The eastern clarion. [volume] (Paulding, Miss.) 1837-1863, 1859-09-21
Mr. nsIlhn,n "a Mobile.

Mr.. MIlburn on Mobile.
The following amusing history Of Mr..
Milburns industrial experiments in No
bile Is from chapter xxi Of his recently pub
lished book.
According to the law Of the Methodist
church, a preacher can remain only two |
years IN charge Of one society. At the |
expiration of my time in Montgomery. | !
was transferred to Mobile and APP |
pointed to the st. Francis street Church. |
That pleasant little city by the by, was
my home for four year. When my time
in st. Francis street expired, the bishop
made me city missionary, in which capa-
city it would have been possible for me to
remain permanently; and | suppose that
Mobile would then have been my home
and my grave. 1t came near being the
latter; but the former, it was destined
not to be.
We bought a cottage on the edge of the
town, and with about half an acre of
ground, embarked in that most hazardous
of all undertakings, making improve
ments. We laid out a garden and plant
ed the different kinds OF vegetables and
| flowers, but somehow or other they would
not grow satisfactorily. Having COW we
built twO-story stable, containing. be-
sides a carriage house and stalls for sever
al horses and cows, lott for hay, corn,
oats &c, neat room for servants. In
one of my visits to the country, friend,
thinking | needed exercise, presented me
with valuable saddle horse.
! A saddle horse is an expensive comfort
! in the city, and my wife averred that mine
| would eat her own head off, in six months,
! that the idea OF a Methodist preacher, on
a narrow stipend, keeping a horse for an
| occasional ride, was preposterous and not
to be tolerated. The wife Of one of our
neighbors had been delighting herself in
| little speculation, to wit, driving dray:
that is to say, having horse and negro
man, neither of whom had any thing to
do, she purchased a dray and set the man
driving it. Glowing accounts of the prof
liable returns from this investment fired
my wites Imagination, and we bought
dray; but neither of Us could drive, nor
were any of our children large enough to
do so. We therefore did what was consid-
cred the next best thing-hired an Irish
man. The Irish have one peculiarly,
there is nothing they cannot do. Ny
! horse was saddle beast. and had never
been broken to harness, but our man de-
clared that he could break her just as ca
sy as rolling otfa log, that he had broken
horses all his life. | do not believe that
he had ever anything to do with horse
before. As | never had a knack for bust
ness, my wife agreed to engineer this pro-
lect. The driver was to get twenty-five
dollars month and be found, the horse
food was to be paid for, the cost of the
draw and harness to he replaced in the
family fund, and then all the profits were
to inure my wife as pin money; but alas,
the profits never came, the horse stalled
with her first load. which Patrick was to
take seven miles, and for which he was to
receive four dollars and half. He wOr-
ried the poor beast 50 much, and beat her
so cruely, that she was never fit for har-
ness afterwards. When we retired from the
transportation and forwarding business,
draws were not in demand we did not
even succeed in forcing sale, and the
vehicle stood in the yard until the sun
, and the rain took it to pieces.
About this time the chicken fever was
prevailing as an epidemic. OF course we
t took it. Nv brother, who was the first
: member of the family attacked by the
" disease, presented my wife with a pair OF
/ shangais, costing ten dollars. The posses
= sion of so remarkable a pair of fowls
/ q
; this branch of natural history. We OH
. tanned the various books which treated of
0 it, and became exceedingly learned in
e chicken lore. We added to our improve
f ments, by the erection of a spacious hen
e house. and by fencing a handsome enclO-
= sure for the benefit of the brOods we were
+ going to have. We did not mean to eat
Q the monster birds, but desired to raise
= them for sale, that we might thereby turn
an honest penny. But shanghais soon be
e came very common, although our first pain
t had multiplied exceedingly. there was nc
IS demand for the article Still our ardol
n was not cooled. We attended chicken
d fair. and were ravished by the incredibly
r, long legs appertaining to a magnificent
II pair of feathered bipeds, styled ''Brama
d Pootras." for which the modest price o.
i fifty dollars was asked.
# The chief trait of these remarkabl,
r birds, SO far as | have been able to discov
n er. was that they could stand on the foo
and eat corn from a table, and enough o
II it in the course of a day to supply good
" sized family with bread for the sam,
e. length of time Several of our neighbOr
- told Us that if we would buy the fowls
De they would each buy dozen eggs, at tn
a, rate of twelve dollars dozen. What
lie stroke of fortune; the goose that laid tn
ne golden eggs had come to us at last. Tn
in Drama Pootras were ours. But wher
ct were they to be kept? Although tn
it, hen-hOuse was pad-locked at night, cur
n ming thieves, used to robbing hen-roost,
of could easily remove that obstacle. w
I'd were oppressed with all the weight of car
it which newly found riches are wont I
We bring. After much deliberation it wa
to decided to give them the carriage-hous'
tn and it was matter of no little moment I
ri see them safely bestowed every evenin
he and released in the morning. But whe
ii would the hen begin to lay? 1t becam
NJ a subject of serious speculation to I'll
nd neighborhood Her aristocratic cack
NJ. was waited for with impotence. Friend
he inquired day after day if the importar
m event had yet taken place; we were Of
re- liged to answer as cheerfully as we coult
n. that it had not-then we moralized aboI
OF haste making waste Rome not bein
he built in day." &C, winding up by coul
nd selling patience. At length the cackle
ct long looked for was heard, and the entii
he family. white and black, old and youn
he hurried to look for the egg, and discove
pa ed to our horror that the barbarous char
- ticleer had with his beak pecked the pr
ial cious deposit of his dame, and that I'll
lie white and yolk were oozing from the fra
he tured shell. ! never heard that the he
he laid another egg. Our fears that the hel
house might prove an unsafe asylum wei
aTs justified ere long, for one stormy nigl
the door was forced, and of fifty shanghai
not one was left. We began at once
NJ recover from this attack Of chicken teve
ne and our convalescence was soon pr
po- nounced complete. This disease is said
resemble yellow fever in one respect-tl
patient never has it a second time; if
succeeds in living through it, he is SUI
posed to be stronger for it ever after.
;. Since the failure of the dray and chic
III en- business, we have not embarked in al
mercantile operations.
' In the matter of society, Mobile cou
safely challenge comparison with any CT
err in the Union. Upon the creole or natl
yer population had been ingratted tavorab
be specimens from almost every State in Il
ces Union, and from the principal nations
civ Europe. The circle was large enough
afford the richest variety, but not so lar
of as destroy unity. The leaven OF the ear
esll French element had not ceased to wor
I'M but showed itself in the exquisite courte
lars of the peoples manners. Every city
ted the Republic has typographical and
JUS less a social physiognomy of its own.
IN IpOoAoil tilt btSt 'lhtNNl'i a. ~ q man
an What does he know? In New EoI
md How much is he worth? In Philad
al phia, Who are his relations? In Ba
lad more, Has he a good Digestion?
Ia Washington, How many votes can
fter command? In Charleston. Who was
hat grandfather? In Cincinnati, How ma
ant hogs does he kill? In Chicago, How II
ave ny corner lots" does he own? In Sal
the Louis, Has he an interest in the Fur Co
ger. pany? In New Orleans, south of Can
'ck- street, How much cotton does he Sc
the North Of Canal street, How does he dar
his. and dress? In Mobile, is he a man
low good manners?
in - ~--
lSe HORRIBLE DEATH.-Yesterday afterno
ne one of the most horrible accidents
was were ever called upon TO chronicle h;
ms pened at Gilbert's soap factory on De
'n' ware street, near Baker. The name
re the victim was Hugh Hurley, very