davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

AMERICAN ARTISTS IN FLoRENcE.-American
Sculptors are at the head of their art in Florence,
Greenough has nearly completed his colossal
group of "The Pioneer" for the Capitol at
Washington, on which he has been at work for
six years. Itconsists Of four fgures-a from
tier settler rescuing his wife and child from an
Indian. Powers is still engaged on his "Ameri-
ca" He has also modelled statue Of Cali
fornia-a female figure holding in her right hand
a divinipg rod, pointing to the hidden gold, and
in her lett bundle of thorns, emblematic of
the gold seekers troubles. His exquisite bust
of Proserpne has been repeatedly copied c..
b. Ives has modelled a statue of Pandora, which
is said to indicate great genius. Rogers, another
young American, is at work on model Of a
statue of Ruth cleaning in the fields-said to be
an exquisite work 1t is ordered by patron
of the arts in America. Hart is engaged on his
statue Of Henry Clay, ordered by the state of
Virginia Thos. Buchanan Read the poet painter,
has during three months in Florence nearly fin
ished five pictures, ideal or classical subjects
Neeodrd Advertiser.
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

Posi- OFFIcE RoBBERv.-Arrea al Ne,o York
The New York Express, of Saturday even
ing says:
For some days past special agent of the
Post-office Department has been in New York
endeavoriDg TO trace out the party who pur-
Joined letter mailed Mt Philadelphia some
weeks since, containing Reading railroad bonds
to the amount of $4,000, and addressed to
house in London, England.
Several of the stolen bonds had made their
appearance in the market, but they had changed
hands 30 often that for a time il seemed like
hopeless in obtaining any clue to the guilty
persons. But all who are interested in the
safety of the mails, will be glad to learn that
the energetic efforts of the agent of the depart
ment have been wholly successful.
The offence falls upon young man by the
name Of ]. Vasser, jr., who had been clerk in
the Post-oiice until about the time this heavy
loss occurred, when he left, fearing discharge
on account of neglect Of his duties, though his
honesty had never been doubted
Finding the proof against him so strong, he
has, we understand confessed his guilt. Bad
associates it is said, have been the cause of this
young mans ruin. lie was arrested Yesterday.
but has not yet had an examination.
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

DEATH OF JUICE BRooxE.--We are panied
to learn that the Hon. Francis L. Brooke, a
Judge of the Court Of Appeals Of Virginia,
and formerly President Of the court, expired at
his residence in Spottsylvania county, on Mon
day the Sd instant. Judge Brooke had attained
avery advanced age, and, for few years pre-
ceding his demise, was in6rm in health but he
possessed remarkable vigor of constitution, and
preserved his mental and physical energies for
an unusually long period of life. He was one
of the few surviving officers of the revolutionary
war, in which he served with galantry. His
character was Of that chivalrous and honorable
stamp, which the early trials of the republic i'm
pressed upon the men who participated in them.
He spent the greater portion of long and hon
orable life in the discharge Of judicial duties,
which he performed with promptness, equity,
and ability. He was emphatically just judge.
and man "without fear and without re-
proach"
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

