The Central Texian. (Anderson, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 26, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 19, 1856 Page: 1 of 4
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THE
B Y R. A. VAN HORN.
>ÍV~*
Vv x d ÍUMkJ ü> v - Utf -i s* ' ¿£ w iW
VOL. 3.
ANDERSON, GRIMES COUNTY, TEXAS, NOVE
amammmtmmmmmatmm mr
vmrmsy r.1wMMragswacieiaj -tt
Plying Pish.
Though many naturalists and voyagers
have described the appearance and habits of
this singular variety of the finny tribe, very
little is yet known of them, and the accounts
are often strangely contradictor}'. Mr.
Ewbank, in his recent work on Brazil,
differs widely in his opinions from other
observers, and gives the following interesting
account of their movements :
Another gale, and the ship practising the
poika. Sun veiled for two days since we
entered the tropic. As the captain and I
were conversing just within the cabin door,
something came flashing between us and
dropped on tlie flcor—a flying-fish, allured
by tlie lamp Nearly killed by the blow,
it died before a bucket of water to put it in
could be drawn. Others came o -lieard
—¿Tffing the flight: ouch is the velocity of
their motions, that a portion of the nose or
scalp is left wherever they strike ; marks
are numerous en the ship's side. But for
its wings, I should have takeu the stranger
for a mackerel. From the nose to the
extremity of the tail twelve inches; the
longest side of each wing seven. The
lower lobe of the tail, prolonged beyond the
other, is designed, nodouht, to facilitate the
act of springing from the water. The
wings—enlarged pectoral fins—have their
translucent membrane strengthened by rods
or rays, which diverge with the expanding
surface, aud still farther to distribute their
support, each one becomes split about half-
way up the wing, and the two branches,
after spreading apart, become in like manner
divided as they approach the margin.
As we approach the flying-fish latitude,
(13° and 14°,) flocks ol from twenty to a
hundred spring tip as the ship ploughs in
amoug them. They seem to take the ait
for pleasure as well as to escape danger,
groups and individuals being observed leap-
ing and making short trips as in mere
wantonness. They fly low, seldom monnt-
iug higher than six or eight feet; but they
have the power to rise and fali with the
heaving surface, and to change their direc
tion laterally. While the greater part of a
group goes off in a right line, individuals
■torn aside and pursue different courses, just
like birds disturbed in a rice or wheat field
Sometimes you are ready to swear they are
«wallows skimming along for flies, so strong-
Jy do they, in certain lights, resemble them
When going in a direct line from you, their
black liacks are foreshortened and the wings
in relief. In some positions the fluttering
of these organs is distinctly visible, resem-
bling trembling plates of mica.
The distance they pass over varies with
. the- «npuis* " -"-"¿.v -ouie
Tléscéfiír uoi far Irum you, others, more
timid, dart far aw^y. The ordinary flight
of a group may be averaged at two hundred
feet, but some proceed four or live limes that
tlistance. I have seen single fish pass over
three hundred yards.
Air aud ocean alike in temperature. I
cannot detect the slightest change in the
thermometer when plunged into the sea
Noon, air 82°, and the sky mottled with
white and blue, very iike haunches of fat,
gray horses. Tnis has beeu a liea venly day,
one fitted for the blessed. Sea-birds flut-
ter round, aud occasionally ftyiug-fi«h
diverted us. In making off, some took to
leeward, and others went direct y against
the wind. Some kept along parallel with
us, and were occasionally canted half ove*
by the wind blowing against their sides.
Examples of progress by successive bounds,
aud of varying their course when in the air
occurred. Each flock follows a leader, aud
when he changes the direction ol flight, the
rest conform to if. Everywhere they are
darting out of and playing over the liquid
furrows, obviously enjoying themselves as
they spring from wave to wave, and turning
their pearly sides and snowy abdomens to
view. Thero is no watching them Iriskiug
over the green uneven surface, without
reverting to wrens aud linuets iu their
native meads. Voice ou'y is wanting to
oerfect the illusion ; but, though terrestrial
{lades resound with vocal melody, the
ccean has no songsters.
Kerby, Roget and other uaturalists, who
tesch that the wings of flying-fish are only
buoyant, not progressive organs, are mis-
taken.
