Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-06-14


in g the Union that paper which speaks for the
President, if not in his very words--that the Sec
rotary OF the Treasury is collecting and preparing
the data for general reduction of the Tariff in its
heayier-taxed articles among which coal and iron
are two of the chief. Others again must be sick
Of Witnessing the open contempt of law and duty
with which the present Administration has carried
out the spois-system and others, finally are still
more disguised at the non-applicaton of that system
to their own personal benefit. There are thus
excluding even those whom the war-tone of the
Cabinet displeases-many more sorts that are likely
to abandon the Iocofocos than the Wings
AS for Natvism, well inclined as | am towards
/ it, see not how party can take any particular
prevalence which has, thus far, signalized itself
only by the i'll it has done and the confessed failure
it has made. 1t has certainly put itself under bad
leaders and worse organization: but most of all,
it is confessed to me here now that the composition
Of the party itself is bad. Wanting, then, the re-
putation Of success as well as that Of prudence, of
discipline, and Of personal worth, see not how
they suddenly to grow an ascendant party.
Probably they are much nearer to becoming an OBJ
solete one.
There is but one other matter of local politics
which can just now exert much influence over par
ties and this is the question OF liquidating not
liqudating the interest OF the State debt On this
subject, the Wings appear to have acted with spirit
and patriotism, and to have carried forward certain
portions of the State to the OFFER most honorable to
them citizens, of paying up their ensuing taxes
in advance, in order that the next payment of inte
rest may be met. Gov. SKUNK and his friends on
the contrary, to have met the public difficult
ties much less well.
The Government of the State, however, offers
two shocking anomalies, in the mere enforcement
al.
attention and make him ask, " Is this under one Of
: the new philosophically constructed societies 7
Are we here within the peculiar empire of rea-
. son! Is it thus that things work in one of the
good LAFAyETTE's model Governments Z"
write at this moment within half an hours walk
of large population, in dependant borough of
Philadelphia, though not within her municipal au-
thortes, where broils and riots form permanent
state OF things, where mobs are, so to speak, per-
mitted amusement, and where, as to any thing like
a repressive exertion, the laws can only be consd-
cred as in a state of perpetual suspension. The
scenes of last years bloodshed were only explo-
sions, upon greater scale, and in other quarters,
of the violence which exists there lin the Kensing-
ton suburbs at its own pleasure, and quite beyond
any civil interference. There factions of foreign
origin ply the cudgel upon each others wild pates
there, fishermen, as rude of hand as their women
have been reputed of tongue WELD the stretch
er and the boat-hook; there, fremen and hose COM
panies kndle up upon each other fercer than
the wild element with which they deal and there,
animated by Hibernian example, the very women
rush into the brawls hur the brckbat from afar, or
pushing on to close quarters, wrap four-pound
stone in their aprons, and running upon the adverse
side, let drive with that weapon blow that de6es
all " Tending"
You will ask, in astonishment, if this be posi-
BILE! Not only is the fact SO, but of very easy ex
panation There are magistrates there selected BY
the popular vote only they are therefore dema-
gogues alone. If they did their duty, they would
never be reelected But, besides for their execu
tive officers they have constables also eective-de
| magogues Of course, and who would of course never
think Of interfering with the sovereign while he j,
at his amusement of row, of breaking heads Oh
laws. presume you are satisfied that the state O
things in Kensington is quite natural.
But now, from the lowest agent of the law, let us
ascend to the highest from constables to the Gov.
ernor. find that Gov. PORTER, during his lately
ended term, gave pardons to about eight hundred
convicted criminals, some of them condemned for
the most atroclous crimes, committed under cir
cumstances the most aggravated! In several cases,
ne has issued pardon for an atrocious offence
without even the decency of waiting for investi-
cation. In a word he has held out wholesale
impunity for any offence that man may choose to
commit Is it possible that, from an official con-
duct so abandoned, a universal license for crime
shall not ensue! j.
PHILADELPHIA, JUNE IL, lS45.
The night of that very day which had set apart
for minute survey of the Gallery of the Pennsyl-
vania Academy has witnessed the devastation of that
fine collection Guided by one of its directors,
himself an excellent artist, to whose judgment the
Gallery owed many precious additions, to whose
zeal it owed much of its prosperity ! had in the
morning examined with admiration and carefully
noted all that was worthiest of description in the
several halls; and that very night, about clock,
on my way 10 witness again the last act Of Leonora
/ came suddenly, with pang the seyerest, upon
the confagration in which it seemed but too prob
able that many of the most beautiful objects on
which had lately dwelt had persisted forever!
When tell you that my own thoughts at once
reverted, with main solicitude, to real and very
fine Muriio, (the subject the Roman Daughter
formerly in the possession of the too celebrated
Prince Of Peace, Godoy, and purchased of the late
Mr.. Meade, who acquired it while Consul in
Spain--to a charming and very perfect Saiuator
Rosa, Mercury and Argus Ito Ganymede, Luz
crece, and several other good Guidos-to .AHsfon's
| Dead Man restored to life by touching the bones Of
Elisha, 1.-THE best, fancy of all American history
lpeces-and, among the sculptures to the beautiful
little bronze group Of Dirce, by that rare master
BenUenufo Celiini, the fighting sculptor--two ex-
quisite bacchantes, by Cerdcchi--a majestic head
Of Napoleon by CdsaoUa, of colossal size and pro-
digiously fne--and the astonishing group Of the
Battle Of the Centaurs and Lapitha, modelled by
Tough, upon the idea Of Phdiass central compo-
sition of the Parthenon work of amazing vigor