is no present law or machinery by which Mr. Barber can be formally and solemnly restored to that social position of which he has been oppressively deprived, his case, the most flagrant, ought to be the last in which an innocent man is insulted with "pardon," the first provided for by a new law to bring such cases within the domain of justice. Indeed, no general law can fairly meet the wrong that has been heaped upon him through the obstinate neglect of the responsible authorities. Let them inquire, if they please, into any remaining doubt; but, having inquired, let full reparation for the injury to fortune and station be compensated with a generous usance.-Spectator.

From the London Chronicle.

and hazardous practice he carried on for fifteen | of all positions, that of refusing frank reparation years, until 1844, the date of his detection. He for flagrant wrong?-it can hardly be. If there had employed Messrs. Barber and Bircham as his solicitors; they, apparently, having acted regularly enough, and being deceived as much as any other persons. In the fatal case of "Ann Slack," Barber acted; and when the accusation was first made, he very naturally if not properly shrunk from inculpating a regular client. He was included in the charge, tried, and convicted on very doubtful evidence. Bail was refused; by which ho was prevented from obtaining the evidence which has since established his innocence. He was transported to the most shocking of our penal settlements-Norfolk Island. He seemed to be followed by some malevolent persecution; any one who expressed belief in his innocence was looked at askance; a letter representing his case, and addressed to the home secretary, was found unnoticed in the department of the comptroller-general of convicts; and attention was only paid to his conTHE present victory is one essentially of Taylor dition, when the Rev. Mr. Naylor, one of the over Cass-not of whigs over democrats. But chaplains of Norfolk Island, sent his own wife to there are, nevertheless, certain leading ideas of England on the charitable mission of urging Bar-policy which have been put forward, with sufficient ber's suit! The excellent couple so far succeeded, prominence, by the victorious party, and which, as that Barber received a "pardon," on condition of in some degree sanctioned by their triumph, it is his not returning to his native country. worth while to consider. He went to Paris, and there was able to institute such communications with home as completed the proof of his innocence, and at last he was unconditionally "pardoned." The lawyers in the colony, the lawyers at home, the public, had anticipated the conviction of his innocence; his previous character had thrown the utmost discredit on the charges against him; his demeanor under punishment accords with the possession of a clear conscience; Mr. Naylor has formally recorded this certificate

THE UNITED STATES.

Of these, by far the most prominent and the most important is that of peace against war, of industrial progress against extension of territory. The favorite motto of the Taylor party is, “We stand on our own soil;" and we are glad to think that that question, at least, is settled for some time to come, not by the victory of General Taylor, but by the expression of feeling and opinion which the contest elicited. The wonder, indeed, is, how Never was it could become a question at all. such a field of peaceful conquest opened by nature Norfolk Island, 3d Sept., 1845. to any people, and never, to do them justice, did In leaving the island, of which I have now been for some years the chaplain, I owe to public justice any people make a more vigorous use of its adthe duty of recording my full conviction of the per- vantages. Sea and land conspire to invite and fect innocence of William Henry Barber, now suf- reward the labors of the Americans. fering on it as a prisoner under a sentence of trans-merce is extending itself over the old world, their portation. I have, with unceasing interest, followed colonization over the new. While they are preup a series of inquiries into circumstances connected paring to bridge the Pacific with steam, and to with his case inaccessible to the court by which he

have seen it ameliorated. I have never known a

Their com

was tried, and many of which have subsequently compete with British capitalists in the markets of occurred. In addition, I have heard the reluctant the East, their pioneers are crowding to gather a acknowledgments of Fletcher, the guilty originator golden harvest in the streams of California and the of the frauds, establishing, beyond the possibility mountains of Mexico, and Congress is considering of doubt, the innocence of Barber. My efforts shall proposals to construct a railroad from the Missouri continue for his extrication. I deeply lament his to the Columbia. With such a field before them truly wretched condition here, and would gladly with hardly a rival, or even a formidable neighbor, and with every prospect of becoming, by the mere force of circumstances, the most powerful, as well as the most prosperous, nation in the world-that Americans should think of making war, for war's sake, is the most singular proof on record of democratic insanity; for the same geographical and political conditions which contribute to the growth of their greatness, would make an aggressive policy, on their part, not only inefficient, but suicidal. A population, at once dispersed and democratic, is necessarily averse both to taxation and discipline. It may, therefore, be brave and

prisoner of the crown who has been subjected to greater wretchedness; I rejoice to be able to add, I have never seen an instance of more dignified suffering, accompanied by invariably consistent conduct. It will afford me real pleasure to continue his acquaintance under happier circumstances.

