The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1869-12-31

iden Of The States College of Astrono-
mers, IN The city Of rotterdam.
Your Excellencies may perhaps be
able to remember an humble artizan, by
name Hans Pfaall, and by occupation a
mender of bellows, who, with three
others, disappeared from Rotterdam,
about five years ago, in manner which
must have been considered unaccount-
able. If, however, it so please your Elk.
cellencies, l, the writer of this commu-
nication, am the identical Hans Pfaall
himself. 1t is well known to most of
my fellow-citizens, that for the period
of forty years continued to occupy the
little square brick building, at the head
of the alley called Sauerkraut, in which
l resided at the time of my disappear
ance. My ancestors have also reside
therein time out of mind-they, as well
as myself, steadily following the res
pectable and indeed lucrative profess
sion ofmending of bellows: fort speak
the truth until of late years, that the
heads of all the people have been set
agog with politics, no better business
than my own could an honest citizen of
Rotterdam either desire or deserve.
Credit was good, employment was new
er wanting, and there was no lack of
either money or good will. But as l
was saying, we soon began to feel the
effects of liberty, and long speeches and
radicalism, and all that sort Of thing.
People who were formerly TIE very hest
customers in the world, had now not
moment of time to think of us at all.
They had as much as they could do to
read about the revolutions, and keep
up with the march of intellect and the
spirit of the age. If a fire wanted fan
ming, it could readily be famed with a
newspaper;and rs the government grew W
weaker, | have no doubt that leather
and iron acquired durability in pro-
| poltion-for, in very short time, there
was not Il pair of bellows in all Rotter-
dam that ever stood in need of a stitch
or required the assistance of hammar.
This was state of things not to be en-
dured. ] soon grew as poor as a rat,
and, having wife and children to pro-
vide for, my burdens at length became
intolerable, and spent hour after hour
in rejecting upon the most convenient
method of putting an end to my life
Duns, in the meantime, left me
little leisure for contemplation. My
house was literally besieged from morn
ing till night. There were three fellows
in particular, who worried me beyond
endurance, keeping watch continually
about my door, and threatening mt
with the law. Upon these three vow
' ed the bitterest revenge, ifever l shoulC
> be so happy as to get them within m.
, clutches and l believe nothing in tn
; world but the pleasure of this anticipa
ton prevented me from putting m.
plan of suicide into immediate execu
tion, by blowing my brains out with
blunderbuss. thought it best, how
ever, to dissemble my wrath, and t,
treat them with promises and fai
words, until, by some good turn of fate
an opportunity Of vengeance should b
ullOTutu Ille.
One day, having given them the slip
and feeling more than usually detected
l continued for long time to wander
about the most obscure streets withou
object, until at length / CHANGED t.
stumble against the corner Of book
, sellers stall. Seeing a chair close a
hand, for the use OF customers, / threN
myself doggedly into it, and, hardl
, knowing why, opened the pages {
, the irst volume which came within IN
reach. 1t proved 20 be small pampl
let treatise ON Speculative Astronomy
written either by Professor Encke {
what similar name. had some littl
tincture Of information on matters c
this nature, and soon became more an
more absorbed in the contents of tn
book-reading ii actually through twic
: before l awoke to recollection CT wha
was passing around me. BY this tim
! it began TO grow dark, and l directe
my steps toward home. But the trea
+ Use lin conjunction with discovery i
. pneumatics, lately communicated to III
as an important secret,b by cousin froI
NnntZ,) had made an indelible in
preston OH my mind, ard, as | saur
tered along the dusky streets, | revolN
: ed carefully over in my memory tn
= wild and sometimes unintelligiblere rea
, onings of the writer. There are som
q particular pass which affected III
, Imagination in an extraordinary maj
ner. The longer meditated upon thes
' the more intense grew the intere'
which had been excited within me. Th
f limited nature of my education in ger
r eral, and more especially my ignoranC
on subjects connected with naturi
. philosophy, so far from rendering N
;. ditfident of my own ability to compr'
! hend what had read, or inducing m
!. to mistrust the many vague notion
which had arisen in consequence, mer'
:. ly served as farther stimulus to imag
l. nation; and | was vain enough, or pc
a haps reasonable enough, to doul
n whether those crude ideas which, ari
q ing in ill-regulated minds, have all tn
h appearance, may not often in effect po
! sess all the force, the reality, and oth'
inherent properties of instinct or intu
. tion.
@ 1t was late when reached home, ,aI
a l went Immediately TO bed. My min
u however, was too much occupied
F. sleep, and lay the whole night buri,
d in meditation. Arising early in d
N morning,l repaired eagerly to the boo
g. sellers stall, and laid out what lit
es ready money l possessed, in the pr
a. chase of some volumes of Mechani
r and Practical Astronomy. Having 4
m rived at home safely with these, / d
W voted every spare moment TO their p'
a usal, and soon made such proficiency