The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-05-31

Trend the other day about the late Col. Dakin.
he related little anecdote which is so charac !.
| teristic Of the man that we cannot refrain from
repeating 1t, though we think something of the
same kind was told by one of our correspon.
dents during the Mexican War.
The Colonel commanded one OF the six regi.
ments OF volunteers which were raised in this
State, after the battles of Palo Alto and Resa-
ca de la Palma, and which Joined Gen. Tay.
lors army speedily. The Colonel was an old
diseipl'narian, very strict and capable, and in
short time his regiment excited the admiration
OF even veteran regular officers, by the ease
and precision with which il drilled and ma.
| n9uvred.
One morning the regiment was drawn up,
ami the men were standing at ease, after
variety of marches and charges and evolu.
tions, when the Colonel took it into his head to
put their discipline TO strong test. The regi-
ment was thrown into square to receive cav
airy. The commando rode off few hundred
yards, and then wheeling his horse, came down,
sword in hand, at a fierce gallop straight at
| his men. He and his steed formed an imposing
looking object, for he was big man, and his
steed was big horse, and neither appeared TO
fear the glttering and bristling array of bayo-
nets against which they were rushing. The
men stood the charge very well until the horse
and his rider were within few feet; then they
broke right and left in confusion, and opened
| broad passage for the ''cavalry" into their
| ranks.
OF course, the Colonel was wroth, and the
| way the men and officers caught it, for a few
| moments, was by no means agreeable to their
feelings. "You form square! You repel
| cavalry! Why, what would you hnse done if
| a thousand dragons had charged on you as
| did,
swell, just try us again, Colonel, and see if
| we don't hurt your f,elings?" cried number
ofthe discounted volunteers. The square was
| again formed; off rode the Colonel; round he
wheeled, and here he came again, at full speed.
rushing straig ght at the bayonets, and looking
| as if he would crush them to powder under his
chargers heels. The bayonets wavered not
though; the horse came faster and faster, and
finally, with a terrible bound, sprang at the
square. The square stood the shock; and the
next moment the horse was stretched on the
ground, with broken bayonet in his side, and
his limbs quiverng in the death agony. whilst
the stout rider lay, with his foot and knee
caught and himself unable to rise. Not man
moved-the square was silent, steady and un-
broken. In another instant, the Colonel was
on his feet. He replaced his sword in the
scabbard, looked gravely and cooly at the
firm array of soldiers, and then said in his
usual quiet way:
"Very we'll done, boys-both the horse and
the square did their duty. Now you're ready
for the lancers."
The men cheered-not little.-N. D Pic
PREsBYTERIAN GENERAL AssEMBLY.-This
body, in session at Charleston, S. c., on We'd
nesday last appointed the next meeting of the
General Assembly to take place at Buffalo
The vote stood, Buffalo 100, New York 81,
Philadelphia 3, Nashville 2.
Colporteurs employed during the past year
14l; time spent 35 years; families visited 64,-
326; conversed with or prayed with 22,328;
families having no religious book but the Bible
2.2l2; Presbyterian families without the Con-
fession of Faith 22,772; volumes sold by COLI
porteurs 81 ,l50; volumes granted by colpor-
teurs $500; pages oftracts distributed by col
porteurs 5Sl $50.
Large donations have been made during the
past year, in addition to those through the
Colporteurs.
The grants of the year have been as follows:
Sabbath schools, S6Y volumes; ships of war,
naval and military posts, S97 volumes; humane
institutions, 90 volumes; Literary and TheolO.
gical institutions, 22l0 volumes; INDECENT min
listers. 1893 volumes; feeble churches, 1855 VOL
umes; individuals for gratuitous distribution,
336 volumes, and also 1851 pages Of tracts,
| independent of the donation of tracts made bv
Col olporteurs.
The Synods Of Virginia and Pittsburgh are
sill conducting their operations as indepen.
| dent auxiliaries ofthe Board, with efficiency
and success.
The sales for the yeer have amounted to
$66, ,5l3 70, an increase of $1,000 over those
of last year.
Nj. E. GENERAL CONFERENCE.-THE the ses-
sion of this body at Boston, on Wednesday
last, case was before it of some interest to
members of the society of Odd Fellows. The
Ohio annual Conference had passed vote of
censure upon some of its members for joining
the order in disregard of certain conference
resolutions upon the subject. The committee