The true Democrat., 1857-05-19

2 through convention of the democratic press to be held in this place before the meeting of the next Congress.
 In reference to this matter of public prlnt- ] Ing it may be proper to remark that Senator Johnson, who is chairman of the Senate com mttee on printing has on every occasl. used his efforts to reduce the cost and amount of the printing of the Senate, with considerable suc- cess, for he has saved thousands to the govern ment. The practice was, previous to his con- nection with that committee, for the Senate to order the printing of many documents without a reference to the committee, or m many ln- stances where referred such reference was merely formal, and favorable report made probably without examination. Since he has l been member of that committee he has asked that every motion to print be referred to the committee when the cost of printing, etc., has been carefully estimated, and favorable re- port only made when found necessary or vau- able At the same time he has prevented the publication of much expensive and worthless matter which would have imparted no inior- nation to the country, but only added to the enormous profits of the public printer, he has never by lactous opposition attempted to prevent the printing of such documents, as the patent office reports, Presidents message and accompanying documents, etc., that have be- become a public necessity and impart much valuable information to the public In this expenditure of public printing the south is ! placed on more equal footing with the north \ than any other as the Arkansas senators receive the same number of each document printed by the Senate as the New York Senators, which they distribute, as their constituents will bear them witness with impartiality
 ! The late eulcmjc at the National Hotel in this city, which has already caused the death of some twenty persons and some seven hun dred cases of extreme sickness, is strange and lamcntabIe affair." The committee appointed by the board of health to examine into the cause of said sickness, decided that it resulted from defective sewerage, but all the evidence before that committee was of an ec ppfte cha racter the committee starting in its uvestiga- ton upon the assumed hypothesis that the cause was such as reported. Among the many rumors in regard to this, 1 may mention the following as strange coincidences. Mr. Bucha- nan arrived at the hotel on the 25th of January. On the 2G,n Dr. Hall was sent for to sec the first case. A few days afterwards he had thir- ty-hve cases, and quite large number took sick many of them after leaving Washington. Mir, Buchanan was among the latter The symptoms in all cases were tile sqme-vioient, copion, purging, iufamation Of the large ines- tines, with constant disposition to reapse.-- ' During an interval of several weeks previous to the second If March no new ease oceumed.-- On the evening ot that day Mr. Buchanan re- turned to Washington. On the 4.h of March the disease broke out with increased violence, al.d many hundreds were affected Most the physicians who treated cases concur that it or- Lirated t.om poison taken into the stomacb but how, by whom. and for what purpose almini9- tered, remains mystery. Ahother and 1t is ! hoped more thorough investigation will be made, but such length of time has elapsed that 1t will throw increased difficulty around the elucIaton of the truth
 The German astronomers contend that the comet which is to come in contact with the earth, on or about the 10th of next month, will destroy it, while others that from the character of the matter of which comets are composed. consisting mostly of vapor uo harm need Le appreheudvd. From present Indications not much fear exists, and should anything serious result, 1t will create some surprise The ex- trene and unusual cod weather for the season experienced th.s sprng, s by some attributed to tie Influence of this comet. If such be the case we are in greater daa5er of being frozen than bamtup. The following article recently published on this subject may prove of interest to inu.y o. your readers:
 "Geolugy teaches u- that there have ba,1 three { w. crl, when tae surface Df tue earth has u tcI-pNe cna Les such as might Have rc- resulted irun d universal 4elU-e, cleclud. prr- haIs, Hy lne collision ot comets with the earh 2iy.u- N .aN Irac.iou to lt, rotary motion, uI maNiaI iiryv.Ite around T new axis,
 ' Geology teaches, as plain. as anything in Holy Wrl, that Jursc have thrice Ilrsaaan ' ,heir btI,, au b, tue ulre.st rIsu If tAar waters to A new equator, have overwhelmed continents, the a6oIe ut men 4pd animals. t Now however men may u.Aar lH regard to 1 the Mosaic history ot the lao., is to whether ' t cveT tok place iu tAe ma ner in whirh it ls literally SeL forth H tue Bible, and however ! they raay r,ucu., tile iIea oi th9 probable or possible contact of a comet with tac earth on the l6.h day of JUue next one thing js certain -that neither tAair sneer,, r.JIcule, nor uDUcGc will a'iect tne law, ol geometry Iui motion nor the mechanism ot tine universe What has beeu, may be a5aln; iiNc clu,e, produce like effects. U there have been tAlee aeaLes, which at different crd- have ovcrm Aelmrd and destroyed every yo,tige of the races of men and animals then on the surface of the earth, what astronomer or philosopher is prepared U show that there will not Dc a fourth, a fifth, and sixth?
 \ Of 93 comets whose elements have been cal culated hv astronomers, 30 passed between the son and Mercury, 33 between the orbits of Mer. cury and Venus, 2l between the orbits of Ve- nus and the earth, and 15 between the orbits of Ceres and Jupiter
 ' l. us not a well known fact that Bielas comet whose diameter is nearly twice that of the earth, passes So very near that at the moment the cenIe ct the comet is at the point nearest to the earth's path, the matter of the comet extends beyond that path, and DOT ion of il within 1t? This is the comet which 1t was predicted would come in collision with and de. stroy the earth on the 26Jh Novemoer 1852; but happily the comet anticipated the earth by passing the po.nt where the 5ht was to have come on on the 26th October 50 that either the astronomers were 32 days behind, or the comet 32 days before time
 \ l. was the opinion of Dr. Winston, the friend and successoro Newton, that the comet known IS Hal.ey's deIu.ed the world in the time of Noah. This s the same comet which in l84G spread universal terror throusho Europe. in. spring the belief flat it woud destroy the earth, and that the Hay of jud ,ment was at hand; to avert which awful doom, Pope Calix. | t1 1t-4 l. .i.,It |