‘3? 
     
    
   
   
    
     ,der and applause arose from the crowded courtiers; and 
     
     the nionarcli’s satisfaction now filled to overflowing, 
     
     “God will reward you,’ he exclaimed, ‘ for I‘cpnnot.” 
     
    

    
     But‘a more serious and a more strikingxlispl-ay was 
     
     still’to follow. The artillery were to exhibit their pow- 
     
     ers ; and ‘the crowd rushed out, and Scattered over the 
     
     hillsto see its practice. A sheet was attached to the 
     
    

    
     . nppo'site face ofthe ravine, the valley rang to the roar 
     
     ofthe guns; and as the white cloth fiew inshreds 'to 
     
     the wind,- uuder a ra id discharge of round shot, cazinis- 
     
     té‘r-sind grape, amid the crumbling of the rock, and the 
     
     “it of,,,falliitg stones, shouts of admiration rang from 
     
     iifi to bill; This eventful evening. was closed by testi— 
     
     monies ofthe king’s satisfaction, in the shape of a huge 
     
     pepper pie’ from the royal kitchen, with his Commands 
     
     um his children might feast ; and a visit from the royal 
     
    

    
     __ coiifessor, a dwarf enveloped in robes and turbans,’and 
     
     » Earmed ,vvi’thlsilver cross and crosier. Seating himself 
     
    

    
      éI‘chair, he delivered a speech, which affords as good 
     
    

    
     ‘fifit‘icirn’en of court oratory as any thing that we‘remem- 
     
    

    
     viii-find also SitM’Vs the, powerful effect of the presents on 
     
    

    
     i only sensibilities. The speech was as followsz~ 
     
    

    
     orty'years have rolled away since ASft-IIV‘OOSGII, on 
     
    

    
     se memory be.peace! grandsire to our beloved mon- 
     
      ream, that the red men' were bringing 
     
    

    
     . ,. to" his kingdom clirious and beautiful commodities 
     
     _ lromcou'ntirles beyond the great sea. The astrologers, 
     
    

    
     tin/being commanded to give an interpretation thereof, 
     
     lire ictiad wilh one accord, that‘foreigners froth the land 
     
     if, gyptwox‘ild come into Abyssinia during his majesty’s 
     
     ‘ii‘ot’tillustritfiis reign ; and that yet more and wealthier 
     
     'loild follow it that of his son, and of his son’s son, who 
     
     shmld sit nett upon the throne. Praise be unto God, 
     
     Athd the dreantand its interpretation have now been fol- 
     
     dilde Our eyes, though they be old” have never beheld 
     
     ’n'fnders until his day; and during the reign over Shoa 
     
     oilseven succetsive kings, no such miracles as these have 
     
     risen wrought it Ethiopia! l” ' 
     
    

    
     l A e  a: a 
     
     ' ‘- 5,The, march, and the foray into the country ofone'of 
     
     ‘ the: Gaifa tribes,ar’e adtnir-ably.told, and perhaps are 
     
    

    
     amoii‘g‘ithe best descriptions in the volumes—exact with- 
     
    

    
     1,. figu‘tfheing'tediousmnd deeply coloured without exagger- 
     
    

    
     fi' atiori. "But we mist hasten to other things. This was 
     
    

    
     '3': ‘3 mbnamh’s eighty-fourth foray, and from this We 
     
    

    
     ay conceive something ofthe horrors of barbarian life, 
     
    

    
     ,nd ofthe tremendms evils which nations have escaped 
     
    

    
     Manse laws and principles tame down the original evil of 
     
    

    
     his». 
     
    

    
     .‘ "We are glad to find that the embassy refused to take 
     
    

    
     my share in‘ this horrible work, though they fell into 
     
    

    
     some disrepute with the troops, and even with the mon- 
     
     arch, for their remissness. The king had even rcserv- 
     
    

    
     .,  an unlucky Galla in a tree, to be'shot by his guests. 
     
    

    
      tit this they declined, first, on the pretext of its being 
     
     the Sabbath, and next, more distinctly, on the ground 
     
     that—“ no public body was au‘thorised by the law of na- 
     
     tions to draw a sword offensively in any country not at 
     
     war with its own.” They then offered the compromise, 
     
     “ that an elephant was esteemed equivalent to forty Gal- 
     
     Ias, and a wild buffalo to five, and that they were ready 
     
     to ‘shoot as‘many of both as his majesty pleased.” But 
     
    

    
     ixthe embassy did more effectualthings; the sick and 
     
    

    
     “wounded received rel‘ieffrom them to the extent oftheir 
     
     means, and they even prevailed on the king to liberate 
     
    

    
     call his prisoners. The troops in the foray amountedto 
     
    

    
     ' abou‘thZOfiOO. ' . ' ‘ 
     
    

    
     On the return of this destroying ex'dition, which 
     
     seems to have turned a very fine country into a desert. 
     
     the king made'a kind of trium‘phal entry into his capital. 
     
