The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-10-17
THE BEST HOAX YET.

s..d,b and richness of farce which il Displays in
a. rare and racy guilibiliiy 1--WE must COLI new
ord 10 express what is, to us, really new thing)
-h;eb !, shows in the "leading journa''-beats all
A., vs have seen in the history Of all the "Roor-
Of the late canvass. Trollope, and Hall, and
,.u,l,on and the whole horde of itinerant libelers
..ho If late have made this country the theme of
illusions, must henceforth hide their diminish
"A heads. The wag whom the "Times" gravey
,,rms its "reliable correspondent" and who quiet
J., took advantage of the stupendous ignorance and
y. willing magniy Of the editors of that journal,
:. make them publish this rich revelation as their
,.,d;ng article Of the Goth Of September last, may
fairly claim to wear the diadem and to sway the
centre as the crowned king Of all the "hoaxers."
o., we will make the curiosity Of our readers
...;, No longer. Here is the Times, "leader'
:, 6d.life- length. We cannot afford to abate one
=, or little of the republished production. Let the
rnhe have the whole dose-"poetry," "fancy,"
bo,. establishment, credulity, malignity-ALL.
From the London Times. Sept 30.
III. fate of the American steam-frgate Missouri
iii mi soon be forgotten. There was something
r.rselous about it-somethng that set speculation,
md even superstition at work--without, however,
the smallest legitimate material TO work upon. A
noh war steamer eclpsing any vessel Of that class
u ,hs BRUSH navy, and evidently intended to as
,oo;sh the world, suddenly appears one Saturday
s6enoon at Gibraltar. She steers straight past
some British vessels anchored at safe distance
from the shore and drops her anchor 80 near, that,
!. che sheers in shore, she has not more than five
sse, under her bottom. The British spectators are
,eized with wonder at the size, the beauty, the ar
mament and above all, at the daring ofthe stranger.
We'll might they be aghast at the spectacle of these
amid eyolutons, performed within bowsprit's
sps,b by ship of nearly 1000 tons, $50 feet long,
with 35O men on board, carrying % enormous guns,
and oierced for "A. They look and look again, and
count her guns and admire her beautiful equip
ment and are near enough to hear the conversation
on hoard The captain and chiefoficers land, and go
aft 10 dinner at the American consul's. The Brit
ish ysers 90 down to tea, and have not finished
their second cup, when they are called to the deck
with the cry that ''the steamers on fire." She is
on fire. and after the preservation of the crew, and
avery aenpt TO preserve the vessel by the crews of
lbe surrounding British vessels, she is utterly con-
sumed, and before the next morning lies at the bot
TOM shapeless mass of charred timbers and old
iron.
people made their own comments when the ac-
count reached us at home. More was said than
was ever likely to meet the sensitive republican ear.
Though too little for war, the vessel seemed too
great for peace. II was at least demonstration.
Wherever she went, the Missouri was to advertise
the world of what our respected relative across the
Atlantic can do, and will do, on an emergency. Her
destination was various. She was bound to Alex
andra, and thence TO China, with the American
penipotentiary on board for the Celestial court.
She touched at Gibraltar, and il was said she was
to touch at England also; and, probably, at a few
other points of interest in the circuitous course from
Gibraltar to Pekin. Humanity was prompted 10
lament disaster which stopped so noble a messen-
ger of civilization in the first stage of her career.
Doubtless she was designed to diffuse the elements
Of social Improvement wherever she touched the
shore Nay, it was positively stated that such was
part Of her mission. Still, an unaccountabe mys-
iery hung over her destination and over her end
Why Talk SO big, when you mean only peace? Why
negotiate treaty with China, when the British
minister has already included you in treaty, pur-
chased by British arms for all the world As foI
the strange catastrophe, it was whispered at the
time, without the smallest ground or circumstance
of credit, that it was the crew who had burnt their
vessel. Anything is more credible than the purely
marvellous
A strange discovery has added to the materials Of
speculation, without removing the general perplexity
Dead men tell no taes-at least they did not before
the days of Heapa,h--but foundercd vessels are
not so safe. The wreck and cargo of the Missouri
are in the hands of the divers. Day after day they
are bringing up, doubtless, much that British
sailor will easily divine by the analogy of civilized
navigation and warfare But what does he imagine
the divers are bringing up in great quantities day
by day, and carrying of in carloads to their stores:
Slave shackles of every strength and size, for men
and women, old and young correspondent OF
undoubled authority has sent us three specimens
"a family group, for father, mother, and child They
are such used in the slave-trade, and are own
brothers, as we can swear, to those found on board
vessels engaged in the traffic. Were the wreck to
Judged by these alone, the divers might conclude
the Missouri to be gigantic SLAYER, designed to
meet with the arguments Of lynch law the intrica.
cies Of the right of search. But of course the Mis-
sour was not SLAYER. So what mean these count
less suits Of irons?
Till the question is answered from Washington
We can only conjecture somewhat wildly. We feel
as II we had broken into what we supposed an old
woe-celar, and had found rings in the wall stocks
and chains. II is impossible not to pursue the dis
covery. Chains and instruments Of torture were
found IN the wreck Of the Armada. Hundreds Of
thousands OF letters were part of the spois Of Saa.
nus But President Tyler was neither a Philip MOI
aAerxes. What could he be doing with these ugly
mventlons' Was it part Of Mr.. Caleb Cushing's
Instructions to extend the domestic institutions OF
America in the Celestial Empirel Was he to SOW
sa'e'y proadcast as ne went along! Was ne 10
snackle commerce, like the tickle Victory Of yore
% Inc portals Of the temple Of Liberty at Washing
enf What new region was he to annex' Could
Me Shipment be private speculation Of some citi-
zen Of The great nation who had got the ear of the
american navy board Or was Mr.. Gushing doing
'lie business on his own account, and, besides
ns Pubic mission of peace, was he about to mingle
me bread Of affection and the water of affection, "
nus private capacity, for a crowd Of captives fasi
pouha IN misery and ironw Our correspondent
Sys The shackes are presumed TO be intended for a
uePo which the Americans are said to have for their
liberated slaves on the African coast beyond NIGGA
T gUr ana with which American merchantmen trade.
u ugs supposton only gives locality to the enigma.
wh@ occasion can liberated colony have for a
sapioad Of fetters' The world will expect with i'm
panehce some account Of SO suspicious ballast
roery and fiction will gain something by the dis
livery unless they are fairly abashed at an incl
Ts"' 20 lar beyond even their daring and invention
~ lhe treasures Of the decp"-to
wedges Of gold, great anchors, heaps Of pearl,
uavvsumable stones, unvalued Jewels
-. Vauered IN the bottom Of the sea-
wu now DC added those graceful personal orna.
"ene which civilization has substituted for the
of m The orques, the earrings and necklaces
Rn sasage-ihe letters and manacles Of the slave
apart from poetry or fiction, was there ever an
NJ aen' so strange this SOBER business-likc fact
,Ss 1eoner has the anchor Of the Missouri touched
ias n1ilsh soil below the common sea, than her vii
MINUS cargo burns within her .L hcr drov,. ,,,t n,