davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-28
a Letter from an OctOgenarian.
by GRANT THoRBURN.

New YORK, Feb Is, 1854.
Mr. PRINTER This day | enter on my
eighty second year my health as good, my
appetite as good, relish my food as good,
and | sleep as good as when in my thirtieth
year. and for this, thanh the Girer of all
Good The, sceptic may sneer and the fool
may laugh, it is but the cracking Of thorns
under pot. You may call this egotsm or
mcsmcrism or any ism that you please, but
think that ingratitude is worse than the sin
of witchcraft. " What shall render to the
Lord for all his benefits ,"
For the last sixty years, have been only
one day confined to my dwelling by sickness.
Seventeen of these summers were spent IN the
city, when yellow fever, like IA Turkish
plague, made our streets desolate, and the
strong men dropped like grass beneath the
scythc of the mower. The doctors OF law,
physic and divinity, the Board of Health the
Mayor and the ancient men of the city, all
affirmed that the fever was contagious. II
50, | have higher Power than Chdncc to
thank for the preservation of myself and
iamily--iOr neither my wife, myself, nor any
Of my thirteen children We're ever affected by
this fatal disease, The exemption was the
more remarkable, Ms spent much of my time
in the chambers Of death and at the sick bed
of the dying,
to the 22d of september, had seven patients.
They lay in three different wards near halt a
mile apart travelled day and night from
one house to another, they having none To
give them II cup of cold water, myself cN-
ccpted Four Of them died; three recovered
thousands died alone.
! will narrate in eighty minutes my Jour
ney of twice forty years through the wilder
ness of this world. Many, and full of GOOD
have heen the days of my pilgrimage. When
| lett Scotland in April, l734, was in my
22d year. The amount Of my education wa
to read the bible and write my own name
Previous to this, had never been twenty
miles from the house wherein was born
and, with regard to men and their manners
was as ignorant AS IA babe
The tr,t night slept on shore in America
WAS on the 18th of June, in an open girrct
with my head within eighteen inches Of the
shiHsie roef, my ships matrass spread ON the
floor. The night Was hot, the room
alive with llcas, hugs and mosquitoes, ans
other plaques from Egypt \ thunder storu
arose NJ midniSht--the rain dcscended-th'
hoods beat on that shngle roof, and greu
Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-28
ron 1HE rRLE PnLsS.1
Street Sweeping, Beard Movement, Dis
cussion, Uncle Tom and Weather III New
York.
Nrw YoRK. April Il. L.

Nrw YoRK, Apri l3, 1854.
We are ENJOYING the greatest wonder a, pressut
hore, that the CITY has seen for many long dav.
greater than even the Mammoth Woman or tho
Iillputian King. Broadway Is free from dust when
it is not raining No thanks TO our CITY govern
ment for IL. however. II is the rcu1t Of rrivatc
enterprise, being done by Broadway merchants,
with Gcuin Mt their head Tho rcsult is worthy Of
the founder of Geuin'. Bridge. Ths good. in the
stores on broadway wero 20 much injured by tho
dust. that the merchants clubbed together to have
the street. regularly swcpt. and like almost every.
thing tina, is done bv nrivsto en,crpriso in this
countrv. thov have done IT cbeaper and far halter
than ,Lc civ 1id !, Tho, .reor :, a., ,,i,,,, ,i,L
house brooms. which the .,ooothnos, or ,h. Russ
n,romor, T. uol, ,d,r,sd ~ ,,a pro,a,-o -.,,,.
anita r,o,.,n, street 70 vail i, move
Tho {. bo,rd ,,o,orror, >, bo, ho,,,h, ,bo,, ,,,o
rbsnor,,ror rhiob avon ,ho mos, orden. srnnor,or
or tbo c,rso ,orId hsrdtr boro oxroo,od w;,h;,
,he mast have soon hor r,rs,,ob;o,
in tho streets They arc made Of blsck hair s,sd
with snrnos annorcptlv IN fa,,on than, nm and nor,
,r1 ,broe cont, .o ,bot .,ro,. thar no,,shor
mas a uius,a.au 40 b,oot aud Iop, ss tho r,o.,
ACCOMPLISHED villain on the Stage. without the
slightest regard TO the color of his hair or COM
plcxion.
Tho discussion at the Tabernacle between Rev.
DR.. SAWYER and Rev. Mr.. Westcott, on the question
whether the scr;p,ures teach tho final salyation of
all men, has attracted come attention II was con.
tinucd through three evening. last week. and three
evening. this week will close it. The tabernacle
has been we'll filled to hear the dspuants who speak
alternate half hours doubt whether any very
great thing will happen from it. The argument
thus far has been nothing wonderful on either side
as for instance-lIr westcott having spoken of tho
unregenerate as the children Of the devil" Dr..
Sawyer to contradict the statement cited the last
verse Of the third chapter of Luke which gives the
genealogy Of Christ back to Adam, which was the
of Cod" arguing that therefore all Adam, de.
scendants the children Of God, and therefore
| not " the children of the devil" | am at loss TO
sec how it shall be decided which champion has won
! the victory, if victory there be. vote on the
| question at the last meeting would hardly tell any
there that evening. The truest way would doubtless
be to count the number of those Of the opposite way
| of thinking whom each has convinced and caused to
change his mind. | suspect, however, that thai
would show drawn battle, no killed on either side
The Rus.o-Turkish question is not passed by here
| unnoticed. ! saw instance Of its influence the
| other dav nossod in the street a knot of how
-, .,,...,,,i.. ,o =, n,
a'0u'' '"O "H0 ''
you mean to say IN mean SKUNK les, do,
said the other with clenched fist ready to stand BY
hi. declaration We'll. saws tbs sr,, "vba, d,
Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-28