The Guano Trade
The New York Evening Post furnishes
some interesting facts respecting the guano
deposits belonging to Pel a, and the manner
in which the business of removing and dis-
posing of this important fertilizer is con-
ducted. The guano Islands (the Chinchas)
are about one hundred miles north from
Callao, the longest of the group being two
miles iu length and a quarter ol a mile wide
and the least about a mile in length by half
a mile in width There is but little gnano
on tie largest Island, wl i le upon the .small-
est it is two hundred and fifty feet deep.—
There are often from three hundred to five
hundred sail of vessels, generally of large
size, loading at one time. At the rate of
which guauo is now shipped from these
Islands, it Witt be exansted in six to eight
years. Twenty thousand tuns are sometimes
removed in a single day. There is on one
of the islands a settlement of Chinese cool-
ies, who are employed iu digging the guauo
and loading the vessels. A task is given
them each day, and if the gang fail to get
out the given number of waggon loads, of
two to s, each day, there bondage is con
tinned a longer period, to make up ; so ma-
ny months ur days being added as wag-
gon oads ave wanting
These coolies are cheated into the belief
by Mandarins, or knowing Chinamen, that
they are to be shipped from China to Cali-
fornia aud the gold diggings, and are ft'r-
ther deceured by the offer of a tree passage.
The shipmaster takes them to the Peruvi-
an Government and «ells them for a round
sum in the shape of freight money, and they
are sent to the guauo islands lor lile or for
a term of five to seveu years. The Peruvi-
ans alo send all their prisoners of State,
some two or three hundred, into the guano
mines, where they are iet out to work by
day and confined by uiglit.
The guano is hard and can only be brok-
en up with the pickaxe. It is then broken
and shoveled into the waggons and rolled
Duelling.
Peru Afraid of Nicaragua
We are pained to notice a tendency to- j Tiie follow-in.;
wards the revival and extrusion of this | aromen' of the .]
to rite
States :
Sccremiv of S
legation of
T!H
ii.Eu.
8, 185G. f
barbarous pracice at the South—doubtless
superinduce;! and encouraged by the frequen-
cy with which members of Congrecs ami
other men occupying positions too high í >r
their own moral attributes, exhibit their
willingness to submit disputes growing on'
of public questions to the chances of in-
dividual combat. There is no novelty in
the assertion that cowardice i • the parent of
most duels. Shadows of the imagination
appeal more strongly to the fears of weak
minds than realities. Men dc not usitailv
engage in duels because they themselves
deem them necessary under the during the Ian tow years,
-its hoes; but because they think puffftc! have started from the United St;.tes, in
open violation of the laws of the country,
and in spite of the vigilance of the federal
authorities, with trie object 'to offer violence
to ture'gn territories iu the name of civiliz-
ation and liberty, protaned by such acts.
But, at present; the recognition, on the
v i JLJ J j JlX
VÜIÜ1U1A FRKNCH.
TERMS—$3 00 IN ADVANCE
NO. 26.
"3 ¡li.*. protest of f.'m gov-
•'! uL'lic of Pe¡i¡, addresse
New York,
ie government of the undersigned,
Minister lesident of Peiu, has learneli, to
its great surprise, the lecognitiou by his
Excellent?}, the Pie*¡d.ínt of the Ü i ted
Slates, of the government which Mr. Win.
Walker, a citizen of the same Siates, lias
attempted to impose upon Nicaragua.
