f34 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



September, 1842 



surrounding country, exhausted iiU the means of 

 his art, but without affording him relief He pa- 

 tiently submitted, though in great distress, to tlie 

 various remedies proposed, but it became evident 

 from the deep gloom setting upon the counte- 

 nances of the medical gentlemen, that the case 

 was hopeless. Advancing insiduously, the dis- 

 ease had fastened itself with deadly certainty. 

 Looking with perfect calmness upon the sobbing 

 group around him, he said—" Grieve not, niy 

 fiiends — it is as I anticipated from the first — the 

 debt which we all owe is now about to he paid — 

 I am resigned to the event." Requesting Mrs. 

 Washington to bring him two wills from his es- 

 critoire, he directed one to be burnt, and placed 

 the other in her hands, as his last will and testn- 

 menf, and then gave some final instructions to 

 INIr. Lear, his secretary and relation, as to the ad- 

 justment of his business affairs. He soon after 

 became greatly distressed, and as, in the paro.x- 

 isnis which became more frequent and violent, 

 Mr. Lear, who was extended on the bed by his 

 side, assisted him to turn, he, with kindness, but 

 with difficulty, articulated, "1 fear I give you 

 great trouble, sir — but — perhaps it is a duty that 

 we all owe, one to another — I trust that you may 

 receive the same attention wlien you shall require 

 it." 



As the night waned, the fatal symptoms be- 

 came more imminent. His breath became more 

 labored and suflbcating, and his voice soon after 

 failed him. Perceiving his end approaching, he 

 straightened himself to his full length, he folded 

 his own hands in the necessary attitude upon -bis 

 chest — placing his finger upon the pulse of the 

 left wrist, and thus calmly prepared, and watch- 

 ing his own dissolution, he awaited the summons 

 of his Maker. The lust faint hopes of his friends 

 had disappeared. Mrs. Washington slupified 

 with grief, sat at the foot of the bed, her eyes 

 fi.xed steadfastly upon him ; Dr. Craik in deep 

 gloom, stood with his face buried in his hands at 

 the fire — his faithful black servant Christopher, 

 tlie tears uncontrolled trickling down his face, 

 on one side, took the last look of his dying mas- 

 ter; while Mr. Lear, in speechless grief, with 

 folded hands, bent over his pillow on the other. 

 Nought broke the stillness of his last moments, 

 but the suppressed sobs of the afl^ectionate ser- 

 vants collected on the stair-case ; the tick of the 

 large clock in the hall, as it measured off' with 

 painful distinctness, the last fleeting moments of 

 Ifis existence, and the low moan of the winter 

 wind, as it swept through the leafless snow cov- 

 ered trees ; — the laboring and wearied spirit 

 drew nearer, and nearer, to its goal ; the blood 

 languidly coursed slower and more slowly 

 through its channels — the noble heart stopped — 

 struggled — stop't— fluttered— the right hand slow- 

 ly slid from the wrist, upon which its finger had 

 been placed — it fell at the side — and the manly 

 effigy of Washington was all that remained, e.x- 

 tended upon the death couch. 



We left that room, as those that leave a sick 

 room : a suppressed whisfier alone escaped us, 

 as, with ij'sort of instinctive silence and awe, we 

 drew the door slowly and firmly to its place be- 

 hind us. We again descended the antique stair- 

 case, and emerged upon the lawn, in front of the 

 mansion. Passing through several co])|)ices of 

 trees, we approached the sepulchre, where rest 

 the remains of his earthly sendjiancc. In the 

 open arch of a vault composed of brick, secured 

 and firmly protected by gates of open iron work, 

 where two large sarcophagi of white marble, in 

 one of which, carved in high relief, with the 

 arms of the Republic, were deposited the re- 

 mains of him, " who was wisest in war, first in 

 peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." 

 A marble slab, set into the brick wall of the ex- 

 terior, bearing in black letters simply this inscrip- 

 tion — 



'Thei 



iof 



Gen'l George Washington." 



There rested all that was mortal of the man, 

 whose justice — whose virtue — whose patriotism 

 —meet with no parallel in human liislory. Tl'ere, 

 within the smoke of his own hearth-stone, moul- 

 dered the remains of that towering form, whose 

 spirit, whether in the b.utle, or in the council- 

 hall. In the fierce dissensions of jiublic discord, 

 or in the quiet relations of social life, .slione with 

 the saine stern and spotless puiity. 



The Potomac glittered like silver between the 



trees in the noonday sun at ourfeet, the soft mild 

 breeze gently njoveil the leaves upon the tree 

 tops — the chirp of the wren — the drowsy hum 

 of the locust — the quick note of the thrush, as 

 she hopped from twig to twig — was all that 

 showed signs of life, — and those huge sarcopha- 

 gi lay still — motionless — far, /ur from voiceless, 

 ijli ! my countrymen, never since he left us, hath 

 it so behooved us to listen, — " Whileour Father's 

 grave doth utter forth a voice." We were ex- 

 ceedingly struck and affected by the truthfulness 

 of the "Sweet Swan of Avon," as we saw above 

 the sarcoi)hagi (free passage to which was open 

 over the large iron gates) the clayey nest of the 

 martin or common house-swallow, built in the 

 corner of the ceiling, where, in perfect security 

 and confidence she fed her chirping brood, di- 

 rectly over the head of the de|mrted hero. Pure, 

 indeed, was the air, "nimbly and sweetly" did it 

 ])lay upon our senses. Oh ! Bard of England, as 

 standing upon that hallowed spot, the spirit of 

 the unfortunate Banqno. whispered again to our 

 memories, his words to the murdered Duncan. 



