The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1844-10-12
For The Cecil Wing.
DESCRIPTICN OF A VOYAGE TO
TCLK-LAS

CLh-LA y u.
On the l3tb Of September in the year
OF our Lord our thousand cighl hundred
aud forty-Iour, bright sunshuy day.
set out iii the Packet ship Moonshine, 10
make voyage to Polk-iaud, Of which /
had heard aud read IA good deal as being IA
land Of promise flowing with milk ard
honey aud blessed with a hlppy form Of
Government administered by wise and
discreet rulers. After short and pros"
porous voyage we landed sulely in The har-
buur oil Nonsense, which IS tie name q,
the chlei town of The country. The FIRST
Thing that struck my eye on entering the
harbour was a humber OF contemplate
gun-bnals, which / was informed was all
the Navy they had, the country being too
poor Ia MAINTAIN one oi more reSpec,a-
bic size and appointments. The town
Isei! seemed to lie made up too of very
slight and unsub>tanlial houses and to be
enlvened by very tu!e trade, or indeed
industrious occupations of amy kind TIE
people, TOP Appeared to ave heavy,
stupid, Doetian look, attrit utaLle doubt
less to lhs air asihe. place, for was very
soon sens iNhf supplying lerhi-
"rsic 'qSyy4e, witch inclined ! me ne very
mach 10 Sleep, and whilst was awake
had tendency to obfuscate my intellect
- found out afterwards. for at The time
! "as disposed to approve Of every thing
/ %" IN he country, which when resior-
ed 10 the full use OF my understanding, |
viewed with the utmost disgust Having
" letter oi Introduction to high officer oi
SAFE, he was kind enough to 90 about
with me and explain every thing to me
hat was new or interesting to stranger.
Soon after MY arrIai we made short ex--
rnrsion into the country, and was very
much struck by The immense quantity OF
the plant called by holalils believe
Fhytonacra Decavdrs,) vu'garly known
by tie familiar name Of poke-w6ed. On
InGnirlng the cause Oft, my Cicerone in
turmed ne tlffl the inhabitants of the Isl-
and had supers,iiious veneralion for il
and inflicted capital punishment on any
one who was guilty of destroying the sa-
cIed plant because it was the emblem Of
their National religion.
Scch was the beclouded state Of my ia
cullcs at the time, that was disposed to
ADMIRE even this unsiehtly weed and to
bow my knee also to Baal.
Agriallue that fist OF the useful arts
was IN miserable condition, and in,cad
Of golden fields Of grain crowning the earth
with beauty and abundance, nothing met
my eye but the poke-weed in great luxu.
rance and here and there small patches
of cultivation covered with slunled and
sickly looking crops, which seemed bare
ly sufficient for the support Of the inhab
lanls. The reason Of this as explained
10 me by my guide, was new tangled
policy which prevailed at Court, that every
man should be his own halter, tanner,
shoemaker, blacksmith, apolhecary, ply,
stefan, lawyer and priest, and should pro-
vide enough bread and meat for the useof
himself and family, carefully avoiding any
thing like surplus. Hence the decline
OF Agriculture and lie mscbanic arts and
every thing which con,r1S 10 national
wealth aud greatness. This doctrine |
found was called Locolocoism one of the
main t.nets of which was shat no prolec-
ton should be afforded to domestic in
dustry by law, but that the people should
take care Of themselves and the Govern
ment would take care OF itself. Such
was the state Of darkness in which my be-
nighted intellect was enveloped that be-
gan to think that the inventors of this
theory of the proper duties Of Govern-
ment deserved to be common Grated to al