     ,His costume was splendidly savage. A lion’s skin over 
     
     his shoulders, richly ornamented,-and half concealing 
     
     beneatlt'ita folds an embroidered green mantle oflndian 
     
     manufacture; on his right shoulder were three chains 
     
     ofgold, its emblemsof the Holy Trinity, (fraud the fresh 
     
     pluckedbough of asparagus, which denoted his recent 
     
     explicit, rose from the centre of an embossed corouet of 
     
     silver‘oh his brow. His (lappled war-horse, in housings 
     
     ofblue and yellow, was led beside him; and in front his 
     
     " champion” rode a coal-black charger, bearing the royal 
     
     shield of. massive silver, with the cross upon it, and 
     
     dressed in a panther’s hide. The two chiefoflicers of 
     
    

    
     . , his army rode oti either side ofthe crimson umbrella: at 
     
    

    
     the‘pulace gates, a deputation of priests in white robes 
     
    

    
     réc‘eived the conqueror with a benediction, and a volley 
     
     of'musketry announced his arrival. The leader ofthe 
     
     royal matchlock men performed 'a war dance before the 
     
    

    
     Ark, as it was borne along, and,in the inner court the 
     
    

    
     principal warriors,'each carrying some human fragment 
     
     on his lance, flung them on the ground before the royal 
     
    

    
     {obtain/0|, and shouted their war praise. 
     
    

    
     The embassy at length attained personal distinction 
     
     by the'death of an elephant, which one of the party 
     
     brougbt‘to the ground by a two-ounce ball. The “war- 
     
     riors” were all in astonishmentat this feat, to which all 
     
     had predicted the most disastrous termination; and 
     
     “Baron, the brave chiefof the Soopa,” exclaiined in his 
     
    

    
     delight, “ the world was made for you, and no one else 
     
     has any business in it l” 
     
    

    
     Weaying excepted, the people manufactured nothing; 
     
     but,Br.itish commerce has long been known, though 
     
     eudently ofthe coarsest kind. At length, on his ma- 
     
     jesty’s being told that five thousand looins would bring 
     
     him more wealth than ten .thousand soldiers, he gradu‘ 
     
     ally consented to form a commercial treaty. The crown 
     
     thadhitherto apprOpriated the property of strangers dy- 
     
     Ing in the country. The purchase or display of costly 
     
     goods by the subject had been interdicted, and a maxim 
     
     exhibiting the whole jealousy of savage life had been es- 
     
     tablished, tlia‘t'the stranger who once entered was never 
     
     to depart from Abyssinia. By the articles of the corn- 
     
     mercial treaty, all those barbarous prohibitions have been 
     
     abolished. 
     
    

    
     We recommend the enquirers into the truth of Hero- 
     
     5.“(l,otus, to examine the curious illustrations stated in these 
     
     volumes; and, among the rest, the kingdom of pigmies. 
     
     T.er geographer will find ample interest in tracing the 
     
     course of the Gochob, a sort of central Nile: and the 
     
     vpatnralist, botanist, and entomologist, will find abundant 
     
     mformation in the very interesting and complete appen- 
     
     dices on those subjects. The history ofthe Christian 
     
     “11551an of early ages is an excellent chapter, and the 
     
     general statistics of religion. 
     
    

    
     , The practical religion of the Abyssinian Christian is 
     
     ofthe very lowest degree of formality. Fasts, penances, 
     
     and excommunications, form the chief discipline; but 
     
     the penitent can always provide a substitute for the two 
     
     former, and the latter is always to be averted by money. 
     
     Spiritual offences, however, are rare; for murder and 
     
     sacrilege alone give um‘brage to the easy consciences of 
     
     . ‘the natives of Shoa. Abstinence and largesses ofmoney 
     
     I .are eqmvalent to wiping away every sin. Their creed 
     
     advises the Invocation ofs‘aints, confession to the priest, 
     
     and faith in charms and amulets. Prayers for the dead 
     
     and absolution, are indispensable; and, as. a more sum: 
     
     mary mode of relieving the burdens ofthe flesh, it is 
     
     I pronounced, that all sins are forgiven from the moment 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
       
     
       
     
          
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     lk 
     
    
   
   
    
         
     
        
     
       
     
         
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     that the kiss ofthe pilgrim is imprinted on the stones Of 
     
     Jerusalem, and that even kissing the hand of a. priest 
     
     purifies the body from all "sin. A creed ofthis order, 
     
     which makes spiritual safety dependent, not upon 'per- 
     
     sonal purification ofmind and the divine mercy, but up- 
     
     on forms which are unconnected with either, and which 
     
     even can be executed by a substitutemf course excludes 
     
     the necessity for morals ofany kind. All is corruption 
     
     4—“ Born amid falsehood and deceit. cradled in blood- 
     
     shed,’and nursed in the arms ofidleness and debauchery, 
     
     the national character almost defies the missionary.” 
     
