The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1823-03-25
TIE FOUNDING.
From Tic 7rlnian Empnrlnm.

whether horn To- prosperity or adversely.
man Is still the sport of every temp II. and
The slave, in greater or less degree, of eve
~ passion. There Is not that wide and
universal difference between the portions of
happiness and misery enjoyed or suffered
by those whom fortune has placed far
apart, which many suppose. Eur since
enjoyment aud suffering depend upon the
scnslhllly of the mind. rather than upon
The effects of the outward eauses, the man
who rolls in wealth and revel4 IN power
may euioy less than the hnmbleA savage
That lives by the uncertain fortunes of the
chase, aud Quenches his parchng thirst IN
the mountain stream and thn criminal
standing at the bar of his country, may, in
Tact, suffer less than the humane aud ten
der hearted judge, who pronounces his
sentence. So is man constliuled--a being
iuli OF mcxpllcable mystery, and apparent
Inconsistencies. Alexander was miserable
when master Of the world, while Diogenes
was happy in his tub. The conclusion de.
dnclble from these premises, however, Is
not that there is IN reality no difference TO
be supposed between the fortunate and the
unfortunate ar that prosperity is no bless
sing,and adversely no evil, because this We.
ny srnslhllity To pleasure and 10 pain is as
liable In be born and To grow up with the
poor ms with the prosperous.
There Is time in life when adversely is
kceny felt, and when IFS winds are pecu-
liarly liable 10 turn the fair fabric of the
mind To ruin. That time is infancy. To
be cast on the bosom of the wide world
without a protector 10 grow up to man
hood without guide to be fIcndlcss,
without Il habltation or name IL wander
about IN ouleast from society, Stunned by
The Nlrtuous, who often Judge OF character
| 10y descent, and hold the Que doubted while
ile other remains so, aud 10 he Knocked nj
| by the vicious this is misery that wants n
name on earth Yet this has been the fate
of many it was that of one with whom
we must abide moment.
| II was late in The evening of summer
day IN the year sc, that Mr.. NJ,
a trhdcsman of Philadelphia, returning 10
his residence, found wrapped up in an old
cloak, and lying on the sill Of his door, an
almost expiring infant. II appeared 10 be
but few hours old aud while the good
man was shocked with the instanrc Of such
hcartIrss dcpryity, he resolved TO do for
il such Offices of humanity as lay in his
| power. He had IL nuftufed MS one of his
own called il by his name, T. had lac lived,
II would never have known the want of
| father but he died when il was yet an in
lhni, aud the oycrsrcrs of the poor took
charge ri the forsakrn boy. Frederick Tor
so he had been named, was IN process of
time put ont 10 nm unicelinS master, and
IS he early exhibited traits Of high and
ungoyelnablc spirit, flrcd 81 hardly that ai
the age of ! , he ran away and went To sea
After passing through . variety of scenes
| during ten years, he was ut last found in the
ranks Of the British army. The history of
| his early lIlc WAS rngrayru on his mud he
! knew iltat he had been cast onl from his
birth, by parents TO whom he was 10 live
and die n stranger he knew that the only
! heart that had ever loved him was SUM
derlng III death he remembered his I'M
feeling master, and hc bad sworn ven
gcancc against the country III which he had
thus been born and suffered, aud sought it
now under the banner of that country's
foes, while he marched with them To tram
pie down her liberties, and whclm her
dearest interests in ruin.
One dark and rainy night, a short time
after the battle Of Brandywne, he was out
with scouting party heating up the coun-
try towards The SchnylkIl, when passing
through deep aud woody morass, lac and
his companions came suddenly upon re-
tired cottage on its borders, and entering,
found II disabled American officer within,
whose fresh wounds beautiful girl WAS
weeping OVER as she dressed, while IN old
woman sat by holding candle, herself the
picture of grief and wretchedncss. The
soldiers fen 10 plundering the house. Be
ing unaccompnnied by any officer, and
finding quantity of liquor, they drank
freely and soon after hccame outrageous
Some ofthem even abused aud insultcd the
VIM ded officer, WIN, however, took no no.
lire, apparently, of any thing that passed
until Frederick seized the young lady, and
attempted 10 Kiss her. This was an insult
Of another kind, and the American sprung
from the bed whore he had lain and crap.
pied him by the throat. The discharge o
a pistol followed ike a fash Of lightning &
the officer felI dead. A loud scream FOL.
lowed" oh my brother lie has killed
my brother !" echoed to the distant hill
top, aud the young lady fell upon ia,
bed by the side of her murdered brother
and tainted while tie feeble old woman
ran screaming aud calling for help in dis
tfarted madness, from one part of the roon
10 the other. TWAS scene of horror tina
devils would have smiled at, and that fan
cy alone can imagine.
, But, had it ended here, time might hay,
eiiaced that night Of terror, from the mem
Dry Of man and its deeds been cancclIe,
rs one of the dark vieissitudcs of cruel war
Here it ended not, that innocent and deli
cate and lovely girl, just in her sixteenth
summer, and her young heart already bro
: ken by her only borther's death, her swec
blue eyes swimming with fears of anguish
unsupportabc without one hand to pro
her II, I,. l..