The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-06-09
THE OLD MILL.

| The OLD MILL.
| Live and die live and die
And all the weary years gone by,
And the quaint oil mill stands still
| The unmixcI shade. like Il spotted snake,
| Lies half concealed in the bushy brake,
And half across the rl.
| The summer comcs and the winter comes,
And the ilowcrb blooms, and he striped bee huns,
And the old mil! stands in the sun;
The lichcn hangs frcm the walls aloof
And the rusty nails from the ragged roof
Drop daily one by one.
The long grass grows in the shady pool,
Where the cattle used To come tn COOL
And the ruttin:c wheel stands still
The gray owl winks in the rranary loft
And the sly rat sinks, with pit pat soft,
From the hopper Of the u,n, old mill
! The mill wheel clicked and the mill wheel clack-
And the groaning groves once creakcd anl
cracked,
And the children came AMI played
HE lazy team in the days u; yorc
Iunchc,l their i"llcr at HE old mil. door,
Or drow>cd in lis grateful .lidc.
But the good wife died, ami the miller died,
And the children ali went far and wide,
From the playground ly Ike dam;
Their Numbering l. grass Ger grown,
As is the messy foo, al, the rough grave stone
Where the old folks sleep 50 calm.
Ent the milcr's son in the city thick.
Dreams that he hears the oil nill click,
And secs Tie wheel go round:
And the milicrs daus!,cr, ,l,ro her half shut
eyes,
Can see her i.t..cr in his i>.,y :;n<r.
And the place where ;hc corn wus vou,rl.
Nr"h"li'y W TIE United .SMi.S.-It is
stated that dcspatchc, lave gone ont by
the Persia, informing iii the powers of
Europe 10y Il circular letter, OF Tic purpose
of the Cnitcl States Government to main
tan the s'rictcst neutrality with all par
ties during the European war By the
same vessel dc>ra;c!lr, arc sail to have
been sent to Julgr M,son, Il; p.ui<, in
struc,iny him To intimate to the French
Government, that in case Germany shoul
be drawn into the war, this Government
will MT sncr any interruption OF their ser
vice i'll the lI,m!.urs anl Bremen steam
crs, now carrying the United States mails,
so long rs these steamers do not convey
/
Ambassador is sail not to look unilvor;,
bly, upon his re,nonstrancc.
W hat are articles "cDn.rahauI of war -
, is point, however, which sem, by no
incanS settled. The N.w Ynil, Journal OF
Commerce ntinatrs that the l'nitcl States
has no treaty stipuIatiors on the subject
of general application. Waited, in his Law
OF Nations, defines the term tp include
"comnloditics particularly useful in war,
such rs arms, ammunition, timber for Ship
building, every kind of naval stores, horses
and even provisions, in certain juncturcs,
when we have hopes of reducing the enc.
my 10y famine" Mus: civilized nations,
however, have treaties which exempt anti,
clcs Of FOOD. The United States lave such
treaties, bu' it is supposed ;la. none OF
them are in force. That any stipulation
exists with England, is not free from ques
ton. At any rate, it is now understood
that coal rs it may be usr! us fuel ior war
steamers, will be treated as contr,band l.v
England, She will also certainly include
tlmhcr for ship-bulling, tar or rosin !; cop
per i'll sheets, SAILS, hemp ana cordagc, and
generally whatever may serve direct
ly to the equipment Of vessels except
nnwronght iron and fir planks. By the
general consent Of civilized nations, pro-
visions have ceased to be regarded us
contraband, so that our beef, pork and
flour, and other national productions may
he carried into every port not under block
adc. The whole subject Of contraband
goods. as between France and the United
States, is an entirely open one and as to
England, it is matter Of argument as to
what articles aIc. excluded us cOntraband
or exempted. 1t is presumed that our
mini tcrs at the courts of the beIigcrcnts,
however, have already begun to look into
this important subject.
In general European war, nothing can
be more desirable, and at the same time
moro difficult than to preserve the neu.
trality Of the United States.
One of our agricultural exchanges as
sures its readers that the leaves Of the elder
scattered over cabbare, cucumbers. SQUASH.