Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-03-19


volumes are worthy of the matters and the
ma me thew are meant to illustrate. They are, in
trnth admirable. Vol. |, to contain a life OF
Washington is to be published while the work,
which may extend to twelve volumes, is in pro-
gress OF the two now given to the pubic, vol.
II is occupied with letters and papers written oy
Washington before the American Revolution,
and relate chiefly to the French war of 1856, in
which he was so largely and so actively engaged.
The whole of his career, from the time he joined
Braddock till he retired from the army, is here
recorded by himself In an Appendix there IS
an elaborate and well reasoned article by the
Editor completely generating Washington
from the only charge ever brought with any
plausoiity against his honor and good falth as
soldier-that ofhaving commanded his troops,
being then only % years Of age, to fire on
French detachment by Jumonville sent to him,
as the French alledge with flag Of truce; in the
| act of reading peaceful summons to him to
retire from lands claimed to be within the
| French limits, Jumonville fell. This story,
founded originally upon the exaggerated report
of runaway French soldier, is most conclu-
sively dsproved; it is shown that in firing on
| Jumonville's detachment, which had been lurk-
| ing for some days around the camp of his own
feeble band, Washington did no more than
execute the duty of vigilant officer, for which
| he received the unqualified appreciation OF his
superiors and Of the public"
! Among the specimens, also given in the APP
pendix of the early writings Of Washington,
| there is a series of rules copied or compiled
| probably from various sources, entitled " Rules
of civility and decent behaviour in company
and conversation" We will, if we can find
room to-day, annex some Of these rules-if not,
at some other tme-as they manfestly eXer-
cised no little influence in the formation Of
| Washingtons character.
Vol. ILL.,, which commences the correSpon-
dence and papers relative to the Revolution,
opens very appropriately with Washngton's an
swer to Congress- on 10th June, ITS, accepting
| his appointment as commandments. The
volume is devoted to letters and papers written
in that capacity, to other general affairs to Con-
greSs, to provincial Congresses and reaches to
July, 1777. The political as well personal
considerations which led TO the selection of Gen
eral Washington, as cOmmander-in-cbief and
the noble devotion of New England and Of
that thorough patriot John Adams, one Of her
chief representatives, in suggesting and con-
curing in the choice Of a Virginia general, to
command armies wholly recruited at that time
| from the New England States, are ably exhibit
ed in a note of the editor in the appendix.
~ Y Amer.
Somnambulism.-A book has lately been pub
| lished in Springfield, Massachusetts, purporting
to be an authentic and regular account of the
exploits of Miss Jane G.. Rider, the Springfield
Somnambulist by L. w. Belden, M D. A Bos-
| ton paper says that there can be no doubt that
the stories related in the newspapers concern
ing Miss Rider are literally true, however incre-
dibe they may appear. Some of them, indeed,
are almost as marvellous as the accounts Of the
| Sea Serpent The following extract from DR..
Beldens book describes very uncommon feat of
| Somnambulism. domestic with such accom-
| plishments-able to do duty night and day, like
a steam engine-woud be invaluable in public
house. and in some private ones where regular
| hours are not kept:
ain one instance she not only arranged the
table for meal but actually prepared a dinner
| in the night, with her eyes closed. She first
went into the cellar in the dark, procured the We
! getables washed each kind separately, brought
in the wood. and made fire. While they were
being boiled, she completed the arrangements
Of the table, and then proceeded to try the We
getabes to ascertain whether they were suffl-
GENTLY cooked. After repeated trials, she OBJ
served the smallest Of them were done-she
took them up, and after waiting little, said the
rest would do, and took them up also. They
were actually very well cooked. She then re-
marked to S.. little girl in the family, ate milk,
| and procured bowl for her: she also procured
one for herself and ate it. As the family did
not seat themselves at table, she became impa-
tent and complained that the men never were
ready for their dinner While engaged in her
preparations, she oberved lamp burning in the
| loOu anu eAliiiS lt Say Sic ulu uOl
know why people wished to keep lamp burn.
ing in the day time" On being requested to go
to bed, she objected, alleging, as a reason that
it was day. but was persuaded to do so, by be-
| ing reminded that she was not we'll and that
sleep would relieve her head. In the morning
she appeared, as usual, totally unconscious OF
the transactions of the preceding night"
A still more wonderful account is given of her
| being able to read with her eyes shut and while
fast asleep, and Of her learning to play back
CANNON in that state, in two or three lessons,
so well as to be able to beat the Doctor himself
who is quite proficient at the game Perform
ances of the latter description have been gene
| rally thought peculiar to the somnambulism pro-
duced by animal magnetism One of the prin-
ciples of that science-accordi to the Ency-
clopedia Americana-is " that the BRAIN the pc
cuiar seat of the higher faculties rests during
| somnambuism, bat that the vital power of the
| stomach is heightened so much that it can sup
ply, in a great degree, the place of the brain.
and afford the means of perception. Hence a
letter placed on the stomach Of a person in the
state of somnambulism can be read by hm!''-
This would be great advantage to readers of
newspapers at the present time. One might
then be able to keep pace with the reports ofthe
/ nTnD