Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1831-08-22

the best tndt ever was, " ever COutu oHCu
a conglomeraton Of wisdom, patriotism, talent
and democracy, never before came, and never
can again come, from the political crucibie.-
Their gIori6catlon shall resound for and ever,
until the next change Of ministry!
Such is the influence of pldce! Those who are
fond of studying human nature, particularly III
some Of its wayward rami6cations, must derive
especial amusement from observing the effects or
dinarily produced by the sudden elevation to Of
fee and consequence, of individuals who had ne
yer been suspected of any of the qualities usual
ly deemed requisite for such advancement.
Yet so il is. When the shepherd takes pro.
miscuously from the flock some sing lie animal Tor
the shearer or the butcher, the rest stand staring
and bleatng, with Heaven knows how much OF
envy and disposition to compliment the favor
! ed eve or wether -whOse wool and hide and car
casses are nevertheless no better than their own.
| So among modern politicians of the school OF
Reform. The moment seine lucky wight blum
| ders upon windfall in the shape of commission
under Government. behold! he is imbued at the
same instant with countless virtues, which, until
this blessed moment, lay undiscovered and for
lorn. like so many grains ST gold dust beneath
; mountain Of rubbish. =
The very men who were yesterday ready to kick
him from their presence, now bow down obsequl-
ously before the creature of chance, and trumpet
forth his batteries upon the same blast Hhich has
hardly spent itselfin echoing his lnfamy. HE may
have been one Of the greatest knaves In the com
munity-no matter-the fortune OF office has IN
| simultaneously converted the rogue into perfect
| model of honesty-the intriguing. demagogue into
| a paragon Of integrity and patriotism
The divers motives which operate on partizans
thus disposed to play the hypocrite and the para
site, areI not excessively numerous nor difhcuit
! of explanation. Some are moved by eons'dera-
tons of policy, including hopes OF private gain,
and expectations OF reciprocal batteries, but all
are actuated by stimuli, Of which selt-lnterest
constitutes the basis.
However this may be-, certain it is, that no
sooner is a man thus lifted above the common herd
into office and the road to opuence. than he finds
himself surrounded by admir,ng and ingenious
devotees, who assure him that, though yesterday
| they would have sooner seen him within the clutch
| of Satan than trusted him with shilling, they
nerceiye to-day that he is worthy Of all confidence;
that though they once thought him mercenary in
the business Of politics, they now discover how
amazingly disnterested anu pure his conduct has
ever been.
Such indeed are the kind and generous propen-
sites which distinguish the students of our new
school, that the moment new sheriff is Install
ed, or new tide-waiter placed on duty, there is
deal of - booing and booing'' from all quafs
tiers, not even excepting that from which COM
plant and uproar were chiefly to be anticipated.
For equally sound and solid reasons, other in-
diyiduals, victims of mischance and foul weather,
are attacked and sacrificed without rernorse-as
vi nave seen an unIucky porpoise. with harpoon
in his harslet, set upon and destroyed bya com
pany of his own species.
| Place makes the man-=,he want of it the fellow.
Neic IrareiS. Induced by its great popular
ity IN London, Messrs. Carey and Lea, Philadel-
ptia, will soon reprint, in two volumes, a Jour-
nal Of Voyages and Travels, by the Rev, Daniel
Tyermau and George Bennett, Esq. deputed
from the London Missionary Society to visit
their various stations IN the South Sea Islands,
China, India, sc. between the years 1891 aud
1929. These volumes are compiled from orig-
nal documents by James Montgomery; and we
have seen more extracts from them than any
work that has lately appeared at the British me.
tropolis. We present the following paragraphs
as specimens:-Bo Traveller.
Influence ffhe Noon in Tropical Climates. -
According to our CAPTAIN, who has had much
experience in the favorite fishery of those seas,
the whales are considerably under the influence
of the moon, as to the course which they take,
and their appearance above water, the full aud
change Of that uminary being the periods at
which they may be sough with the most proba-
bility of success. Indeed, lunarinfuence seems
to occasion phenomena of very curious nature.
II is confidently affirmed that it is not unusual
i for men on BOARD ship, while lying in the moon
light. with their faces exposed to the beams, to
have their muscles spasmodically distorted, and
their mouths drawn awry-affections from which
some have never recovered; others have been so
injured in their sight as to lose it for several
months. Fish, when taken from the sea-water,
and hung up in the light of the moon during a
night, have acquired such deleterious qualities,
that when eaten the next day, the infected food
has produced violent sickness and excruciating
pains. We have conversed with people who have
been themselves disordered after having partak-
en- Of such fish. II is hazardous to touch on this
! subject; we repeat that we have heard from those
who ought to be believed, aud who would not az
firm that of which they themselves were not per-
lad no sfafomepfs loft a, ha conEr,,