The Government of Peru can only see,
in the invasion of that republic by hundreds
of Anjo-Ainericans a repetition of the
Time's a mist-enshrouded valle}',
Li tu ¡is üvrr. ,¡eej. a«J u;Je,
K man sqca.lroi.s crowding, ¡ally,
On its swjúíy rusbir.'g tide;
'mi t its wild commotion,
War-ships freighted heavily
Down i:
opinion requires them to pursue this course
under certain contingencies. A majority ol
duels are fought by men in public positions,
to whom the opitii n of the public is of much
more importance than their own inate
convictions of right and wrong. No, the
fact is that, in the United States, rc?d public
opinion—the sober sense of the people; in
the absence of exciting circumstances; is
wholly opposed to duelling. The laws are
the result of public "sentiment, deliberately
expressed, and the laws universally regard
duelling as murder. A public man, involved
in a quarrel, can scarcely ever know what
the good sense of the public requires at his
hands. He is surrounded l«y heated partiznns,
and receives all his intelligence Irotn busv-
hodies, many of whom may desire to take
turn out of ths way of their own advance-
ment. There is also a large class, who
iike a duel as they do a hanging, from the
morbid excitement it affords Thesee!ns/e«
do the miking, while sober aud thinking
parto! the United States, of tiie pseudo
Government of Nicaragua, of the authority
usurped by Mr. William Walker, by aid oí"
the expedition which he organized in the
Union, aud led against that people, (whose
resistance has not been conquered either
b) the terrorism ol the scaffold, or !>v the
confiscation ol estates, organized as a sys
tem ol subjugatioa,) causes the government
of Peru to iook upon the occurrences of
which Nicaragua is the theatre, as the
commencement of a war of aggression
against the nationality of all the Spanish
American Republics. This recognition,
even without the other recent ollicial acts
ol the Minister of the United States in
Nicaragua, is, in fact, equivalent to , furnia!
through the •'shutters'' to the vessels. There
is no fresh water upon the islands, and each
vessel is required to carry a tun of water
there for every hundred tuns bnuden of the
ship. The oldest captain in the fleet from
eacli nation is appointed Commodore, and
hoists his flag as such on his ship, where
all disputes are settled. Indeed, the muni-
cipal laws of the islands aud the fleet aie
decidedly of Yankee origin. The Post say-:
•• The islands are about ten miles from Uie
main laud, and are composed of new red
sand stone. The guano is not all bird dimg
but is largely composed of the um.i ol ¡i:-
that - ^
vv lien alienors are hoi>u*d i it.o me
men are kept, in the back ground or «un declaration in favor of tne political ideas
2 1 ll«l l .l nil ,1 llm ... .1' I 1 IT I I • • T -T . * _
clamor of busy-bodies and
•i
heard amid th
tattlers.
Among the duels of the present season,
there have been two by editors, while
seveial challenges have passed tutween men
ot the same profession. Amoug those which
are wo tiyol comil mi is ih--.t at Charleston,
S. C., in which Mr. T;:ber, on# of the
editors of the Mercury iu that city, wa->
killed by E. Megraili, the circumstances o¡
which have been thus briefly aud clearly
stated : The conductors of a public press
admit to th' ir columns an article hostile to
the pr teii-io.iS ot a gentleman who has
■ eeu auHi muced as a candidate lor Congress,
i iie broth, r of the party ¿'Im has beei,
ass;ii|.:d in the communicant.-u, without
inquiring lor tne author or attempting a
iuuui.-u i'¿rrmoaT
¡¡a eiiie is
i ciiuii-.-n^e i o nit— the right of ihe challenger
i °
io hold huii ac.'onntable and ihe real aiiitior
which, in tne.United States, originate those
expeditions, and attacks, in their very basis,
those principles with ut which the¡e would
not he peaceful and harmonious relations
among Christian ntvions.
Under such circumstances, tne Govern-
ment of Peru has charged tlie undersigned
to protest in its name, as lie ti"w protest?,
agamstthe recognition by the North Ameri-
can Union, o¡ tne pretended government
ot j. io;tiagua, and agaiiist ail tne conse-
quences with which this act tiny be attend-
ed, lo the prejudice of t ie Central Ameri-i
can .República, and all tMuse which, iu
former times constituted pans "of the Span-
ish monarchy, and iu particular of thai o¡
i eru, which by this sai.e act, must for
"Xf i hrt u:lflersi«jjftcd, in addressing t ii- pro-
test to toe Secretary ot State ot thr Utiite.',
States, ¡i.ta the honor to renew to him tlie
assurance of ins most distinguished conside-
T. I. De Oom \.
¡ea'sTr VV uen 'alienors are uoi>i< i in me ¡ l'he cha erige is accepted, while the party
slop from the holding grounds ot the ve-,
seis along the Petuviaii coasts, large qiuui
tities of mud, of a greenish while cu.«.r aie i of the a ;>• • vomuiori y oilers to met i 'he
brought up, and this whim dried makes gua- ■ i :.e. In üie mi fii.tinn- the party attacked
lio equally good with the guauo taken ¡rom ¡ in the pap.r in? -.p-xiS to prevent the
the islands. The birds aud seals come t<p j no- ti¡e ne e in2 without cttect Meitiier of
on the islands when the people are not at j li.e pur tie.* to the r. al controversy have any
work, but it does not appear that their dung 'hand m die ■.dlatr whicu ends in the murder
or decayed bodies are more than a foj¡ u . p i ot a m-.m ot geuius and wotth, in itie prime .