(Signed,)

T. BEAGLY NAYLOR.

What a preposterous and stupid result is this "pardon!" The whole affair presents the injured man in a position of dignity; the government of the nation in one of meanness. Is it to remain so? Is this great nation to be retained in the meanest

You must know that within some ten miles of

this owl's nest, there is a watering-place, known hereabouts as "Black-water Springs." It is situated in a narrow gorge, scarcely half a mile wide, between Powell's Mountain and the Copper Ridge, and is, as you may suppose, almost inaccessible. A hundred men could defend the pass against even and sides of the adjoining mountains are inhabited a Xerxian army. Now this gorge and the tops by a singular species of the human animal called MELUNGENS.

warlike, but it will never be formidable for pur- one of the seldom-visited nooks hid away in our poses of offence. With the second commercial mountains. position in the world, the navy of the United States consists only of 78 ships, of all classes and stages of construction, of which only eleven are steamers; while her enormous extent of frontier is defended by a regular army of about 8,000 men. It is obvious that, with such military resources, and a virtual incapacity for recruiting them in time for efficient action, war, with any powerful maritime nation, would not only be fatal to the prosperity of the American Union, but would lead, probably, to its entire dissolution. It The legend of their history, which they carefully is matter, therefore, of solid satisfaction to all who preserve, is this. A great many years ago, these are interested, like ourselves, in the prosperity of mountains were settled by a society of Portuguese America, to think that the lesson taught, at the adventurers, men and women-who came from the price of £25,000,000 sterling, by the Mexican long-shore parts of Virginia, that they might be war, has not been thrown away upon her, and freed from the restraints and drawbacks imposed upon them by any form of government. These that she is not about to play the part of a fire-people made themselves friendly with the Indians, brand among the nations of the earth.

and freed, as they were, from every kind of social With regard to the slavery question, General government, they uprooted all conventional forms Taylor, though a slave-holder, and conservative of society, and lived in a delightful Utopia of their of "existing institutions," is, with the whig par- own creation, trampling upon the marriage relation, ty generally, adverse to their extension into new despising all forms of religion, and subsisting upon soil; and it was used as an argument in his favor, corn (the only possible product of the soil) and the game of the woods. These intermixed with the with the northern abolitionists, that his influence Indians, and subsequently their descendants (after in the south would probably insure the success of the first advances of the whites into this part of the their resistance to that extension. Especially is state) with the negroes and the whites, thus formhe pledged to offer no opposition to the expected ing the present race of Melungens. They are tall, decision of Congress against the introduction of straight, well-formed people, of a dark copper colIslaves into New Mexico and California. It is or, with Circassian features, but woolly heads and other similar appendages of our negro. They are curious, indeed, that the whig party are strong privileged voters in the state in which they live, advocates for what we should call the "constitu- and thus, you will perceive, are accredited citizens tional" doctrine with respect to the veto, not only of the commonwealth. They are brave, but quaron this point, but generally; and that a well-relsome; and are hospitable and generous to strangrounded apprehension lest Mr. Cass should exercise it (as Jackson and Polk have done) in deference to the opinions of the low democracy, and in opposition to the existing legislature, has contributed largely towards his failure.

