New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-02-22
FROM BOSTON.

Boston, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1856.
1t has been said (Joel Barlow to the contrary not
withstanding) that We have never an American
epic to our backs. Did you ever happen to see
"The Freedoniad" an epic poem in twelve or
twenty -four books, q forget which, by Dr. En-
mons-not the great TheoOgue of that name and
STYLE and the last Of the cooked hats-but the
brother of the celebrated Orator
EmmOns better known in these parts as
Pop EmmOns, from his uniting the sale of
that drinksble TO his public rhetoric, and
who answered the purpose Of th0ughtless lads
thirty years ago which Doctor Mellen, and Pratt,
the Great American Traveller, do now If you
never did have and am willing to put the ques-
ton of the existence of on American EpOpe for
ever at rest by oath before any competent magis-
trate Except slavecatchIng commissioner to the
fact | have not seen this national work for
quarter Of a century at least, though have dill
gently searched after it often, and would give
trihe for the sight OF copy. shall not, there
fore attempt any analysis OF the fable, or any
account of the machinery. or any criticism OF Its
style. The only thing germane to my present pur-
pose and which brought it TO my mind as II took up
INV pen, was the Table of Errata, which occupied
remember several pages, and of which this was
but a faint specimen. Book VII, c. 1868, for
Blood. read Mlk :" | could lot but remember
such things were when | saw the havoc your
types made among my innocent sentences last
week: such as uscfuiaeSs" for "nSeteSsness -
things of less importance" for - things OF real
importance" Supineness' for - BUSINESS sand
four or five Others. | do not blame the compOs-
tors, for l suppose they are so used to what Tony
Lumpkin calls "the id cramp hand" OF your
selves and correspondents, that when they have
set before them 0 clear, elegant, legble, CALI
graphic specimen like my manuscript they don't
know what TO make of it. merely mention 1t to
.aye nv commentators and posterity the trouble
of bufieting their brains about these obvious cor
ruptions of my text by an authentic statement oil
it. How many men Shakespeare would have him
dered making fools OF themselves had he only
been as cOnsiderate as | sm
There has been somewhat of a stir IN the Kali
way World here since last wrote you. This World,
which has been added to the Plurality before ex-
istiDg within the last quarter OF century has
been through almost as many revolutions as the
respectable planet where we live. And imagine
il has not vet settled down on that solid and per-
manent basis which will vet make il safe one TO
DEPEND upon At first nobody had any faith in
RAILWAYS and capitalists invested their money in
them something as those OF old Rome did theirs
in the gulf which yawned in the forum-rather
with an eye to possible public advantage than
from any immediate hope OF dir ect return. But
they succeeded 20 marvelOusly well, and the diyi-
that as in all other kinds of business, the tempta
tion to extend was too strong to be reslsted-and
80 RAILWAYS and branches were run into any
corner of the country where they were asked for,
in the firm belief that they must of necessity
run well if they ran at all. Money could be had
for the asking TO build railway 10 any place, and
Saint Paul and Sidney Smith were by no means
the only men who, if they could honestly wish
that all men were even as they were in other re-
spects. must at least except their bonds SO the
business was eyerdOne and competition put down
the prices of the stocks and contracted as com.
Portable an alacrity at sinking Falstaf had, and
the dividends were stopped off, and at last the
shareholders have been aroused 10 the necessity
of doing something and that something has been
10 raise the rates very materially on most OF the
roads Whether this will prove 10 be the wisest
measure cannot be told as yet. Its tendency will
be upauestiobably 10 determine the blood TO the
head the population to the city and its imme-
date enyirons; but whether il will be sufficient TO
keep down the receipts 10 their present point we
must ait at least year 10 have the elements OF
knowing.
| find. however, that many intelligent men Of
business think that this is not remedy which
reaches the cause OF the distemper. These peo-
ple say for observe, / do not speak Of my per-
sonal knowledge that the railway Offices, Like
those of many others of our corporate bodies, are
regarded as kind of Hospitals of Inyalds-some
saw of lncurables-Wnere Comfortable provision
for life can be made for deesyed lawyers, broken
down politicians, and merchants, trade-fallen;
that the need candidate has for the office IS
rather considered than the need the Office has OF
him The control Of these Offices, of course, Is
in the hands Of the large shareholders, who are
often well inclined to quarter an agreeable friend.
whose means are less than bis deserts, the cor
porations in question. Now, it does not neces-
ally follow that because q man is an entertaining
table companion an admirable rseo~tes', Of ~ IN