USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > The Cincinnati miscellany, or, Antiquities of the West, and pioneer history and general and local statistics. Volume II > Part 52
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Our Observatory.
Cincinnati is advantageously known abroad by her artists and men of science. Powers has made the name of the Queen City a familiar les- son in geography to civilized Europe; and Locke and Mitchell are as well known in the academies and halls of science east as at home. Indced John Locke of America is as distinguished a man in Europe as John Locke of England, although in different departments of science.
Our Observatory has directed the attention of the savans of Europe to our youthful city, and we have already received unequivocal testimony of the interest it inspires abroad, in the transmis- sion of the following documents from various places:
1. The twenty-first volume of the Annals of the Astronomical Observatory at Vienna: Forwarded by its director, by order of the Emperor of Austria.
2. Six volumes folio of Meteorological and Magnetical Observatories. This was transmitted by the Minister of France in Russia, Baron Can- ·crini.
3. A volume of Observations made at the Im- perial Observatory, Dorpat, Russia. From the director of that institution.
4. A volume describing the North Equatorial, in London. Forwarded by the Duke of North- umberland.
5. A sett of Magnetical Observations, made in Canada by Col. Sabine.
These 'have all been received lately, within a short spacc of time, many of them from distant places, which but for the erection of our Ob- servatory, would never have heard of Cincinnati, and which now know it as other scientific estab- lishments in Europe will shortly, as a seat of sci- ence and the arts.
Who is there here, with the least degree of self-respect, that does not, in the knowledge of such facts, feel himself repaid for the contribu- tion he has made to establish our Observatory.
Western Mails.
The Committee of the Memphis Convention on the subject of Western Waters, have just published their report.
They point out the injustice donc the west in the neglect to establish the same continuity of line along the great business points west and southwest of Louisville, while the lines of mail communication at the east are by rail-roads and mail steamers along the coast. They suggest the reorganization of the western mails as follows:
Ist. A main daily steamboat river line should be established to run from Pittsburgh or Wheel- ing to New Orleans, (or at least from Cincinnati
to New Orleans,) which should connect at the mouth of the Ohio with a branch from the Mis- sissippi and Missouri rivers.
2d. This line should be divided into different sections so that boats might be constructed to suit each section of the river.
3d. During the fall months, if necessary, the sections above Cincinnati might be discontinued, and the mails upon that portion of the river line
4th. The main river line should be intersected at the chief towns on the river, by a daily stage or rail-road line, leading from thence to the capi- tol of each of the Valley States.
5th. A daily linc of post coaches should con- nect the Charleston and Georgia railroads with the Decatur and Tuscumbia rail-road, and thence with the main river line at Memphis or some other central point.
Human Life.
A letter from New York gives the following picture of business in the fancy line:
" You may judge of the business and prospects of the city in the last few years, dating, perhaps, by some accidental coincidence, from the passage of the tariff law, when I tell you, that being last night in a magnificent French store in Broad- way, I asked him the rent. Three years ago, he answered, I took it for seven years, at $1500, but now I could get $2500 a year for the remainder of my lease. The magnificence of some of those stores, and the costliness of their wares, are al- most incredible. Sets of China, $300, and single chairs, belonging to sets, $100 a piece, and yet they find purchasers! In plate glass, the French beat the world, until now, it is said the English equal them, after having expended immense sums in the race of competition. In gilding furniture, great perfection has been attained. The Romans could only make seven hundred and fifty leaves of gilding, four inches square, out of one ounce of gold-while now, a single grain of gold may be stretched out to cover a house."
It is just such gilding which sets of thousands: of the human race, as well as furniture at New York and elsewhere, and the gold leaf is beat out just as thin for this purpose as to cover the house.
The Temperance Mess.
Soon after our declaration of war against Great Britain, in 1812, had taken place, a call was made on Gov. SNYDER, of Pennsylvania, for a detach- ment of the militia of that State to serve a six months tour of duty on the shores of the Dela- warc. The enemy was just commencing that course of laying waste the accessible parts of our coasts, which afterwards inflicted so much dis- tress upon the inhabitants of the lower parts of Maryland and Virginia.
