The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-06-11

LEATHER AND SHOES Persons whose memo
ry extends back thirty years. can testify to the
fact that pair of shoes would then outlast two
or three pair at the present day. But few per-
sons, however, put themselves to the trouble
to inquire into the cause of that wide difference.
The Newburyport Herald says the cause is
that the hides are now spoiled in the tanning
and the leather still worse spoiledin being made
into shoes. In other words, the leather is not
half tanned, and the shoes are not half made.
Hence the consumption of hides, at the present
day, is several times greater in proportion to
the number to be supplied with shoes, than for
merly, and the consequence is that the demand
for hides has increased beyond the supply, and
the price has risen higher than ever known
before.
Brazil, Buenos Ayres, Africa, Mexico and
Texas cannot furnish hides as fast as the tam
ners and shoemakers of Massachusetts waste
them. Under this system, prices of hides can
never go down tc the former figures; and with
the constantly increasing demand, people will
soon have to 90 barefoot, unless some new ma.
terial be discovered, as substitute for leather,
The article to which we allude concludes as
follows:
eff the whole amount was as thoroughly
and properly tanned as it is in Europe, and the
shoes as well made as they are in Germany or
France, the Massachusetts manufacturers alone
would shoe the whole human race But it is
considered great object to get cheap shoes,
and we do get them. The tanner purchases
his hides on six months credit, and they must
be out of the vas and into money before the
notes mature. He burns the life and strength
out of them to begin with and we can scarcely
get them on to our feet before the stock breaks
to pieces. Then the trade of making, them is
learned in fortnight, and the person sets up
as master mechanic before he can make q
thread, and where the leather don't break, the
seams do rip, and man with half a dozen chill
dren, has to keep one of them continually run
ming to shoe store to keep their feet from the
ground. Under such circumstances, it would
be impossible, if there were whole world Of
cattle breeders, to keep supply of SKINS
Either there will be improvements in the stock
and the work before long, or they will have to
find something besides leather to make our
shoes off,
Mr.. Weyth, the mountaineer, says the Mon
terey Sentinel, states the following fact touch
ing the aridity of the air in the elevated regions
of California;
1.-The dryness Of our atmosphere was so great
on one Of the branches of Powder river, in Au~
gust, 1852, that could not discharge one bar
rel of my double percussion gun without caus-
ing the other to explode from the slightly in
creased heat. One man was wounded in this
way, and guns several times exploded, and |
was obliged to discontinue the practice of plac-
ing caps on the guns in the day time. until i'm
mediately wanted for use" Lieut. Whipple,
of the United States boundary survey, under
date of October 19. 1849, states that near the
banks of the Colorado and Gila, horn encasing
the reading lens of my necrometer of the zenith
sector, snapped and few from my fingers in
three pieces owing to the excessive dryness Of
the atmosphere. All the wooden boxes in which
the instruments were packed are being destroy
ed. The nicely seasoned and we'll finished cases
OF the English Instruments, made many years
since, have shrunk so, from the aridity of the
air, as not to admit the original contents. In
other parts of Utah and California the lips of
travellers crack open and begin to bleed. The
waters of some of these Colorado streams and
nelghborng springs present the very singular
phenomena of not quenching the thirst of men
and animals. This is stated in the work of J.
K. Bartlett L. S. commissioner. This must be
owing to the presence of soluble salt of aumnia
or SILICA, or probably compound salt of these
metalods.
CHRISTIANITY AND SLAvERY.-The bible, as is
well known everywhere, recognises slavery so
explicitly and repeatedly that aboliionists, see
ing no other way OF escape, are beg inning to
turn lntidels and deny the authority of the in
splred volume. correspondent of the Nation
al lntelllgencer adds to the voice of scripture
the following remarkable testimony from those
who lived in the generation next but one to that
OF the apostles. 1t is an authentic compilation
of ''Ihe Church and House Book of the Ancient
Chrstlans,' and the chapter is ''How they
who require to be instructed, are to be exam
med before they are admitted" The extract
is as follows:
''Let their manners and their life be inquired
into, and whether they be slaves Or freemen:
and if any one tie slave let him be asked
who is his master. If he be slave to one of
the believers, let his master be asked if he can
give him a good character. If he cannot, let
him be rejected until he show himself to be
worthy of his master; but if he does give him 2
good character, let him be admitted.
"But if he be slave to heathen, let him
NC " ,jitdSe HIS master, That the word
be not blasphemed.'
The book is in the congress library.
-~~-~--~~~y>1~l~~--0~~
NICARAGUA MEETING.-- friends ofWaker
and Nicaragua held another rousing meeting
On Thursday evening. This time it was down
n the 'Old Third and the Old Thirders came
up to the scratch quite briskly. Several fine
speeches were made brimful of patriotic enlarge
nent and manifest destiny doctrines, and which
we're of course received with shouts of approba-
ion. The hat was afterwards carried round
and collection was taken up. On this latter
point, however, we are bound to say that the
'Orleanian''---a good authority for. whatever
ranspires in the "Old Third'-speaks some
hat dubonsIy. in fact enigmaticaly. Within
few days quite number of volunteers have
'rrlVed here from Kentucky and other points.
+ our intelligence from Nicaragua is correct,
heir services as soldiers will not be needed, and
n that case they will doubtless take to the
plough, much more lucrative occupation than
'soldiering' N. O. Bee.