The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-06-21

attracted by the calls for help. They imne
diately rushed to the spot, and discovered Mr..
Forrest laying the blows on Mr.. Willis with
great severity. After struggle, the officers took
both before Justice MGrath, and as Mr.. Willis
refused TO enter complaint against Mr.. Forrest,
they were seyerally held To bail in the sum OF
$500, to keep the peace for six months. Mr. M.
Cox, of Jefferson Market, was Oe bail for Mr..
Forrest, and Mr.. Dayton, of John street, for Mr..
Willis.
While before the magistrate, there was much
excitement, and many words passed between the
| assaed and the assailnnt. Mr. Forrest stated
that he made the assault; and Mr.. Willis having
| remarked that Mr.. Forrest was an athletic man,
and had taken him by surprise, Mr.. F. observed
that Mr.. Willis had seduced his wife, and that
was his justification for the punishment. The
policeman stated that Mr.. Willis was on the
ground, and that he had much difficulty in taking
Mr.. Forrest away from him. The affair, II will
be seen, has grown out Of the divorce case which
has created SO much talk throughout the country.
slavery in Virginia and South Carolina
Mr.. w. C. BRYANT, well known as one
Of the best Of our native Poets, and not
quite so fayorably known as the editor Of that
Free-Soil print, the New York Evening
Post, has recently published "notes Of things
seen in Europe and America" In that
book he gives several sketches Of scenes in
the Southern States, Of which he was an
eyewitness and as no one will suspect him
| of undue bias towards the institutions Of that
section, we give his testimony as to the con-
dition of those "miserable creatures" over
whose imaginary ills so many crocodile tears
are shed-so much breath, ink, and hard
cash have been expended. Well may Mr..
GREELY feel his soul disturbed at the thought
of the sin and suffering Of such slavery, when
contrasted with the comforts and conveni-
encies Of his twenty-thousand white fellow
citizens living under ground on Free-Soil.
TOBACCO Factory AT RlcHMoND.-"I
went afterwards to tobacco factory, the
sight Of which amused me, though the mar
cotc fume made me cough. In one room
black man was taking apart the small bum
dies Of leaves Of which hogshead Of tobac-
co is composed, and carefully separating leaf
from leaf; others were asserting the leaves
according to the quality, and others again
were arranging the leaves in layers and
sprinkling each layer with the extract OF IL
| auorice. In another room about eighty ne
groes, boys they are called, from the age
Of twelve years up to manhood, who receive
the leaves thus prepared, rolled them into
long even rolls, and then cut them into plugs
of about four inches in length, which were
afterwards passed through press, and thus
became ready for market. AS we entered
the room we heard murmur Of psalmody
running through the assembly, which now
and then swelled into strain Of very toera-
! BILE music,
| ssVerse sweetens toll
says the stanza which DR.. Johnson was so
fond Of quoting, and really it is so good that
will transcribe the whole Of it.
.SVerse sweetens toll, however rude the sound
| All at her work the village maiden sings,
| Nor while she turns the gddy wheel around,
! Resolves the sad vicissitudes of things.
Verse, it seems, can sweeten the toll
Of slaves in tobacco factory.
80 We encourage their singing as much
as we cam said the brother Of the proprie-
tor, himself diligent masticator Of the weed,
who attended us, and politely explained to
us the process Of making plug tobacco; I'VE
encourage it as much as we can, for the
boys work better while singing. Some
times they will sing all day long with great
spirit; at other times you will not hear
single note They mustsing wholly oftheir
own accord, it is Of no use to bid them to
do it,
asWhat is remarkable he continued,
their tunes are all psalm tunes, and the
words are from hymn books their taste is
exclusively for sacred music they will sing
nothing else. Almost all these persons are
church members we have not dozen
about the factory who are not so. Most Of
them are Of the Baptist persuasion; few
are Methodists.' ("
A Conn SHUcKING.-But you must hear
of the corn shocking. The one at which |
was present was given on purpose that
might witness the bumors Of the Carolina
negroes. A huge fire of light rood was
made near the courthouse. Light wood is
the wood Of the long-leaved pine, and is SO
called, not because it is light, for it is al
most the heaviest wood in the world, but
because it gives more light than other fuel
In clearing land, the pines are girdled and
suffered to stand; the outer portion of the
wood decays and falls off, the inner part,
which is saturated with turpentine, remains
upright for years, and constitutes the plant
er's provision Of fuel When a supply is
wanted, one Of these dead trunks is felled
by the axe. The abundance of light wood
is one of the boasts of South Carolina.
Wherever you are, if you happen to be chill
ly, you may have fire extempore bit
of light wood and coal give you bright
blaze and a strong heat in an instant. The
negroes make fires of it in the fields where
they work and, when the mornings are
wet and chilly, in tie pens where they are
milking the cows. At plantation where
passed frosty night, saw fires in small
enclosure, and was told by the lady Of the