Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-02-08
! 9l,e Neaus Uleaner,
rHR nrA.fH or rte. MeLEAN,

-, ~4,...,s-s-.
the DEATH OF MIR MCLEAN,
We1haye seldo.h, If ever, been more shocked
and panied thar Iby the announcement, last Sat-
arday, Of che 50 ddea and appalling death of the
Hon. Jehn Mel saE, of Cabot, who, in the yigor
of hfeaud the ffush Of high health, was, with
out, probably, enc aoment's warning, struck
down By an unp poem shaft of the great destroyer,
inexoraBe nea8h He went out Of his house
about half pasR ten IN the forenoon Of that day,
teharness and take eat his horse, fer some ex-
carsispsin the vicinity, and within twouty min
utes after WIS found lying on has Ece, on his
barn floor, rkitk life wholly extinct, from sud
den stroketsf sppeplexy, it is Supposed or rup-
ture of thk hcart.
' WeGndit dihcult to realize dspensation
so UNEXPECTED, 50 mysterious and so awful as
tits RRs yesterday, he stood among us in the
ineridlad u manhood, whose past showed a
record without stain-whoso present was all
that friehds and fortune could confer, and whose
fatare Vas bright with the promise of long
aife Of sbcl& happiness and public honors.
Whsh arfan Of the head and heart of John
MeLeah sies, it needs not the addition of his
wealth and influence, to make the public his
moursers. But in his case all these eircum-
staRces are combined, and tho sensation his death
will abuse will be accordingly profound. Few
could lhave been taken who would be more
missed and mourned and many and strong are
thu y of his widely extended private friend
sApsthat will be painfully suadered by his pre-
mature exit. Bat these will be as nothing to
what will be felt by his afflicted family, and es-
pecially by the fair and tender vine that was
clinging around the Oak as it fell Heaven
sustain her under the fearful blow which falls
upon her in this inscrutable Providence
RARE BIRD.
Last week Henry Mutt, Esq, living two miles
east of this village, in driving his team over an
ice-bound brook, running through his farm,
broke in, when u singularly formed wild water
fowl, about the size of the sheldrake, was dis
closed in the water below, alive and active, mot
dead y and being driven out on to the ice, and
being unable to walk, its legs projecting out in
line with the tail, it was caught but died in
atew hours Deeming it "a rare specimen, We
sent it, with the appreciation Of Mr. Mutt TO
Prof. Thompson, who makes response as fol
lows -
BURLINGTON, Feb. 9, 1855.
My DEAR SIR My neighbor, Mr.. Storrs,
yesterday brought me waterfowl, which, he
informed me, was recently taken, in disabled
condition, in Montpelier; and that am indebted
to your kindness for its reception. Tt is the
RED-rnRoArED Loon, COLUMBUS septentrionahs
You will find it very infinitely described on the
2Sth page of the Appendix to my History of ver-
mont 1t is much less common than our larger
species of Loon, Colynabus glaciales, described
on page Ill, Part I, of my history, and the only
specimen Of it, previous to the reception of the
one you sent me, was shot in Burlington in No
yember, 1916. My opinion is that they do not.
like the common Loon, summer here, but only
appear here in their spring and fall migrations
As they can scarcely walk at all on land they
can live only where there are open waters. The
bird you sent me probably became unable to fly
through exhaustion. or by soma accident, and
then died by starvation. There are several wa
ter-birds which are known to pass through YER
mont, in their northern and southern migra-
lions, of which have not yet been able to OBJ
tain specimens, and which are not described in
my history and shall ever feel grateful to my
friends, who aid me, not only by sending me
specimens of our rare birds. but rare specimens
in all departments of our Zoology. Wehave,
have no doubt, several quadrupeds, which have
not described as belonging to our State | saw
in 1912, at Montpelier, two Of our native black
rats, Mus Arnericanus. have been trying evel
since to get specimen of it, but have not sue
ceeded. received, short time since, in let
ter from my friend, H. S, Boycc of Roxbury, tn,
skin of Field Mouse, & Arricala,) which
had not before seen in the State, and we proba
bly, have Others in the State, which are unde
scribed With many thanks for your Loon,
am dear sir, Truly Yours
z. THOMPSON
Hon. ID. Z. Thompson.
THE WEATHER. like the changing Satyr il
the old fable-now blows hot, now cold. TIL
thermometer, on Monday and Tuesday mornings
stood at 200 below zero. The month of Jar
uary, was the warmest month by five degrees
of any january for tho last seventeen year,
as we learn by table which has just reache
us from Prof. z. Thompson, through the nj
dunn Of the Free Press.
BAD SUBscRIBERs.-We have reluctantly bee
driven to the resolution of cutting off betwee
one and two hundred bad subscribers, who neg
lect to settle, and whose accounts will be lie
for collection. We shall cut off none at pre-
emit, however, who are not more than two yea
in arrears. Will not our friends, each and al
make an effort to supply the places of these BIZ
subscribers with COED oncs! ,- They could tn,
plSco our list on o Gar better footing than beior
Four or five of our patrons have already NOV
in our behalf with effect. Shall they be t
only ones!
CALIFORNIA NEws.--The last arrival fro
California, besides her invoice Of gold, which
doubly welcome these days, brings several ite
of news of considerable interest. The old XII
of the Sandwich Islands is dead and his S
accedcs to the throne under the title of Kan
hameha ". The old king was for annexati
p to the United States, and it is said signet
treaty to that effect but the new king is
olontly opposed to the measure, and would st
all further progress in the proceeding ever