IMpoRrANr RAILROAD INVENTION Should the
invention spoken of in the following article real
i've the anticpatons therein contained, it will be
one of the most important Improvements of the
times
RAILROADS. IN THE HILLs.--Tte time has passed
when only the valleys and the plains--the moder-
aely unduatng and the dead level countries,
could enjoy the advantages of railroad enterprise
An invention of railroad engine has lately been
tested--an invention which has been the result of
several years trial and investigation by J. s.
French, of Old Poiat Hotel, virgina--that has
the power to overcome ascent in the road of
t'co hundred feet TO the mile A letter from Rich
mond to the Baltimore Sun, thus speaks Of the
experiment
The road upon which the experiments were
made, is about half mile in length, at AN eleva-
ton of two hundred feet to the mile; the ends Of
the stills cut with the string pieces-a rail
6 inches wide and Z inches thick is placed upon
the string piece, extending outward % inches,
thus afording undersurface, against which
pair Of wheels ten inches in diameter are passed
by lever. These wheels are suspended by the
axels Of the driving wheels Of the engine, and ad-
hesion in any quantity may be obtained at will
These wheels capable Of being turned up,
when coming to crossings meeting an obstruc-
ton, thus converting the engine into an ordinary
one instantly. The pressure of these wheels
against the under surface of the extended rail does
not impede the progressive motion of the engine;
for on heavy load being placed behind, to make
the wheel slip, the pressure being made, the en-
CINE moved off very easily with load which she
was unable to draw by her own adhesion to the
rail. Again the wheels Of the passenger car were
all locked, and the rail having been previonslv
creased, the engine dragged the whole up an in
cnstion of two hundred feet to the mile at the
rate oftwenty miles an hour. The advantages of
this great invention are The ascension OF higher
grades than are now deemed practicable an m
ability to get off the track; for the engine and car
tthe latter heavily loaded, in ascending or de-
at speed of twenty miles an hour, in space not
exceeding ten feet /
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

JENNY LIMBS CHARrrTEs-The list below IN
cludes the donations bestowed by Jenny Lind
on the charitable institutions of New Orleans,
out of the proceeds Of "a charity concert. The
selection was made by the fair donor herself
from list Of the benevolent associations Of the
city. A considerable amount has also been dis
pensed by her in private charities -Seamen's
Home $1,000; Firemens Charitable Associa-
ton, $1,000; Catholic Boys Orphan Asylum,
Third Municipality, $500; Catholic Girls Or
phan Asylum, Camp street. $500; Society for
the relief Of Judgment Widows, 500; Seamen's
Bethel, 800; Boys Orphan Asylum, lafayette,
300; La Societe des Danes de Ia Providence,
800; Poor Blind Man, 300 The balance is
dispensed in private charities,
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

In October, lS49, Lord B. belonging to
one of the richest families in England, took a
hackney coach at London for place about three
miles distant on the Thames, which serves as
steamboat landing. Arrived there, he got out,
telling the conchman to wait, and went on board
a steamer for Cowes, to see if his baggage had
been brought on board according to orders. BY
accident he had mis- AIKEN the hour, and was no
sooner on board than the boat put off, before he
could return to pay the coachman. The latter
knowing his customer, determined to wait, hired
the place where he had been left, put up shelter
for his horses and himself, and staid there sew
eral months. Lord B. came back last October,
having forgotten the whole affair, but has just
had to pay seven hundred pounds, at the end Of
a law suit, for the services of the coachman
during the period.
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

AN ART Reilly" Husband, don't know
where that boy gets his bad temper-not from
me. I'm sure" "No, my dear, for don't per-
csve that you have lost any
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

A MAIL IScrDENT--A few days ago. MS we
learn from nm eyewitness, one of our steam
boats, having the Southern mails on board,
stopped as usual at woodward opposite Selma,
Mo-, to put out the mail for that lace, man be-
ing ready with his skif to take it across the
river. One of the officers of the boat threw the
mailbag to the man, but the latter, leaniug for
ward TO catch it, stumbled into the river up to
his ankles. Several persons on the boatlaughed
at his mishap, wbereupon he seized the mail
bag, hurled it furiously at them, and exclaimed,
Ego to the devil with your mails p The mail
no doubt it is now.
If the Postmaster General could only spare
time to travel little while along our Western
mail route, he might see a great many things
that ,couM astonish him.--Lou. Jour.
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

BRITIsH HuMANITY-Of late years British
sympathy has all been transferred to the poor
black slave--the ,chite slave bearing their cru
elites Here is specimen Of sympathy:
"The China Mail, published at Hong Kong
in speaking of the growing demand of late for
Chinese Coolies, to be employed principally in
Peru, and in the French and Spanish settlements,
mentions several instances in which these per-
sons have been treated with nm inhumanity by
the English scarcely less shocking than that
characterizing the African slave trade In one
of the cases cited, British merchantmen, bound
for Lima, and which put into Hobard Town, had
lost by disease and suicide l7O-or 40 per cent
of its cargo of Chinese Coolies. The cause OF
this mortality was an insufficient supply of pro-
visions and water"
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