Snyder, in place of drafting the necessary number, out of the militia, issued a proclamation calling for volunteers, which was promptly re-
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sponded to, by an offer of service from three of [ ceipt of the rations which fell to our share, to the volunteer corps of Philadelphia, two of which commute the whiskey ration into bread or beef, at my choice. I did so; and not one gill of whis- key was consumed by our mess, during our whole absence from Philadelphia. What the other messes did, I do not recollect distinctly; but be- lieve that they generally received it, and that the whiskey was drank, by parts only of each mess; but its presence, and the convivial spirit of those days, doubtless led too many to contract a relish for ardent spirits, which brought individuals in after periods of their lives to a premature grave. were old established companies that had filled up their ranks under the existing patriotic impulse, while the third was a new company, formed with- in three days of their tender of service. One of the first alluded to was commanded by Captain Samuel Borden, for many years prior to his death, a resident of Cincinnati. Condy Raguet, a law- yer of Philadelphia, distinguished afterwards as an able writer on the currency and free trade questions, was captain of the last named corps. I belonged to this last. With the exception of our commander, there was not a man in it older than twenty-one; a large proportion being, in fact, eighteen and nineteen years of age. A ma- jority of the corps were the sons of respectable and influential persons of that city.
Our services were accepted, and the detach- ment, numbering three hundred and forty-eight men, placed under the command of Col. Lewis Rush, mustered, inspected, and ordered by the commanding officer of that military district, to an encampment some thirty miles south of Philadel- phia, which bore the name of Shellpot Hill. It appeared that an attack was apprehended on Du- pont's powder mills, in that neighbourhood, a very important object of defence, in the existing general want of preparation for war, extending over the whole country.
As soon as we reached our encampment ground, and the tents had been pitched, kitchens dug, wood cut for cooking, and other arrangements made, we were formed into messes of seven each. This was more to a mess than desirable, during the warm season of August, which was the sec- ond month of our engagement; but the scarcity of tents did not permit us to reduce the size of our messes. Each one of these messes had a non- commissioned officer in command of it. Ours was Sergeant Thomas I. Wharton, a member of a highly respectable family in Philadelphia, and now distinguished as an able counsellor at law in in that city.
In due season rations were issued out to each mess, comprehending meat, bread, salt, vinegar, soap, and whiskey. The uses of all these were well understood by our whole mess, except the last article. Of the one hundred and twenty men composing the company, I judge not half a dozen had ever either tasted or smelt whisky at home; those who drank used beer or wine, and a few, brandy ; the great mass, however, were too young to have acquired any taste or relish for drinking at all. Judge the horror with which the taste and smell of whisky, inspired most of us. Our men, after a brief consultation, which showed we were all of onc opinion, authorized me, in the re-
After our tour of duty was performed, the com- pany to which I allude, returned, and on the re- currence of peace, the members gradually scat- tered, some changing the place of their residence south, west and north; some left for distant parts of the world; some silently disappeared from the scene of human life, and the regular operations of time and disease, carried a portion more to their graves; and after a lapse of nineteen years, when an invitation for the survivors to meet in Philadelphia, brought together the persons or names of those who were yet alive, it was ascer- tained that only thirty-three of the original one hundred and twenty survived. Not a mess, as originally constituted, numbered more than two among the living, except the mess to which I be- longed, who were all either present or accounted for by letters. Thirteen years more, or thirty-two years, have passed since the service alluded to was performed, yet the whole seven survive to this date, as far as I know or believe. I am not aware that a single one of the seven I have thus refered to, was a temperance man, in the modern use of the phrase; but the circumstances in this case explain and illustrate the philosophy of the modern move- ment. They were placed in circumstances, which for half a year removed them out of the influences to which they were exposed at home; and for the same period they put aside the temptation to con- tract habits of drink, by which their comrades were assailed. The effect to me and I believe to the rest, was to imbibe a dislike to the taste and smell of most descriptions of ardent spirits.
Honoured forever be the memory and example of that good and great MAN, who, as President of the United States in 1832, set the example of of- fering pure water as refreshment at his levee, and directed the spirit ration to be abolished in the supplies of the army and navy of the United States. Thousands of lives and reputations would have been saved, and an incalculable amount of misery spared to our country, had that reform been made by his illustrious predecessor who first occupied the chair of state.
