Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1853-12-10

to see the censures OF that press upon the pres
ent Chief Magistrate, who deserves it all:
This is the result of the Presidential canvas
and election Of 1852. sorrowfu thing it j
for all of us to look back upon the tolls, the ex
ertions, the fears, the proud hopes and exulta
tons, of that exciting period, and reflect tina
this is all the'fruit they have borne! To thinl
that when gallant old General Scott-whos
name is coupled with almost every victory tina
has shed luster on our national name-whos
reputation as soldier is41ot excelled by any o
the greatest captains Of Europe-whose honest,
and integrity have never been sullied by singl,
breath of suspicion-wl1en this noble veteran
came before us and asked us for our vote-tt
think that we refused it, in spite of persona
feelings, solely through the fear of what ha
happened since! For it is well that Genera
Pierce recollect it, had it not been for these Kill
ling suspicious of luckewarmness on the SLAYER,
question which hung round General Scott, the
present incumbent of the highest office in thi.
country would have never left Concord. Per.
sonnally, there is no reason to doubt that Gen.
eral Scott would have filled the Presidential
Chair with as much credit as any Of our recent
rulers; and there was nothing in all his past
life, with the single exception of his supposed
affinity for Sewardsm, that could have indis-
posed the masses against him. Had it not been
for that single i" damning spot" General Scott
would almost, without doubt, have been Pres
ident to-day. That one blemish was enough,
however, to destroy his chances utterly, from
one end Of the Union to the other; and the peo-
pie firmly relying on the past history and solemn
pledges of General Pierce, and rightly postpo-
ming all private and personal feelings to the
higher considerations of the national welfare,
voted almost unanimously in his favor. Had
any prophet at that day come forward and fore
told that twelve months afterwards the govern
ment to be inaugurated by that vote would be
found sedulously acting on the principles which
had ruined General Scott, and perseveringly
ostracising friends of the Union, to make room
for traitors and disunionists of every shade, he
could not have collected ten hearers, and would
have passed for mailman.
RUSSIAN MACHINE FOR KILLING WHALEs.-In
one of the Continental papers we have from
Helsmfors (Russia) an account of an electro
magnetic machine for the capture of whales 1t
is exhibited at the establishment of Mr.. Julin,
at apothecary at Abo. 1t was invented by the
celebrated DR.. jacob, Of st. Petersburgh.
The apparatus is composed Of twelve mag
nets, in the form Of horseshoe, arranged in
opposite rows. Between these are placed two
cylinders, carefully joined and covered with is
olated copper wire, to which very rapid rotary
can be communicated by means Of
mechanism adopted to that purpose.
As it is intended to stun the whale, the least
motion of the cylinders causes it to give out We
~ preceptible shocks, which, upon an accelera-
ted motion, become too strong for any one to
encounter with safety. The isolated wires are
placed along the lines to which the harpoon is
attached, in such way that the other end Of
them is placed in direct communication with the
machine, the instant the har-
poon touches the whale. The specimen of ex-
hibition is to be put on board of the Ayan,
Finish whaler.