FUeIrrvE SLAVES AT observation-disclosures,
March Ga gentleman, just from Portland, i'm
forms me that thirty-one fugitives left that city,
yesterday, for St Johns, N d. They were
urged TO remain by the citizens, who promised
them protection but they were living in constant
fear, and preferred to go into safety while all
was yet quiet number Of fugitives still re.
main at Portland, declaring that they will never
be taken alive.
There is another great Anti-Fugitive slave
law meeting Mt Lynn tomorrow night, and meet
ings of similar character are about being held
all over the State.
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

INCREASE OF TRADE WITH THE SouTH.-We
have frequently referred with pleasure to the evil
dences of the increasing trade of Baltimore with
the South. The vessels despatched hence for
Southern ports within the last two months were
without precedent in number. Among the nu-
merous articles exported to Charleston and
Savannah, the price current enumerates the fol-
lowing leading once:
Floor, $4,000 barrals; corn, 275,Oo0 bushels
bacon, 1900 hhds coffee, 10000 bags. The
whole of which valued at about $685., 900. In
cuded in our receipts for the same period ARE
3,700 bales cotton, $500 casks rice, 1000 sacks
salt; together with large quantities of lumber,
and various other articles of merchandise.
In every department of our trade with the
South an equal proportion of activity is mani
tested - 1H Nuu 81
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

HORSEBACK RIDING IN MADErRA--The Hon.
John A. Dix, in his recent work, "A winter in
Madeira gives an amusing account of horse
back riding at Funchal. 'ft
For 30 cents an hour a fine horse can be hired
at anv livery stable, together with man as at
tendant, who follows on foot and when you de
sire to ride fast he catches hold of your horses
tail and is drawn along! In this way he pre-
vents you from running away from him. Mr..
Dix says that the horses soon become nccus-
toned to these human appendages, and that the
fellows have way of making the horse go fast
or slow, as they desire, in spite of the rider
MIR. ID. says, that for ladies, this association
of horse and driver is a great They
need no other attendant He is always ready
to render any assistance if the horse looses a
shoe he has hammer and nails in his pocket to
replace it. 1t is not easy to fancy more udic-
rous spectacle than lady riding through the
city at full galop with a man hanging to the
tail of her horse; but such scenes are of hourly
occurrence in Funchal, and the eye soon be-
comes accustomed to them
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

APPOINTMENTS BY THE PKEsIpKSr.-By and
,oih the adrice and consent Of III. Senate-JoHy
s. PErDLKrow, of Virginia, 70 be Charge dAf-.
flares of the United States to the Argentine
Republic.
OGDEN HOFFMAN, junior, of San Francisco.
to be Judge of the District Court of the United
States for the northern district Of California.
HoRAcE Mower, Of Michigan, to be an A.
scciate Justice Of the Supreme Court of the Ter
ritory of New Mexico.
JOHN s. WATTS of indians, to be Associate
Justice Of the Supreme GNnD1nf the Territory
Of New Mexico ~~s
Louis LrDrER, to be- GAuk of the United
States Mt Sonncberg in thx Duchy Of SaxS
Meiningen llildburghhauseh.an Germany
II. JorFs Brooks, Of Pennsylvania, to b
Consul Of the United States ut Belfast, in lrs-
land.
HENRY A. HOMES, of Massachusetts, to b
Assistant Dragoman and Secretary to the LAgs
ton Of the United States IN Turkey.-RepGbhc
CLEVER REPoRr.---A servant girl Ia tho town
Of A., whose beauty formed matter Of general
admiration, an discussion, In passing group Of
officers in the street. heard one of them exclaim
to his fellow. by heaven, she IS painted y
"Yes sir, and by heaven enlyw she very
quietly replied, turning round
The officer acknowledged the force Of the 70.
bukc and spologized,
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