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Public Halls in Cincinnati.
For many years there has been a great defi- ciency of Public Halls of a suitable extent and arrangement to suit the various wants of our growing city. This was in part remedied by the construction of Concert and Washington Halls, but it is only since the new College and the Ma- sonic and Odd Fellows Halls, and the spacious saloon which constitutes an important feature in Mr. Williams' new erection at the corner of 4th and Walnut streets, that provision has been made for our wants. The public hall of the Odd Fellows is forty-nine by sixty-two and eighteen feet high; that of Mr. Williams is sixty by nine- ty, and twenty-four feet high; of the Masonic building is fifty-one by one hundred and twelve, and twenty-three feet high; and of the College edifice, sixty-five by one hundred and thirty-two, and twenty-two feet high. These are of suffi- cient capacity for any public assemblage except mass meetings; and almost any of the larger of these will hold a public meeting of three thou- sand citizens, as many as can brought together except on extraordinary occasions.
History of Newspapers.
Newspapers are of Italian origin, whence the term Gazette from Gaceta, is derived. This is a small coin, which was the price of one paper, and became the badge of the periodical as the Picay- une-six cents-is that of a well known New Orleans print. The first issue was at Venice, in 1536, ninety years after the discovery of print- ing; so it seems books in the modern form, first printed in 1479, are older than newspapers. This was a private enterprise, and was soon suppressed by the public authorities there-at all times one of the worst tyrannies the world ever knew. I re-established in 1558, under censorship and by authority, " con licenzia."
The oldest newspaper in Paris was the Mer- cure de France, which appeared as early as 1605. There was in that city twenty-seven papers, in 1779, thirty-five.
A newspaper was established in Scotland by Cromwell, in 1652. One was permanently es- tablished at Glasgow in 1715 during the era of the first Pretender. The oldest paper still in ex- istence is the Edinburg Evening, of which the first number was issued in 1700.
In 1696, there were but nine newspapers in London-all weekly. The first daily was issued in 1709, at which date there were eighteen pub- lished of all descriptions. In 1724, the num- ber was twenty, to wit-3 daily, 6 weekly, 7 tri-weekly, 3 penny post, and a semi-weekly London Gazette.
In 1792, there were thirteen daily and twenty
semi-weekly papers. The oldest existing pa- pers are the Whitehall Evening Post, com- inenced in 1794; the St. James Chronicle, 1793; and the Morning Chronicle, 1769.
The number of dailies in London since 1792, has decreased to nine; and these are all the dai- lies in England. The aggregate of their issues has however increased prodigiously. The Lon- don annual issues of all descriptions exceed sixty millions.
The oldest newspaper in Ireland is the Belfast Newsletter. It is still in existence.
I have too few data to give any statement of the newspapers in America, except to say that in 1743, there was no newspaper in New York; and at the date 1792, when there were thirty- three periodicals in London we had none in Cin- cinnati. Now there are sixty-nine of various descriptions in New York, and forty-eight in Cincinnati.
The issues of the American press are greater than those of England, being nearly double. The history of American newspapers is yet to be compiled.
Firemen's Fair at the Masonic Hall.
A Fair for the benefit of Relief Fire Company No. 2, on George street, opened at the public hall in the new Masonic Buildings, corner of Walnut and Third streets, on Christmas Eve, and will continue until the ensuing 8th of January.
The usual amount of useful and fancy articles, with the refreshing influences of ice cream, soda and cake, bright eyes and rosy cheeks, welcomed the thronging guests of that evening, opening their hearts and their purses. Besides a very great number of season ticket admissions, three thousand seven hundred and thirty persons must have been present in the course of that evening, as testified by the receipts at the door, so that their visitors on that occasion could not have fallen short of four thousand persons: indeed hundreds were shut out who came to witness the scene. And well do these, a division of our gal- lant firemen, deserve all the pecuniary support they receive.
In a room one hundred and twelve feet by fifty-one, filled around with novelties and curi- osities npon the tables which line the sides, there was of course such a variety and extent of ob- jects worthy of notice, as the limits of my col- umns would not afford space to describe. I shall therefore refer to but an article or two as a sam- ple of the attractions of the evening.