A LETTER or CRoMwELL's.-O country
man Mr.. Henry Stevens, (son of the Antiqnary
HENRY STEVENS Of Barnet, VT the resident
agent of the Smithsonian Institute in London,
recently purchased for f36 an interesting au-
tograph letter of Oliver Cromwell, addressed
I" for my esteemed friend Mr.. Cotton, pastor to
the Church att Boston in New England these
October2 1851" This letter was written short
ly after the battle of Worcester. Cromwell
alludes to the difficulties he experienced in
treating with the Scottish party.
"Whoe wsre," he says, II verify thinke
Cody, but thorough weaknesse, and tha sub
tiltye Of Sathan involved in interests against
the Lord and his people. With what tender.
ness we have proceeded with such. and that
in synceritye, our papers (which suppose you
have seem will IN part manifest, and give you
some comfortable assurance off The Lord
hath marveloussy appeared even against them,
and now againe, when all the power was devol-
we'd unto the Scottish kinge and the malignant
partie, they invadeinge England, the Lord rayn-
ed upon them such snares as the enclosed will
show, only the narrative is short IN this, that OF
THERE whole armle when the narrative was
framed not FIVE of their whole armie were re-
turned What is the Lord doing? " hat
prophesies are now fultflllnge? Whoe is a God
like ours: z" The letter concludes with many
expressions of Christian sympathy Mr. Car
lyle does not appear to have seen the original
letter, but has used the copy among the Arun-
dell MSS. The letter was bought at auction
by Mr.. Stevens after keen competition.
Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-28
Deep Plous hing-lts Wisdom and Its Folly.