| DEAD LETTER OFFIcE.-The whole number
of dead letters returned to the department we
can only vaguely estimate. Thus in one qpar-
ter the bulk of opened letters equalled about
6,000 bushels, crammed each bushel is supposed
to contain 1000 letters. The number returned
in quarter, is therefore about six millions, or
twenty-four millions year.
Unclaimed moneys, less the discount, are
handed over to the general treasury, subject to
the demands of the rigbtful owner, but we be-
lieve, for the half year ending June Both, 1850,
the amount Of these was not more than about
$1,000
Drafts, deeds, and other papers of value, and
also jewelry, mementoes, &C., are preserved in
the dead letter office. These are often recovered
by their owners with much delight. In one in
stance, not a great while since, gentleman, for
want of certain documents supposed TO have
been lost from the mail, found himself in the
power Of an INSCRIPTIONS person, in a matter in
which property to the amount of ten thousand
dollars GALL the gentleman was worth,) was in
volved. AS a possible means of obtaining the
papers, he applied to the dead letter office, and
in about three minutes they were produced -
The package had been improperly addressed
Dead letters are usually unpaid letters The
custom of prepayment has become vastly more
general since the reduction of postage TO five
and ten cents. In the fourth quarter of 1850,
the number of dead letters received from Gin
cinnati, not prepaid, was $500 the number of
prepaid letters from Boston post Office num-
bered 1912; of letters not REPAID, 9,dOI. -
These instances are taken Mt random.-Republic.
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11


GRAPES IN TEXAS We see that the grape
culture is about to be introduced into Texas.
The Houston Telegraph says:
an. Matrat, French gentleman, who was
reared in one Of the most extensive wine dis
tricts of France, has collected large number
of the best native grapes of Texas, and intends
to cultivate them for the purpose of establishing
vineyards of the best varieties He has visited
the valley of the Bosque, the Leon, and most of
the tributaries of the Colorado where The
choicest grapes have been discovered He has
some roots of the celebrated Bosque grape and
the Bush grape, that abound in the billy region
of the Colorado above Austin. Some of these
varieties, he says, far superior to the Catawba
the Isabella, and other va1~,ies that have been
cultivated here. They are more hardy and yield
more fruit, as well as better wine, than the
grapes that have heretofore been cultivated in
this section. This old gentleman has been en-
gagged for three years collecting samples Of the
choicest varieties of our native grapes, and has
often jeopardized his life by penetrating into
the Indian country to exame the grapes there.
He is indeed quite an enthusiast, and one to hear
him speak on his darling theme, might imagine
from the ardor he exhibits that he was excited
by the juice of the grapes he is extolling He,
however, is one of the most temperate men in
the country, and corroborates by his habits the
oft-repeated statement, that the people of wine
countries are remarkably temperate
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