    

    
     There ,are sortie strangeremnants of Judaism still liti- 
     
     geritig amdngst the tribes ofthese highland regions. The 
     
     Gallabhave a tradition. that their whole nation will chef 
     
     day/be called on to march, rn masse, and re-conqne: 
     
     Palestine for the return ofthe Jews. The king ofSlioa 
     
     regards himself as a direct descendant of the house of 
     
     Solomott', calls himself king ofIsrael, and the national 
     
     standard bears the motto, “ The Lion of the tribe of Ju- 
     
     rdah liatbi'prevailed.” They believe the 45th Psalmvto 
     
     be a prophecy of Queen Magueda’s visit to Jerusalem: 
     
     whither she was attended by a daughter of Hiram, king 
     
     onyre. The Jewish prohibitions against the flesh of 
     
     unclean animals are observed by the Abyssinians. The 
     
     sinew which shrank, and the eating of which was pro- 
     
     hibited by the Israelites, were also prohibited in Shoa. 
     
     The Jewish Sabbath is strictly observed. The Abys— 
     
     sinians are said, by Ludolf, to be the greatest fosters in‘ 
     
     the world—The Wednesdays and Fridays are fastspy 
     
     the forty days before Easter are rigidly observed as a 
     
     fast; and froth the Thursday preceding Easter till the 
     
     Sunday, no morsel of meat is to enter the lips, and 
     
     the prohibition against drink is equally rigorous. St. 
     
     Michael and the VirginMary are venerated in the high- 
     
     est degree; St. Michael as the leader ofthe hostso 
     
     heaven, and the latter as the cliiefofall saints, the queen 
     
     of heaven and e i if d both as the great intercessors 
     
     of mankind. " , 
     
    

    
     Like the Jews of old, the Abyssinians weep and la- 
     
     ment on all ricCasions ofdeath ;' and the shriek ascends 
     
     to the sky, as if the so‘iil could be recalled from the world 
     
     of spirits. As with the Jews, the most inferior garments 
     
     are employed as the weeds of woe; and the skin torn 
     
     from the temples, and scarified on the check anel'breast, 
     
     proclaims the last extremity of grief. As the Robbins 
     
     believe that angels were the governors of all sublunary 
     
     things, the Abyssinians adopt this belief: carryingit 
     
     even further, they confidently implore their assistance 
     
     in all concerns, and invoke and adore them in a higher 
     
     degree than the Creator. The clergy enjoy the price of 
     
     death-bed confession; and the churchyard is sternly 
     
     denied to all who dierwithout the rite, or whose relations 
     
     refuse the fee and the funeral feast. Eight pieces of 
     
     salt are the price 'ofwafting a poor man’s soul to the 
     
     place of'rest, and the feast for the dead places him in a 
     
     state of happinesstaccording to the cost ofthe entertain- 
     
     ment. For the rich, money procures the attendance of 
     
     priests, who absolve, and pray cbntinually day and night. 
     
     The anniversaries ofthe deaths ofthe six kings ofShoa 
     
     are held with great ceremony in the capital; and once 
     
     every twelvemonth, before a splendidjfeast, their souls 
     
     are absolved from all sin. 7 
     
    

    
     M ajor Harris expresses himsolfardently and eloquent- 
     
     ‘ly oii the hopes of commerce which might be maintain; 
     
     ed by Great Britain with thislittle-knmvn but productive 
     
     part of the World. It is notorious that gold and gold dust, 
     
     ivory, ostrich feathers, peltrios, spices. wax, and precious 
     
     gums, form a part ofthe failing of every slave caravan; 
     
     notwithstanding that tlie'tedioustiessoftlietransport, and 
     
     the peniiriunsness ofthe Indian and Arab merchant:~ 
     
     offer but it small compensation fortlieii‘ labour. No 
     
     quarter ofthe globe abounds to a greater extent in vege- 
     
     table and mineral productions than tropical Africa: and 
     
     in the populous”, fertile, and salubrious portions lying 
     
     immediately north (if tile—equator, the very highest capa- 
     
     bilities are presented for the employ ment of British capi- 
     
     _tal. Coal has already been found; cotton, of a quality 
     
     unrivalled in the_wliole world, is everywhere-a wood, 
     
     and might be_cultivated to any extent. The coffee 
     
     which is sold in Arabia as the produce of Mocha, is 
     
     chiefly of wild African growth; and that species of the 
     
     tea plant which is used by the 'lower orders ofthe Chi- 
     
     nese, flourishes so widely, and with so little care, that 
     
     the climate would doubtless be found well adapted for 
     
     the higher—flavoured and more delicate species. if, at 
     
     a very moderate calculation, a sum falling very short. of 
     
     a hundred thousand pounds sterling can be annually 
     
     invested in European goods, to supplythe wants ofsome 
     
     ofthe poorer tribes ailjaCBnt to Abyssinia, what impor- 
     
     tant results might not be anticipated from well-directed 
     
     efforts, adopting the natural means of communication in 
     
    
   
