The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1853-03-24
Negro Minstrelsy.

i
stresy, is from correspondent of the Musical
World. The ''Corneeyah," is Pittsburg built
boat, and when saw her down South nearly
u year ago, she was beautiful and fleet enough
to have won poetical praise from a more hnlsh-
ed than the mentioned, if such had been SO
fortunate to travel on her.
/ am told that some of the negroes Oh the
boats are free and that others are slaves hired
out to the Steamboat Companies but it is i'm
possible for n stranger to distinguish the slave
from the freeman all appear to enjoy the Tar
gest liberty The walters are quiet, lndustrl-
GUS respectful and attentive but the hremen
that inhabit the Plutonic regions ''away down
below" are certain the merriest, drollest, Jol-
liest set of fellows l ever saw. Some of the
Gremen, | am sorryst to add, :re awfuily profane,
but their jests and witticisms, their songs and
dances seem to he their life day and dnight; and
now, when or where they get their rest is more
than l can tell The last sound one hears at
night, and the first at break of day,is the mer-
ry peal of their stentori"n voice. You are lul-
led to sleep ny their melodies you awake with
the sound still ringing in your ears.
In listening TO the vocal performances of one
of the walters on a boat in which performed
a recent trip from Louisville to ST Lnuis, WAS
struck not only with his fine voice-which was
really clear an soporuns-out also with his po-
ctry, or, to use his own expression, ''he made
up his he went along" The theme
ON the present OccHsion, was the steamboat IN
which were rapidly gliding up the M.ssissjP-
pi which bore the romatc name OF C"rneiia.--
fhe ebony imppovisatore set forth III has song
some Of the most prominent merits OF the beau
ful Cornciia-her excellent accommOd" ti"ns. her
great sreed arid her superiority OYER al her ri
walls on the Western waters. always managing
10 work in an invitation to al travellers 10
GONE on board." One Of his songs were as
follows
''Come oil OBJ you passengers,
What want to ride fast,
Come on de Corneelyah,
You will nebber be passed.
'sCome oil ob you passengers,
And knows how TO move,
But what will she 90.
When her engines gat smoothe
CHoRUs-O, go 1t. Corneeiyah,
She is de boat, reckon.
s'She is n fast boat
She neber comes in late
Leaves St. Louis at FIVE,
And Cairo at eight;
But when she IS comm,
De Indies dey will say,
Behold. it r Cordeelyah
She has c. me before day.
Oh. 90 it Corneeyah,
She is de boat | reckon"
As a specimen of spontaneous. unhewu poe
try think the above should rank high. That
feurfu iuterrogative in the last two lines of the
first verse,
But what will she do,
When her engines get smootiie ?''
is pregnant with meaning, and can be interpre-
ted n many different ways presidential as
pirants political letters.
Let as now go below" among the fun low
ing hard working tiremep. After '.wooding
up and ''strring up" the great fires, and clo-
sing the heavy furnace doors with an immense
iron long pole" one of company turns his shi-
nv face to his comrades, and with tremendous
open countenauce, strikes up sort of solo, d9
iiJfuH, with variations adopted to his taste or
vocal powers, at the conclusion of which the
whole company join in, swelling the chorus to Il
most fearful extent by accumulation Of yo5rer
.n the same part. There they 90, carroi-
ling a strange melody sort Of serio-comic
strain, thus
81 saw my true love weep;