,
not only reported themselves as, but they so-
lemnly..swOre-Jhat they were, Roinan Catholics,
"Which the fundamental laws of Mexico Pe-
remptorily required," and yet in advocating the
subjugation of Texas by Mexico, he carefully
abstains from recommending any change in these
fu►idau;ental laws! But as the opinion prevailS'
in this country that religious toleration doeS
exist in Texas, we shall again have recourse to
the pages-of: our author :

RELIGION OP AND RELIGIOUS TOLERATION
IN TEXAS.
Hearing one day that the Rev. W. Taylor, a Protes-
tant clergyman; from the United States, who was gene-
rally spoke i of' as an' able and orthodox preacher, was
going to preach, I went to hear him. On entering a
room set aside as a place of worship, I found the ladies
seated on ot:e side, busily engaged with their fans, while
the gentlemen were as industriously employed chewing
tobacco on the other Prayers commenced, and I soon
detected that the general confession,
the Litany, and its
substitute, together (With the Communion service, were
totally omitted. ' Whisri
prayers were over the Rev.
Divine above nain'CillN6 a whole chapter from the
Romans as his text, and proceeded with his discourse,
a portion of which I Willere
give :—" What," said he,
" is all this bustle and" ftfgAin„ir' we hear in the world-about
the salvation of man's air? Why, it is the simplest
alive—the simpleqt.ihing' in the world. It is a
simple matter of fact; `and I'll tell you how it is to be
done—l'll tell you how. Why, go home and believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ—that's all—that's all you have to
do. I have always preached this doctrine, and, to illus-
trate the comfort it has given to the afflicted, I'll mention
a case. A poor Dutchman, who had lost two children,
came running--[Mark ! the Dutchman ran ! !]—in great
trouble. I asked him what was the matter ? when he
exclaimed, Oh, Sir !

' Mine two babes, Sir, so dead as knits,
Whom Got did take avay vid fits ;
Dem vas too good to live vid me,
So Got did take dem home to live vid he.'
"Well, well," I said, "you must go home too." The
man stared at me ; but I said to him again, ' You must
go home '—he looked down—' and believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ 1' He did not wait to make any answer,
but ran away, and in a few days he came to me again,
and said, Oh, Sir,'

If Got did kill mine babes so dead as knits,
You did take avay mine. fits."'

This discourse was delivered--; with great energy, and
at the conclusion of it the congregation sung aliymia to
theand retired.
They 81 netel:disti, Independents, and a
r of
have ‘ ‘ A
inu ldTLeaxnags,
long string of other dissenters from their Protestant
Church, but whether these constitute the schisms which
the Texan author alludes to, I am not prepared to say,
though I soon discovered the existence of both " the
petty schisms parties," and the " impalpability" of the
" powder" to which Protestantism is reduced among the
Texan community, who have been lauded by many tra-
vellers as the warmest advocates of religious tolera-
tion! But to bring this subject to the test, we will sup-
pose the man Who "ran" to Mr. Taylor, in such sad
dudgeon, to be a black man,—a negro, and Mr. Taylor
seeing the trouble of the'father for the oss of his chil-
dren, would he dare say to the poor negrO, " Go home,
and believe 'in the Lord JesuS Christ ?" Not he :
for if he were to approach the negro, even in the
capacity of a clergyman, or if a Roman Catholic priest
were to venture to•put the sign of the cross on a black
man in Texas, what would be the consequence ? lie
would be either shot on the spot, or he would be taken,
tarred, feathered, whipped, and started on a log into the
nearest river, to find his way to the bottom, or to some
more hospitable locality. Such is the true spirit of re-
ligious toleration in Texas.
And this is to write history ! We shall
not trouble ourselves further with Mr. Mail-
lard's volume. From the extracts we have
made the public will know what to think of
it. The independence of Texas being solemnly
recognised by the Governments of the United
States, England, •France, Belgium, and Holland,
may be safely regarded as-placed beyond the
chances of a successful Mexican • invasion.
Moreover, 'there is much more grounds for ap-
prehending-that Mexico will 'become a province
of Texas, thtit Iltadthe latter republic will ever'
again submit her Saxon neck to the iron yoke of
Mexico. ,;