   
    
     Africa? 
     
     it 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     =F =E =lt= =lt‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     Before the mission took its departure, it did honor to 
     
     the character ofits country, by one act which alone 
     
     would have been worth its time and trouble. The hor- 
     
     rid policy of African despotism, condemns all the mem- 
     
     bers ofthe throne to the dungeon, from the moment of 
     
     the royal accession. The king had exhibited qualities 
     
     ofa very unexpected order in an African despot, and, 
     
     under the guidance of the mission, had made some ad- 
     
     vances to justice, and even to clemency. At this period, 
     
     he was suddenly seized with an alarming spasmodic dis- 
     
     order, and he apprehended that his cpustitution, enfee- 
     
     bled by the habits of his life, was likely to’give way. On 
     
     his recovery being despaired of by both priests and phy~‘ 
     
     sicians, he suddenly sent for the British mission. ’ 
     
    

    
     “ ‘My children,’ said his majesty in a sepulchral 
     
     voice, as be extended his burning hand towards them, 
     
     ‘ behold I am sore stricken. Last night they believed 
     
     me to be dead, and the voice of mourning had arisen 
     
     within the palace walls; but God hath‘spared me until 
     
     no‘v.’ H ~ 
     
    

    
     It seems to be the custom for the king’s , physicians 
     
     to taste the draught prescribed for him, and an atteinpt 
     
     being made to do this by the British, the sick monarch 
     
     generously forbade it. 
     
    

    
     “ ‘ What need is there now of this i’ he exclaimed, 
     
     reproachfully. ‘ Do I not know thatyou would adminis- 
     
     ter to Sahela Selasse nothing that could do him mis- 
     
     cliief!’ ” 
     
    

    
     The reader will probably remember an almost simi- 
     
     lar act of confidence of Alexander the Great in his'phy- 
     
     sician. An opportunity was now taken ofurging him 
     
     to’ an act of humanity, however strongly opposed to the 
     
     habits of the‘country, and to the interests ofthe man. 
     
     It was represented to him that his uncles and brothers 
     
     had been inirnured in a dungeon during the thirty years 
     
     ofhis reign, and that no act could be more honourable 
     
     to himself, or acceptable‘to Heaven, than the extinction 
     
     ofthis barbarous custotn. . 
     
    

    
     “ ‘ And I will release them,’ returned 
     
     after a moment’s debate within himself. 
     
     Eucharist I swear, and by the Church oft 
     
     in Koora Gadel, that ifSahela Selasse arises from this 
     
     bed of sickness, all of whom you speak shall be restored 
     
     to the enjoyment ofliberty.’ ” 
     
    
   
   
    
     g the monarch, 
     
     ‘ By the Holy 
     
     he Holy Trinity 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     an: actuarial m 
     
    
   
   
    
     at that place, 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Fortunately he did arise from that bed of sickness, 
     
     and he honourablyfdetermined to keep his promise. The 
     
     royal captives were stayed, and the British mission were 
     
     summoned to see their Introduction into the presence. 
     
     They had been so exhausted by long captivity, that at 
     
     first they seemed scarcely to comprehend freedom. They 
     
     had been man-ricled, and spent their, time in the fabrica- 
     
     tion of harps and combs, of which they brought speci- 
     
     mens to lay at the feet oftheir monarch. This touching 
     
     interview concluded with a speech of the king to the 
     
     embassy— 
     
    

    
     t‘ ‘. My children, you “will write all that you have' seen 
     
     to your country, and will say to thingflritysh Queen, that, 
     
     though far behind the nations of the White Men, from 
     
     whom Ethiopia first received her religion, there yet re- 
     
     mains a spark of Christian love in the breast ofthe King 
     
     ofShoa.’ ” i 
     
    

    
     We have thus given a rapid and bird's‘eye view of a, 
     
     work which we'regarrl as rivalling in interest, and im— 
     
     portance any ” book oftravels" of this century._ The 
     
     name ofAbyssinia was scarcely more than a recollection, 
     
     connected with'tlic adventurmis ramblings of a Brtice, 
     
     for the romantic purpose ofdiscovoring the source of the 
     
     Nile. His narrative had also been wholly profit.less-—_— 
     
     attracting public curiosity in a remarkable degree at 
     
     the tinie,~ but no foundation of European intercourse 
     
     was laid, and no movement of European traffic followed. 
     