on any of the islands. The composUo:i j of life, b-nvutg a widow ami orphans to
taken from the islands, called guauo. i« ■ mourn his tali, and to the survivor the!0' *, rr. ..
stratified, and lies in the same form it. did j reflect ion that he has siniti a *,ir <)0U ,0
mtiou.
TiieP.oadto Happiness.
The following was wri'.ten by Jnsialt
Pierce, Esq., of Baldwin. Maine, (brother
itr-irviv to Count Rumtoiv.) and cou'ains
direcuon'- to his children on tiie formation
T}te Dead Sea.—Though iu bredth not
exceeding ten miles, the Dead Sea seems
boundless to the eye when looking from
UOfth tO jgu'ti; «nrftllt mnn t"l OI tlie «tüvcS.
-J° th-r "" its flint :rewn sh ire, to-
gather with the lines of diiftwood and frag-
ments of bitumen on the be.ich, give to its
waters a resemblance to the ocean. Curi-
ous toexperieuce ti e sensations of swiming
in so strange a sea I put lo the test the ac-
coi'mtsof the extreme buoyancy felt in it, and
I was quickly convinced that there was no
exaggeration in that. I found the water
ilmost tepid, and so strong that the chief
lifliculty was to keep sufficiently submerg-
d, the feet starting up iu the air at every
\gorous stroke. When floating, half the
My rose above the surfice, and, with a pil-
Itv, oue might h ve slept upon the water.
Vfter some time the strangness of the
■edition in some measure disappeared, aud
on -tproachiug the shore I carelessly drop,
peduy feet to walk out,- when, lo! as if a
bladr had been attached to each heel, they
flew pwards, the struggle to recover my-
«elf^t my head down ; the vilely bitter
•iuli4ny W£.ter, from which I had hitherto
gual my linad, now rushed into my mouth
andes, earn, and nose, and lor one horri-
ble nieut the only doubt 1 had was
whe- J was to ^ drowned or poisoned
Com lo t|ie surface^ however, I swam
to laInaking no farther attempt to waik
in de^ater> which 1 am inclined to be-
liéve i„ost impossible.—Eastern Trav-
eler.
tan, am
fellow miizeii
before it was lified up Iroin the bottom oi ; \v!m had given him no jus cause ol oilense.
the ocean. Our iuforiv.ant says that a geo- j Couid jui\t.: ng show more ciear y the
logical examination of the island.- ■ iii .-;tl moustro-ie ab.-urd.iy o¡ dtie;'r>g ?
isfy any man that the guauo ships are bring Uuiidivds of c? ses. tqtvdlv loolish and
iug away from these islands a very
•ur.— Cuniian
diil r- j ha'.
eut thing from the dung of birds o: decom-
posed animals.
Gibbs& Bright, of Liverpool, have a lease
of the Guano islands from the Peruvi in
government tor five years, which expires
in 1857, but hope to get tlleir lease renew-
ed. This house pays the Peruvian govern-
ment $4,50 a ton for the privilege o! taking
all the guauo from the islands, the govern
metit furnishes the men to dig the guano "
unet helo,
a Her oe
us hot-e
Yet
sad,
th it
j p^.-uam
¡ which i¡
from a
d that, the most j • i
-Por!ig f..!!y
nal linooine-s
i.ngeui tree agents
-¡isc.ioiisness of ha\
t'
Mr. Walter S. Landor on the Assassina-
tionof Tyrants.—Mr. Lauder has addressed
the following letter to Miss White, an
English lady, deputed to receive subscrip-
tions for the Italian patriots :
ew wd: ¡
God 3 1-0Oil i.O?
Ivlan's Intellect
The imagination ot man will find its
aliment. It iugii tilings and pure th ugs
are not within lis reacli. ii will eoude-ceiid
to things ol low estate; if ir. is not
restrained, it will run riot; if it i> not
elevated by what is hoiy, it will be corrupted
and debauched by what is base.