A rich pagoda or pavilion occupies nearly the centre of the hall, constructed for the occasion, fitted up in the room by the skill and inge- I nuity of some of the mechanics of the company,
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and farnished by the exquisite taste of the ladies ! on the road to shout the same at every door he of their acquaintance. It is an octagon with passed. Little Johnny! said I, and my heart burst forth at the very sound. He was a fair and lovely child, little Johnny, and had a gentle and affectionate mother, with an ardent and sacrifi- eing love which few mothers feel. His father was a bold hunter-his horses and hounds and rifle, had more of his heart than all the world besides; but little Johnny nestled there; indeed he was a great pet with the neighbours, and won more caresses and more sympathies than all the rest of the children together. Such appeals are always sovereign; but few perhaps, have ever met with a more quick or general response than his-every body turned out-the news flew like lightning; and men and boys for ten miles around came in to assist in the search, while women and children were running to and fro, and hailing every passer by, to learn the progress of the work. Never before I may dare to say, was there such a neighbourly union as now pervaded this mot- ley mass-the same gush of sympathy, the same fearful apprehension, and the same images of death and wo, pervaded every home and heart. It seemed as if one vast eloud of gloom enwrap- ped the region around, from which shone out in lurid glare, and to which every eye was turned, and every pulse beat true-the lost child! Auted columns and pannel work at the sides, fes- tooned with pink curtains and canopied in gorgeous style. In the eentre a temporary build . ing was erected to serve as a post office. The pavilion will no doubt be purchased at the con- clusion of the fair for a summer house, by some our citizens. It is admirably adapted to that purpose. Opposite, and occupying a position corresponding with this, is a new hose reel made by I. g. B. Bruce, for the company, which sur- passes for excellence of work, exactness of pro- portion and fit, taste in design, and elegance in finish, anything brought from the east. The wood work is hickory, oak and ash of the best qualities, as the samples of the original woods there, clearly indicate. The iron work is as light as the necessary strength of the artiele would permit, and is coated entirely with plated brass. On the main pannel on one side is the frigate Constitution ploughing a rough sea; on the other, Gen. Wayne taking leave of the offi- cers at Fort Washington in 1793. Both views are tastefully surrounded with groups of the na- tional flag. The corner pannels are decorated with figures of firemen in their appropriate eos- tume, with hose pipe in hand and trumpet to the mouth. The earved work, painted or gilt, the arch of the reel with its braees, the pillars and scroll work, and the lamps, are all specimens of beauty and taste which I cannot stop minutely to describe. But I must say one word respect- ing the bells. These are in number five, of clear, delightful tone, and hung and balanced with such accuracy that the most mechanical eye cannot detect a hair's breadth in the range of the springs or yokes which support them. The reel itself, on the whole, must be seen to be properly appreciated. It is a splendid trophy of the skill and ingenuity of Cincinnati mechanics and artists.
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For the design, and the execution in part, of this reel, the company is indebted to Mr. M. Ruffner, and his associates of the building com- mittee.
Two charming wreaths of white roses, con- tributed for the purpose by the Misses Baker, on Fourth street, decorate the apparatus in appro- priate style.
The Lost Child.
A correspondent of the St. Louis Weekly Gaz- ette gives the following account of a hunt for a lost child, in one of the thinly peopled neighbour- hoods of the west:
About ten o'eloek in the morning, was heard a loud shout at the gate-" Ho! Mr. W., ho!" ." What's wanting!"
" O'Leary's boy is lost-little Johnny!"
