Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1854-01-25

4 b
esgf- We cut the following racy article on
the burning of the noble ship Great Republic
from the New Bedford Mercury: ,2' 4.
"THE GREAT SHIP P-BURNING.--Every one
has heard, by this time, of the great naval ca
tastrophe of the century, and every one has
sighed for the untimely fortune of the ship of
ships. The same post that brought to us the
intelligence of her destruction, fetched also the
news, that the Turks feet had been knocked
about his turbaned head at Sinope but the true
Yankee remembered that the fourteen splinter
ed barks of the Moslem hardly equaled in tom
uage our single sea-giant, and kept his sympa-
thy for himself. Mr. McKay's disappointment
is felt also, as national disaster; we all had a
small share, if not in hull and freight-list, at
least in the honor and glory of the gallant craft;
and now it is our sole satisfaction that our alb
stract interest was insured in the great Office of
American industry and enterprise. Yet it is
strange to think of such fate for such ship );
it is, as if the smutty god of fire had envied his
trident-bearing brother such triumph, and so
came in a sheet of flame TO devour the monster
The noble vessel which was to laugh at levan-
ters, bully the pillows, mock monsoons, and
make light of white and black squalls; which
was to march like king over the sea, and tun-
Hoosack which was to carry at her lofty mast
head the challenge of Western world, has van
ished as Jupiter came to Semele, in fame of
fire, without spreading topsail or dancing
single measure to the music of her creaking
shrouds-has given up the ghost ignobly, stuck
in mud bank, prisoner at The pier, bound
hand and foot like martyr TO the stake, with
OFT the captives privilege of running for dear
| life. The flame has run riot through the forest
of spars and cordage, and sunk, weary Of mis-
chief, upon the charred and blackened hull. O.,
lame and impotent conclusion! Why did she
not 60 down, split and splntered in twain by
| the majestic sea, or gnawed by the teeth of hun
CRY ledges, while the great gales chanted her re-
quinn, and the torches of heaven lighted her
| to the grave qa-,,.i. ......'l.. 'a.1 H
GAS we read of this conhagration, we feel
that it is fiery illustration of the fate of great
wonders in our great republic. If we were at
all cynical, we might pursue the comparison.
The brag of Boston, and the pride Of the prin-
ces of the broad axe, has been the nine day 3
miracle of all tongues, the paragraphical repeti-
ton of all newspapers; her fortune the theme
of endless discussion, her launch the event Of a
day, her little inland voyage the debate Of the
counting rooms. Thus she has served her turn
if not nobly, at least notably, and consistent to
the last she does not perish like your vulgar
bottoms, but sends her dying breath hot and
thick into the heavens, to call into motion the
gales of the Atlantic and drive them whirlng in
monstrous circles from pole to pole aa
GA land of newspapers will always be land
of gossip, and nothing is great in our happy
country unless it is convertible into conversa-
tion. We must have n man, singer, or ship
this thing or that forever on our tongues
But Fanny Esslser's pirouettes still whrl only
through greener memories, and the fiddle OF
Ole Bull has left but faint reminiscence of mar.
velous cat-gut and miraculous mare's tail in all
refined circles. The nightingale of the North
has sung her sweet way over our hills and val.
leys taking golden toll for her silver notes as
she futtered along; and now she sits broodinG
upon blossomy rose tree, in her own garden
far away, and is almost forgotten here. The
great Hungarian came next, with q feather in
his hat and great beard under his muller, He
too was the idol of all hunkeys, he too was
toasted, and dined, and wined he too subsided
quite anonymously as Alexander Smith, OF
some such ignobe name be followed by other
lions, great or little, or merely the cubs of ar
Il hour.
"With us, however, it must be confessed, there
is a constant reaction going on ; if it were no
so, the leonine herd would become altogether
too numerous. The pet of our Imagination to
day, is subjected to hard, scientific test to-hor
row. good sense is always awaking just in
time to save us; and we remorselessly dissec
our deities, after we get tired of bowing before
them. For singer, and dancer, for fiddler ant
for foreign hungry patriot, this is an unfortu
nate national tendency. The eager child is frs
awe-struck at the locomotive eyes Of his littl,
waxen libel on humanity; but, this mysteriou
impression passed, he searches for the optica
strings Of his poppet, and soon contrive to set
tie the vivacous bead-eyes into an eternal stare
And thus Yankee curiosity will still be peepin!
about for hidden motives and secret springs o
action, and after we have run long enough from
the haring lion-hde, we turn boldly round, pul
, il off, and discover beneath, our solemn frien
of the longitudinal ears. The goddess Of sem
iquavers subsidies into an immelodious bawle
and the foreign patriot, though bearded like
pard, assumes an appearance around the eyes
!, which makes the prudent anxious about tn
spoons. Nobody however wonderful, can kee
the stage after such an exposure, and the ger
! tleman who takes Burgundy with the upper te
4 on Monday, may quench bis thirst with his re,
olutionary compatriots, in larger beer shol
before the week is fairly spent. I'd
! "Perhaps it is we'll for our miraculous shi
that she has thus flown away upon the wing
of the fire. Unfriendly criticism had alread
. commenced, and grave doubts of her succes
. had been expressed in shipping circles We
not think it likely, but she might have lived t