Here, as in everything else that is rational
and right, God's transcendent word comes
hi with its ministrations toman's necessities.
It teeds the imagination with the loftiest,
sublimities.—witli the purest aud noblest
as UU'
e>. ■ s
or do;
an., en
Pa
enjoy arises
ng employed
Wi'e-.n c-irvii d tr
ing their e' '
:S Lr.\.'
lien ma
"j*
be
"At the present time I have only £100 eouceptious ot the beautitul, L.-t him who
would expand and elevate, and invigorate
bis imagination to the highest degree, go
not to the creations of the human faucy, to
the drama of Gieece, to the oratory of
Home, or to the Romances of German
genius. Let him turn away from the Iliad
aud the iEueid.lrom King Lear aud Othello.
Let bun nurture his soul where John Milton
of ready money at my disposal, and am
never likely to have so much in future. Of
this I transmit to you five, towards 'the
acquisition of 10 000 muskets to be uiven
to the first Italian province that shall rise.'
The remaining £95 I reserve for the family
of the first patriot who asserts the dignity
and performs the duty of tyrannicide.
Abject men have cried out against me for U«d uelore^ave existence to the nnmonai
my commendation of this virtue, the higheit! l«*in ot Paradise Let him contemple
of which a man is capable, and now the | ^,les whMjh "«spired a Li.nyan to
most imperative. Is it not an absurdity to ¡ J1'1* ma!chie.->s alltgory, and taught Jeremy
remind us that usurpers will rise up afresh !! ^y'or 1,13 hearst-uka melodies. Let him
Do not all transgressors? Aud must we j 'Islen lo ''ie 'y,e J'avid.^and the r«ipt
therefore lay asale the terrors of cliastiie-1 sublimities ot Laiah. Let him give ear to
nieut, or give a ticket of leave to the most;lllu l"y6llc utteiances ot liabakkuk, and
atrocious criminal? Shall oue enslave |^,ze üil liie gorgeous pruioiamas of the
millions? Shall the laws be subverted, and Apocalypse. Let linn open his soul to that
we l>e told that we act against them or " o.dest choral melody, ihe hook ot Job, so
like the summer midnight with iis seas and
stars "
Here is enough to stimulate the most
lori'il soul; enough to task the most
aspiring intellect: enough to gratify the
moil fastidious taste ; enough lo satisfy the
cravings of ah created mind, whether human
or angelic. Go lo the liible ! ve who yearn
toi the beauuiut aud the eiinob iug, uu
without their sanction when none are left
us, aud when, guided by eternal justice, we
smite down the subvertor ? Three or four
blows, instantaneous and simultaneous, may
save the world many years ot war and
degradation. If it is unsafe to rob a
citizen, shall it|f|||fe to rob a people ? In
what country iinliSjpVery schoolboy taught,
even by the priests who are ordinarily his
instructors—here impelled unconsciously by j mingled with the degrading and the poisou-
a hand invisible—to applaud the self-devoted |l>us. Spend your niglniy studies on the
vindicator 7 The ferrule strikes the desk,! word ut 01 ti,ste 11,111 l()Verlll«
and the boy rises at once into the man." | l(Jvely- Nowhere else win your intellectual
« Walter Savage Landob." iiuuger.ugs be so lully saiuhed. " While
'the King sitteih at his table, his spikenard
Fletcher Webster said, recently : "There jseudeth lorth the smell thereot. llts plnuts
are but two ideas iti the flepub iean party I ¡ire an orchard ol pomegranates with
the broken head of Charles Sunnier, and | pleasant fruits ;'a fountain of gardens, a
bleeding Knnsn
The Sh" iowon the Pillow.—The follow-
ing incident was communicated by Sir
John M' Neill:
" A Highland soldier had his arm so