Deep ploughing is one of the hobbies of the
agricultural literature" Of the day. All the
agricultural journals, and nearly all the speak
ers al agricultural fairs insist upon the import
ance of deep ploughing Many people seem
really to believe that the only thing necessary
to insure good crop Of almost any kind and
in almost any place, is to plough deep enough.
"Glve warm water, no matter what the dis.
ease" said the quack doctor, "and if the pa
tient dies. say he didn't drink enough" -
"Plough deep" say these agricultural teachers
and if the crop fails they tell the farmers that
they did not plough deep enough.
Now the depth to which ground should be
ploughed depends entirely upon circumstances.
W here there was naturally deep rch soil.
and the SUFFICE Of it has been worn out by ex-
hausling crops and shallow cultivation. turning
up the soil to greater depth effects its inmed.
iaie renovation. Good crops will grow where
nothing grew before. This is the case with
much of the land in Eastern Virginia.
But where there is rich or fair surface soil,
but very thin, underaid by gravel or s,nd,. or
anything else that Is entirely unproductvs,
plough TO great depth, and, without heavy
manurng you ruin the land for present uses
Manure heavily enough, and you may plough
any land ever 60 deep; but without such man
urlng the proper depth is determined by the
character of the subsol and the kind of crop to
be raised.
Rye many very experienced farmers say,
always does best with shallow ploughn,. Ono
of the best farmers in the United States told us
that he tried carrots on two fields, side by side,
and alike IN other respects, one of winch was
poughed deep, and the other comparatively
shallow, and the carrots on the shallow plough
ed were much larger and what seems strange
they grew TO a much greater depth. Mr.,
Morgan, Of Vermont, in an article which We
published last week. says that, unions bottom
better where the ground has been rolled or
| hard trodden."
| We believe that sub-suiling may frequently
| be useful where deep surface pough,ng would
be decidedly injurious. And it is desirable to
/ deepen gradually, from year to year, the sur
| face ploughlnG, for many crops, as fast as It
| can be done without detrment that Is, as "a st
as you can enrich the additional subSoi' which
| is turned up, but no faster; unless, az we have
said before, the subsoil is already richer than
the surface soil.--.N Y Post.
Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-28

A New Kind of Fence,

DR. G. B GREEN, of Windsor, ", has intro
duced process of kyanlzing wood with blue
vltrol, so as to render it very durable. He
takes stakes, lash, elm, oak, or any snitable
woody "a leet long, and sleeps feet of the
sharpened end till thoroughly soaked in a solu-
ton of blue vltrol. One ID. of vltro to 40 lbs.
water is his rule. These stakes are then driven
firmly into the ground about 10 Inches. The
tops are then brought INTO a strsigh, line, and
strip of board inches wide, placed upon the
top Of the stakes, and nailed with one nail 10
each stake. The stakes are inches apart
DR.. q. afiirms that after paying4 cents per rod,
or 81 40 per hundred, for his states, he can pay
all other cost upon such fence and hire II
made at 26 cents per rod, or at SO cents per rod,
The whole cost.
BY experimenting upon piece of bnsslcood
board. ~ years since, which lie placed IN the
ground then, where 1t has renamed per ectly
sound till this time, DR.. G. is Of opinion this
fence will be very durable, and as II cost will
be even less than so cents per rod, to farmers
who can cut their own stakes, it must eventual.
ly be very common kind of"dlviding line"
Among DR.. G.'s advantages over common
fence, he says cattle and sheep can't get through
1t, horses won't jump it, hogs will 20 a good dig.
lance round rather than climb over II, and a
lazy man can't set in the shad. of 1t.
Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-28
AG r ICU LTU II AL.
tFrom the New England Farmer. !
Cutting Scions.

Mn. FARMER AS the season approaches
for this interesting portion Of every man. labor
who owns or cutlvates a farm or garden, some
simple directions may not be unln'eresting to
your numerous readers. Many neglect cutting
or procuring them. supposing they must he cut
AT certain time and kept in a pnriicu'nr man
ner, or they are worthless. 1t is quite time all
such humbuts should be exploded.
KEEPING SCioSs. The only secret is to keep
theme Jol and damp--not wet. The best course
! have ever tried is to lay them on brick floor
IN cool cellar, and cover with thick damp
sacking If The sacking becomes dry. sprinkle
1t. In thls manner they are kept in perfect OF
der from March I'LL June, and easily taken as
wanted. Many plans are recommended, aone
troublesome and others unsife. ! once had
more than 5000 packed in damp pine slwdnst
IN warm cellar, and though apparently IN
perfect order, they became worthless.
1RANsPoRrATIoS OF ScIoNs.-N hen sent
IN such quantities. as to send bv express. the
winter is the best tne-but if sent in spring
they can e'sily he sent ! 900 miles, or norc,
by being packed in damp moss, which il well
understood by those who sell scnus, so that
any one wanting can order with The assurance
of receiving IN perfect condition. Amateurs
get them by ma n q ihs pessn peca Of oU oes s
which you cen do at any dry-good store en-
close it with two or three stamps 10 your cor
respondent with directions to wran The scions
in the silk in this way they may be received
| from any part Of the United States.
DRv ScioSs.-Scions that have become dry
| mot injured by water may be buried in ord-
nary garden soil, one or two weeks and become
| perfect-which, if inserted without may be
worthless. This is, also, the true moie Of
treating young trees, from dry transportation.
Bury the whole tree one or two weeks before
| planting. and healthy vigorous growth is OBJ
tanned, instead of sickly and slow one.
c. GooDRicH.
| Burlington, Vt Feb 1874
Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-28