     But giving Bruce all the credit, which was so long 
     
     denied him, for fidelity to fact, and for the spirit of bold 
     
     adventure which be exhibited in penetrating a land of 
     
     violence and barbarism, the mission of Major Harris at 
     
     once establishes its object on more substantial grounds. 
     
     it is not a private adventure, but a public act, rendered 
     
     natural by the circumstances of British neighbourhood, 
     
     and important for the opening ofAbyssinia and central 
     
     Africa to the greatest civilizer which the world has ever 
     
     seen—-tlie commerce of England. There are still obvi- 
     
     ous difficulties of transit between the coast and the 
     
     capital, by the ordinary route. But ifthe navigation of 
     
     the Gochob, or the route frotn Tajura, should once be 
     
     secured, the trade will have commenced which, in the 
     
     course of a few years, will change :the face ofAbyssiiiia ; 
     
     limit, ifnot extinguish, that disgrace ’of human nature 
     
     —«-the slave trade; and, if not reform, at least enlighten, 
     
     the clouded Christianity of the people. 
     
    

    
     Weihave a kind ofimprcssion, that some general im- 
     
     provement is about to take place in the more neglected 
     
     portionsofthe world, and that England is honoured to 
     
     be the chiefagentin the great wot k. Africa, which has 
     
     been under a'brm forms, smany thousand ' ars, may be 
     
     on the eve of relief:  I; be misery, lawle tass,and ini- 
     
     purity of barbaris   we are strongff inclined to 
     
     look upon this esta'b hment of Biitish feeling and inter- 
     
     course in Abyssinia as the commencement of that proud 
     
     and fortunate change: All attempts to enter Africa by 
     
     the western coast have failed. The heat, the swamps, 
     
     the rank vegetation, and theiunhealthy atmosphere, have 
     
     proved. insurmountable barriers. The north is fenced 
     
     by a line of burning wilderness.x But the east is open, 
     
     free, fertile, and beautiful. A British factory in Abys- 
     
     sinia would be not merely alsource of infinite comfort to 
     
     the people, by the communication of European conve- 
     
     niences and manufactures, but a source ofliglit. British 
     
     example would teach obedience and loyalty to the laws, 
     
     subordination on the partof the people, and mercy on 
     
     that of the sovereign. 
     
    
   
   
    
         
     
    
   
   
    
         
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     » UNITED STATES. 
     
     It is considered beyond a doubt that the Senate will ratify 
     
     the Tr ‘uty for the annexation of Texas to the United States. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The vote will stand, it is Said, M38 for annexation, 13ngainst 
     
    
   
   
    
     it—one Senator being absent, 51 being the whole number of 
     
     senators. A \Vashington paper says—‘ So far as the Presi- 
     
     dent ofthe United States and the President of Texas are 
     
     concerned, the Treaty is all htit niatle.’ V 
     
    

    
     Texas is still at war with Mexico. The Republic has never 
     
     acknowledged lier independence. She looks upon Texas 
     
     as a part (if her Territory, and it is quite clear that the rati- 
     
     ficntion of n Treaty ofAiiuexntiou by the United States will 
     
     involve the Republic in a War with Mexico. The New 
     
     York merchants seem to be well aware ofthis, and have be- 
     
     come alarmed. A panic has seized the Stock Market, and 
     
     much excitement prevails. 
     
    

    
     The New York Express says :—‘ The panic iii the Stock 
     
     Market to day is greater than it was on Saturday. it has 
     
     become a fright. AllState Stocks are lower, fi‘ointwo to 
     
     three per cent, and Federal Government Stocks “‘0!!! one 
     
     and a lialfto ttvo per cent. Fancy Stocks Hl'e also effected 
     
     more or less, fi‘oni one to four percent. Nor are inert-hams 
     
     engaged in commerce, and interested in slijpping, without 
     
     serious alarm. A war with Mexico necessarily consequent 
     
     upoti the annexation of '.l‘cxns, (if not ,a war with Great Bri- 
     
     tain,) is looked upon as throwing open our navigation, iIn- 
     
     protected, to the privateering of all nations; for. In case of 
     
     such a war, no doubt, our vessels would be a tempting prey 
     
     to adventurers from all parts‘of Europe and of South Ame- 
     
     rica, under the Mexicali flag. The agitation ofthe Texas 
     
     matter in Washington threatens seriously to affect, more 01‘ 
     
     less, all our trading interests. _ ': 
     
    

    
     PIRACY IN THE CHXNESE SEAs.—A letter in the Boston’ 
     
     Transcript, fi'om Matiilla, states the loss ofthe schooners 
     
     Zephyr, and Angelonar- both late of Boston.—The Zephyr 
     
     was bound to Bombay from Canton, for a cargo of opium, 
     
     and had on board' six hundred thousand dollars in specie. 
     