Of the much-talked of increasing in the tariff, we confess that we have very little fear. On this, as on most other questions, the democratic mind is in a state of perpetual fluctuation. In 1833 a free trade system was agreed upon, in 1842 one of protection, in 1846 there was a unanimous revulsion in favor of free trade, and now we are told that the tide is again turning towards protection. It is not likely that, with such experience, American capitalists will invest their money in branches of industry which depend on the popular breath for a factitious existence; and it is probable, therefore, that an increasing population will soon again exert their dormant and scattered strength, and insist on the downfall of class-legislation at once and for

ever.

THE MELUNGENS.

gers. They have no preachers among them, an·l are almost without any knowledge of a Supreme Being. They are married by the established forms, but husband and wife separate at pleasure, without meeting with any reproach or disgrace from their friends. They are remarkably unchaste, and want of chastity on the part of the females is no bar to their marrying. They have but little association with their neighbors, carefully preserving their identity as a race, or class, or whatever you may under the state government, a separate and distinct call it; and are in every respect, save that they are people. Now this is no traveller's story. They are really what I tell you, without abating or setting down aught in malice. They are behind their neighbors in the arts. They use oxen instead of horses in their agricultural attempts, and their implements of husbandry are chiefly made by themselves of wood. They are, without exception, poor and ignorant, but apparently happy.

Having thus given you a correct_geographical and scientific history of the people, I will proceed with my own adventures.

The doctor was, as usual, my compagnon de voy age, and we stopped at "Old Vardy's," the hostelrie of the vicinage. Old Vardy is the "chief cook and bottle-washer" of the Melungens, and is really

[We are sorry to have lost the name of the southern a very clever fellow; but his hotel savors strongly paper from which this is taken.]

WE give to-day another amusing and characteristic sketch from a letter of our intelligent and sprightly correspondent, sojourning at present in

of that peculiar perfume that one may find in the sleeping-rooms of our negro servants, especially on a close, warm, summer's evening. We arrived at Vardy's in time for supper, and, that despatched, we went to the spring, where were assembled sev

eral rude log huts, and a small sprinkling of "the natives," together with a fiddle and other preparations for a dance. Shoes, stockings, and coats were unknown luxuries among them-at least we saw them not.

and the stone jar was replenished out of the mutual pocket, and peace and quiet ruled where so lately all had been recriminations and blows.

After breakfast, just such as the supper had been at old Jack's, save only that here we had a table, The dance was engaged in with right hearty we started for Clinch river for a day's fishing, good will, and would have put to the blush the where other and yet more amusing incidents awaittame steppings of our beaux. Among the partici-ed us. But as I have dwelt upon this early part pants was a very tall, raw-boned damsel, with her of the journey longer than I intended, you must two garments fluttering readily in the amorous night wait till the next letter for the concluding incidents. breeze, whose black eyes were lit up with an unusual fire, either from repeated visits to the nearest hut, behind the door of which was placed an openmouthed stone jar of new-made corn whiskey, and in which was a gourd, with a "deuce a bit" of sugar at all, and no water nearer than the spring. Nearest her on the right was a lank, lantern-jawed, high-cheeked, long-legged fellow, who seemed similarly elevated. Now these two, Jord Bilson, (that was he,) and Syl Varmin, (that was she,) were destined to afford the amusement of the evening; for Jord, in cutting the pigeon-wing, chanced to light from one of his aerial flights right upon the ponderous pedal appendage of Syl, a compliment which this amiable lady seemed in no way disposed to accept kindly.

"Jord Bilson," said the tender Syl, "I'll thank you to keep your darned hoofs off my feet."

"Oh, Jord's feet are so tarnal big he can't manage 'em all by hisself," suggested some pacificator near by.

"He'll have to keep 'em off me," suggested Syl, or I'll shorten 'em for him.'

66

"Now look ye here, Syl Varmin," answered Jord, somewhat nettled at both remarks, "I did n't go to tread on your feet, but I don't want you to be cutting up any rusties about it. You're nothing but a cross-grained critter, anyhow."

"And you 're a darned Melungen." "Well, if I am, I aint nigger-Melungen, anyhow-I'm Indian-Melungen, and that's more 'an you is."

"See here, Jord," said Syl, now highly nettled, "I'll give you a dollar ef you 'll go out on the grass and fight it out.'

