The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-12-20
From the New York Tribune
Information Wanted.

WASHINGTON, December 10, 1851
Gould you give me any information re-
spectiDg such islands, if any, as the Go
vernment is going to purchase 1t is an
uncle Of mine that wants to know. He is
al industrious man, and well-disposed,
and wants TO make living in an honest,
humble way, but moro especially he wants
to be quiet. He wishes to settle down
and be quiet and transformations. He has
been to the new island-St. Thomas-but
he says he thinks things are unsettled
there. lie went there, early, with an at
taCl,6 of the State Department, who was
sent down with money to pay for the
island. My uncle had his money in the
same box, and so when they went ashore,
getting receipt, the sailors broke open
the box and took all the money, not
making any distinction between Govern
ment money, which was legitimate money
to be stolen, and my uncle's, which was
his own private property, and should have
been respected. But he came home and
got some more, and went back. And then
he took the fever. There are seven kinds
of fever down there, you know, and as his
blood was out of order by reason of loss of
sleep and general wear and tear Of mind,
he failed to cure the first fever, and then
somehow he got the other six. lie is not
kind Of man that enjoys tevers, though
he is well-meaning and always does what
he thinks is right, and SO he was good
deal annoyed when it appeared that he
was going to die.
But he worried through and got we'll,
and started farm. He fenced it in, and
+,,n+ CT nd
washed the most of it over to Gibraltar, or
around there somewhere. He only said,
in his patient way, that it was gone, and he
wouldn't bother about trying to find. out
where it went to; though it was his opinion
| it went to Gibraltar.
Then he invested in mountain, and
started farm up there, so as.to be out Of
the way when the sea came ashore again.
1t was q good mountain and good farm
but it wasn't any use-an earthquake
came the next night and shook it all down.
1t was all fragments, you know, and so
mixed uI With another mans property that
he could t tell which were his fragments
without going to law, and he would not do
that, because his main object in going to
| st. Thomas was to be quiet. All that he
wanted was to settle down and be quiet.
He thought it all over, and finally he
concluded to try the low ground again,
| especially as he wanted to start a brick
yard this time. He bought flat and put
out 10000 bricks to dry, preparatory to
baking them. But luck appeared to be
against him. 4 vulcano showed itself
through there that night, and elevated his
brckya.d about 1000 feet in the air. 1t
! Il Ia hoe hot
up there, and lie says the bricks are all
baked right enough, but he can't get them
down. At first he thought may be Go
vernmcnt would get the bricks down for
him, because if Government bought the
island it ought to protect the property
where q man has invested in good faith
but all he wants is quiet, and SO be IS not
going to apply for the subsidy he was
thinking about.
He went back there last week, in c0u-
pie Of ships Of war, to prospect around the
coast for q safe place for farm, where he
could be quiet; but another earthquake
came and heiStcd both Of the ships out
into one of the interior counties, and he
came near losing his life. So he has given
up prospecting in ship, and is diScou-
ragged.
Well, now he don't know what to do.
He has tried WalrusSia; but the bears
kept after him 50 much, and kept him 50
on the jump, as it were, that he had to
leave the country. He could not be quiet
there, with those bears prancing after him
all the time. That is how he came to go
to the new island We have bought-St.
Thomas. But he is getting to think st.
Thomas is not quiet enough for man Of
his turn of mind, and that is why he
wishes me to find out if Government is
likely to buy some more islands shortly.
He has heard that Government is thinking
about buying Porto Rico. If that is true,
he wishes to try Porto Rico, if it is q quiet
place. How is Porto Rico for his style Of
man? Do you think the Government
will buy it MARK TWAIN.