     The letter saysz— ' 
     
    

    
     “She was taken in the China Sea byPirates, and all on 
     
     board murdered. l have not heard the particulars about‘the 
     
     Angelona, but I understand that all her crew were murdered. 
     
     The Zephyr was sold to an American in Canton, and the 
     
     Angelonu to a foreigner.” ' 
     
    

    
     SLAVE 'FflADE.—-A letter from Havana, 
     
     lished in the New Orleans Bee, says: 
     
    

    
     “ A ship arrived on the coast last week with upwards of 
     
     one thousand negi‘oes, and it is said that $13,000 were paid 
     
     to the Captain Gehernl so as to allow the landing of them.” 
     
    

    
     LATER Fungi HAVANA.—Tlle Journal of Commerce learns 
     
     from the passengers in the bark Hiiulco, which left Havana 
     
     March Bill, that some ofthe slaves Who had participated in 
     
     the late insurrection had implicated several ofthe planters 
     
     who were arrested by the authorities and 
     
     thrown into prison. x 
     
    
   
   
    
     of 24th u!t., pub- 
     
    
   
   
    
     r 
     
    
   
   
    
     CANADA. 
     
    

    
     Party politics at Montreal grow more exciting daily. 
     
     Bands of inen—partizaus of both Candidates—parade the 
     
     streets nightly, and continued interruptions of Meetings 
     
     take place. We fear there will be rough work at the Hust- 
     
     ings. The result ofthe Election is looked to with great in- 
     
     terest throughout Canada. The triumph ofthe four Minis- 
     
     tei‘ialist Candidates is considered certain, although the op- 
     
     position is powerful nnd zealous. 
     
    

    
     OUR COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS.—We see and hear ofsians 
     
     in almost every quarter ofiinprovenient in commercial tribut- 
     
     ters, and have no doubt that when the spring business fairly 
     
     opens a marked improvement will be exhibited in the state 
     
     ot'the Country generally. In Canada great activity is mani- 
     
     fasted this spring in every department oftrade. Extenswe 
     
     preparations are now in progress at the port of Toronto for 
     
     the opening ofthe spring navigation. The Colonist states 
     
     upon good authority, that there are upwards ofthi‘ee blind: 
     
     red men at present employed in erecting piers, wharves and 
     
     warehouses in Kingston Harbor. The prospects, are 
     
     considered to be favourable for an extensive spring business. 
     
    
   
   
    
     QUEBEC, March 22.—Great.preparati0ns are being made 
     
     throughout the French country for wheat sowing this spring; 
     
    
   
   
    
     land if the result be favourable this year, the next witl a“ 
     
    
   
   
    
          
     
         
     
        
     
        
     
         
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
        
     
          
     
       
     
        
     
        
     
         
     
         
     
         
     
         
     
          
     
        
     
        
     
          
     
        
     
        
     
        
     
         
     
       
     
          
     
         
     
       
     
       
     
       
     
        
     
         
     
       
     
        
     
        
     
        
     
         
     
        
     
       
     
        
     
       
     
        
     
         
     
         
     
        
     
       
     
             
     
        
     
         
     
        
     
        
     
         
     
         
     
         
     
         
     
        
     
       
     
        
     
       
     
         
     
         
     
        
     
         
     
         
     
         
     
         
     
         
     
        
     
          
     
       
     
        
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     Lower Canada once more exporting her superfluous W 
     
     duct. In the Parish of Berthier alone, from last yea,“ . j _ 
     
     over and above seed, there are 10,000 bushels ot' 
     
     store—Montreal Times. . v I r 
     
     The Toronto Cdlonist ofthe l5th inst, says—“ we 
     
     oti authority oti which we eat] rely, that Mr. Harrison 
     
     aSSisting Messrs. Viger and Draper, in the formation 
     
     new Ministry.” ' ’ .- : 
     
     MILITARY Rvo.——A party, constsfiug ofan officer-q 
     
     engineers, two oflicers of the'l4th, two crvtl asststun'gsk 
     
     twelve men, will start in a few days to explore the i, , 
     
     betweeh Qliehec and..l{alifux, for the purpose ofmaki ‘ _ 
     
     u litie for the formation ofa grniitl milttnry rpml  .. ‘ 
     
     tiicatioii between those places. The Imperial-Guy", 
     
     has granted £l000 sterling, for the purpose or ping->3“; 
     
     The, work is intended to be carried into execution “as: ‘ 
     
     as practicable. 'l‘liis Iiieusiive will be. highly hepatic“, I 
     
     opening out that portion of the Provmt-es, omit}, ,. 
     
     the carriage ofthe mails, and the transport ofprodn 
     
    
   
   
    
     Montreal Times. 
     
