The Placer herald., 1862-05-17
A Philisophical Darkey.

all elueTIy uaTkey WIFI very pH'iooPH'Coi
and retrospective cast of countenance, squat
ted upon his bundle toasting his shins against
the chimney, and apparently plunged into
state Of profound meditation. Finding, upon
inquiry, that he belonged to the Ninth Hi
nois, ore of the most gallan,ly behaved and
heavily losing regiments in the Fort Donel-
son battle, and part of which was aboard, |
began to interrogate him upon the subject.
His philosophy was so much in the Falstaffian
vein that will give his views in his own
words as near as my memory serves me:
"Were you in the fights"
Had a little taste of it, sa."
"Stood your ground, did you?'
mo, so, runs"
Run at the first, did youY'
"Yes sa and would hab run soona, hab |
knowed it war cumin."
"Why, that wasa't very creditabe TO your
courage"
DAT isn't in my line, sa-cookin's my
porfeshun."
"WeI, but have you no regard for your
repuatiou?"
"Reputation's muffin to me de side ob life
"Do you consider your life worth more
than other people's!"
Its worth more to me, sa."
"Then YOU must value it very highly"
"Yes, sa does-more dan all dis wuld-
more dan a million oh dollars, sa; for what
would dat be with to a man wild de bref out
ob | i'm? Self presurbashun am de tust law
wild me-"
"But why should you act upon different
rule from other men?"
"Because different men sets different values
upon dar lives-mine is not in de market"
But if you lost it, you would have the
satisfaction of knowing that you died for
your country"
"What satisfaction would dat be to me
when de power of feeling was gomez"
Then patriotism and honor are nothing
to you?"
Muffin whatever sal regard d m as
among the wanites.''
"If our soldiers were like you, traitors
might have broken up the Government with
out resistance"
"Yes, sa. dar would hab been no help for
it. | would'n. put my life in de scale ginst
any Guberment dat ever existed, for no Cub
ernment could replace de loss to me-"
"Do YOU think any of your company
would have missed you if you had been kill
ed?"
May be not sa-a dead white man amt
much to desc soers let alone a dead nigga,
but I'd missed myself, and dat was the pint
wild me-"
1t is safe to say that the dusky corpse of
that African will never darken the field Of
carnage.
Correspondent Cincinati Gazette.
CIRcUMvALLATIoN OF SToCKToN.-Mr.
George E. Drew, County Surveyor Of San
joaquin, has submitted to the Council of
Stockton plan for evee and canal to be
constructed around the city for its protec.
ton The canal, which is, of course, to be
outside of the Ievee, is figured on the south
side at the width Of $50 feet at the bottom,
and from three to eight feet deep, as circum
stances may demand, the embankment sew
enty five feet wide at the top. On the north
side. the canal at one hundred feet at the
bottom, and the embankment fifty feet at
the top. 1t is calculated for the embank
ment to be four feet above high water mark
of last winter. 1t is also proposed to exca
vate Mormon Slough, and cut it to width
of two hundred and fifty feet 1t is estima
ted that the cost of the work would be about
$ll, 900.
WHAT WILL PLEASE rr?-The Sacramento
Union raked down His Excellency, Governor