South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1835-05-23
V arious Matters.

"Itis stated, in French paper, that
there is not single printing office, or
press, in the whole Swiss canton of Un-
derwalden."
\ Bless us, what benighted people !!
1t is no wonder the spirit Of liberty is ex.
tinct in the region where TELL struggled
for the prize of freedom.
ApRoPos I'VE were just musing the
other day upon the effects of total sus~
pension of the newspaper press, for even
the short space of one month, in this land
ofnews-mongers and politicians. What a
moral and political darkness would pre-
vail! How many who now despise the
efforts, and poorly requite the tolls, ofthe
editorial fraternity, would feel their COM
forts abridged-their rational delights sad
ly curtailed!
We have felt mischievious enough to
propose an universal suspension, by way
of variety in this dull, working-day world
of ours. Suppose, during the ''long
month Of August" when all the faculties
of mind and body are usually depressed,
and nearly extinct,-when the dust and
heat Of the cities and towns blind and
sweat US almost to death-we stop the
press, (every one of u.s. simultaneously,
and leave the world to "wag on" awhile
without us? Philosophers say there is no
such thing as VACUUM; but 1--WE guess"
that would come about as near to it as any
thing in creation. What say we, breth-
rem Shall we extirpate every WING in
the land? Shall we withdraw the SUN?
Shall we stop the evolutions of the
GLOBE? Shall we cause the EVENING
STAR to set? Shall we make every EN-
ouIRER cease his inquiries? Every INTEL
LIaENcER withhold its concentrated mass
Of information? Stop every HERALD's
mouth--and intercept each COURIER In
his message of haste?
Let there be an eclipse of every lumin-
ary in the intellectual system, just long
enough to make " darkness visible"
and the heart of every one glad when the
light shall again break forth.-[ Richmond
Compiler.
The Gold Mines Of the South..-It is
curious to see the importance that is
attached, in the minds Of most people,
to the fact, that the gold mines OF the
Southern States produce two millions
and half of dollars per annun. 1t
seems as if they thought that this por-
ton of The wealth of the country was
produced without any cost, and that
the amount was a clear gain to the
community, just as it would be if the
same amount of gold were TO drop from
the clouds. This supposition, howev-
er, is altogether erroneous. Gold can.
not be produced without human labor,
and it is very questionable whether the
production of gold is more profitable
10 the Southern people at large, than
the production of cotton, or rice, or to-
bacco, by the same number of hands.
1t no doubt happens that, when rich
vein is struck upon, the profits to the
owner may be very great, but in order
to ascertain whether the country, as
whole, is or is not gamer by the dis
covery of the mines, we must take into
consideration, the loss of labor in fruit.
less endeavors to find gold ore, and in
working barren mines, as we'll as the
sinking of capital Incident to both en-
terprizss. Ii is thought that in Next
co more people have been ruined by
mining than by any other branch of bu.
siness, which is proof that the BUSH
ness does not yield, upon an average,
the ordinary profits Of agricultural in-
dustry. A dollars worth of gold does
not enrich the country one particle
more than a dollars worth of cotton,
and when people gaze and stare with
their mouths wide open in amazemeni,
at hearing it said that the South pro.
duces too millions and half of dol.
lars worth OF gold, whilst they exhibit
no emotion on learning that the same
South produces thirty millions of dol
lars worth of cotton, it sbews that they
consider nation to be rich in proper
ton to The money, and not to the mo.
ney's porth, that she possesses.
Philadelphia Gaz.
Nouel Enterprize.-A gentleman,
named Campbell, made an attempt, on
the 18th inst, to walk under the cur.
rent of the Savanna river. The editor
of the Savannah Georgian says
"Though he did rot appear to us TO
walk on the bed of the river, but 10 be
dragged by the boats to which ne had
rope attached, he states that ne did
actually walk on the bed, but owing to
the depth Of the water, the under cur
rent and the mud, he could not make
much progress, until he was assisted
forward by the boat. All, however,