Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1850-07-19
Gbe News Gleoner.
Notes and Comments.

PAINE's LIGHT.-The story is, now, that this
great alleged invention, or discovery, is like to
prove a humbug. Several scientific gentlemen
from Boston, lately went to Worcester, in Paine's
absence, examined the machine, and either did
not understand it, or understanding it, found it
a cheat, and the producer of only the ordinary
gass light. This may be so, with regard to
Paine's attempt; but the elements of light and
and heat being in water, as all acknowledge
them to be, we have never deemed it improba-
Bile, that, In this age Of chemical discovery, some
means would be found to disengage the combus-
tible properties in water, so that they could be
appropriated for the purposes Of light and heat !;
for being there, the only question is that put by
the fool, when he took up the fiddle, desiring to
hear, without knowing how to produce the sweet
sounds" There's music enough in you, know,
but how can get it out ?"
But Paine's allegations, that this self-consti-
tuted committee did not understand the machine,
and could not test his discovery, may be true,
after oil e.uI ~~hat f~~oro a.O iA-- .'.-s sl-l-
for the getting up Of which we do not see the
motive, is the fact that the same discovery is an
nounced to have been made by chemist in Eu-
rope, about the same time. They both may be
failures, be sure, but again they may lead to the
REAL discovery, which we believe, will some day
or other be made.
CANADA.-The Canadian Legislature have
been discussing the subject of annexation to the
United States, and have expressed determine
ton to continue their present relations with En-
gland by vote of 40 to II Those giving this
vote do not truly represent the people Of Canada,
or that people, after all the demonstrations ofthe
past winter, are too contemptibly tickle, or cow
ardly, for us in the States to spend another thot
about.
ACCIDENT OF THE 4TH.-Thc 4th of July has
again passed off, having again brought about
nearly the usual quota of fatal accidents from
gun-powder. The news of the deaths of four
persons in New England and New York, have
already reached us, among the most melancholy
of which, was the case ofa little girl, in New
Haven, Ct, whose head was blown off while run
ming before cannon at the instant Of its oXplo-
sion.
We formerly used to take note of this and
two other classes of accidents, viz: Deaths by
lightning, and deaths by hydrophobia, occurring
each season; and we generally found that just
about the same number of deaths were occasion
ed by each, in the United Sta ties that is, as
many persons were killed by gunpowder on the
4th, as were killed by lightning during the same
season, or as died from the bite of mad dogs
through the year. This, though it may be call
ed strange calculation, should lead US to weigh
the expediency of some general movement for
removing, as might be done, one, if not two Of
the causes of this yearly nortaty-one by the to-
tai disuse of gun-powder on the 4th, & the other
by dispensing, mainly, with the use of dogs,
which we have long thought cost more than they
come to.
The CHOLERA is evidently on a rapid increase
in the South and West. In Cincinnati, from so
to 80 are said to die daily while st. Louis,
Nashville and other large towns in the valley of
the Mississippi are beginning to suffer fearfully
from this modern plague. Several cases are
said to have occurred in Washington, among
which should be reckoned, perhaps, that ofPres-
ident TAYLOR. We have heard of but one fatal
case in New England, and that occurred in Bos'
ton, some ten days ago.
Hon. SARGENT S. PRENTIss, the celebra-
ted lawyer, died at Natchez recently. lie
was native of Maine.
70 One farmer near Troy, N. Y, had
his crops damaged to the amount of $1,000
by the hail storm of Friday night He says
some of the hailstones would weigh pound
each. 1t was Mr. Dsuenbury.
% The Caucasian family have brain
with the capasity of 90 inches, the Africans
IS, Chinese sc, American Indians 10, and
the Arabs of the Desert SO, same as the
Chinese.
70 Espionage, in France, under Louis
Napolen, is more ntoerabIe than that ex.
ercised by Louis Philippe. Even Amerl-
cans are cautioned against the expression
Of democratic sentiments in public places.