The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1854-05-12
Tall Corn.

JAMES WATSON WEBB, the editor Of the New
York Courier and Enquirer, now in London, relates
the following incident in one of his Late letters:
We grow "tall corn'' in America. The world is
beginning to find it out. Every year brings the fact
more and more home TO the perceptive and digestive
faculties of all civilized humanity. Like all great
truths, it did not gain credit once. True, every
body secs it here with his eyes, but not so on
the other side of the water The first accounts Of
the productiveness of our western praires were read
by the Buckinghamshire farmer with much respect
rs the fish stories of the sailor Snbad 1t took even
the highest dgnitaries Of the land long while to
get fairly up to level with the actual fact. Even at
this day there is of corn in the British Muse
um which enjoys very distinguished considera ton
as curiosity. 1t divides attention, do not say
equally but certainly fracionally, with the Nnevah
Bull and the great kohinoor. 1t is aperfect marvel
to our good cousin John Bull; and yet it has but
very simple history. and is not very extraordinary
Of corn after ALL 1t reached its present distinc-
ton something in this wise
In the month of January, 1S47, at a certain dinner
party at London, at which Lord John RUSSELL Lord
Morpeth, and many other distinguished men were
Present, the conversation turned upon the Irish fam
inc; and the remark made by Lord John, that he
rejoccd that good substitute for the native
breadsuff had been found as Indian corn. Turning
to Mr. Bates, the American partner IN the house Of
Barring. Brothers, his lordship went to say,
'Why, Bates, some Of the cobs have welue or four
teen rows Of grain them. Mr.. Bates cooy replied
eyes, my lord, have seen from twenty to t,veatv "
four cob.'' "That is a rare Yankeeism. -
was the pleasant retort Of the PREMIER and the whole
company shouted in approval. The burst OF ncredu-
lous merrment over, Mr.. Bates bought his peace by
wager OF dinner Tor the company all round that
he could produce such "Done," exclaimed
Lord John, and the bet was clnched.
The dinner passed off. Mr.. Bates returned home,
L.,
thing; for the first time in his life he had made an
engagement he not absolutely certain Of his abil
ity to fulfill. He had msgivings that he had rashy
pledged the honor of his country. 1t had been long
since he had looked upon an American crib; and
however patiently he winnowcd the corn-tcopa of
his memory, he found that the cobs of his early days
had gone glimmering, through the lapse Of time,
among the things that were and were now SO far off
that he couldn't count the rows. He was as Plautus
would say, reiactus ad iapitas-in Yankee pa,l,nce
"hard up" But fortune tavors the brave. 1t hap.
pened that friend Of ours dropped in the next day
at the count'ng-house of the Earrings. Mr.. Bates,
with Frightening face, hailed him, and made known
his difficulty. "You are safe, was the response:
''if live to get home you shall have even bigger
ear than you have promised
Our friend C. returned, and straight
way wrote to Messrs Rogers & Reynolds, Of LaEay-
cite, Ind, telling the story, and begging them for the
honor OF the country to come to the rescue and
TIC '",'eS vi Aro 1ohn: showing hin what Yankees
could do In the July following Mr.. G-receiv-
ed by express from Lafayette nicely arranged box
containing SIX ears OF horsetOoh corn, two Of which
had twenty mine rows, two thiryone and two THIR.
TY-rwo. The box forthwith addressed to 81.
Bates, Esq, care of Messrs. Barring, Bro. s. Co.
ship by Black Ball line, Of the Liverpool house,
1t reached ITS destination, and Lord John Russell,
first Lord of the Treasury, third son of the late
Duke of Bedford by the second daughter Of George
viscount Torrngton, and lineal descendant of Lord
William Russell, the martyr of liberty, ackno,Uleged
the corn" The dinner was won. Joshua Bates did
not perpetrate "Yankeeism," and the British mu-
scum holds the trophy. Nre la Repubdquei