Year: 1861

may be avoided for time but We shall ulti-
matey become engaged in war Secession,
therefore, implies necessity Of putting this
State upon war footing
4 Now, gentlemen are acquainted with the
geography Of Eastern Virginia, and no doubt
can well appreciate the difficulty Of defending
our long sea boarder But what wish more
particularly to direct attention to is this :-
Look at our Western border 60 down to the
Kentucky line-to the lower end Of Wayne
county. and follow our border from Wayne,
\ BY Cabell, BY Mason, BY Jackson, BY Wood,
BY Peasants, By Tyler, BY Marshall, by Ohio,
BY Brooke, by Hancock nearly to Pittsburgh
two hundred and fifty o. perhaps three
hundred miles Of hostile border, upon which
lies one of the most powerful States OF the
! Cnon-Ohio. And then We 90 back BY
Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall Wetzel,
Monongalia and Preston, which exhibit one
hundred and fifty or two hundred miles more
Of hostile border, upon which lies the most
powerful State in the Union-the great State
Of Pennsylvania. Look how We arc thus fixed
stuck in like a wedge between the enemy
and the Red sea-45O miles Of hostile borders
surrounding Us. liable to be swept from Dor
der to border, by the range Of an Armstrong
gun for one hundred miles Of our territory
III Now, sir, look at our position. Between
Us and you there is the almost impossible bar
rier Of the Allegheny mountains and you,
gentlemen of Eastern Virginia, have not
seen proper to give Is enough legislative aid
to transpierce these mountains that we might
have direct communication with you. We
are cut off from the Eastern section Of the
State. How would We stand IN Southern
4 Contederacy2 Why, sir, we would he swept
by the enemy from the face Of the earth be
/ fore the news of an attack could reach our
\ Eastern friends. Will you leave Is il that
condition VIII you drive Us out Of the
State and leave Us at the mercy Of our en-
emies?


\ Will you place US in this extremity Will
YOU bring this desolaton upon us2 Will you
expose our wives and children to the sword?
the rayages ot' civil war TO the perpetual
scourge of the intcrminable raids which will
inevitably follow upon d dissolution Of the
4 Union You sce that We Shall be the weak
est point Of Southern Confederacy. and,
4 therefore the point Of attack. Will you
make North Western Virginia the Flanders
Of America, and convert our smiling valleys
\ into the slaughter pens Of as brave and loyal
people as dwell in the Old Dominion r
\ | hope not think there exists sufficient
fidelity to Us to justify me in saying, 40, you
never will. What, then, must you do-should
you take the alternative of secession? The
Legislature, | understand, are about appro-
priating million Of dollars for the defence Of
the State. A million Of dollars Why, Sir,
!, \ have consulted with 4 military gentleman
on the subject of the probable cost Of defence,
and after stating to him the extent Of hostile
border which Ne had to defend and the diff
cultes OF access and other like considerations
necessary to be taken into the estimate. he
said that it would require not less than one
hundred millions Of dollars to pnt the State
Of Virginia in proper state Of defence


Now, sir # secession implies the putting Of
the State of Virginia upon war footing then
appeal to this Convention to say whether
the people are prepared to meet the burdens
necessary to put her in that condition What
is our debt now Forty millions Of dollars
o. there abouts Will our people suffer any
more taxation Are gentlemen ready here
if it can be avoided without dishonor, with \
our decentralization impose such crushing
weight Of taxation Are they willing to send
back to the people an ordinance of secession
which will imply that they shall be subjected
to millions after millions for the purpose Of
placing the State on war footing? The peo-
pie will never endure it if it should be done
They cannot endure it. They have not the
ability to endure it.


THE cotton States now hold sixteen Of the
forts Of the South, and the Federal Govern
ment has seven. Fortunately. with the ex-
cepiton Of Forts Sumter, Moultrie and Pinck-
ney, they are 50 far apart that they cannot
think Of bombarding each other
a somewhat novel wedding occurred at
the Church Of the Holy Trinity, in Brooklyn.
last week. Ten married sisters appeared with
their ten husbands, and small army Of chill
dren to celebrate the marriage Of the elev-
enth sister.


| IT has long been said that 'Brittania rules
the waves, but since the fort and arsenal
capturing business has hourished so, down
South, we must surely agree that South Car
olina is First on the Seize. "A