was the terror OF my heart. The lightning
nashcd-thc thunder rolled had never seen
or heard the like in Scotland and | wished
myself at home again. Sleep Ned from mine
eyes, and slumbcr from my cvclids. | rose
at day breuk-hcad-achc art-achc--and my
spirits sunk down to my heels. Being II
stranger, was 10th TO disturb tho family hv
going forth SO early; to amusc two li-tlcss
hours, opened my case Of books to spread
them on the floor as they had been fourteen
weeks in the hold of the vessel feared they
were mildcwcd. On the top, lay n small
pockct-biblc it was placed there hy the
hands ol my rious father | opened the book
" My son, met my eye. For moment,
thought my father spoke. | read to the end
OF the chaptcr-it the third Of Proverbs.
1t is near sixty years since that morning,
but, at every cross-rOad, when not knowing
whittier to turn, to the right hnnd ar the left.
" This is the way, walk yc in it
After | had been three months in the coun.
try, when crossing Broadway, ono morning
as the sun rose upon Gotham, ! espied
lovely sister advancing in my path ! begged
her TO walk with re on ths wa+. Shc had
many scruples. My life was bound up in
hers. | referred to my chapter aforesaid,
did as was told by the 9th verse the answer
was Immediate-Psalm l45th. 10Th verse.
first cause-from that hour the fever lett
her. After a short process, our hearts were
knit together in bond of love by DR. John
NJ. Mason, according to canons Of the Kirk
of Scotland, In like ease made and provided.
You have read in the book of the chronicles
OF Laurie Todd, a particular account of the
courtship OF Grant and Rcbekah YOU can
now read in the Gath chapter of Genesis
beautiful love-story anent the courtship of
Isaac and Rebckah Verso 5stb .ry, han
Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-28

Tue wAr THEY MAKE IloT BINS Is GEE
MA.Y.-Take white cotton cloth, of close
texture, stretch and nail it on frames OF any
size YOU wish take two ounces Of lime water.
four ounces lnseed oil, one ounce of white Of
eggs, two ounces yolk of eggs, mix the lime
and oil, with very gentle heat, bent the eggs
well separately, and mix them with the former I;
spread the mixture with paint brush over The
surface OF the cotton, slowing each cont to dry
before applying another, until they become
water proof The following are the advantages
this shade possesses over glass one IL. The
cost being hardly one fourth. ?. Repairs are
easily made. 3. They are light They do not
require watering no matter how intense the
Heat of the sun, the plants are never struck
down or burnt, faded OF checked IN growth -
neither do they grow up so long. sick and weak
iy as they DO under glass, and still there ahun
dance of light. 1. The heat arising entirely
from below, Is more equsbe and temperate,
which is a great object. The vapor rising from
the manure and earh is condensed by the cool
air passing over the shade, and stands IN drops
| on the inside, and therefore do not require as
| frequent watering If the forms are large, they
should be intersected by cross bars about foot
square, to support the cloth. These articles arc
Just the thing for bringing forward seeds IN
season for trSnspantlng. Plough, Loom a"d
,9upH
Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-28

A REMARKABLE CAsE.-We leave the read.
er to determine which is most to be abhorred,
the singular lngratitude referred to by the fol-
lowing writer I'VE know not who or the ex-
quislte barbarity which he employs in its ex-
posure:-
San elderly maiden lady Of Ptished, Miss
Sarah Brooks had hen which for "a wears laid
an egg almost every day though blind and
lame for several years, she still performed her
task but being at length 25 years old, no
chicken, and past bearing, this remarkable hen
was killed by her mistress-an instance Of ie-
male ingrat!tude for which no parallel can be
found except by those very familiar with his
tory. An egg day for "a years would have
been 6760 eggs-call it G000--compute them
by dozens, at a shilling dozen, and some idea
map be formed of the sharpness and hardness
of the harchet that cut off Blddy's head because
the other extremity had ceased TO be produce
tive"
Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-28

