The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-12-21
am Mare A',out uoss.

y,.v II fts bearing on the intentions Of the
STATE relative to the collection Of revenue.
sun More About logs.
A deep gloom seems TO have settled on
everything around US. The near prospect OF
troubies-the beginningof which we shai'a i''
the erd Of which we shall none OF Us see' seems
u have dried M the very fountains OF mirth.
To smile seems strangs ana UNNATURAL 10
LAM, q. slmost impossible. We have adivine
v.rr.nt for saying that the house Of mourn
In. 4. ne.ter than the house of mirth. We
have none for considering II more agreeable
Seeing however, that II Is so, we are all better
or than we ever were before, since never be-
fore vas there such cause for mourning. 1t
NAV md harsh and discordant 70 strike, at
this moment, any other key than that which
brinrs forth a note OF lamen tation. But the
human mind needs relief. and human sorrow
cannot last forever. To divert our own
wrs,ched feelings, and to call away the atten-
tior Of our readers, IL but for moment, from
a &C biect Of unlimited distress, we have de-
t.rmined to write another chapter on dogs
Tasy are more important personages than
.sems to be generally imagined. They
rave name to a school OF philosophers,
fOynics) we think somewhat uDJustly.-
The CypIcs seem to have been mere snarlers.
while dogs, In general, are something much
better. The Cynics spent their lives in mock
ing at man. Dogs are the most faithful COM
pauions that man has. The Cynics were cold
hearted, cold blooded, selfish, aad indifferent
to all suffering but their own. The dog Is
warm. hearted, unselfish. sympathetic, feels
his masters 81 ffsrings more than his own Will
risk his life in his defence and has been known
- follow him into prison, to 90 with him to
the bcaffeld, to lie down on his grave, and to
die of broken heart. Greatly superior, then
Is the dog to the Cynic, and nothing can be
more palpable than the misnomer. The
crooked tyraut did himself more credit than
he deserved, when he said that at his birth the
eossips cried
"oh Jesu bless us he ia born with teeth
And 80 | was; which PLAINLY s'gnlhed go,
That should snarl, and bite, and play the dog ~
As If dog did nothing but "snarl and
bits.n and as if that were the only way to
"play the dog" We are sure NO respectable
dog would take II as a compliment to have his
name coupled with that of such a scoundrel.
Countries have been named after togs, as for
instance, the Canary Islands. (from the Latin
eaais,) in which the race were more successful
than the great COLUMBUS, who discovered a
named after himself. Nay, in the great county
of Goochland, not more than thirty-fye miles
from this very arm-chair in which we are
writing, exists a flourishlng city, with several
stores, . blacksmith's shop, a wheelwrghts
establishment, which gees by the euphonous
title of Dogtown, while large and thriving
district, Immediately in its rear, delights in
the expressive denomination of the Bull
Ring.
We should like to know what Cynic from
DIoGgHRs down TO the two-legged snarlers of
our own day-who, by ths-bye, do not deserve
to live in any thing better than a tub-could
hold candle to Mr.. WALDORF MCMURpo's
"Prince" or deserved TO be named on the same
day with him. Poor Prince! The first time
We ever saw him he was in all his glory, the
finest looking animal Of the dog kind we ever
beheld. He was a yellow pointer; TALL ma
jesuc, OF noble presence, naughty carriage,
face full of intelligence, and eyes that flashed
FIRE. When he moved, he carried his head in
the air, like the great racer Sir Charles, (the
most beautiful horse, we suspect, ever seen In
Amsrica,) aud his step was light, noiseless and
springey, like that of an Indian stepping uoon
the dry leaves Of the forest. We were sitting
down reading, and expecting nothing less,
when the gentleman In whose company he
came burst into the room, and he along with
hin. His first action was TO come up and
form my acquaintance; his next was to run
oil over the house to satisfy his curiosity with
regard to the firms lastly, he secured the
yard, the garden and the kitchen. He took an
inventory of everything, and, we have no
dou BIT, set II down upon the tablet OF his mem
ory One of the famous dogs we have men,
toned, old Lido. was occupant OF the prenl-
SEES before his arrival Ludo was country bred,
and did not relish the intrusion from the city.
The new conner treated him somewhat with
the tnsolence which, in the old country, the
aristocracy are said to treat rarvenu. He
evidently set himself to quizzing the old fell
low, who was somewhat surly, and being
unused TO company of his own species, knew
no, how to take a joke He pricked up his ears
a. he approached him, smelt at him, wagged
his tail in infinite glee as if saying what a
rum old customer 1t is" and when his nigh
bred impertinence was rewarded with snap
or q snarl, jumped lightly out OF the way,
wageed his tail, arched his back, lifted up
his head, and was no doubt CONFUSED with
laughter, though we confess we never could
tell exactly when a dog was laughing. The
<snd WA never staupched during the whole
TINA of Princes soiourn. Lude would never
relax pything Of his sour gravity, which he
seemed TO mistake for dignity, and Prince
aonId never be brought 10 acknowledge Ludo
"A an equal, with whom it became him to enter
into mortal comba upon terms OF equality.
Pride. we are told, goes before fall. Prince
experienced the truth of this maxim to his
sorrow. Like others Of his rank, he became a
Vanderer, aud died in exile. He was ambi-
ttous, and could not conflne himself 10 a mar
row sphere. Nothing would do, but he must
see the world. So one fine morning he leaped
into the cars, and went to Washington, to look,
no doubt, after his bre thren in both Houses Of
Congress. But, alas he was soon destined TO
Isel the pressure Of poverty In strange land.
He lad innumerable accomplishments-he
could waltz like danseuse Of the theatre-he
could be sent back any distance TO find any
thing that was lost-he could sit up straight
In a chair he could run and leap over q stick
or horsewhip-he could catch his tail in his
mouth-he could do many other things at the
word Of command. But he fell into the hands
Of q man who did net appreciate his talents
or never called them forth, for he was too
proud to volunteer any exhibition Of them
We were walking, one morning, on the canal
in Washington. We felt something cold touch
our hand. We turned around and beheld-
Prince yes! the identical Prince.
But, oh how fallen. how changed"
He looked Thin and gaunt, like u wolf His
dsmeanor was humble, downcast and fawn-
fng-his gait was siouching and stealthy-his
eye had lost all its fire, his carriage all its
pride-he was the very picture of fallen great
ness. We thought of CHARLES X and the
Dey Of Algiers, of the House Of STUART and the
House Of BouRBos-ofB Beau HICKMAN and ge-
MUS generally in distress. None of them were
ever more seedy or disconsolate-none gave
more unmistakeabio sy mptoms Of the gentle