Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-04-09
4allp gutelligenter,
TAU Corn.

We grow "tAII corn" in America The
world is beginning to find IT out. Every
year brings the fact more and more home
70 the perceptive and digestive faculties of
all civilized humanity. Like all great
truths, II did not gain credit at once
True, everybody sees it here with his own
eyes, but not so on the other side OF the
water, The 6rst accounts OF the prodnc-
tiveness of our Western praries were read
BY our Buckinghamshire farmers with
as much respect as the fish stories OF the
sailor Sinbad 1t took even the highest
dignitaries of the land long while to get
fairly up to level with the actual FACT
Even at this day there is an ear of corn in
the British Museum which enjoys a very
distinguished consideration as curiosity
Il divides attention, We do not say equally,
but certainly fr.tctionally. with the Nine
yah Bull and the great Kohiuoor. 1t is
Bull; and yet it has but very simple his
tory, and il is not very extraordinary ear
of corn, after all. It reached its present
distinction something in this wise:
In the month of January, ls47, AT a GER
tain dinner party in London, at which
Lord John Russell, Lord Aorpetb, and ma
nv other distinguished men were present,
the conversation turned upon the Irish
famine; and the remark was made by Lord
John that he rejoiced that SO good sub
stitute for the native breadstuff had been
found as Indian corn. Turning to Mr.
Bates, the American partner in the house
of Barring Brothers, his lordship went on
to say:
"Why, Bates, some of the cobs have
twelve or fourteen rows of grain on them"
To which Mr.. Bates coolly replied:
eyes, my lord. have seen from twenty
TO twenty-four rows on a cob.
'That is rare Yankeeism," was the
pleasant retort of the Premier; and the
whole company shouted in approval.
The burst of merriment over: Mr.. Bates
bought his peace by a wager of dinner
for the company all round that he could
produce such an ear.
"Done!" exclaimed Lord John, and the
bet was clinched.
The dinner passed off. Mr.. Bates re
turned home, but not entirely at ease. He
had done a strange thing; for the first
time in his life he had made an engage
ment he was not absolutely certain of his
ability to fulfill. He had misgiVings that
he had rashly pledged the honor of his
country. 1t had been long since he look
ed upon an American crib; and however
patiently he winnowed the eorn-ucopia of
his memory, he found that the cobs of the
early days had gone glimmering through
the lapse of time, among the things that
were, and were now so far off that lie
couldn't count the rows. He was, as
Plautus would say, redastUS Hd iHritds-in
Yankee parlance, '!hard up But Fortune
faYors the brave. 1t happened that
friend of ours dropped in, the next day, at
the counting-housc of the Earrings. Mr..
Bates, with Frightening face, hailed him,
and made known his difficulty.
"You are safe" was the response; "f |
live to get home, you shall have even q
bigger than you have promised"
Our friend c. soon returned, and
straightway wrote to Messrs. Rogers and
Reynolds, of Lafayette, Ind telling the
story, and begging them, for the honor of
the country, to come to the rescue, and
turn the tables on Lord John, showing
them what Yankees could do.
III the July following, Mr.. g. received,
by express from Lafayette, a nicely ar
ranged box, containing six ears of horse
tooth corn, two Of which had twenty-nine
rows, two Mirty-oHe, and two THIRTY-TwO.
The box was forthwith addressed to ~.
Bates, Esq, care of Mcssrs. Barring, Broth
err & Co., ship, by Black Ball Line. care of
the Liverpool House" 1t reached its des-
tination, and Lord John Russell, first Lord
of the Treasury, third son of the late Duke
of Bedford by the second daughter of
George Viscount TorringtOn, and lineal
descendant of Lord William Russell, the
martyr of liberty, "Gcknowledged tie corn
The dinner was won. Joshua Bates did
not perpetrate "Yaukeeism," and the
British Museum holds the trophy. VipG
la Repmbhque!