The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-05-27
The star spansIed banner.

RICHMOND,s TUES
The star Spansied Banner.g a.
1.-THE French hymn Of Liberty, the Marseillaise,
Was composed under exciting circuni stances The
Star Spangied Hammer was inspired by events nj
less patriotic By our distingnishcd countryman
Mr. Francis Scott Key. an able and eloquent Law
yer. and an accomplished gentleman . man o
noble and generous Impulses. During the wal
with the British In 1874, r. Scott Key was resi-
ding In Baltimore, and hearing of the detention oi
dear and intimate friend he started to obtained
his release He went as far ~ the mouth Of the
Patapsco river. which enters the Chesapeake Bay
and Is about eighty-fve miles north Of the Poto
mac river. Here he WAS arrested and carried on
board British man,ofwar belonging to the Brit.
Ism meet stationed opposite Fort Nc Henry, the
bombardmeu of which he was compelled to wit.
Dess. The English admiral boasted before Mr.
Key that he would take the Fort in . few hours,
and the city of Baltimore in two succeeding days.
The bombardment continued during the whole
day and the following night, without making an
impression either on the strength Of the works or
the spirit of the garrison.
Our patriotic countryman stood on the deck
watching. through the smoke which sometimes
obscured it, the banner of freedom waving
from the fort At length night came on and he
could see It no more. Still he watched, until at
length dawn began to bring the objects around IN
to distinctness With beating heart he turned to.
wards the fort and there, waving in the morning
breeze, high and uninjured, was the banner, with
its stars and stripes, the banner of freedom and
independence, then in its early days 1t was at this
moment ofjoy and triumph that Francis Scott Key,
under tho influence of patriotic excitement, COM
posed the Star Spangled Banner. After Mr. Key
had been liberated, and the British had retired from
Fort McIienry. without attempting an attack on
the city of Baltimore, he completed his patriotic
hymn, which was enthusiastically received then,
and has ever been considered as one of the ma
tionai songs of our country. At Washington. Mr..
Eaxy Ntrr~< IL H..
In 1s40 was present. with many Senators,
and all the distinguished society of that city,
when Mile Parodi and Nine Strakosch repeated
amidst thunders of applauses and waving Of hand.
keIcaiefs, this inspiring verse, and he was most
deeply moved by the homage to the memory of
bis fathers genius.
THE CooLIE TRApE-The message of the Pre-.
sident concerning the Coolie trade, embraces sew.
erai interesting documents. On the 9th of April
Mr.. Champion sent to Mfr. Marcy the report of Con.
sui Morgan on the capture of the SLAYER Mary E.
Smith, sailing under the flag of the United States,
which says:
Il never heard or saw more distressing case OF
slave trading than the one the Mary E. Smith has of
fered With capacity of enly lz2 TONS FIVE hundred
human beings were crammed into her on the coast
of Afca, of whom 1873 had persisted previous to her
captures and subsequently till her arrival in port 81
expired from exhaustion, consequent upon starva-
vermin: Of the remainder landed, 7 have been bur.
led and of the survivors lt9 in the hospital suf
ering from disease contracted on board Such ID the
deplorable result of this inhuman traffic.
-
GEN. CAss ON WALKER.-In the Nicaraguan
meeting in New York, on Friday night, a letter
was read from Gen. Cass endorsing the recopni.
ton of the Nicaraguan Government and saying:
am free to confess that the heroic eff ,rt of our
countrymen in Nicaragua excites my adruirs ton,
while 1t engages all my solicitude. l am not to be
deferred from the expression of these feelings by
sueers or reproaches or hard words He who doesn't
sympathise with such an enterprise has little In
mon with me. The difficulties which Gen. Walker
has encountered and overcome will place his name
high on the roll of the distinguished men of his age
He has conciliated the people he went to aid, the
government OF which he axes part is performing its
functions without opposition and internal tranquility
marks the wisdom of its policy. That magnificent
region, for which God has done so much and man so
mite needs some renovating process some transfu-
countrymen will plant there the seeds of nstitu.
tons, and God grant that they may grow up in an
ity. A new day. hope, is opening upon the States
OF fCentral America. five are true to our duty they
will soon be freed from all danger of European inter-
ference and will have security in their own power
against the ambitious designs Of England tar better
than Clayton Buiwer treaties or any other diplomatic
machinery by which spirit of aggression 10 sought
be concealed till circumstances are ready for active
operation.
TARRED AND FEATHERED.-During the trip oil
the steamer Alvin Adams from ST. Louis few
days since, cabin passenger named Mcbride, o
pilot was robbed of $40. He had been drinking
freely during the day, and while under the infiu
ence of liquor fellow passenger pretended great
friendship for him and took him in charge On the
following morning Mcbride found himself minus
$40 He at once suspected his friend" and search
was made for him on the boat, and he was finally
found by one of the cabin boys between his mat
tresses in his berth. He was taken on deck
stripped, and the money, corresponding precisely
with that stolen from Mcbride, was found in one
of his boots. At the first wood yard, he was Ia
ken ashore, with bucket of tar and a pillow oi
feathers-and he was compelled to apply the tar
and feathers himself from the neck down In this
condition he was left by the boat. - e.
POWER OF THE Moon AT NIGHr.-Mr Crane
in his letters frome the East, has observed:
The effect of the moonlight on the eyes in this
country EgypD is singularly injurious. The ma
tives tell you rs i afterwards found they did in
Arabia, to always cover your eyes when you sleep
In the open air. tits rather strange that the pas
sage in the Psalms-'The sun shall not smte thee
by day nor the moon by nigh, ht,'-should have been
thus illustrated, ,as the ausion seems to direct The
moon here really strikes and effects the sight
when You sleep exposed to it, much more than the
sun, fact Of which had . very unpleasant
proof one night, and took to guard against af
forwards. Indeed, the sight of person who
should sleep with his face exposed at night, would
soon be impaired or utterly destroyed.
ROYAL ExTRAvAGANcE-The sum of 800 oO0
Morny, the French Envoy to Russia, to enable
him to represent his country in fitting manner
on the occasion of the Emperor Alexanders coro
nation Napoleon will furnish him with six of his
own carriages Several European journals have
it is said already engaged reporters to proceed to
st. Petersburg, and engaged to pay them $40 a
day for their services. s. -SsfEl r. saf
TOUCHING DEATH SCENE E-The Cincinn att
Times, of late date, gives the following account
of singularly touching scene which was exhibit
ed in that city. The Times says:
Yesterday the association of Turner'S paid the last
mark OF respect to o deceased cOmrade by the name
of Becker The circumstances attending the death
OF young Becker are peculiar and particularly inte
resting. He came to this country about three years
ago, and settled In this city, where he attached him.
self to the association of Turner'S Soon after. he
was seized with an affection of the lungs which 30
mpaired his health that he went South, in hope OF
an improvement. Getting better he returned, and
has since gradually been sinking.
Last Saturday he asked number of personal friends
to meet him at . certain place and take wine with
him. They did 30. The meeting was q cepvivisl and
merry one, until inst previous to separation Then
Becker alluded to his declining health aud expressed
a wish to see his relatives in Germany, and move
He then asked his friends to fill their glasses and pro
posed the heaihs Of his father and mother his bro
thers and sisters, and the girl he Left behind AZ
ter these healths drank he said the pains in his
breast warned him he was not long for this world,
and that be should probably not again be able hold
such another agreeable meeting with his friends He
then arsas and with glass in hand, sung touching
4. t. - - ls- L.. A.