The New York herald., 1850-06-09
GREAT SCIENTIFIC Isvxsr,oArros, IN THE LITE.


GREAT SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS IN THE LITE
RARY WORLD The Rochester family, who
sumo TO hold communications with the spiritual
world, having arrived in this city, that remarkable
protector and patron of literature, the Rev. DR.. II.
w. Griswold, who is great collector Of odis and
ends, and the guardian saint Of every authors re-
mains, has been induced to obtain some specimens
of the rapping literature Of the departed. To this
end, he obtained the consent of the Rochester
family to visit his house one evening last week,
where the assembled wisdom of the metropolis met
together, to discourse by the vulgar fractions of
cussive air The enthusiastic DR.. Francis the
grave historian, George Bancroft; the Rev. DR..
kowles; the sociastic and Rev. DIR. Ripley; J.
Fennimore Cooper, Esq, ever formost in novel af-
fairs; William Cullen Bryant, the poet of water
fowls and praries; N. p Willis, the renowned
man of fashion; DR.. L. E. Marcy, the aa,hor of
new work on homeopathy, aud many other emi-
nent men, were present. Probably there has not
been so great collection of aspirants for fame, in
any one literary junta, since the day when joyce
He,h's remains were opened in this city.
BY the way, Joyce Heih was almost as remark
able as these rappings. Our readers may remember
that she came out of Kentucky when about
sixty years of age, and she travelled North, ten
years were added TO her age evsry month, till she
attained the age of one hundred and twenty years
She died, however, one day; and though another
negiess was ready to 60 out to England in her
place, the fact Of her death having been announced
the speculation upon the credulity of the public
could not be carried any farther. Accordingly, a
post-mortem examination was mad of the bona
fde Joyce, even to her bones and sinews, and mlr-
vellous were the results. She was pronounced TO
have been fully one hundred and twenty years of
age, although she was only about sixty! This was
great triumph for philosophy and for the phloso-
piers of the day, and we doubt net that similar
astonishing results will come out of the present in
vestigatOns by the same class of philosophers and
savans.
Seriously, we think the promulgation of such a
clever imposition as is attempted, is calcula-
ed TO do much mischief with weak minds. Very
possibly it may lead to the establishment of sect
that will lead hundreds to the most insane form
OF fana,icsm. II is curious that with the progress
of every age towards intelligence, the corrupting
power of superstition is strengthened, by human
agency, to overthrow all the good results which
sound education and true Christian pety might ac-
complish Probably, under the patronage of the
junta who have virtually sanctioned this i'm
position, thousands will be drawn away from the
true religion of life, to fall into admiration of this
apparently arvelous series of revelations. Idola-
try would be far less harmless to society than the
belief that we are any nearer the spiritual world
than were the ancents in the times of the Eleusi-
nian mysteries, or the Hndoos and Brahmins of
the present day. Men of sound discrimination owe
il to themselves and to society," to avert the evil
influences upon the weak and uneducated of this
new manifestation Of the wickedness of nan-for
by no other name can we consent to call it, 1t is
piece Of imposition that goes beyond the au,oma-
ton chess player, the crawling spiders, or any Of
those exhibitions, the long catalogue of which has
been before the world for centuries.
The COMMON Couycu. AND THE TEA TABLE,
-Four DOLLARS FER Day AND " SUSpREs."-Oa
Friday evening, as will be by reference to the
proceedings Of the Common Council, the tea table
question came up for consideration, the Co np,roller
having, in compliance with resolution othe Board
ofAldermen, furnished detailed account of the tea
items for the last year, extending six or seven
pages Of foolscap. Our reporter fnding II impos-
sble, from its length to copy the whole document,
and the printing being refused by the worthy Alder
men, has selected few Of the items which he has
furnished us, as follows -
Bread. butter tea coffee cake berries catsup chick
ems eggs fsh, hams, milk, neat, poultry, lard,
oysters coda, cook laundress waiter, tumblcrs and
tongues brandy, segars groceries aud sundries aud
rsreshments for committees sc. all OF which are re-
ptated In rotation the whole amounting to Sll $50
Just think ofsl $50 for one year! How many
widows and orphans would that sum have saved
from want, and it may have been from death
Oysters, brandy, segars, chickens, tongues groce-
ries, and those mysterious " "sundries !" Yet in the
face Of that enormous bill, for which many poor
tradesman has beea mucted, these modest gentle
want to revive the tea table, aft abolishng il on
the ground Of being paid salary Of four dollars per
day for each mothers son for his services. Having
secured the salary, they hunger and thirst for the
oysters and tongues, and brandy and segars and
groceries and sundries and seem determined to
have both good wages and good diet from the peo-
pie. They are perfectly right TO live well at the
expense Of the taxpayers as long as they can The
people seem as patient under the load the camcls
Of the desert II is the last feather that breaks the
backs Of the camels; and the items Of the city
fathers, one would suppose, are accumulating in a
fair way to produce the result in the case of
the people who enjoy the blessings Of their paternal
government.
Marine Affairs.
srIrsniD scnr-A Dourlr Lavscu.-The ship Ce- |
lestial and the steamship Alabama will both be |
launched tomorrow morning, ths.ioth instant about