The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-05-02
D1ryrcUrTY wIrH PARaGuAr.-The British

OF January, contains a lfnhHaCssliol si55H1
.sAn American, giving the particulars OF
e outrage on the United States steamer Nate
!, Witch. By a party Of Paraguayans The Nate
i Witch. capt. Page. has been engaged tor tw
Il years in the exploration of the Rio Parana an
q its tributaries President Lopez became II
u dignant with the captain for having, on sever
occasions, removed American citizens from hl
e tyranny On the departure of capt. Page, To
n president issued decree forbiddng the en-
;. trance of any man-of-war into the waters c
II the Paraguay. For several months past, cap
0 Page has been engaged in constructing sma
n steamer. Ell Pilcomayo, intended for the ex
ploration of the smaller streams, the permelo
" the Salado, the Picomayo, and others TIL
vessel was completed. and on the 31stof Janua
!. " capt Page sailed from CorrienIes, for tn
exploration of the Rio Salado, taking with hin
all the sea officers except the first lieutenan
and half The crew.
Lieutenant LETTERS, the first lieutenant wa
directed by him to proceed in the Water Nitcl
up the Parana as high as he could get, making
chart of the river, and taking such obserFa
tons as the survey required. The crew con
sisted of 95 men, including cooks and servants
In pursuance of these Instructions. Lieutenant
LETTERS sailed at 7 A. NJ, February LIST and a
II passed the mouth of the Paraguay, directing
his course to the Corrientes side, intending te
pass between that shore and an island in the
middle of the river. When nearly opposite
the battery, a sem-eircular brick or red stone
fort, mounting about six guns, and at distance
of three hundred yards, she was hailed, which
hail was neither understood nor responded to,
this was shortly followed by two blank cart
ridges, and then BIZ shot, which cut the wheel
ropes, disabled the steering wheel, and NOR
| tally wounded the man at the helm. Lieutenant
Jefers then gave orders to FIRE in return, still
continuing his course up the river. The pilot
as soon as the firing began, ran below, and was
with difficulty got on deck again, and then, on
looking round, exclaimed that it was impossl-
| BILE to pass on, as there was not sufficient water
| in the channel, the vessel being then in ten feet
water By this time she had passed all of the
| fire of the battery, except one gun. and to re-
turn was compelled to repass it. The channel
being too narrow to turn In, the Water Witch
was backed down stern foremost, exposed TO
severe fire, which she continued toreturn until
beyond its reach. It is worthy OF a remark,
that no flag was displayed at the battery, so
that in reality the nation of the enemy can only
be conjectured. The Paraguayans have not
escaped unpublished for their temerity. A gun
was dismounted, and at so short distance the
sharpnelI shells and grape of the Water Witch
must have told with considerable effect.
A PRoPHEeY.-The report is very generally
current throughout the country that the rev.
Mr. Cooper the methodist preacher who dug
the celebrated "Cooper's wel'' has had a
dream somewhat like the one enjoyed a few
years ago by certain king of Egypt named
Pharoah. Probably every one has heard of
parson Cooper's dream or dreams which he
had to guide him in bis search after water while
he was digging" the WELL" It seems that his |
dream proved true-he procured water and the |
water procured health for bis afflicted wife and |
has impaired it to thousands since.
We have heard it repeatedly asserted lately /
that parson Cooper dreamed recently that.
this portion of the world is to be cursed
with seven years dearth or famine caused
by absence of rain. Really it seems as though
we have entered upon the deartb, although
we hope the promise made by the Creator to
Noah when he came out OF the ark will be
kept,-'.WhiIe the earth remainetb, seed time
and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer
and winter, and day and night, shall not
cease. Gen. 8 ch., 22v
In the democratic convention at PHILADELPHIA
On the Sd, the delegates suspected of know =;
1otbngism were examined under oath, and (
witnesses were also examined in relation to the
against them. Those who refused
o testify, Or when the charge was proved {
against the accused. were expelled Among {
hose expelled was S. Allen, the democratic
county commissioner, and on refusing to depart {
he was forcibIy put out. my. Express
When was the like of that ever heard of be- {
ore? Most certainly no delegate having the {
slightest selfrespect or entitled to the respect of
lis fellow men would have submitted to such E
an oathl What pass the democracy must |
lave come to when they cannot hold a conven- t
ion, composed Of their old friends, without sub {
jectng them to such indignity and humiliation e
md degradation and shame for fear of their /
'eing know nothings Louisville Jour. a
THE LAND SLIDE AT SELaA.-We take the
GLOWING from the Selma Reporter. About 9
welye o'clock on last Saturday, nature played :
Ut eneof her strange freaks, which produced .
quite an excitement among our citizens The +
,oring of an artesian well has been going on for
ome time in the rear of the central depot build =
ng, which has reached the depth of four hun =
lred and forty feet, and was affording near FIVE
hundred gallons of water per minute, when it
uddenly sunk some fifteen or twenty feet below 9
he surface, causing large aperture in the E
.arth, which reached to the upper landing, and +
bout one hundred yards west of the building :
n down the river. The opening is about forty +
II fifty feet from the river, and from appearan- .
es, the whole bank or bluff will give way. The +
pertnre is near three hundred yards in length, +
md varies in width. All the wells in the Vi
Unity have stopped running. Mr.. Campbell, =
Who was boring the well, thinks that the water r
5 running out at a crevice in the rock :
-~----~~-@-~eo-~1>~~ou--~--
THE NEXT CoSGREss.-The elections in Con- o
lectieut and Rhode Island complete the entire .
ist of members for congress in the free states. J.
n the last congress these states sent ninety adj
members and fifty one opposition Y
n the next congress, the entire number of ad- .
ninistration members elected from the free L
tates ls-we believe We do not err in the com I
three, the entire number of g
opposition members is one hundred and sixteen. J
Of the administration members, one Comes S
rom Maine, five from New York, one from {
Iorco r |