The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-01-04
The National Fast.

The national Fast.
| II is probably known that the Conven ton
| which formed the Constitu tion, and Of which
| George Washington was President, was In ses-
| sion four months without any prospect of an
| agreement on certain conflicting interests-
The fifty-fve members of that august body
were despairipg Of harmonious action, and the
| Convention came near dissolvinR,
| At this Interesting and solemn crisis, DIR.
Franklin rose, and. addressing himself to the
| President, among other things, said "S,r,
how has it happened, that while cropping 90
| long in the dark, divided in our opinions and
now ready to separate without accomplishing z
| the great objects OF our meetipg,-that we baye
not hitherto once thought of humbiy applying
| to the Father OF Lights to illuminate our un-
derstandingsi In the beginning of the con-
test with Britain, wien we were sensible of
| danger, We had daily prayer in this room for
divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were
| heard, and hey were graciously answered.
All OF US who We're engaged Ill the struggle
must have observed freq uent instances OF a
| snperin tending Prov ideace in our favor. To
| bat kind Providence we owe this happy op-
portuniiy OF consulting, III peace, on the means
! OF establishing our future national felicity
And have We now forgotten that powerful
! friend or do we imagine that we no longer
need its assistance have lived sir a long
| time, aud, the longer 1--we, the more conyiuc-
| ing proof see OF this truth, that God governs
| the affairs OF men. And if q sparrow cannot
| fall to The ground without His notice. is IL
probable that an empire can rise without His
| aid We have been assured sir, i'll he sacred
writings, that except the Lord build the
house, they labor In vain that bu Id it,
| firmly believe this, and l also believe that,
| without His concurripg AID, We shall su, ceed
| III this political building no better than the
builders OF Babel; we shall be divided by our
little partial local interests our projects will
be confou uuded, and we ourselves shall become
| a reproach aud by word 10 future ages. Aud,
what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from
| this Impor iant instance, despair of establish
L 0Oy0rum0Dt nv human wisdom. and lea
| 1t TO chance, war or conquest
~ therefore beg leave to move that hence
forth prayers. imploriDg the assistance OF Hsa-
ven, aud It's blessings on our deliberations, be
heid in this assembly every morniug before we
proceed To business; and that one or more
OF the clergy OF this city be requested to eff
ciate in that service"
This ggestion, 1t need scarcely be said,
was favorably received by the Convention !;
and, from that time, the guidance of divine
wisdom was daily sought. AS might be ex-
pectsd, greater harmony prevailed the spirit
| Of concession pervaded the Oonven tion "a mo.
tion was made for the appointment of a COM
mittee, to take into consideration both brau ches
OF the Legislature. This motion prevailing, a
committee was accordingly chosen bv ballot,
| consisting of one from each State and the ON
ven ton ao jJurned for three days.
On the meeting Of the Convention, after this
| adjournment, the above committee reported TO
| the Satisfaction OF all, and The lody proceeded
| to organize the legislative and other depart
ments of the government.
|
King Jonathan the First
| A Yankee Is empnatically a civil man,
| though his civility may not produce all the
| bows, and grimaces, aud unmeaning compli-
| ments which accompany or Constitute that
| quality among French; rudeness OF manners
| could be charged against these people only by
| those who kno W nothing about them. Conn.
| tries," says Goldsmith, swear very different
| appearances to persons in different circum-
| stances. A traveller who Is WhirIed through
L nrnp1o IN a n q md nil no
walks the grand tour on foot, will form very
| different conclusions" Now, suudry penpie
| have been whirled from Boston TO New York
| In a mail coach, and said l know not what
| about manners. / have travelled over the New
England States on foOt-Over high ways and
| byways; supped in the most splendid hotels
and the most paitry inns; entersd every far.
| mer's door that offered as resting place. aud
| crossed any mans garden, or corn. Held, or
| orchard, that lay in my way, without receiy-
ing an uncivil word on my whole route. On
one occasion, l lost myself in the woods
| among the Green Mountains of Vermont,
W here imagined there was no living crea-
| ture to be encountered for miles, except black
| bears, (atamounts, and similar country gen.
| tlemen but on sudden emerged from the
wood into an open spot where stood log hut.
| A little fiaxen-headed urchin espied me COM
| ing, and be- an to scramble with all speed, to
hide himself as ! supposed; but no, it was to
| gain the summit of an immense log of wood,
which lay by the little pathway, where he
greeted rne, as passed, with as profound a
| bow as / ever receiveda ..
In travelling over the Kingdom Of Naples,
and contemplating the wonders Of that IA
vored laad, Its fertile soil, its genial climate,
| its admirable capacities for commerce, and the
| sloth and ignorance of its population, its beg
| gars, and it's brigands-I have been struck
| that might ensne were plain Yankee taken
| from his plough tail aud placed on the throne
| of the Two Sicilies. His majesty would begin
| a regular overhaul of the whole body poliIic
| the morning after his coronation. "Wnars
| this see - says the king. "Where are your
| overseers Of the highways-your school COM
| mittees-your select-men Wha idle fellows
| are these in the streets! What are these bells
| crowd Of ships lying behind the mole with
| nothing to 90 or this marina, the waters
| edge Of my great city. where l see no piles OF
merchandise, no trucks nor dray carts driving
| about with goods, nor half the business doing
| in q month that is done on Boston Long
wharf in two hours 7 Come, hustle, occupy
| set the lazzaroni to. work upon the roads; send
the children to school; make q railroad here
and a turnpike there; bridge this river aud
canal that hang the Calabri n robbers give
the monks q rouse; 60 into The churches aud
strip me those trumpery shrines; sell the gold
and silver jewels with which they are heaped,
and the interest OF the money will support ali
the poor in the kingdom, for I'it have no beg
gars nor idlers v hiie my title is Jonat than the
First. People shall mind their business, Tor
will abolish these festds, which come every
other day, and are yod for nothing but TO pro.
mote idleness. Henceforth there shall te no fes-
tas but Fast, Thank giving and Independence.
Set me up newspaper In every town; take
me the census of the population; fine every
district that don't send represen tative to the
General Court. I'll have every thug thrashed
and sent q bucking, even to the vernacular
speech, for dolce far nsnts shall be routed from
the ltaiinn.-Samne! kettstt.
DIsBANDN.Nr OF AN Ek0LIeH INDIAN Rro.
IMBNr-The Calcut tta papers say that the dis-
baudment Of the kitfh Bengal European regi.
msnt was followed by the Immediate military
execution sf prisoner. He was marched
around the square In the rear OF his cofhn, and
| ledged the justice of his sentence, and met his
death with manly reslgnation. Scarcely had
| this tsrri BILE scene been enacted when the 23d
regiment Of foot moved mp In front OF the Fifth
| European regimeut The artillery was loaded
with grape on either flank. The fifth regi-
L thnp aor m n nd OrAor run = arA