severely wounded that it was about to be
amputated, when Miss Nightingale re
quested that the operation might he delayed,
sis she thought that under careful niirMUj
the arm might he preserved. By her un-
reiriitiing ear* this was accomplished , and
the poor soldier, on lieing asked what he
With r. gard to 'that j 'veil of living'waters, aud streams out'ol h-lt awards his preserver, said that the
ier mi! ot ootai
'.ce. into vices,
ire that my .e.hl
i t, li l entn i-¡•:-t':c ;
Religious, bill, not big >ied ;
Just, b it not vln lie ire ;
Right, ens hut. not hypocritical;
Viriuous, but not os'enta ions;
Cliariiahle, but not weak;
Strict, hut not austere ;
A!eek, lmt not me iii;
Humble, but not abject;
Mil'1, but not elfeminate ;
Modest, but not bashful;
Complaisant, but not deceitful ;
A liable, but not loquacious ;
Polite, but not ceremonious ;
Condescending, but not undetermined;
Believing, hut not credulous;
Cautious, but not timid ;
Watchful, but not jealous;
Sensible, but not irritable;
Eamloux. but not envious;
Learned, but not pedantic;
li*iii"¿vo!ent, bu:. not vain-glorious;
(*v ncrous, but not profuse ;
Noble, but not prodigal;
Dignified, but not haughty ;
Spirited, but not haughty ;
Bold, but not assuming ;'
Brave, but not savage ;
Valiant, but not fool-hardy ;
Resolute, but not obstinate;
Confident, but not boasting;
Industrious, but not avaricious;
Prudent, but not parsimonious ;
Economical but not covetous;
Refined, but not all'ected ;
Soft, but not simple ;
Neat, but not foppish ;
Communicative, but not tale-bearers.
damaged gentleman, I will not justify the | .Lebanon.'1
assault, but if 1 had made that speech I I
should have takeu cate to put an iron pot j Fame is like a river, norrowest where its
on íry head." 'birth place ie, aud broadest afar off.
riie shortness ocean
Oi a daiü. eternity./
Sweeping on in long procession,
Üliiiv; lúe plianíoni-ingaíes by,
Hading, striving for possession
Oi some bubble as they Ly;
>souis which love and peaca inherit,
H.-arts at war w.tii p ace and heaven,
Idie d¡ earner, lire-inaigr.t spu it,
Onward by this Hue are ¿rj^en.
Like the ru^h and roar uf battle
'i hundir on ihe booming waves,
Drivi g neets that reel and rattle,
Down u'pon iheir yawning graves,
Busts on madueneu Los s assailing,
Woo the Spoiler's dead.y laug,
Drowning mo ms of wrong and wailing
With the hauglity uxitu¡ et,s eiang.
On, i/roud .-oul, amid the thunder!
Win and wear a deathless nauie—
''Make thy rna¡k:'; engrave u uuder
Great ones on the scroil ut Fame !
Onwa d I o er taat mighty river,
Struggle on with s^ir.t ói'ave ;
be its Zemin s^ar, loje\%r
liiaiiig L.n its ¡oi i st wavs !
On ward ! still oí Good the agent;
liearher blazonry ainoad,
An i in Lite s nidjestic pageant,
Lear., to "woík t.'.e win' ol God;
0:er ihe dariv troubled singes, '
liatlluiij wiiu tne stoimy night,
lb.nored be the arm ihai i.rg,'s
On tne g.urious cause or in-nt!
Though temptations without number
Thiong and bar thy nar. ovv way,
There's an eye that cannot slumber,
¿'here "s an arm to lie t'ny ¡,¡av •
Then lie strou.;. whate'er betiiie thee,
An ol' joy, or all ot'iil,
b;;iil not God himseit beside thee
S-jotne the storm with ' Peace, be still!"
On! to coward hearts apaalling
Otat:i "s a pale, rem- rs less king,
li.it to thee an ai>ge , calling
To tcy realm ot tr umphiug;
Liie be diine where death comes never,
liái s une i nv immortal love.
1'nssed from want or woe forever.
Reigning with thy Go.! aoov., !
Sleep as Heaven's Gift.
" And so iie givctii his beloved sleep."
Tiie sleep of the body is the gift of God.
