Western Reserve chronicle and weekly transcript of the times. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1854-1855, 1855-03-28
A F1GURE.HEAD REM1N1scENcE.

Our readers, at least those who were
politicians in that day, will perhaps re-
member that. some twenty years ago, com.
Elliot, al that time commanding the Con
st;tuliOn man-ofwar, hal carved an
placrd as a fisure-head on the bows OF
"Old Ironside>," full length figure Of
G II. Jackson. Soon aft.r, Will iu har-
Dor at NeS York som. graceless scamp
sawel off Old H ckory's h ad, and tie
officers Of the vessel were surpris' d NJ
mornipg, find NJ cir vessel ornamen
led with the h les lrunk Of he Vic;o:
of New Orleans. ..l.
Some whig papers, which had denounc
ed Com. Elliot for what they termed
9 toadyis'n, chuckled over the circum-
stance, while the mass of the press char
acterised it as an Outrage, the Democrat
ic papers alleging it arose from Whig
predudice against the Old Hero, and the
Naval Department offering a reward for
the perpetrator.
Time passed away, the figure obtained
a new head, and we had almost forgotten
the circumstance when on glancing over
a recent number of the New York Times,
we found a letter from a correspondent
proving that the public were mistaken in
ascrioin! the act 10 the vandalism of par
ty strife, and that the decapitation was
perpetrated in upholding the great prin-
ciple hat fgure-heads should never be
full length! The letter alluded to thus
explains the mater:
A few years since, in company with a
friend | called on the venerable Mahlon
Dickersor, at his residence, near Dover,
Morris county, N. j., and after politely
showing US over his grounds and Iroa
mines, he took us through his exiedsil, (,
library, and While giving us a detail OF
his books, and the history of many ofthem,
he also laughinsly tod us The story OF the
E;sare-heaa, which was iookiig down
on us from an upper bookshelf He
said, .'You know at that time this occur
red | was Secretary Of the Navy, and
that Gov, rument had offered a reward
for the apprehension of the perpeiraOIs
OF tie Outrage, Well, one day l was
sitting in the office, when sailor wake
in with bundle in his hand. and asked
ifI was the Secretary of,the Navy. He
went on to say, You offered a reward fol
the arrest of the one thai cut off the Fig
ure.head of Gen. Jackson?' Yes i
am the man. and, untying his budget
pldc, before me the head. Twas amaz-
ed and puzzled to define what ii could
mean aaked him who helped him to
d. it. Nobody How did you do it?'
'rowed out alone, climbed up in III
chains, and sawed il off, | attempted to
saw il oil through the neck at first, but
the saw struck bolt and had TO saw II
throuIh the m nth, How did you mIrI-
aye 10 escape b, in seen by the watchl
Hump! swear tht re wasn't lighi npr
a man on deck Who git you 10 do tiis?'
Nobody, and nobody knows OF il. w; y
did you do it don't You like Gen. Jack
song Yes, am Jackson man and
have no objection to his bust being on Old
Ironsd, s, but IdOn't believe IN aOhOLs Leng
III figure head, aud if you put it back aga n,
d--u me if don't saw ii off again. la
consultation with the President, the ques.
ton came up, what shall we do with this
man, and the old General said, as there
din't appear 10 be any political motive in
the act, and the man had voluntarily sur.
rendered, and as his story duplicates the
officers of The COHstitUtiof, who have
sworn before the investigating committee
ihet the lights were burnig and the watch
set, why we had better let the man 60
and hash Il up. So - said Gov, D..
"wAen | left Washington, | threw the
head into my trunk and brought it home;
aud that's lie history of the affair of the
figure head. - Pittsburgh Despatch.
Uses OF GOLD AND SILvER.-The Bank.
ers Magazine has capitable article o'
the "Uses of Gold and Silver in the ArIs y
Is is computed that the amount ofihe pre-
cious metals CONSUMED in various ways,
is from SIO,OOO,O 900 to 8 S1O,LOj,OOO pei
anum. The Quantities used in tn man.
ufaciufe Of watch casrs, pe"c,l cas- 5,
plate, household materials, and in the arts
is enormous. 1t is stated that for gliding
metals by the electrotyPe and the water
gliding processes, and in the staffordslirt
patterns, no less than $4,000 10 20,OOu
ousces are annually required. In paris
1S,O00,O 900 francs are used for manuiaci-
uring purposes, Since the discovery o.
gold in California, it is estimated that
the increase in its consumption has beer
doubled. In the United States $4,000,
600 is estimated as converted inlO orna'
mental jewelry.
In an Grafton at Williams College, Hon
! Edward Everett used the following Ian
guage :-'I would rather occupy the
blackes, nook of the mountain that towers
above US. with village school well KEEP
at the bottom of the hill, than dwell ii q
paradise of fertility, if l must bring W
my children in lazy, pampered, selt-sut'
ticient ignorance"