The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-03-15

GLEANINGs FROM AN OLD RIcHMoNI
-CoNTINUED.-We continue to-da,
our gleanings from the Observatory, pub
lished in Richmond in April and May, 1889
The "Local" of this quaint old journal
if it had one-regaled his readers witt
essays upon humanity, justice, love
jealousy, sadness, etc., only having once
in an age a first-class item. In the file:
of two months We find an account Of bu
one arrest for crime-that of one james
Smith, for passing eight twenty dollar
notes and one fve-dollar note Of the Bank
of the United States; and even this rare
occurrence is put in one-third the space
in which the Locals" of the present day
would put it.
He (the LocaD gives copy of love-
letter from an officer in the army to
widow whom he had never seen, from
which it would appear that the stories OF
old people about the pure and disinte-
rested affection of former days are like
those which we will one day tell, if we
live to be old enough, about those of the
present day. "All in my eye." If this
letter was really written, people in 1889
not only loved upon the principle OF pro-
perty qualification, but were not ashamed
to tell it to the object of their affection.
We give extracts from the letter:
"Though ] never, madam, had the
happiness to see you-no, not so much as
in picture, and consequently can no more
tell what complexion you are than she
who lives in the remotest part of China
am, nevertheless, passionately in love with
you, and this passion has taken such deep
root in my heart that, on my conscience,
/ should die a martyr for you with as much
cheerfulness as thousands have done for
their religion, who were asignorant Of the
truth for which they died as | am for
your ladyship. This declaration, madam,
may, perhaps, surprise you; but you will
cease to wonder what it was that not only
gave birth to my passion but has effectu-
ally confirmed it. Last week, having occa-
sion to ride into Surry about some par
ticuar business, | noticed not far from the
road most magnificent seat my curiosity
was instantaneously raised to know the
owner of so beautiful site and being in
formed that it belonged to your ladyship,
| began that very moment to have a
continues to say that when he further
learned that two thousand acres of the
best of land, fine park, and other desira-
BILE conveniences appertained to this " no.
BILE fabrick," he fell sup to the ears in love,
and resolved to enlist himself among the
number of her humble servants and sim
cere admirers" He then argues that no
lover was ever influenced by more solid
motives than he; and winds up, philosophi-
cally, thus: "All your other suitors would
speak the same language if they were
equally honest; and should you favor this
blunt address by making choice Of me, [
can add, for your comfort, that you will be
the first woman upon record, from the
creation to the present hour, who ever
loved man for telling her the truth.
81 am, madam, yours, ETC.,
"R. T."
Fine for this gallant-he was evidently
knowing chap.
A lover who, as the editor remarks at
the bottom of the poem, chad contracted
great partiality for the person that this
acrostic is written to-" writes an acrostic
to Sarah Pollard Boyd, in which he speaks
of "angels recording her lovely charms" !"
" angelic features not so fair as her'n, -
Heaven smiling upon her with splendid
grace" etc.
In the next number of the paper the
following letter to the editor-from rival,
perhaps-rather throws cold water upon
the poor lovers efforts:
"Mr. Dixon,-An admirer Of the impair
tiality Of your paper requests that in tu-
ture you will not publish such spiritless and
grovelling poetry as the acrostic which ap-
peared in your last Observatory. He is
also a friend of the female sex and an ad-
mirer of their charms, but he would not
wish admiration to be paid to the terreS-
trial at the expense of the Picrrian ladies.
"PETER PAsQuIS."
The "Local," so called, is a funny sort
of fellow, and gets off the following:
{" A droll fellow at a tavern, teaZed by
an old woman to read the ne wspaper to her
when, upon taking it up, he read as fol-
lows: Last night, yesterday morning,
about 8 O'Clock in the afternoon, just be-
fore breakfast, hungry boy bought a
penny custard for two pence and threw it
through q stone-brick wall made of iron
nine feet thick, and jumping over it, fell
into dry mill-pond, and was drowned
The same day, about forty hours after, a
high wind at the Dutch church blew down
the overflaw, which killed an old SOW and
dead pigs at Boston, where monstrous big
boar cat kittened a turkey, and dead
horse kicked blind mans eyes out" " Du
tell"
Such string of items as this would have
filed column in any of our papers.
Mr.. Fl. RIvEs POLLARD has returned to
the city, after an absence of two months