The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-07-11
FROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT
sroNrr LoNrsoMr. Univ i lsh1

SroSEY LONESOME July T. 1857
MY FRIEND If / recollect Alright intmated in
of my letters intention to give you sketch OF our
village it has lately been incorporated into town and
expects to be promoted to city, now proceed to
fulfil my obligation.
1t is called Persepolis and is situated on a stream
which, being very respectable after heavy rain is in
the opinion of long headed internal improvement man
of town. eminently calculated to become great EN-.
porium, provided river be made navigable for
anything but ducks and geese. For this purpose the
long headed man lately prepared plan for turning the
Mohawk river way which could easily be done BY
damning it across and digging tunnel through noun,
tain 1t objected that in order to do this the river
must travel up HILL but the long headed man thought
this of great consequence as after conquering time
and space had been already DONE might SNAP our
fingers at the laws of Nature which could be easily set
aside by act Of the legislature.
This objection being thus overcome the next pont ,vas
to estimate the cost, which amounted to some millions
which is considered flea bite in these times when
everything Is scarce and de except paper-money and
patriotism. Accordingly it resolved at meeting Of
philosophical citizens to borrow the money from the
millionaire whose mysterious disappearance gave YOU
account of in former letter, and whose bank having
capital Of hundred thousand dollars could well afford
10 lend few millions. But here another difficulty pre
n
coporated in order to exercise the nestimabe franchise
Of running in debt and act Of our Legislators was in
dispensable to both these purposes Accordingly the
long headed man despatched to the hallowed spot
where the wisdom and virtue Of State are conccnt
ted to lobby it little, nothing can be done there
without it. lie was furnished with few thousands
paper moner } and after absence Of two weeks re-
turned IA triumph with act Of incorporation and
the privilege of running in debt for much as we could
pay, and as much more necessary, We are now
hard at work surveying the this work. and the
long-headed man. together with several the public
spirited citizens at the head of this great improvement
have already made their fortunes by specializing lands
and laying out cities the line. Thus stands the mat
ter at present and shall not fail to report progress from
time to time.
But it has been sagcly and truly observed that neither
nations Cities towns villages become worthy
of being commemorated in prose poetry unless they
can present great to the admiration Of
the world What would Greece have been without Ho-
mer Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Pythagorasl What
Rome without her Ronulus and his wolf her Virgil and
Horace her Scipos and her Cesars What would Italy
be at this moment but spectacle to be ptied if de-
spise if she redeemed by the reflection of her
ancient gories and her host of illustrous of yore
What France, what England, bnt nations Of pgmes
critics. quilldrivcrs chymists and star gazcrs were 1t
not for the Of giants they produccdf Nations
arc personicd in their great men; and American
citizen has travelled in the distant regions of the
East without noticing that, it not for the Of
Washington it would scarcely be known that this new
world existed.
Now my good friend assure you we arc not with
ont our share of these great landmarks of ages We
muster goodly array Of who IL they only had
fair chance, and little luck, would undoubtedly enjoy
European reputation, and descend to posterty either
srios, distinguished, Or notorious characters One
of these determined to do Justice forthwith with
out waiting for him to die though am aware Of the
risk of pennng the biography Of great during their
lives having of them bacxsde terribly and
turn out arrnt rogues before they died. at least after
their death.
Soomon--libc Hercules, and other Evolutionary he
She has surname solomon is a gentleman
OF color--that is to say, as black as darkness
the back of midnight, to borrow flight of ia
Boston orator His face glistens like barn door
frosty morning, though honey combcd with deep marks
of the small pox his pIodigously fat his check
bones amazingly high his forehead amazingly low and
his skull amazingly thick as is proved by his having
pitched out of cart head foremost brclbat which
broke into flinders without in the least damaging his
woolly head. If this III not proof positive of the supc
riorty Of the African race am very much mistaken.
You wonld suppose when, in addition to all this tell
You Solomon has leg handy, the other straight
shoulder of the highest arisoccy the other in the low
est degree democratic that he is considerably twisted out
of the right line, and limps little with rheumatism
You will suppose say, that Solomon is beauty. And
yet there is something about the old rogue by
disagreeabe rcpusivc He has of what is called
mother wit than any white ever knew his teeth
like ivory and there is ascilly twinkle in his eye
exceedingly seductive.
Solomons birth is mystery like that Of Romulus and
Remus He made his first appearance in village
twenty years ago Where he from no one could
guess and Solomon told for he Is extremely dis
Greet that head Some surnised he had rancd down
in a great shower that happened about that time in
company with vast number of little toals but the
general opinion was, and remains this day that be had
taken French leave Of his master and given him gba
for security.
Solomon is perfect gentleman, and considers II 0
great favor TO work for in harvest and hay time at
dollar and half day. When pay him off at the end
of the week he generally gets attack of rheumat
ism, which nvarabc lasts till his money il all gone. He
has lately married his fourth wife, and lives in sort OF
wgwam in little ut of pines among the rocks about
half mile from Stony Lonesome. Like his countymen
in Africa, and everywhere else he saves anything
for rainy day. and for good part Of the winter sub
sst charity He despscs the poor house. because az
he says, it nrnges that freedom which his bhrght
and he had rather go begging than be shut up with
know, don't value myself on my charity, aud always
shut up when they come begging for building churches