This was enough to secure a father's aid, and
Little Johnny was about four years old; he had been out in the field With his father and the black man, who were harvesting corn-and started for home about 2 o'clock, P M. On returning at night, they aseertained that the ehild had never been seen. It was nearly dark, but the alarm was given, and some fifteen or twenty neighbours commenced the search. The eorn, where he was last seen, was the first objeet of course; here they took single rows and scoured the field in vain. They then scattered through the adjoining wood; the father frantic, often calling out in a voice of thunder-" Ho! John-ho !- ho John!" Then fearing the boy might be alarmed and afraid to answer, he would soften down into the gentle: winning tone of the fireside-" Johnny, Johnny my dear, father's eome." It was a cloudy even- ing; and though, perhaps, he had never bowed the knee " before Jehovah's awful throne," he. prayed-O how earnestly he prayed the Lord it might not rain that night. The air was damp and chilly, so that if the child were alive with his bare feet and light jacket, he must be suffering cruelly from eold. But the wolves !- ah this was the fear, this the terror, which all felt, but none dared to breathe. A wolf had been seen prow- ling around the premises-indeed they had a. eonmon path across the prairie-and the point where several beside myself, had heard the cries of dístress, was a famous liaunt for them. Even in. the midst of the anxious search, a distant growl. would now and then burst on the ear, picturing forth the den, the cubs, the-
The dogs were very eager in the field, especially wolf dogs. Winder, one of the best, would run no other trail. O'Leary knew this, and watched with most intense anxiety his every move. He scents-he seents-he runs-" Oh my God, he's got my boy!" He leaps from his horse, lie sees the foot print of his own dear Johnny in the gopher hill by the side-he tracks him to the wood, and off from Winder's trail: ah! now he breathes again.
The search was continued until midnight, when a part thought it best to relieve their horses, and I wait for daylight to begin afresh. But the fath-
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er, with three of his hunting friends, who had re- solved not to eat or sleep tiil they had found the boy, still kept on-sometimes riding, sometimes walking-calling and shouting, if for no other purpose than to keep the wolves at bay. At length they stationed themselves within hearing distance of each other, and sat down to protect the child, to rush to his rescue, in case they should hear him attacked, to watch until the morning.
At early dawn, about fifty new horsemen arri- ved, and the search commenced anew. The field was again examined for the track, which was pursued with some doubt, as he had been there three successive days. On tracing the path which led towards the wolf woods, the imprints of Johnny's little feet were again discovered, as he appeared to be running, and the mark of his bag dragging along by his side. Here the father's anguish gushed anew, as the fears of the prece- ding night were justified and corroborated. They now agreed to take a station of about fifteen rous abreast, go up one side of the branch and down the other, till the whole surface of an extensive area, (farther than he could possibly have travel- ed,) had been explored. They had completed one side, and were returning, when the signal was given-Johnny was found! The noisy :shouting and repeated peals of the hunters' wind- ing horns, soon grouped [the excited cavalcade. But O'Leary, though forcmost in the hunt, fell back at the first note of the summoning horn, nor did he speak a word, or scarcely breathed, till he snatched his own dear Johnny from the arms of his delighted bearer, and pressed him with a frantic fondness to his now bursting heart. The dear boy was found about two miles from home, in a thicket of hazel, picking filberts, with his bag of corn still on his arm. He looked bright and happy; and when asked where he was going, said he was going home, but it was so far. He said he hadn't seen anybody, but he heard some one call him, and that he was afraid, that he run away till he was tired, and then he laid his little head down on his bag, and cried-that while he was crying, he saw a big carriage go by him with candles in it, (the thunder and light- ning,) and then it grew very dark, and he asked God to take care of little Johnny, and went to sleep.
Putting Resolutions into Practice.
At a missionary meeting held amongst the ne- groes at Jamaica, these three resolutions were agreed upon:
1. We will all give something.
2. We will all give as God has enabled us.
3. We will all give willingly.
So soon as the meeting was over, a leading ne- gro took his seat at the table, with pen and ink, to put down what each came to give. Many came forward and gave, some more and some less. Amongst those that came was a rich old negro, almost as rich as all the others put together, and threw down upon the table a small silver coin. " Take dat back again," said the negro that re- ceived the money, " Dat may be according to de first resolution, but its not according to de sec- cond." The rich old man accordingly took it up, and hobbled back again to his seat in a rage. One after another came forward, and as almost all gave more than himself, he was fairly ashamed of himself, and again threw down a piece of money on the table, saying, " Dare, take dat!"
It was a valuable piece of gold, but it was given so ill-temperedly, that the negro answered again, " No! dat won't do yet. It may be according to de first and second resolutions, but not according de last," and he was obliged to take up his coin again. Still angry at himself and all the rest, he sat a long time, till nearly all had gone, and then came up to the table, with a smile on his face, and very willingly gave a large sum to the trea- sury. " Very well," said the negro, " Dat will do. Dat according to all de resolutions."
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