Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-02-05

Al AeelluS OF Aiils society," helu las
night, Dr. Geo. S. Blackie, the President
delivered the annual address, which wa
able and eloquent. In the course Of hi
remarks, he passed in review the moment
Gus and stirring events Of the year 1866 al
follows:
The year 1866 has passed away. Al
home and abroad, Il has proved an event.
ful one. Numbers Of men, monarchs by
Divine right a year ago, are now kings no
more, not even in name-myriads have
been carried 10 their long-hOme by war.
pestilence and famine-science and the arts
have made rapid strides, and plans innu-
merable have been framed for the benefit OF
individuals and the race, vet neither at home
nor abroad can we say that the principal
eyentshave been final nor all the changes car
ried 20 completeness. The present time is a
ieverish and excited one and many Of the
great events Of 1866 have to be completed
in 1867. The Emperor Of the French de-
livered on New Year's-day a very pacific
and benign speech 10 the diplomatic body
al Paris, wishing for 'the stability Of
thrones and the prosperity Of nations" and
intimatinga hope that things were entering
new era Of peace and Cancellation, which
may be sincere; but when we remember
that the past year was ushered in Wilh SINH
lar piping Of Peace, We may be excused
from being over sanguine. At home we have
been at peace, that is, the sword is not
drawn in open combat, bot the councilsof the
land are disturbed and threats are openly
made which may lead 10 a civil strife
more disastrous than the last. We must
each and all Of us endeavor 10 secure
Peace-Peace and Harmony, the chief good
Of commercial and, indeed, Of every
people. War must be avoided, nothing
bat self-deiense can Justify it, To avoid it
the Girest calamity Of human nature
with which, alasl we are all only too ia
miliar-should be the chief object Of every
humane man and wise minister. If those
who foster it were compelled to take the
field and fight in person, national disputes
would soon be settled and the ploughshare
changed into the pruning hook
oh shame to mem Devil with devil damned
6irm concord holds, men only disagree
Of beings RATIONAL
How events have thickened around us
Nenetia no longer groans under the yoke
Of Austria Italy is free and the last Of its
foreign conquerors have been driven from
It's borders; the French troops have been
Withdrawn from the Tiber and nothing
now remains to complete the italian unit
but the peeYishness Of an old man who
closes his eyes to the stern testimony
Of events. The Schleswig- Holstein diff.
hculty has been solved, the Gordian knot
cut violently by the sword Of Bismarck
Austria has been humbled TO the dust;
Prustia has risen 10 the eminence of a
great power, and the German question has
10 a point where it cannot well
stop, though to complete il another CONT
mental revolution may be required cholera
among men and the rinderpest among cat
tie have committed their sad ravages on
both continents, and Nashville has suffered,
and lie CALIFORNIAN Society severely suf-
fered from the former. The strong party
in Congress is striving for the impeach-
ment Of the President; Onr great political
prisoner vet languishes in his dungeon the
projected Exhibition Of the Industry of all
nations at Paris is favorablv progressing;
the Russian Autocrat has solemnized the
of his son with a Danish Prin-
cess and thus completed ties Of family
with England and Prussia priestly tyran-
ny has caused mischief in Spain Gambia
has been in revolt clouds are gathering on
the Turkish dOminions Of the BOsphorus
Belgium has cemented her friendship with
England at a great international passage at
arms; the Pope has been offered ar
asylum in British territory; the Atlantic
has been crossed by a few little yachts, and
the great triumph of modern science, the
Atlantic Gable, has been successfully
In England the Reform
question has been deeply agitated. An
honest and liberal If not in all
respects well-judged and well.managed
attempt to effect settlement has
failed, but it has been made to appear by
the working classes that an enlargement of
the electoral basis for their behOof, is Sc
riously desired, and the very statesmen who
came 20 Office on and by the defeat Of a re,
form bill, sre forced 10 try their hands al
settling a question they think best left
alone The habeds corpus act has been sus-
pended in Ireland great commercial fail
ures have occurred in England and this
country; terrible accidents have occurred
on sea and land among which the loss of
Nhc NitdliltA A4buhol anu the SUN more
recent colliery explosions Of England are
most appalling a famine by which two
and a half millions Of human beings have
persisted has occurred in India Jamaica
has resumed her former quiet the excite
ment in New Zealand is temporarily
quelled; the North American colonies are
in their long-talked Of confeds-
ration Spain and the South American
are in trouble the Mexican
question is still in a dangerous and un-
settled condition the Crystal Palace at
Sydenham has been seriously damaged by
FIRE; fires Of no small magnitude have oc-
Cured in many cities Of the States Eng
land, China, and elsewhere a winter Of
more than ordinary severity has followed
a pestilential summer and yet the death
roll Of The year, though peculiarly large in
Nashville, has been comparatively small
the world over. While here we mourn
the loss Of Barrow, Gentry, Baldwin, Cave
Johnson, and other prominent citizens,
there are not many great names abroad
which have been entered on the final re-
cord Dr. Whewell, Queen Marie Amelia,
Mr. keeble, n. p Willis, and Philip
Elliott, are among the most distinguished
names OF the illustrious dead. And, while
all these events have been acted around us,
We have pursued the even tenor Of our wav,
and members and Officers, / proudly state,
each striving to do his duty.