Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-24
MELBURN.
His Lecture Last Night Ben Butler, aud
tlle GOld-dfgginEs, and Seals, and
bankers.

Rev. BIr. MiIburn, the blind preacher,
pronounced his lecture at the First
Methodist Church last nigh, before q
gDod audienee-certainly large in view
of the bitter cold of the night. His
words almost froze as they fell from his
lips. He spoke elOquently of the Won
ders and charms Of CalifOrnia-first OF
San Francisco; Of its grandeur and
riches and unparalleled prosperity; and
then of its bankers, whose wealth is
marvellous and extravaganza imperial.
These moneyed kings have nice little
salaries Of fifty thousand dollars per an
mum, something more than the pay OF a
newspaper reporter, who has, instead,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS brains by the peck.
They drive horses, of which they have
two hundred, which go thirty miles in
two hours to the country homes Of these
respectable bankers. The dining rooms
of these bankers will contain two hun
bred guests. We are much inclined to
20 over to San Francisco to run bank.
The audience listened with rapt atten-
ton when the eloquent lee
turer told the piteOus story
of the poor unfortunate devil
who sat down with all his wealth to dis
cover the abiding place Of gold far down
beneath a mountains side. infatuated
with the constantly vanishing hope, the
poor fellow continued to dig, and bore,
and expend his fortune. At last, after
weary months and years Of saddening
disappointment, his wealth, and health,
and hopes all gone, the poor wretch slew
his wife, and child, and himself Then
came a miner, who took the claim, and
now this man and his associates draw
from this mine millions annually. The
climate of California is of all sorts, hot
and cold, and mild and sunny as that of
southern Italy. he told of mountains
removed by the action Of streams of
water directed against their sides, as was
once sought to be done in this city with
steam fire engines sendiHg strong currents
against the base of the hills, until they
fell pieeemeal and were washed away.
The whole surface of broad districts has
been thus changed. He described no.
tel on the ocean shore, visited daily by
sea-Iions that We're fed until they were
tame. One of these, holder than the
rest and a great rogue, no doubt, as
shown when food was distributed, and
ugly withal, is known UF
and down the coast as Ben Butler. Il
is a good thing to have fame that wing;
its way from ocean to ocean, and even
goes to the bottom of the oceans IN
depths. Like a Mormon's wife,
hOnOrs are sealed to him ever
lastingIy and jn-continentally Even
ia the remote West, up and down the
Pacific coast, as he ravages New En-
gland, and, through Ames, the South,
even so does the scaly Ben Butler roar
and below, and howl and look cross
eyed at things everywhere in the West.
Happy immortality is this of Ben But
Ter, and Mr.. MiIburn's auditors spPreci-
ated his jOcular tribute to the slippery,
salty New EngIander's worth.
1t is unfortunate for The splendid
genius, taste and elOquence Of Mr.. Mil
burn that the air was 50 bitterly
cold, that the great mass of our people
could not attend at the First Methodist
Church last evening. Infinitely more
was it for the people Them
selves. Ii is not often that such lee
turer has such a theme, aud we would
fain hope that the distinguished gentle
man may be induced to repeat the ac-
story of last eveHiug.