0J~lt is stated that early in the Neb braska
campaign the President intimated to Mr.. Marcy
that lnasmuch as the administration was TO
plant itself upon that measure, he would be ex-
pected to secure the cooperation of his friends
in Congress from New York. Mr.. Marcy bit
ns lips and said nothing. After the vote in
the House, however, referring the bill to the
committee of the whole, in which two of the
New Hampshire delegation voted in the affirm
alive and the third voted both ways, he gave
the President TO understand that he would con-
sent to be answerable for the New York dele
CATION, whenever the President could vouch for
that from his own state, or the Attorney Gen
eral point to a single supporter from his.
Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-28

p VERMONT CENTRAL RNLRoAD,-lt ha s
not probably passed out of tho recollection
of very many Of our readers, that year ago
or more n committee was appointed to inves-
committee completed their task six months
ago, and made report, which we are informed
hy those who have had some opportunity TO
know its contents, bears evidence of the ex.
traordinary thoroughuess, faithiulness and
patience with which they discharged their
disagreeable duty This report, too volum-
inous to be read before the stockholders, was
ordered to be printed, We understand that
] the printing has been for some time com
/ plcted but that for some reason the copies
are not taken from the hands of the printer
We mention the fact, prcsuming that the
tockholders are not aware OF lt-bo"o"
/ Traveller,
Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-28

NorNG AaERIcA-"Robert," SAID an lndul
gent mother to younster Of nlne,. who was
amusing himself IN a corner with pulling the
tail OF II respectable tabby cat, who with the
utmost force of feline lungs WAS expressing her
Indignation at such "unfeellng" treatment;
"Roherl. what would you like to have me buy
YOU for present Shall It be top"
"a top No, I'm ton old tor tops was the
reply.
Then, perhaps you would like s'ed or
pair of skates ?"
mo, don't want them"
"Shall get you bow and arrows, or pic
ture-book, or, what would you like bes, :"
"Old lady" said Robert, with dignity, ire
spect the feelings of gentleman. and do no,
aCgrava'e ne further; keep your bows, arrows
and picture books for them that like EN-. y
YOU want to know whut | would life, will
tell yuu-d bor Of cigars and shdw -
His mother tainted IN surprise. When s,e
recovered, she expressed the conviction that
Robert was the iurwardcst boy of his age she
knew of, aud she was quite sure he would make
great orator some oflhn>e days. she thought
proper to dcuy him the segars, but os Tor the
shawl-perhaps you have seen figure oithre'
icct or under, promcnadiug Broadway. within
The pnSl week, closely cnvelopcd IN tbck grey
shawl. We'll, that's Robert
Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-28

~ A PROFITABLE Cow.-The Ploughman
states that Henry Blanchard, of E. S,oughton,
has COW years old, called native but may
be one fourth Ayrshire, which gave during the
year ending Goth March last, $3.50 quarts OF
milk, of the value of Sl5i 80. This COW had
no other feed in summer than ordinary pastur-
age, with green fodder added in August. On
coming to the barn in the fall she had rowen
and four quarts of oil meal daily, given in a
dry state.
Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-04-28

II ADVANCE N CgoCSERy WARE.--The ac-
count per last steamer from the potteries in
Eugland, note u still further rise in crockery
ware. which establishes an advance Of full
thirty per cont, within three months. This
increase i caused in a great measure by the
high price of labor, and should Il European
war prove of any duration there is very little
hope of any decrease in the cost of this very
important article. For the year ending
june 80, 1852, the amount of China, rorre-
ltin rarthen and stone wares, imported into
the country, amounted to nearly three and a
half millions uf dollars. As the present
price, range, the manufacture of these arti
,lcs ia thi, country would prove remuncra
tive, for We pur>rss the material in ahun
DANCE Saturday ErHing Gazette,