! So said Homer of old, when he described
k as descending from the clouds, and rest-
ing on the t mis of the warriors around old
i'ruy. And so sang Virgil, when he snoke
flunk ttiat we lay our heads upon our pil-
lows, and compose our bodies in a peaceful
posture, and that, therefore, we naturally
sleep. But it is not so. Sleep is the g ft
of Cod, and not a man r-ould Hose his
eves did not God put his fingers on his eye-
iids—lid not the Alnrg *y send a soft and
balmy inihimce overh.s trame, which lull-
ed his thoughts into quiescence, making
him enter into that blissful stare of re t
which we call sleep. True, there be some
drugs an j narcotics whereby men can po -
són Hjeiiiselvcs weil-n'git to death, an.l then
¡cal! i í. .--'eep ; but the sleep of tiie neallhy
j body is tiie gift of Cod. He bestows it;
| lie ro.-ks tlie cradle for us every night;
j.iiavvs tiie c:ii!'. n oi '.¡aikiiess; he bids the
I «un shut u¡> hi? burning eyes; and men he
: comes and says. "Sleep, s eep, my child !
i i give thee sleep." lía e- you not known
wij.it it is. at -ules r-o lay upon your bed
;in:! -■: ¡mi to siuíaber Í And, as it is s od
ol L';.rics, so mighi h be said ot you : ''1 iie
k¡ .g sent for ins musicians, but his sleep
>.t- i iroiu him." You have attempted it,
but you could not do it; it ;s beyond your
powisr to jirocure a healthy repose. Yo.i
imagine, if you tlx your mind upon a cer-
tain subject nit iii it engrosses your atten-
tion, yoei can then steeu ; but you find
vourself unable to do so. Ten thousand
things drive through your brain, as if the
whole earth were agitated before you. You
see ad tilings you ever beheld, dancing in
a wild phantasmagoria before your eyes.
You close your eyes, but still you see ; and
there be things iu your ear, and head, and
brain, which will not let you sleep. .It is
^God alone, who alike seals up the sea boy's
eyes upon the giddy mast, and gives th«
monarch rest; for, with all appliance-, and
means to boot, he could not rest without
the aid of God. It is Co l who steeps the
miinl in Lethe, and bids us slumber, that
our bodies may be refreshed, so that, for
to-morrow's toil, we may rise recruited and
streng! bene j. C, my f.ieuds, how thank-
ful should \:e be for sleep ! Sleep is the
best physician I know of. Sleep has heal-
ed more pains of wearied boi.es than the
most eminent physician upon ea'th. It is
the best medicine—the choicest thing ot
ail the names that are written in the lists
of pharmacy. Tnere is nothing like sleep.
What a mercy it is that it belongs to all!
God does not make sleep tiie boo.¿ ot the
rich man ; he does not give it merely to
the noble, or the rich, so that they can
keep it a peculiar luxury for themselves;
but lie bestows it upon all. Yes, if there
bo any difference, the sleep o| {^laboring
man is ssveet, whether h^H^ptle c-r
much." —Spurgcon.
Goodness its o<uii MtiiU.—If thou wa t to
ask tiie sun, '' Why shinest thou <" he
would say : " I must shine and cannot do
otherwise; for it is my nature and pro-
perty, but this, my property, aud the light
I give, is not of mv^elf, and I do not call it
mine." So, likewise, it is wtth Cod and
Christ, and all who are godly and belong
nulo God. In t.iiein is no willing, nor d«i-
siiing, nor woiking, but has tor its end
g. lodness as goodness, tor the sake ot good-
Nicaragna.
A correspondent of the National Iniel-
igencer communicates some interesting
acts concerning the natural features of the
country of Nicaragua. The banks of the
river San Juau are lined with magnificent
foliage. 11.e trees come down to the
water s edge, and hang in luxuriailt festqons
far out over the stream. The woods are
perfectly alive with game of almost every
description.
The chief feature of Grenada, the the
capital city and the headquarters of Walker
is the plaza, which is a large oblong square'
surrounded on all sides hv the nadveado'*'
houses. In that plan s m£u« th« parochisT
church, a spndotis building of brick, whos«
interior walls, ceiling and al'ar, are liigldv
decorated. The decorations, however, ¡ ave
became tarni hed by age; yet thev must
originally have bern very rich. The walls
and towers ot ihe church are in a miserably
shattered condition, from the recent wa ,
and he marks of bu lie's are discemable
ail over it. 'Ihe interior js entirely free of
benches or pews. The guard hou¿e standi
next, the church; and covers a large space
of ground, having a large and airy cónrt-
yaid in the centre, where orange, «emon,
and other tropical fruit trees are grown!