Jord smiled faintly and demurred, adding-" Go home, Syl, and look under your puncheons and see ef you can't fill a bed outen the hair of them hogs you stole from Vardy."

"And you go to Sow's cave, Jord Bilson, ef it comes to that, and see how many shucks you got offen that corn you tuck from Pete Jomen. Will you take the dollar ?"

Jord now seemed about to consent, and Syl reduced the premium by one half, and finally came down to a quarter, and then Jord began to offer a quarter, a half, and finally a dollar; but Syl's prudence equalled his, and seeing that neither was likely to accept, we returned to our hotel, and were informed by old Vardy that the sight we had witnessed was no "onusual one. The boys and gals was jist having a little fun."

And so it proved, for about midnight we were wakened by a loud noise of contending parties in fierce combat, and, rising and looking out from the chinks of our hut, we saw the whole party engaged in a grand melee; rising above the din of all which, was the harsh voice of Syl Varmin, calling out"Stand back here, Sal Frazer, and let me do the rest of the beaten of Jord Bilson; I haint forgot his hoofs yit."

The melee closed, and we retired again, and by breakfast next morning all hands were reconciled,

CHEERS AND HISSES.-Applause already has its shades and distinctions-from the gentle swell of reverberation that grows amid the pauses of the baized and philosophical theatre of the London College of Surgeons, to the one ponderous thundering boom of applause that ends the silence into which Jenny Lind's last note fades-as, after the long lull and the shrill music of the receding wave the huge gathered billow thunders upon the sea-beach. But even applause is often chaotic and discordant; and as for disapprobation"- -New Zealanders yell and stick out their tongues before fighting; Englishman do it before an election.

decorum? It would be quite easy, on the plan of Now, why not convey their sentiments with more invoke the aid of Mr. John Hullah, and induce him a choral meeting. Managers of elections should to furnish public sentiments in a symmetrical form, easy for a crowd to signify its approbation in four on the principles of Wilhem. It would be quite parts quite easy and much more expressive; quite easy for Mr. Hullah to set an enraged multitude to music-quite easy and much more dramatic. Indeed, the effect would be very fine, instead of being very foolish.-Spectator.

TESTIMONIAL IN HONOR OF THE ETHER DISCOVERY.-The commission of the French Academy of Sciences, appointed to consider the claims of various individuals to the discovery of Etherization, being unanimously of opinion that the discovery belongs exclusively to Dr. Charles T. Jackson, of this city, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, President of the republic of France, publicly decreed to our fellow-citizen, Dr. C. T. Jackson, on the 31st of January last, in the "Champ de Mars," the cross of the legion of honor, instituted by the late Emperor Napoleon, as a reward for distinguished civil, military, literary, and scientific services.

We believe this is the first instance of this honor having been conferred upon an American citizen.— Boston Traveller.

UNPUBLISHED SONNET.

BY HARTLEY COLERIDGE.

WHILE I survey the long and deep and wide
Expanse of Time-the Past with things that were
Thronged in dark multitude-the Future bare
As the void sky when not a star beside
The thin pale moon is seen-the Race that died
While yet the families of earth were rare,
And human kind had but a little share
Of the world's heritage, before me glide
All dim and silent. Now with sterner mien,
Heroic Shadows, names renowned in song,
Rush by. And, decked with garlands ever green,
In light and music sweep the Bards along-
And many a fair, and many a well-known face,
All in the Future dive, and blend with empty space.

TO THE BINDER,-Title and Index of Vol. XX. are in the middle of this Number.

POETRY.-Sonnet by Hartley Coleridge, 619. SHORT ARTICLES.- Platina Metal; Spar; The Closing Scene; Wonderful Inventions, 606. Cork for Building; Bombardment from Balloons; Sea Weed Bread, 615.-Cheers and Hisses; Honor to Dr. Jackson, 619. PROSPECTUS. This work is conducted in the spirit of Littell's Museum of Foreign Literature, (which was favorably received by the public for twenty years,) but as it is twice as large, and appears so often, we not only give spirit and freshness to it by many things which were excluded by a month's delay, but while thus extending our scope and gathering a greater and more attractive variety, are able so to increase the solid and substantial part of our literary, historical, and political harvest, as fully to satisfy the wants of the American reader.

