96 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEK. 



Oct. 8, 1830,. 



MISCELLANIES 



[From ihe Token for 1831.] 

 THE MIDNIGHT MAIL. 



BY MISS H. r. COULD. 



'TismidnlRlil— all is peace profound '. 

 Bui lo! upon Ihc murmuring ground, 

 Tlie lonely, swelling, hurrjing sound 



Of distant wheels is beard ; 

 They come — they pause a moment— when, 

 Their charge resigned, Ihcy start, and then 

 Are gone, and all is hushed again 



As not a leaf had stirred. 



Hast thou a parent far away — 

 A beauteous child to be thv slay 

 In life's decline— or sisters, they 



Who shared thine infant glee t 

 A brother on a foreign shore 1 

 Is he whose breast thy token bore. 

 Or are thy treasures wandering o'er 



A wide tumultuous sea 1 



If aught like these, then thou must feel 

 The rattling of that reckless wheel. 

 That brings the bright, or boding seal, 



On every trembling thread 

 That strings thy heart, till morn appears 

 To crown thy hopes, or end thy fears — 

 To light the smile, or draw thy tears, 



As line on line is read. 



Perhaps thy treasure's in the deep— 



Thy lover in a dreamless sleep — 



Thy brother where thou canst not weep 



Upon his distant grave ! 

 Thy parent's hoary head no more 

 May shed a silver lustre o'er 

 His children grouped — nor death restore 



Thy son Irom out the wove ! 



Thy prattler's tongue perhaps is stilled, 



Thy sister's lip is pale and chilled, 



Thy blooming bride, perchance, has filled 



Her comer of the tomb. 

 May be, the home where all thy sweet 

 And tender recollections meet. 

 Has shown its flaming winding sheet. 

 In niidn'ght's awtul gloom ! 



And while alternate, o'er my soul, 

 Those cold, or burning wheels will roll 

 Their ligiit or shade, beyond control, 



Till morn shall bring relief. 

 Father in heaven, wl ate'er may be 

 The en,! which thou hast sent for me, 

 I know 'lis good, prepand by Thee, 



Though filled with joy or grief. 



by the Duke of Alva, lo overawe the inhabitants. The 

 whole appearance of its public buildings, streets, and 

 houses, affords the most inrontestlble evidence of its for- 

 mer splendor. Many instances of the immense wealth 

 of its nierchanls are recorded: among others, it is said 

 that when Charles V. once dined wiin one of the chief 

 magistrates, his host, immediately after dinner, threw 

 into Ihe fire a bond for two millions cf ducats, which he 

 had received as security for a loan to that monarch, say 



THE BEGINNINGS OF EVIL. 



Young men, for the most part, are but lit 

 aware of the danger which attends tlie heginnin 

 of evil. No one becouies suddenly abandoned a 

 profligate. There is always a gradual progre 

 lie begins in slight, occasional departures fr< 

 rectitude, and goes from one degree of guilt 



ing that he was more than repaid by Ihe honor of being i another, till conscience becomes seared, the 

 permitted to entertain his sovereign.— X)r. Lardner's ^ious propensity strong, the habit of indulger 

 Cabinet Cyclopadia. 



OIL OF SUNFLOWER. 



I was much pleased at the late exhibition of the Frank- 

 lin Institute, with the anove beautiful vegetable oil, pre- 

 sented by Mr, George W. Carpenter, who has appended 

 the following remarks to the sample exhibited, and as 

 the article is new and valuable, any information on the 

 subject is interesting: 



' This article is yet but little known, but promises to be 

 of great importance, and from its value and usefulness, 

 the consequent demand will no doubt be an object for the 

 attention of our agriculturists. It answers threelold pur- 

 poses: the cold expressed, lor table and physician's use, 

 and the hot-pressed for painter's and ordinary purposes: 

 it is an extremely bland oil, and is preferable to sweet 

 oil for liniment and surgical uses, and is adapted for all 

 Ihe purposes which the fine olive oil is used. The sun- 

 flower requires little care or attention in the cultivation, 

 and will grow readily in almost any variety of soil. The 

 product of seed is very considerable, a bushel of which 

 will yield about three quarts of oil. From the experi- 

 ments which have already been made, it can be obtained 

 at a less cost than the best olive oil — it can no doubt be 

 made much lower when it is extensively cultivated. But 

 few experiments have yet been made in its application 

 I gave a sample of it lo one of our experienced artists in 

 this city, who informed ino it answered his purpose bet- 

 ter than the poppy or nut oil, and thought it a valuable 

 acquisition. I have no doubt it will he found to answer 

 many other useful purposes on further experiments with 

 it.* 



In addition to Mr. Carpenter's remarks, I would add, 

 that it is a valuable substitute for the spermaceti : it burns 

 brilliant with little smoke, and when extensively culti- 

 vated, will no doubt compete in price and use with that 

 article. It certainly deserves full investigation. 



A Friend to Improvement. 



A notorious toper used to mourn about not having a 

 regular pair of eyes; one being black and the other light 

 hazel : ' It is very lucky for you,' replied his friend ; ' for 

 if your eyes had been matches your uose would have set 

 them on fire long ago.' 



Filial Piety. — Ouang-Ouei-Yuen, having lost his mo- 

 ther, who was extremely dear to him, passed three years 

 of mourning in a hut, and employed himself, in his re- 

 tirement, in composing verses in honor of her memory. 

 which are quoted as models of sentiment and tenderness. 

 The three years of his mourning having elapsed, he re- 

 turned to his former residence, but did not therefore for- 

 get his filial affection. His mother had ever expressed 

 great apprehensions of thunder; and when it thundered, 

 always requested her son not to leave her. Therefore, as 

 toon as he heard a storm coming on, he hastened to his 

 moiher's grave, saying soltly to her, as though she could 

 hear—"' 1 am here, mother" ! Customs of China. 