Most of the houses are of one storv only
a!l loofed with earthen tiles, somewhat in
the iorm of a bait' cyl::;der, and Vi bou t a
foot and a half Ion . ihe rows are placed
on tne roof (which is generally composed
ot canes) bottom down, and another row
oter (hem, so the fop one covers all the
space between the botoni ones, makimr the
roof water-tight. The inside of the%oof
is rarely ceiled, which allows a free circu-
lation of air all through the house—a great
oissidera'um, on account of the hot climate.
Oí the toilet of the natives, the writer says :
'•'Ihe people themselves dress in the
lightest imaginable style; that for childreii •
of ei her sex being nothing more than a
l'air of shoes, with sometimes a hat or other
covering for the head. The men generally
wear a pair of pantahons, that "is, these
w'io live iu the cities. Those who live iu
the country wear nothing whatever but a
;lr p of «'loth fastened around their loins,
in the same manner circus actors do. The
women dress quite gaudily, but sometimes
with good taste. Their outer dress consists
ot a light skirt., which is flounced around
the bottom about four inches d-ep, and
decorated with spanHes and ot her
¿tage urers in liie State . Across the breast
$i ey wear a light piece of thin muslin,
which permits the wind to pass freely
through to the body. This piece also is
highly ornamental iu its character, being
adorned with numerous rows of spangles;
but sometimes it happens to be rather
short, and a dark line of flesh appears
between it and the skiits, presenting any-
thing but an agreeable appearance. But
notwithstanding their dress, I think thev
are the most stately and graceful walkers
in the world', and this fact, no doubt, is
owing to their being accustomed from youth
to carry everything portable on their head ,
instead of in their hands; and this they
do with the balance so nicely adjusted that
1 have seen them carry the lightest weights
and walk as fast as possible, without feni*
of its falling off. Those I have described,
however, are rather what with us would
be called the lower classes. The middle
and upper classes of both sexes dress iu
very good taste, aud are really rtfined and
very hospitable people."
How Men Die.—Some men die in igh^r ^
*ance, unconcerned, and seemingly without 41
fear for the future. Others are fullen and
silent, as if determined to brave it out at all
hazards. Others are so wearied out by
long illness and continued pain, that, they
are eager for the change, vet give no evi-
dence of being in a fit state to ¡ ppear be-
fore God. Others abound in professions
of hope and confidence, yet leave impartial
observers at a loss to conceive what basis
there can be for such assurance. Others,
again, give their friends every reason to
think that they are real children of God,
make the dread passage with little or no
comfort—iu not a few cases, under a dark
and heavy cloud. Tne majority ot consis-
tent Christians have tli^ir last end, as it is
described bv the Psalmist in a single word
—it is " peace." A few of them, however,
taste heaven this side of the cold Jordon,
and their rapture is a thing to be witnessed
in order to be understood. There is a very
simple rule for the direction of any one
who feels c oncerned about tiie manner in
which he is to meet the last e nemy. This
is to live habitually in communion with
God through Jesus Clnist. Such a life
cannot end miserably. Death must be to
it only the crowning seal of its steadfast
course, the finishing touch to its lofty bless-
edness.— Chris. Int.
only mode lie hud of giving vent to Ins
fee ings was by kissing Iter shadow when ^ „ . _
it fell on his pillow as sho was passing j a,1*l they have no other wherefore
through th* word on her nightly visit." j t^an ^i*-
Mysterious Death.—On the night of the
2lst int., Lewis B Norwood, of Granville,
N. C., \C;o was in good health two hours
before, was reported i y his negroes to have
fallen in the tire and burnt himself to death.
The neighbors on examining the body, found
,-cveial slight tin rus, but siugular to say,
neither his cloihes nor head were eveu
scorched. It is suppsaed he was murdered.
Death of a Celebrated Navigator.—Sir
John Ross, the celebrated Arctic navigator,
recently died in Scotland at the advanced
age of 80 years. His expedition to the
Áretic regions, ending in 18-33, lasted four
years, and lie sailed ovr the exact northern
pole of our globe, indicated by the needle
whirling round on its pivot.
m f"
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Pittuck, Alfred A. The Central Texian. (Anderson, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 26, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 19, 1856, newspaper, November 19, 1856; Anderson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth181125/m1/1/?q=central+place+railroads: accessed July 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.