Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1852-07-16
LEWISBURG, UNION COUNTY, PENN FRIDAY, JULY 16 1852


that Gliddon unrolled before the assem-
bled wisdom of Boston, could not keen it.
face in order-if it should hear 'cm.
am told that some of the negroes on
these boats are free, and that others are
slaves hired out to the steamboat comma.
MES; but it is impossible for stranger to
distinguish the slave from the freeman
ali appear to enjoy the "largest liberty
The walters are quiet, Industrious, res.
Pcctful, and attentive but the fremen,
that inhabit the Plutonic regions "away
down below" are certainly the merriesl,
drollest, Jolliest set of fellows ever saw.
Seme of the firemen, am sorry to add,
are awfully profane; but their jests and
wittlcisms, their songs ard dances, seem
to be their life, day and night; and how,
when, or where they get their rest, is more
than can tell. The last sound one hears
at night, and the first at break of day, is
the merry peal of their stentorian voices
You are lulled to sleep by their melodies :;
you awake with the sounds still ringing
in your ears.
In listening to the vocal performance.
of one Of the walters on boat in which
performed recent trip from Louisville
to st. Louis, | was struck not only with
his fine voice-which was really clear and
sonorous-but also with pcctical genius
lie improvsed his poetry, or, to use hi-
own expression, he made up his verses
as he went along" The theme on the
present occasion, was the steamboat in
which we were rapidly gliding up the
Mississippi, which bore tho romantic name
of Cornelia The improvisatore set forth,
in his song, some of the most prominent
merits of the beautiful Cornelia-her ex-
cellcnt accommodations, her great speed,
and her superiority over all her rivals on
the Western waters; always managing to
work in an "invitation to all travellers to
"come on board One Of his songs was
as follows:
Come all oh You passengers
What to- ride fust,
Come on lie Cnrncelyah.
You will n.bJcr lie passed;
DE Corneelyah is n good boat,
She knows how to move
Bot ictat Ic,H 81, do
Hher her engines gct smoother
CHoRUs-O. go it CorneeIyah,
She is de boat, reckon.
'she is fast boat,
She never comes in laie
Leaves st. Louis at five,
An-t Cairo at eight;
But when she is comm,
be ladies d-y will say,
Behold, it is CorneeIyah.
She has come before day
o. 70 it Corneelyah,
She Is lie boat, reckon.
'Corre all oh you passengers,
Iat want 10 know your fare,
Jus walk up % de Office.
You'll find our clerk dare:
Our clerk he is u good uiufl,
On. oh de berry icst,
He treats all oh De PASSENGERS
To De honest good jest.
q, 90 it CnrnccIyah
She is dc boat, reckon
As specimen of spontaneous, unhcwn
poetry, / think the above should rank
high. That fearful interrogative in the
last two lines of the first verse,
'Rut what will she do
When her ,ng'ncs get snioothe2'
is Pregnant with meaning, and can be in
terpreted as many different ways as a
Presidential aspirant's political letters.
Let us now go down "bcIow," among
the noisy, fun-lovirg, ha,d-working fire
men. These negroes, it W i'll be observed,
seem TO have 10 idea of harmony they
all sing the same part, and that, of course,
the melody or tnoc. After wooliug up"
and stirring up the great fires, and clio
sing the heavy furnace doors with an i'm
mcnso iron 'long pole" one of the COM
pany turns his shiny face to lis comrades,
and with tremendous open countenance,
strikes up sort Of solo, al HJitun,, with
variations adapted to his taste or vocal
powers, at tie conclusion Of which the
whole company "join in,'' swelling the
choru. to a most fearful extent by an oc-
cnmniafjoa Of po~er on the same part
There they so, now, caroling I strange
melody sor. Of serio comic strain, thus
al saw my true love weep;
heard my true love cry.
AWAY down Cairo,
This ni.ga's gwine to dc
Here Is another refrain, of rather less
poetical pretensious; but it was given
with moro grinning, shiny countenancc,
which could not be withstood, even by
Horace Grcefy.
Il wish had scmr 'hacccr,
Who'll give ciaw toiaccer,
Z want a chaw o 'tscc"r SO hai
In. Glmot fro-e.'
This song brought the "'haccer,' as
am told it invariably does. l could not
withstand the appeal, but hastcued to the
saloon, purchased a roll of the invigora-
tor, as they call it out here, went back
and supplied my entertainers with tobacco
enough for the night, and Immediately
retired, to escape their profuse thanks