     NOVA SCU'l‘IA. V 
     
    

    
     HALIFAX, Aprif8__—()Ul' Legislature is tiow getting 
     
     with the business for which it was called together, 
     
     generally supposed the Session will close early in 
     
     week. ‘ . 
     
    

    
     A Bill was introduced into the Legislative  ,fh 
     
     Thursday by the lion. Mr. ,Mor'on, giving to nbsqu’ 
     
     cilloi's the privilege of voting by proxy—Journal. 
     
    

    
     SUGAR S'ricxs.—~Mr. John McDongnll, Grocer, 
     
     City, upon opening a liogshead of sugar, last. week“, t” 
     
     ed in the centre 65 lbs. of cord wood, evidetitiy ' 
     
     Scotia growth. The mystery is—liow did itvget the“ 
     
     for what purpose? \Ve know that mackerel sent 
     
     United States from hence have turned to stone on tag. 
     
     sage, the pcti'efaction nssnrningall the tnii’ieralogicaf. 
     
     ofthe granite or pebbles of the port at which they 
     
     packed—but tliat'a hogshead filled With sugar in  
     
     Indies should, upon being opened liege, present in rises 
     
     a wood indigenous to this Province, is one of those. 
     
     of Nature for which we can account on no prinpr ' 
     
     svmpatby or mutual nfl‘inity. Query—May the may“ 
     
     the vessel, under the supposition that the sticks woutd 
     
     to sugar barley or black yock on the passage, and n _ 
     
     any intention’ofdcfi'nuding the purchaser, have placed 
     
     in the position in which they were found? If the sup . », 
     
     tion does not prognosticnte much for his knowlerlgg . 
     
     transmutation of cord wood—may it not be excngeBJfi 
     
     highly laudable experiment to increase the price of. , 
     
     production 9 “lo are afraid. however, that nothing, ‘ - 
     
     come ofit btit suspicion—[Intifax Times, flprtl 9. > ‘ 
     
    

    
     M )TION FOR. Wan or CONFIDENCE—ANOTHER Foup. 
     
     DAxs’ DEBATE.——Yesterday, Mr. Howe moved that the H" 
     
     resolve itself into a committee on the general Staten ; 
     
     Province, for the purpose of considering the structure 
     
     position ofthe Executive Council. This was made the 
     
     'ofthe day for this day, Tuesday. —1b. 
     
    

    
     MELANCHOLY GASUA TIES AND Loss OF LIFE AT 
     
     LACE.—0n the evening of the 21st itist., James, second 
     
     of Patrick McKay, ofthe North Shore of Wallace, is p v 
     
     ing youth, 19 years of age, left his father’s on skates, 
     
     errand to a neighbour’s, a few miles distant, fell in’ 
     
     near Horton’s Point, at the entrance of the harbour, a 
     
     withstanding the strenuous efforts ‘of' Mr. Solomon l . 
     
     who with several other persons hurried to the spot, 
     
     used every possible exertion to save him, at the inning. 
     
     danger of his own life. was unfortunately drowned. ‘ 
     
     body was found the following day near the spot wh ,, 
     
     sank, and conveyed to his SOl‘l‘tHV-Strikel’l relatives. 
     
     the community ni'oimtl ileepiy- syii‘Ipatliisqd with the s ‘ 
     
     ei‘s for the untimely death ofthis young man, out o‘fi'i'c 
     
     bud of manhood. scarcely hail four days elapsed, ere nu ; s 
     
     dent of(ifpossible) a still more tri‘elancholy nature rook ‘ 
     
     —-Capt} John O’Brien, formerly of Halifax, left his them! 
     
     on the morning of the 26th it-st., on a shooting 9 i '* 
     
     sion a few miles distant, and was killed by his gun {meithth 
     
     tally going offL—tlie gun was heavily l02ttlt‘tl fur geese. ‘1!" 
     
     supposed he must have fallen on the ice, the force of theii‘t 
     
     ignited the pet‘aus on (mp, discharging the whole load'int 
     
     his left thigh, causing a ghastly wound, shattering tlIe'fie‘ 
     
     in a fearful manner, and the unfortunate man in a» or 
     
     minutes bled to death. ()1) the arrival ofliis suinwhohug- 
     
     toned to the spot, he found his parent lying weltcring in [1' 
     
     blood, with life nearly extin‘ct. The shattered i'emp' so 
     
     the poor fellow, covered with blood, were curried to his 3' 
     
     presenting to his. disconsola‘te widow a truly irielnu'cholyatt 
     
     awful contrast to the loved partner who left her, in buoyar'tk 
     
     spirits, but a few hours previous, to enjoy the sport ofgo'oak 
     
     hunting, of'wliicli he \vas a keen and successful follower; 
     
     These unfortunateaccidents have thrown quite agloom m 
     
     the community, and as they prove the “ uncertainty of y 
     
     will, it is to be hoped, cause people to be more cautioE 
     
     future—Communicated to the Times. ’ . 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     , NEW BRUNSWICK. . 
     
