Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1845-11-11
EDITORS CORRESPONDENCE.
CINCINNATI, Nov. Z, AS.
j. f. WHARTON, ESQ

n.y. AIMING uhose hiuolcrdble ITS which might
reconcile d lnau to the drcad alternative of
''shuiiling oil this mortal COLL ! took pas-
sage 10 day for below, (no matter where) in
gr1at haste, while the boat was pulling and
snorting as with AN Impotence To be oil. |
asked the Captain when he would start. and
he seemed, by his answer, 10 postpone that
interesting event just for d few minutes. out
OF his pure wish to oblige me. Well, here |
am yet, with ule comfortable announcement
Just made, that we shall not start until to-
morrow morning. Aud the Captain is 30
rcjoicei Ton our account of course) that hc was
not obliged 10 start on Friday. So there is
luck in leisure this time. But as the evening
cannot now be otherwise disposed of, | am
going TO bestow a part OF it on YOU, at your
special instance and request.
What l shall write will b. known 10 me
when il is written-it surely il unknown now.
a trip down the Ohio from Wheeling to Gin
c%innati, rarely Offers AN adventure now. as IT
did IN the olden time, worthy 10 b. chromiclcd.
And even la Belle Rivere itself, at thi,
gloomy season, does not justify lis flattcring
name. Its banks are ~leal,ss. its waters very
like the yellow" Tiber, whose tawny color
tue ancient poets p~rofcssed 10 admire so much,
and, being just now terribly vexcd by the
winds, its face 0ike that of the most of angry
peoples iaces) looks BY no means lovely. BY
the way the name OF " l. Belle" is not such a
name as would be given now-a-days 10 this
fine river by our matter of fact countrymcn.
who take a deep interest in it, just in proper
tion 10 the number OF cents ON the hundred
pounds which il saves them in freight. And
III were one of those who believed that all
things were better in the times of our fathers
than they now are-"temporis laudatur acti, y
l might infer that all the reverence for beauti-
ful rivers was put to flight from this country.
by the taking of Fort Duquesle. But as ]
believe thatour dear world grows better apace.
/ will only remark that there are national
tastes exhibited in this matter of christening
rivers, lakes, places and countries, and | am
sorry To admit that the citizens of this free
and enlightened republic are excelled in this
respect by some other nations. Where we
have not been wise enough TO borrow from
our Indian predecessors, our own invention
has generally struck out some such euphonious
cognomen as Fishing Creek, Goose Creek, (the
latter probably being applied from that per-
sonal vanity which leads discoveries to confer
their own name on their discoveries.) with
others ''too tedious to mention" Now the
citizens OF the free and enlightened Republics
of Greece and Rome, would have been shock
| oil ~, .,r 1.x,., l..I... " IL
things. Among them, every sea, and lake,
and island-every river aud Creek-city and
petty village, was mentioned by a name, So
norous, high-sounding, and fit TO roll from
the lips OF the masters of the world. Even
when Rome subdued or entered the most bar
barous countries, she gave them a new name
that might not offend with It's savage rough
ness, the ears accustomed to the harmonious
vowels of her people. She would not tolerate
Cal Dun for the name of a country, but out
of these unpoetical syllables created the fine
yowelly word Caledonia. j must not multi
ply instances or | will give you too much of
this verbal trining.
The Spaniards excel the Romans in the dig
nifty and euphony of the designations which
they confer on places, rivers and other geo
graphical objects, aud the French (Which
brings me back to the 0hio0 have, with less
dignity, been almost as attentive to the
smoothness of sound and significance ofnames,
Marseillcs sounds as well as the Latin name
Massilia. Now we have in our country some
names conferred by both these nations, and
as we have commenced our career of conquest
in imitation of the Roman masters of the world,
we shall soon be in a position to impose new
names along with the new laws upon ON
conquered neighbors. What sort of words
shall we make? New Mexico, Texas and
Bexar, sound in a Spaniard's mouth, smooth
and musical enough. But b. our savage,
cross way ofpronouncing the u, we rob them
OF all prctensions TO elegance. Even a good
long German name, though it strikes the ear
drum with a crash, is at least a good mouthful
and generally means something.
Well, if you think all of this is very trining
/ agree with you. But to cheat this Captain
out of his purpose of making me inpatient, |
! willingly dwell on even "airg nothiugs,' and
as you see, have tried to give them "a Local
habitation and a name"
Why dont you people Of Wheeling broacl
the project of a steamboat line from Wheeling
to Louisville? This is a question which ira
%vellers ask me and ! ask you. We should ther
: meet the finest Mississippi boats at Louisville
and so forward without delay, and what il
more important to southern travellers without
stopping so longat this den Of abolitionists
TIE travel on the National Road would ensure
a profitable business fall that travel should
Come 10 Wheeling, and it would come there
II travellers could depend on finding a boat
; there ready tosiart without having her birth,
} all iahea at Pittsburgh. am told such a line
could bc formed-it is worth trying.
! Sn1nn of lhc Cinrinnnti ,InInnnHnn 10 IL