Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-12-07

ferred to such vessels, in their turns, as
might be sent to relieve her, The order
of the Navy sending Nolan abroad vas as
wAsHISorUS, 1907,
(day Ofths uOuth not giveu.l
S1R:-YOu will receive from Lieut..
Neale the person Of Philip Nolan, late a
Lieutenant 10 the United States army.
"This person on his trial by court mas
tiAl expressed with an oath the wish that
be might never hear of the Uuited States
sgAin.'
wish fulfilled.
"Por the present, the execution of the
order is entrusted by the President to this
"You will take the prisoner on board
your ship, and keep him there With such
precautions as shall Preveut his escape.
"You will provide bin With such quar-
proper for an officer of his late rank, il be
were passenger on your vessel on the
business of his government.
| THE gentlemen GU board will make any
arrangements agreeable TO themselves re.
gArdi1g his society. He is to be exposed
to no indignity Of any kind, nor is be ever
unnecessarily TO be reminded that be is q
prisoner.
"But under no circumstances Is he ever
to hear Of bis country or 20 see any iutor-
nation regarding III aud you will specially
caution all the ofiseFs under your com
maud to take care that, 10 the various ill.,
dulgeuces which may be granted, this rule,
| in which his punishment is involved, SHAH
not be broken.
alt is the intention of the government
that he shall never again see the country
which he has disoWned. Before the end
of your cruise you will receive orders
which will give effect to this intention.
"Respecttuiiy yours.
"w. Southland,
"For the Secretary of the Navy"
The balance Of the narrative consists OF
fragmentary and desultOry details of No.
lau's various voyages TO all parts OF the
world. He was successfully transferred
from one ship to another and never
again up to the time Of his death, fifty five
years AfterWard, allowed to come home
D0riug all this time the fact of his strange
existence aud his still stranger sentence
was kept profound secret, known only to
officers OF the Navy, and carefully excluded
from the newspapers. The writer of this
narrative refers to this circumstance with
all the nouchalance of Poe himself, as if
it were possible thing be is relating,
The story is well told throughout. To-.
deed, it has the veri.simihlude of truth
itself With remarkable and most matter
Of fact circumstantiality it dwells upon
the life led by Nolan on ship board, the
writer himself having for several years
been the second officer of one of the vessels
on which he was placed. Fact or no fact
about it, the narrative is highly impressive
aud might be called "a Story for the
Times" Those who read it will be apt to
think more of their uatiOusltty-Of the idea
and the blessed privilege of having couu-
try, than they ever did before. We sup.
pose that, as much as anything else, it
was in this purpose that the narrative
men realize and reflect what it would be
indeed to be a "man without a country. y
This very imperfect outline of the story
will give the reader but poor idea of
what ii is when read as a whole, There
are two or three very graphic aud thrilling
scenes recorded where Nolan's isolation
was made horrible beyond endurance to
him. II there was any possibility of the
narrative being true. it would be the most
wonderful incident Of the kind ever re-
corded.
In this connection, we append the fol.
lowing letter from lady to Us. calling
our attentiOn to the narrative. She IL
evidently impressed with the semi.pos.
sibiIity, so to speak, of the story being
true, aud makes her comments accord
tugly;
For the IntellIgonesr.
The readers of the Atlantic for the pres.
ent month have Of course read with osw
and rare interest, the article under the Al.
most sensation title OF "The Man without
q Country. But the plain unyarnished styIs
or the narration, instead of conEirminp this
first Impression, would seem 70 oyer.nas
ter the Incredibly which is ready 10 in.
trude itself here aud there among these a,
once marvellous and matter .of fact details
One remembers the ait Of truth and sobri.
ETY., which In childhood ranked Robinson
Crusoe beside the discovery of America
aud the like indubitable facts Of some
Standing, and is doubtful, even of simpli-
ctty-shough 10 the event Of g similar re.
violation, one would scarcely feel a. the
old man, whose age had been solaesd by
the annual, religious readiDg Of that most
delightful, most deceptive Of fables, and
who shed discOns0late tears when Al Iaat
some Pr0saie and eViI.miAded personage
convinced him that Robinson Crusoe was