IMPORTANT HISTORICAL MANUSCRIPT a
very interesting discovery, according to Chi
cago paper, has recently been made among the
manuscripts which were saved from the pillage
Of the Jesut's College in Quebec: 1t is well
known by those familiar with the resources of
early American history, that the publication of
the Jesuit relations, which furnish so much in
terest in regard to the discovery and early ex-
ploration of the region bordering on our North
ern lakes, was discontinued after the year l672
Some were known to have been written, but the
manuscripts were supposed to be lost. The re-
lations, from 672 to 1919 inclusive, have lately
been discovered, and among them n manuscript
containing full account of the voyages Of Fa-
tber Marquette, and of the discovery by him If
the Mississippi river. 1t was undoubtedly this
manuscript which furnished Thevenot the text
OF his publication, in 1857, of the voyages and
discoveries of Father Marquette and of the Sieur
Joliet The latter kept a journal and drew
map of their route but his canoe was upset in
the falls of St Louis, MS he was descending the
st. Lawrence, in sight Of Montreal and he lost
them with the rest of his effects What in
creases the value of the present discovery is,
that the original narrative goes much more into
detail than the one published by Thevenot--
The motive which prompted, and the prepare
tons which were made, for the expedition are
fully described and no difficulty is found in rac-
ing its route. There is also among the papers
an autograph journal by Marquette, on his last
voyage, from the 25th of October, 1914, to the
9th OF April, 1915, month before his singular
death, which occurred on the eastern shore of
Lake Michigan. Also, achart of the Mississippi
drawn by himself, illustrating his travels. The
one annexed to Thevenot's account, above re-
ferred to--a copy which is contained in the third
volume of Bancroft's history of the United States
lis manifestly incorrect, and there is a variance
between the route Of the Jesuit as traced on
his map and that detailed in his text The
manuscript chart now rescued from oblivion re-
comedies all discrepancies and constitutes most
interesting historical relic.
The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-11

The bill for the relief Of Mr.. Thomas Richie
was also lost. This bill proposed to give Mr.
Richie the sum of thirty thousand dollars to
compensate him for certain losses which he sus-
tanned in the execution of contract of printing
for Congress.
We have not looked into the merits of the
case, nor into those Of the pitched battle which
has been so obstinately contested between the
editors Of the Union and Mr.. John G. Rives, re-
ative to the circumstances under which Mr..
Richie became the conductor of the Democratic
organ at Washington. The bill for his relief
was lostin the Senate on several grounds. The
Immediate mode of its defeat was this it only
reached the Senate on the last day of the session.
and no bill can be read twice on the same day
save by the unanimous consent of the members
present When it was moved that the bill be
read second time, Mr.. Turney of Tennessee
rose and objected. The bill fell. Mr. Turney
is understood to have personal and political diff
ferences with Mr.. Richie. Whether these in
fuenced him, or whether his movement resulted
rom dissent from the principle OF the bill it
self, does not appear. .-a4
Litchfield enquirer., 1851-10-16
Taking a Bath,

The other morning there might have been seen, on Sycamore street. two young b'hoys from the country, intently 2, sing at 9 signin front of well known bashlng ss- tabiishment which reads thus: j. Warm, cold, and salt Blths," After sundry sig. nifcant looks atteach other, and at the sa- loon. they both posted in. s ,ss5s3 s.1
 {" Look here. landlord, 7 said ono "lcan't you give warm one atween us ?''--after that. if 1t suits, we take another.''s ,3a ?" Certainly. replied the. keeper. who're tired immediately to prepare tho bath.naz
 "All ready.' exclaimed the proprietor as he came out of the room.
 The customers entered together, and the door was closed after them. After waiting rather an. unusual length of time, and hear. ing nothing like bathing operations going on. the keeper applied his eye to- the key hole to see how they were occupying them. selves, lp his amusement they were stand ing beslAeA the tub, occasionally dipping theirS SfnSefs lpto the water. and then spply ing. them tp their tongues, .accomp panied with seaEck N B!ances .at each other, and the tub iA Aparticular. After occupying themselves m this manner for some time with visible signs of growing inpaiienoe, one of them tapped loudly at the door,, The keeper obeyed the summons, and entered the room. e48s ssg
 "Look here" eagerly inquired one. .'ain't it pretty near ready ?" ss s sss21s
 Why. yes. there it is said the man point ing to the tub. W 4sn g n
 By golly, you don't calculate we two are going to eat all that broth, do you ?''
 Why gentlemen. that's to wash in.".
 "To what! Aint this tavern?" .w
 "This is bath house" i" rejoined the pro. prietor. and gentlemen come here to bashe or wash" s NY ~,
 "Wash, thunder, in your duck pnddle. when the Miami aint dry 1" indignantly exclaimed the spokesman. and off they vent. in high dudgeon. in search of more daintiss.