Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-03-23
News of the Day.
:" IL shom the r,ry age ondbcly nfHe TINES

marks that the past winter, throughout the
length and breadth of the land, was an unu.
sually mild one. Southern papers concur in
the statement that vegetation in that lat-
tude is at least one month i'll advance OF or
binary years. Fruit trees are i'll blossom,
and flowers of various kinds are in full
bloom. In the North, the winter has been
remarkably open. The great lakes have
been closed by ice but Il small part of the
time, and navigation is now about Ia be re-
sumed on all the Northern waters.
Lieut.. IIabersham, United States steamer
Powbatan, writes to the Philadelphia Led
ger, that Lord Elgin has just returned from
visit up the Yang Tszc- Kiang, six hundred
and fifty miles from Shanghae, to llanskow
and We-Chang; where, as Hue says, three
cities face each other, and eight millions of
inhabitants reside-a degree of populousncss
which seems incredible to our notions of
comfort or means of support.
The accident on the Great Western Rail
road of Canada, on the night of the 18th, be-
tween Flamboro' and Dundas, was caused
by the washing away of the bank, and the
engine ran into chasm nearly twenty feet
deep, with the baggage car and two passen-
ger cars. Six persons were killed and ten
or twelve seriously wounded. A frightful
storm at the time added to the horror of the
scene.
The Kent, MI, News says, that on Monday
last the Sheriff of that county summoned a
posse to assist in arresting number of per-
sons engaged in dredging oysters. in violation
of the law and impressed the steamboat Ar
row for the purpose of reaching the offend
ers, but the officers of the boat refused to
act, and the expedition was consequently
abandoned.
The Journal of Commerce states that the
Secretary of the Navy has issued official in
structions to the commandant Of every Navy
Yard in the Union, directing them to obtain
from the officers, overseers, and bosses of each
department, the lowest possible estimate of
the money actually needed to carry on the
indispensable works under their control.
A Pixies Peak Pilgrim passed through
Davenport, the other day, encased in a
buckskin suit, with the sem Of his breeches
painted red. He also had gun on his
shoulder, dog at his heels, and was follow
ing the railroad track. Imagine II dark
night-express train i'll the rear, with big
reflector in front of the engine, throwing
light on this subject.
A gentleman in Cincinnati, few days
since, emptied his pockets of a parcel of let
tiers and papers which he had accumulated
there, and burnt them. The next morning
he discovered that among them was one con-
tanning $500 in bills which he had intended
for the mail.
In an old piece of furniture, sold in Salem,
recently, in secret drawer, was found a
will, duly prepared thirty-three years ago,
and which had never been presented for pro-
bate The testator has been dead twenty-five
years, and his property legally administered
upon and distributed.
The Danville Republican says that the
capital stock of the Danville Bank has been
raised to $4OO, 900. and the books closed
More than one-thrd of the stock is owned in
Danville. Between 100000 and so. 900 are
owned by the Board of Dircctors-two of
whom own $4,000 each.
The New Orleans Picnyune states that Mr..
Laurent Milandon has sold his sugar planta-
ton on the right of the river, little above
Jefferson city, for one million dollars. 1t
contains several thousand acres of land, and
is worked by four hundred and forty-eight
hands.
The Havana correspondent of the Savan-
nah Republican writes During the years
have resided on this Island the average an
nual number of Africans imported has been
about eight thousand. Last year, however,
that number was nearly trcbled-twenty-
three thousand having been imported"
The Independent says that the family of
Mr.. Lyman Beecher are holding a re-
union this week at the house of the Rev.
II. w. Beecher. in Brooklyn. All the chill
dren are present, but James, who is now III
China engaged as Chaplain to the seamen at
Hong Kong.
The Baltimore Steam Packet Company
have made contract with firm, to raise the
Inflated steamer North Carolina. This firm
are making active preparations for the speedy
performance of their contract, and will, 1t IL
supposed, commence operations sometime the
coming week.
A dangerous counterfeit has just been de-
tected at the Treasury Department at Wash
ington, in the shape of - piece, the ex-
terror of which is pure gold, plated, upon an
ALLOW of which gold seems to be the base
The coin contains about three dollars worth
of pure gold.
The New Orleans Picayunc Of the llth
inst, saws Warrants for three executions
had been received by the sheriff of this city
to take place on the Friday succeeding. Pc
ter Smith, Henry Hass and Joseph Lindsay
are the names of the doomed men,
The State of Massachusetts has bought the
home of Hancock, and the Boston press forth
with taunts Virginia with her negligence in
not making the home and grave of Washing
ton the care of the State.
On Saturday, the 10Th inst, VIM. Pencil,
esq.,, caught ON his fishing shore ON Garden
Point farm, Cecil county, Nd, about five
hundred herring, besidesa quantity of other
fish.
Rev. DR.. Ide showed some eight dollar
brandy" ct temperance meeting in Spring
field. Mass. on Wednesday evening, which