Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1854-09-22
Supplying the Enemy.

conhscate each others property, wherever tney nno
it. on land or sea- the British Government is,
theless considerable debtor that of Russia, and
continues punctually to pay the instruments to the
Emperor whenever they become DUE The same
government issues proclamation warning all its
subjects that any British subject furnishing or loan
ing money to the Emperor of Russia, would be gull
ty of treason and punishable traitor!
This debt grew out of the wars of the French rev.
olutlon. When the Emperor Napoleon took posses
sion of Holland, and made it dependant kingdom
for his brother Louis, England siezed the Dutch colo
MES of the Cape of Good Hope il Africa, from the
French. On the fall of Napoleon, and the attempt
Vienna to restore to their several owners the ter
rores of which they had been despoied Holland
reclaimed these colonies, and England, desiring to re
tain them, purchased them for the sum of SIX mil
lions sterling But in the adjustment of the cost OF
the allied wars against Napoleon, Holland became
chargeable with about G5,0OO,00O sterling and the
allied powers waved their proportion of the debt In
favor of Russia, to obtain her assent 10 the treaties
of Vienna. In the purchase of the Dutch Colonies
by England, 100000 of the purchase money was
be applied to the arrangement OF the affairs OF BEL
GUM, part of the monarchy of the Netherlands
and to indemnify Russia for her expenses IN defend
ing Belgium against France. This three millions
was appropriated to the use of Russia, and were
raised by Dutch loan, guaranteed by England. who
agreed to paw it in one hundred annual instruments
terminating in 1915. The sum of f4,11O0OO and
upwards has already been paid for principal and IN
terest, in the thirty nine years, during which the en-
gagement has been in force and by the end of the
term 93,988,0OO more will have been paid
Since the declaration of war IN March last, some
portion of the English press has insisted that it is
the right and duty of government to suspend these
payments time of war and, on the 1st of August,
motion 10 that effect was brought forward in the
House of Commons, by Lord Dudley Stuart, radl-
cal member. He supported his motion by inge
NOUS and elaborate speech He not only contended
that this justified by the usages and rights OF
belgerens. but defended it on the ground that the
treaties of Vienna-the preservation of which was
the consideration for the assignment OF this money to
Russia-had been spoken by her in many essential
point, and their obligation therefore discharged.
The government opposed the notion on broad grounds
OF public faith, contending that by the modern law
among civilized nations the breaking out OF war
does not discharge interfere with debts due to the
enemy To such an extent had this doctrine been
pracced in gland, according to the statement of
Sir William Wordsworth in this debate, that during
all the with France Napoleon held considera-
bic sums of money in the British funds, and regular
Iy received his dividends. The argument not,
however, rested on this point but government under
took TO assert that the particular treaties by which
this debt was created have not been violated by
Russia, and they protested against going back to the
9 ancient practices of barbarsm" in
The House agreed with this view completely
that, on division, there were only five votes given
for The suspension of the payments-a proposition
which was, on the debate, described by the of
reputation IN 0. Picagune.
California Forest Giants.
A correspondent Of the London :" GARDENERS Chro-
nice," gives the following graphic description of the
larger forests of California, and particularly of The
giant Tarodium, Redwood, which the English
botanists determined to call Welngtona, and
which the Americans determined they shall not,
a point worth quarreng about, if neither nation
had nothing else TO boast Of Unfortunately, we
have already many fine plants named after men as
bad as the Duke" on both sides of the water So
enough of this. The following is the extract, and
is dated Jamestown Tuolumne county, Alta Cahfor-
MIA, July 10, 1858:
Last Saturday went along with one of my part
ners the Big Tree,'' discovered in Calaveras
county, the head waters of the Stanisaus river.
We crossed the river Carsons Hill, where the
richest pockets in quartz yet discovered in Cafor-
MIA have been found From Carsons Hill went
on to Murphys Camp, where got horses, and
after three hours ride tolerabIy good TRAIL
ascending pretty rapidly towards the base of the ST.
ezra Nevada at first through woods chiefly of Oak
and Pine (Spruce, and afterwards of immense Pines,
Fir Arbor vitae, and Cedar, we reached closely
wooded bottom, where the trees were more luxurianl
than have seen in any other region, with good
deal Of underbrush, through which we had to force
our way, and in this swamp we found the Yelling
tonia, whose dimensions are as follows; Diameter
at the ground "a feet; diameter % feet up, 20 feet
diameter about 100 feet up, IA eet: height 29O feet;
age estimated at nearly 5000 years do not think,
however, that it is so old, as find there is on an
average about Is annual rings in the cross section
of its wood the root TO the inch and taking the
tree above the swell of the root at 10 feet to the
centre, that is 100 inches, at Is years TO the inch
gives only 1900 years. They cutting the
tree down. and should it be perfectly solid to the
tire, the exact age will soon be ascerained
! In all climates which have decided summer and
winter greately to vary the activity of vegeta-
ton, the woods deposit of each year, viewed in the
cross section, present distinct ring. In the same
swamp there many other trees of nearly the same
diameter. stepped round several, 80 yards in Cir
conference, while which had fallen has a hol.
low inside fit 10 stable so horses This gigantic Me-
husalem forest of the oden time seems TO have ex
tended back into periods to any but geological re-
cord. The whole surface of the ground is strewed
with immense trunks, their remains, in every
stage of decay, in many instances covered with vege
taton, to look like green earthem mounds, the
muryal vestIges Of ancient camps, and only by cut
ting into them they found to be rotten wood The
other trees Of the swamp consist of one species o.
Basam Fir, two species of Pine, from to feet il
diameter, and from $50 TO 800 feet high and two
species allied to the Cedar of nearly the same diam
eter the Pines, but not so tall.
Amongst the underwood are Hazel Rasberries
Currants Gooseberriee. Dogwood, Poplar and Viii
low, with number of others which we do not hav,
in Europe, one OF them, the Rhus TOxidendron or Poi
son Vine poisonous to the touch. The bark for abou
100 feet has been removed from the ''Big Tree 70
the purpose of putting it up in its natural figur
at the Worlds Fair, along with section of the butt
There has been much talk here of the Goth like &C
of cutting down q tree the largest and oldest in tn
world the Californians boast. 1t would have bee
pity to do SO, were there other like it; but ma
ny in the same swamp are nearly of the same dmen
sOns, and see it reported in the Stockton paper
!, that found on the head waters of the Mouueum
. ne, in the same county, is 40 feet in diameter
5 THE DEMOCRATIC PARrY-While the Democrac
of the North are wrangling and quarrelling, it is
source of peculiar delight to every friend of the Sou