    

    
     Disease DJ The Cnux'rv oi: GLi'lUGEVI‘IER.—X7t‘<‘t?l‘llfl}’. 
     
     Home it cut into Ctluttlifllue on the M95113? ofthe Li"!!! G0 
     
     or, relative to a disease “'lllCll at itl‘P‘t-‘IIL (’Xlsls in the a 
     
     County, of a most disgusting and fatal 'characzer, and wliiéhi 
     
     the opinion ofmetlical rim-sum, in that Quarter, FCSl‘inbiES 
     
     Leprosy of the 17th century. - I ’37} 
     
    

    
     It appeaied from documents 'vhitti‘gwsre read. that the disehse 
     
     made IIS appearance in 1621. since ,w‘bich seven persons have 
     
     died ofthis loathso‘no malady, having lingered from three. ' 
     
     five or six yearsin a most miserable condition; one of who 
     
     who had been enclosed in a log but, and who was fed thm’n’ 
     
     hole in the same. having died, as was supposed. insane; andsmi" 
     
     was the dread of persons. in Consequence of the supposed ' 
     
     tious nature of the tllSt‘ItKe. that in some cases the Over e 
     
     the poor had to carry the unhappy creatures. the supplyi , 
     
     which was necessary to support existence, and for the consult??- 
     
     tion of which they retained their natural desire and appetite. 'i 
     
    

    
     That the disease is infections, would appear from the fact 
     
     personshaving been attacked with it who had slept with ', 
     
     other,- and in one instance a young man who had assistedjb 
     
     carrying a coffin containing the corpse of a person who hailid’iflf‘ 
     
     with the disorder. and upon whose clothes some ofthe content 
     
     had oozed. subsequently caught the infection and died. 
     
    

    
     It appears farther, that there are at present 12 persons in , 
     
     ing under this disease, in the county of Gloucester. and therett 
     
     about the same number rifcnses on the other side ofthe line it! 
     
     separates it from Northnm‘nerlantl. Altho’ there are prob 
     
     other cases which are concealed. as a knowledge that a perm 
     
     has It, excludes its Victim from society. in 
     
    

    
     Among the crises enumerated, is that of a female who wassbip' 
     
     wrecked at Caraquet, on her wav to Quebec ; and who altertvtil‘gllb 
     
     returned to Chutliam, where the disorder developed itself. - 
     
     extended to two o‘hei‘s of the family in which she resided, autism: ' 
     
     a chifd who was intimate there; all of whom died. III fact!“ 
     
     disorder invariably terminates fatally. « - - ‘- . 
     
    

    
     The reading the several documents connected with this subject.‘ 
     
     created a strong sympathy in the House and compassionbr the ' 
     
     unhappy sufferers. Dr Thomson and Dr Earle, both gave‘it 
     
     as their opinion that the disorder is not the leprosy. The‘formei”. 
     
     gave a very lucid account ofthe effects ofthe mode ofhvingatyi ‘5 
     
     the habits of the French people among whom this disorder , i‘ 
     
     appeared, which are filthy in the extreme, and which not' 
     
     predisposes their systems-for the reception ofthis or any other 
     
     scrofulous disorder, but renders it more difficult to cure; and he 
     
     recommended that their habits of life and the food by which 
     
     nature is sustained should be changed. and that by Education. 
     
     and amusement the minds of those poor people might become, 
     
     elevated, and brought. with their bodies, into more healthy and . 
     
     Vigorous action. . 
     
    

    
     The House passed a Resolution unanimously, placing £500at 
     
     the disposal of the Executive government; for the purpose of 
     
     procuring medical treatment, and separating those who are labour- 
     
     ing undfr the d'sease from _the rest of the inhabitants; and for 
     
     alleviating as much as-posmble the few remaining days 01‘ theit 
     
     miserable existence. ' 4 
     
    

    
     Furnace—The New BFUHSWick Assembly which had 
     
     directed a Special Committee to enquire intothe circum‘ ‘ 
     
     stances ofthe,release of Messrs. Doak 51. Hill, publishera'of 
     
     the Loyalist, who were imprisoned under the Speaker‘s!”- 
     
     rant for breach of privilege, have been enlightened by  
     
     teniug to a report, the reading of which was commeth by 
     
     Mr. End. The report considered that the House Wflvbound 
     
     to defend its privileges and transmit them to posteriti“ 
     
     closed with some restrictions upon his Honor Judge..0fifmr, 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     for his decision against the right of the House  ‘ i i 
     
    
   
   
    
     \