The Washington union., 1858-02-04
LOCAL N e w s.

TuE INITIAL CHATTER of metropolitan history has
been communicated to esteemed contemporary, the
Washington News, by gentleman Of Philadelphia, who
has for long time made Indian philosophy his study.
Although may be advisable to restore the aboriginal
nomenclature generally 7dg Goosetown, would
be a fitting for the metropolis
"John Smith, in his expedition up the Patswomac
river Potomac in l608 assembled the river with his boats
short distance beyond the town of the Toags where
in consequence of the falls in the river he found himself
unable proceed further and therefore returned to the
town. where he Hospitality received than ut the
Patawomack's town, ut the Quiyough (now the Occo-
guam river, about 20 miles below The word toag sig
nifes goose the stated by other Indian historians
is varo,,sly given Resberges has Taak Kaok Cam
panius in l643, has Kaak Cahaac Roger Williams
has Kunk' evidently all intended for the signif-
cation all the writers Indian matters vary in the
Biography of the words used-the language being an
written one, each obliged to form his separate
opinion and record 1t it seemed to him to be correct
but Englishman, another German, and
the third Swede they Of couxsc varied in spelling
Everything depended upon the pronunciation Of word
This Indian town most probably in the present city
Of Washington the Presidents House, probability
reduced nearly to certainty by the of the creek
nov called ibcr creek which, map published in
London january /, l755, by J. Dalrymple, is called
Goose creek This Goose creek, from the Presidents
House. passes near the Capitol of the United States
crossing Pennsylvania avenue near Gadsbys Hotel
The Indians were known to have been adopts in im
atng the call of the turkey the cry of the panther and
wolf the grunt Of the bear, and the 'toag 'toog or
'kaak Of the goose. This proficiency they used de-
coy to bring these animals within reach Of their
or balls and the cacklng of the goose doubt
frequently heard proceeding from land as well water
PROFESSOR FELruSs SEcoND LRcrrRE At the Snrriso-
INSTITUTION. Professor FELTON,, of Harvard Unver-
sty continued his address Inst evening the subject
of modern Greece His previous lecture devoted to
bird s-eye view of the social and political condition of
lat ,iock,uh uhara ho loc&
he gave several amusing sketches of the manners and
he met with in his travels Then the professor
proceeded to speak of tho language and literature
modern Greece This perhaps, the most interesting
part of the lecture The Greek Is not dead language
is its literature dead the contrary Greece pos
extensive ballad literature Of it breathing
the spirit of old Homec song and poet Of the ge-
MUS of Homer to spring UP he might work up these float
ing elements into epic worthy of the oden times Prof
FELTON, read several metrica transations of his from
these ballads, and they really TO ear, possessed
much of the fire. well Of the rhythm of the ancient
lyrics Classic fables have assumed among the modern
Greeks wild and mythical cast like German legends
Charon for instance, old friend the ferryman has
grown into mysterious entity something between the
destiny that sits the roof aud the Wild hunsman that
rides in dark midnight the mountains. Several OF
the quotations from the and love songs Of the Poll
kari and Kephts read like snatchcs from the lays of the
toubadours Art and science ia growing up in Greece
Greek artists taking respectable place in the schools
of Florence and Venice and school of art has been
tablshed at Athens.
The professor brought his lecture to close by illus
tatng the topography Of Athens by reference to plan
Of the city and to various paintings of architectural sub
jects He mentioned the Doric Temple used ~ a
museum and containing the marble slabs which are
engraved the records Of the Attic navy Of the time of
Demosthenes the Temple of the Olympian Jupiter tho
Tragic Theatre the Temple of the Wingle@ Victory and
last though not least the buildings on the Acropolis
Earth proudly rarhenou
the best gem upon her zone"
The principle on which these edaces are built that of
comic sections instead Of straight lnes was lucidly sx
planned and at halfpaxt nine the very pleasant lee
ture was terminated, to the regret Of the audience
Porr OfrIcx RoBBERr. Many letters containing money
which II known had been mailed from different
places, at different tes 10 newspaper publishers and
others in this city having failed to reach hoae 10 whom
they had been directed Special Agents Mcguire and
Shallcro instructed 10 discover, possible, where
they had been abstracted After careful investigation,
they reported that the hefs be committed In the
Washington ofice and the Postmaster, with the aid Of
Detectives Allen and Boss set to work to discover the
cuprit.
young man named X w. Young (~ho has recently
resigned clerAshp In the City Post Office suspected
and when arrested confessed having ahstsaced about
81 900 Mt different times with two California bonds Of
$500 each which he had destroyed Much 0l this money
was shown had been quandcsd at TIE gambling eatab-
lishments on the He held to hall BY Jusce
Dom in the sum OF s. for his appearance n tho next
.or,, of t,e criminal court