The elaborate and stately Essays of the Edinburgh, Quarterly, and other Reviews; and Blackwood's noble criticisms on Poetry, his keen political Commentaries, highly wrought Tales, and vivid descriptions of rural and mountain Scenery; and the contributions to Literature, History, and Common Life, by the sagacious Spectator, the sparkling Examiner, the judicious Athenæum, the busy and industrious Literary Gazette, the sensible and comprehensive Britannia, the sober and respectable Christian Observer; these are intermixed with the Military and Naval reminiscences of the United Service, and with the best articles of the Dublin University, New Monthly, Fraser's, Tait's, Ainsworth's, Hood's, and Sporting Magazines, and of Chambers' admirable Journal. We do not consider it beneath our dignity to borrow wit and wisdom from Punch; and, when we think it good enough, make use of the thunder of The Times. We shall increase our variety by importations from the continent of Europe, and from the new growth of the British colonies.

The steamship has brought Europe, Asia, and Africa, into our neighborhood; and will greatly multiply our connections, as Merchants, Travellers, and Politicians, with all parts of the world; so that much more than ever it

now becomes every intelligent American to be informe of the condition and changes of foreign countries. And this not only because of their nearer connection with oirselves, but because the nations seem to be hastening through a rapid process of change, to some new state of things, which the merely political prophet cannot compute or foresee.

Geographical Discoveries, the progress of Colonization, (which is extending over the whole world,) and Voyages and Travels, will be favorite matter for our selections; and, in general, we shall systematically and very ullv acquaint our readers with the great department of Foreign affairs, without entirely neglecting our own.

While we aspire to make the Living Age desirable to all who wish to keep themselves informed of the rapid progress of the movement-to Statesmen, Divines, Lawyers, and Physicians-to men of business and men of leisure-it is still a stronger object to make it attractive and useful to their Wives and Children. We believe that we can thus do some good in our day and generation; and hope to make the work indispensable in every well-informed family. We say indispensable, because in this day of cheap literature it is not possible to guard against the influx of what is bad in taste and vicious in morals, in any other way than by furnishing a sufficient supply of a healthy character. The mental and moral appetite must be gratified.

We hope that, by "winnowing the wheat from the chaff" by providing abundantly for the imagination, and by a large collection of Biography, Voyages and Travels, History, and more solid matter, we may produce a work which shall be popular, while at the same time it wil aspire to raise the standard of public taste.

tion of this work-and for doing this a liberal commission will be allowed to gentlemen who will interest themselves in the business. And we will gladly correspond on this subject with any agent who will send us undoubted refer

TERMS.-The LIVING AGE is published every Satur- Agencies. We are desirous of making arrangements day, by E. LITTELL & Co., corner of Tremont and Brom-in all parts of North America, for increasing the circula field sts., Boston; Price 124 cents a number, or six dollars a year in advance. Remittances for any period will be thankfully received and promptly attended to. To insure regularity in mailing the work, orders should be addressed to the office of publication, as above. Clubs, paying a year in advance, will be supplied as follows:

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Monthly parts.-For such as prefer it in that form, the Living Age is put up in monthly parts, containing four or five weekly numbers. In this shape it shows to great advantage in comparison with other works, containing in each part double the matter of any of the quarterlies. But we recommend the weekly numbers, as fresher and fuller of life. Postage on the monthly parts is about 1 cents. The volumes are published quarterly, each volume containing as much matter as a quarterly review gives in eighteen months.

WASHINGTON, 27 DEC., 1845.

Or all the Periodical Journals devoted to literature and science which abound in Europe and in this country, this has appeared to me to be the most useful. It contains indeed the exposition only of the current literature of the English language, but this by its immense extent and comprehension includes a portraiture of the human mind in the utmost expansion of the present age. J. Q. ADAMS.