r 'Pi: A h
THE —ITY E DERSHIP,-- t is believed
that there will be two City Pleaderships vacant, the
most able and influential members of. the Corporation
being of opinion that it will be necessary to raise Mr.
Bullock and Mr. Ryland, the senior City Pleaders, to the
offices of Judges of the Sheriffs' Courts, and to require
their assistance in the Central Crinliii:4 Court, on ac-
count of the immense increase of busines;
in all these
Courts. Amongst the ccandidates, when it is .
lawful for
A•entlemen to declare themselves candidates, will I:lupear
Mr. John Locke, a gentleman of high professional 1-:'e7
quirements ; Mr. Laurie, the nephew of Sir P. Laurie] ,
Sir Walter Riddell, Bart.; Mr. lorry; and, we believe,
several others. Laurie and-Locke are the favourites of
the constituency.
Mr. D'Alton,, the celebrated antiquarian, whose
Histories of the MotroPolitan County and See of Dublin
and Glendalough have met with such a favourable re-
ception from the public, is now engaged in:writing a
History of the Town of Drogheda.--Dublin Eveniny
Ara

LONDON ELECTRICAL -SOCIETY.
:ItrEsnAvuDitc. 2l.—The papers read at this
riseeting were, lst, " Description of an Hydros-
rflatibilvanometer," by R. J. Irernonger, Esq./
r6f Milan, member. The introduction of this in-
strument opens a new field for British ingenuity
in the construction of galvanometers. It is well
known that a De' la Rive's' floating ring will run
Off a magnet inserted in it, and vice versa a
magnet, if light enough, would run out ,pc the
On thiS principle the new galvanotneter is
constructed.. magnet is, by proper adjust-
- went, poisedl perpendicularly either in water or
mercury, and is surrounded by a De la Rive's
ring. The effect of a current passing through
the latter' is sink the magnet to a greater or
less depth, according to circumstances. And as
the pressure of liquids is simply as their height,
the depth to which the magnet sinks is in direct
_proportion to the acting power. Without a plate
1,0 cannot give a more minute description; but
have said enough to show that this instrument
promises to be a valuable addition to science.
2d; " General Explanation of the noise of
Thunder," by M. Tessan. This communication
contained a most rational account of the atten-
dant phenomena of thunder-claps. It is com-
monly observed that they are followed by de-
luging showers. That this may reasonably occur
the author shows from the well known laws of
electric action. A cloud becomes electrified; the
electricity arranges itself on its surface; the in-
sulating character of the atmosphere prevents its
escape, and its pressure outwards counterpoises
and relieves the cloud from the pressure inwards
of the air; the cloud therefore expands till the
two contrary pressures are in equilibrio. If any
Circumstance cause the escape of electricity, the
cloud contracts, the air rushes to the partial
vacuum with a hissing or roaring noise, and at
the same time, the suspended vapour being con-
gregated into drops, falls in rain. 3d. " Notice
of a new Galvanic Battery," by M. Van Melson,
with a no`e by the Secretary. This is a modifi-
cation of Wollaston's arrangement; the im-
provements consist in doing away with the need
ofparfitions'in the trough, and in placing the
elethents very near together, viz., 1-13th inch.
The power of 13 pairs, 41 inches by 3 inches, oc-
cupying a surface of only 5I square inches, is
surprisingly great;' and as the metals can
be instantly. Withdrawn from the solution,
the imtrnment Will be very serviceable for
general loorpOties. Mr. Walker's note re-
commends the recent English improvement to
be added. 'to these. 4th. " Note upon a
Modification in the, Construction of Galvanic
Piles," by M. J. G. Crahay. This is a modi-
fication of the former instrument, and was
effected by soldering the plates back to back as
in the ordinary Volta's pile. sth. " Account of
an Electro-Magnetic Steel-Yard," by Professor
Jacobi. This was an instrument to measure the
lifting, power of electro-magnets on the general
principle of the steel-yard, differing, however,
in having the power applied between the weight
and the fulcrum. It is a very ingenious piece of
apparatus, and works well; but without a draw-
ing we should fail in attempting to be minute in
description. Gth. "On a new Electrometer,"
by J. C. Oersted.) Here again, in default of a
drawing, we shall find difficulty in describing.
A fine copper needle is suspended by a film of
silk ; the silk is attached to the needle by means
of a slightly magnetized steel stirrup. The ends
of the needle rest against the two fork-like
branches of an insulated wire, through which the
electricity is conveyed. The deflections are re-
gistered on the base of the instrument. 7th.
The Secretary then laid before the Society the
Monthly Register for November of the Elec-
trical, &c. Condition of the Atmosphere, by
W. H. Weekes, Esq.