Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-05-06
Chips auo Clippings.

JEREMY BENrHAM. Mr.. Rush, the American
Ambassador, dining one day with the eccentric
Jeremy Bentham, had long conversation with
him respecting the United States. keep your
salaries low" said Bentham; at is one of the
secrets of the success of our government But
what is this" he inquired, "called the Board of
Navy Commissioners that you have lately set up
| don't understand il" Mr.. Rush explained II
to him. 81 can't say that | like it," replied
Bcnham; "the simplicity of your public de-
partments has hitherto been one of the recon-
mendatons but boards make screens if any
thing goes wrong, you don't know where to find
the offender; it the board that did it, not
one of the members; always the board--he
board"
SATISFACTORY DEFINITION. A little girl
asked her sister what was chaos that papa read
about?" The older replied, "why it is great
pile of nothing and no place to put it in"
~" brave hon." id the Danish creed of
honor, "shoud attack two-stand firm against
three give ground a little to four; and only re-
treat for five" Gen. Taylor has established
new creed for Americans. 1t is to attack four
stand firm against eight; give not an inch OF
ground TO u dozen-and retreat under no clrcum-
stances
SLAVE SYMPATHY. A wealthy planter in
together short time since, and told them of the
distressed condition OF the Irish poor, when the
slaves Immediately raised "A subscription among
themselves, amounting TO $50, which was duly
applied.
SINGULAR If TRUE-AND CAPITAL IF NOT
TRUE The following, from the Cincinnati Morn
ing Herald takes the shine off anything in the
"iOoal items" line we have seen for many day.
AS gentleman was passing along Fifth street,
he passed place where some boys were playing
marbles. One Of them, in shooting his marble,
ceverly put it under the gentleman's foot. The
gentleman slipped and stumbled against a lady
also passing precipltating her along with himself
upon large hog, who was examining the gutter
geologically for debris. The hog, frightened ouI
of his proprle,y bolted off, and ran between the
legs Of another gentleman, who in falling drew
the string OF kite from the hands Of boy
The kite Of course fell, and in falling frightened
span of horses attached to q wagon in an alley
near by. The horses ran down the alley. A
man who was building fire in a carpenters
shop, by which they passed, started up 10 see
what was the matter, aud in so doing dropped his
lighted match among the shavings, fire was
the consequence. The engines assembled, and
in the hurry consequent upon the alarm, a man
fell in the track Of one Of them and had his arm
broken-which ended this budget of accidents
for the day.
Quere. Is the boy who shot the marble re-
sponsbe for all the consequent damages?
WILL OF A SINGULAR MAN. We learn from
the Marlboro (Md.) Gazette, that Prince Georges
county court was engaged for three days last
week, in the trial of a case brought by the heirs
OF the late John TOwnshend, against the will OF
the testator. The jury, after being confined for
nearly two days, were dismissed, being unable to
agree upon verdict. The Gazette says:
In this will the testator has liberated all his
slaves-about fifty in number-and devised to
them all his lands and other property and made
provision that, in the even! of any obstacle in the
law to defeat this object, the negroes should be-
come the slaves ofhls nephew, Jeremiah Towns
end, who should accept from them one cent per
year for hire. A large number of witnesses were
examined to prove that the tesator labored under
decisions in regard to the subject of religion
such as supposing he had held converse with
God in person; that he was the only sanctifieC
man on earth, a spiritual body &c.
The witnesses stated a number of incidents
related by the testator 10 his life. time, in which
he declared he had held arguments and CONVEX
sptions face to face with God--received com
mands from his maker, &c., one Of which com
mands was to lberate his slaves on penalty o
being punished hereafter. On the other part i
was Shown that Mr.. II. was shrewd at bargain
and quite rational on all subjects but religion
That lie was charitable man and good neigh
Dor, refusing 10 60 to law on any subject, pre-
ferring to give up claims rather than do so--tha
he had great repugnance to settling disputes o
boundary, &c, by law; and would, after consul
ting his " talking mind" Jas he sometimes calet
God,) give up parts Of claims and pieces ofland
HORRIBLE ATTEMPT AT SuicIpE.-We lear
that a young merchant named Summers, resi-
ding at Liberty, in this State, made an attemp
TO destroy himself and store, last Thursday morn
ing with guDpowder. Some time before day
having laid a train communicating with key 4
powder in his store, he seated himself upon
and touched it off. The explosion was tremen
dous, doing great injury to the store, blowing
him some distance and terlLly lacerating hi
flesh; but, strange as it may appear, he was nc
killed, though he is not expected 10 live lie
said to be q young man without family, who ha
resided long while in the place, and OF IRE
proachable character, sober and industrious, an
had lust entered into mercantile business a te
months ago. 1t is not known what made hi
commit The act, farther than his own declaration
on being questioned in relation to lt-that he ha
done deed for which he could not forgive hlm
self, nor could he longer bear the reflections
which it gave rse.-St Louis Rep, ApriI Is.
A GREAT SHOT. On the 3lst of March, NJ
Alfred p. Spaulding, of this town, killed tlcet
crows at one shot, and wounded several NOR
Who can beat this? So says the Bellows Fal
Gazette.
a man in Orange N. H., killed, week
two since. "a wolf, which measured six feet fi'
inches from end Of snout TO extremity Of tail.
He had visited sheep fold, and was wa,che
He neared the barn about O'clock, night al
was fired upon with large bored gun charg,
with II buck shot. His first bounds after beli
fired upon were 10 feet. He was found in t
morning half mile distant, pierced by four s
and dead.
AN ARMY OF CoLPoRTEURs. - Lord Ashle
Rev. Mr. Blckerseih, and some others, says /
Dublin Herald have raised near 100000
the employment Of Sepen hundred Scripture rea
ers for Ireland. This army Of Colporteurs is
be Immediately distributed over the count
reading the BlOle and nslructing the people
their houses and by the highway.
ELEPHANTS Messrs. Raymo
g. Warning recently lost two fine elephants, wo
$4,000, by attempting TO swim them across
Delaware, from Philadelphia to Camden. T
current was strong, they were carried with it
bout two miles, became exhausted, and w
drowned,
IMPORTANT DECISION. case was lately
cided in the Court of Common Pleas, in the X
shaw District South Carolina, involving cons