Wealthofthe Merchants o/ Antwerpinformertimes. 

 — The city of Antwerp is nearly a semicircle, of about 

 seven miles round. It was defended by the citadel, built 



Eruption of Mount .BStna. The Journal of Com- 

 merce gives the following translation from a Bordeaux 

 paper, describing a terrible eruption of Mount Mind., 

 which occurred in the month of May : — 



" The terrible explosion which opened seven craters 

 of the volcano at once, has destroyed eight villages in 

 the neighborhood of the mountain, to which neither the 

 lava nor the fire ever extended before. All the build- 

 ings have disappeared under the heaps of calcined 

 stones and burning cinders, which were thrown from 

 the new openings of jEtna. Notwithstanding the fright- 

 ful detonation? which announced beforehand the ap- 

 proach of the catastrophe, the lnhabit::nts of these vil- 

 lages remained quietly in their dwellings, considering 

 themselves safe on account of the distance, which had 

 preserved them in all preceeding eruptions, however vi- 

 olent. In the destruction of these villages and the 

 neighboring hamlets, perished a great many victims, 

 belli men and animals. On the 24th of May the consum- 

 ed edifices were still smoking, and these unhappy places 

 were inaccessible on account of the heat which was 

 given out from the cinders, stones and lava, with which 

 they are covered. It was not until the eighth day after 

 the disaster, that it was possible to approach for the pur- 

 pose of affording any succor. But the search was en- 

 tirely useless. Never was calamity more terrible, more 

 unexpected, or more general. The shores of Calabria, 

 and some ports of Italy, lying in the current of Ihe 

 wind which blew on that disastrous night, were covered 

 with the same kind of ashes under which the places in 

 the vi<^inity of jEtna were buried. Sicily will long re- 

 member this disaster, which has devastated the richest 

 and most fertile country in the wo: Id. 



Commerce of Boston.— From the 12th (o the 20th of 

 September, 64 vessels were entered at the Custom 

 House in this city, from foreign ports, and will probably 

 pay duties to the amount of $400,000. 



fixed, and the character ruined 



Nothing is more obvious than this connexion 1 

 twnen the beginning and Ihe consummation 

 evil ; and yet, hardly anything is more difRci 

 than to convince the young of its reality. In i 

 tering upon wrong courses they have not the le 

 expectation or fear of the dreadful issue. Tl 

 mean not to proceed beyond the point of safe 

 and they have no doubt, they can easily eflTect 

 escape, whenever danger ajipears ; but ere tl 

 are aware, they arc arrested by the iron grasj: 

 habit, and ruined forever. 



Take for example, a young man, who occasi 

 ally drinks to excess in the social circle ; he d 

 not dream that he is entering upon a course wli 

 will probably end in confirmed intemperance, 

 means no harm ; he says of the sin, is it nt 

 little one r there can be no danger of this, 

 soon his bands are made strong, and he becoi 

 the slave of a sottish vice. 



Thus it is with all vicious practices. Howt 

 slight at first, they tend, by a strong and neces; 

 impulse, to the point of utter depravity of pri 

 pie, and ruin of character. There is uo safety 

 in guarding against the first approaches of i 

 To step upon forbidden ground is to throw o 

 self into the power of the destroyer ; and if ' 

 interpose not to deliver, ruin is inevitable. It 

 a wise saying among the ancients, that the wa 

 vice lies down hill. If you take but a few 81 

 the motion soon becomesso impetuous and vio 

 that it is impossible for you to resist it. 



Published every Friday, at g3 per annum, payable I 

 end of the year-but those who pay within sixty days froi 

 time of subscribing, are entitled to a deduction uf fifty c 



[13^ No paper will be sent to a distance without payi 

 being made in advance. 



Printed for J. B. Russell, by I. R. Butts — by ' 

 all descriptions of Printing can be executed to mee 

 wishes of customers. Orders for printing received b/ 

 Russell, at the Agricultural Warehouse, No. 52 I 

 Market Street. 



AGENTS. 



New York—G. Thobburn & Son, 67Liberly-strcel. 

 PhilaJelpliia— I). & C Landketh. 85 Chestnut-slreel. 

 Ballimore — G. B.Smith, Office of the American Farm'' 

 A'.bany — Hon. Jesse Buel. 

 TKo-.„ju„. —u . - I jj .u ■ .■ rais/uW, JV. K. Wm. Prince &SoNs,Piop. Lin. Bot.t' 



Thecreditor whose appearance gladdens the heart of /fo,.,/<,rl/_GooDwiN & Sons. 

 a debtor, may hold bis head la sunbeams anil his foot on I Ha/t/"<ir,N. S.— P. J. Holland. Esq. Recorder Office 

 storms.— iacofer. «<M<rcai,L. C.-A.Bowmak, Bookseller. 



An enterprising mechanic and farmer in \ 

 cester, said exultingly a few days ago, ' I have 

 year carried on my farm without the use of a i 

 of ardent spirit, and never was my work h 

 done, or better health enjoyed by my men. 

 year I laid in twenty gallons of ruin for tl 

 and it was all consumed. In my old age, a \ 

 derful revolution is going on. We are awa! 

 fromoursleep, which had well nigh been thes 

 of death.' 



Seeds for Fall sowing. 



For sale at the Seed Store connected with the i 

 England P'armer, 52 North Market-street — 



A great variety of vegetable seeds for fall sowing, 

 White Portugal Onion, Prickly or Fall Spinach, (gn 

 of 1830,) Parsnips, Carrots, Black Spanish or Winte 

 dish— all warranted of the first quality. Sept. 1 