" This castle hath a pleasant seat ; the air 

 Nimbly and sweetly lecommends itself 

 Unto our gentle senses." 



Banqno " This guest of summer, 



The temple haunting martlet, does approve, 

 By his lov'd mansionry, that the heavens breath, 

 Smells movingly here : no jutty. freize. buttress, 

 JSorcoigne of vantage, but this bird hath made 

 His pendent bed and procrcant cradle: Where they 

 Most breed and hciunt, 1 have observed, the air 

 Is delicate." 

 We lingered long at the tomb, and with reluc- 

 tance withdrew, as the advancing day warned us 

 of our homeward returning ride. 



The setting snn, streairiing in radiance through 

 the trees, measured in long shadows the persons 

 of the two men dismounting at the cottage door, 

 from whence they had departed so buoyant and 

 joyous in its morning brightness. That setting 

 sun, sinking beneath its gorgeous bed of crim- 

 son, gold and purple, left those men more chas- 

 tened, true, more elevated, from their pilgrimage 

 to the shrine of him whose name shall forever be 

 the watchford of human Liberty. 



From the W. E. Farmer 

 Pilfering Fruit. 

 The following is extracted from a paper 



th 

 Transactions of the New York State Agricultural 

 Society, by David Thomas, Esq. Let us tell the 

 truth to our shame, and hereafter maintain a con 

 void of offence : — 



"Unfortunately for the moral character of our 

 population, fruit is too generally considered law 

 ful plunder. The culturist is allowed to have ! 

 full and exclusive right to his corn and potatoes 

 it would be infamy to steal thevi ; but no exclu 

 sive right to his fruit, if they can get it. Thou- 

 sands of honorable exceptions to this charge in 

 deed may be found, but it is not the less true that 

 a great part of our population is tainted, and de 

 serves to be branded with reproach. 



"The native fruit of a thinly populated country 

 growing without culture, and free to all, hai 

 doubtless had its share in producing this laxity 

 of morals. 'I would sooner have a hundred 

 Irishmen around me than one Yankee,' was the 

 declaration of a sufferer, whose fruit had been 

 plundered near the line of the Erie canal, when 

 that great work was in progress. Europeans are 

 generally more exemplary on this point ll 

 Americans — shame on us! When Prof. Stowe 

 was in Prussia, where the roads are lined with 

 fruit trees, by order of the government, he ob- 

 served a wisp of straw, attached to particular 

 trees to protect the fruit — a sufficient guard ; but 

 he suggested to the coachman that in America 

 it might only prove an invitation to plunder. 

 'Have you no schools?' was the significant reply. 



"Yes, we have schools; but how many where 

 the child is taught to respect bis neighbor s pro- 

 perty ? Too often he acquires literature and vice 

 at tlie same time. The State of New York is 

 famous for her schools and her prisons — the lat- 

 ter to supply the defects of the former system 

 which they "do, however, very imperfectly. Bet- 

 ter let the mandate go forth that the morality 

 of the Bible shall be one of the chief objects of 

 instruction. Teach her children to be hon 



How very just are the sentiments of the above 

 liow npplii'able they avf to Ilic population in aiic 



round our boa.sted moral city of Boston. In this 

 se vve are worse than the Irish, and we have 

 t the respect for our neighbors fruits, that a 

 idouin Arab has for the property of one of his 

 be. In Stephens' Incidents of Travel, vol. 1. 

 p. 21):!, will 1)0 Ibuiid an account of their honesty. 

 " Not far from the tract we saw, bunging on a 

 thorn bush, the black cloth of a Bedouin's tent, 

 with the pole, ropes, pegs, and every thing ne- 

 cessary to convert it into a habitation for a family. 

 It had been there six months; the owner had 

 gone to a new pastme ground, and there it had 

 hung, sacred and untouched, until he returned to 

 claim it. 'It belongs to one of our tribe, and 

 cursed be the hands that touch it,' is the feelings 

 of every Bedouin. Uncounted gold might be ex- 

 posed in the same way ; and the poorest Bedouin, 

 though a robber by birth and profession, would 

 pass by and touch it not." 



Now what nation, by us Christians, is held in 

 greater contempt than the Irish or Bedouin Arabs, 

 as to their just sense of right and wrong — and 

 here we have their character from competent 

 witnesses, and it should cause us to reflect, and 

 set our faces against this wicked practice of con- 

 verting to our use what is not our own. Our 

 children should be instructed on this evil prac- 

 tice ; our sabbath and conmion schools should be 

 made instrumental in this moral reform, and it 

 should no longer be to o\ir shame that orchards 

 of fine fruits cannot be cidtivated, and kept sac- 

 red for the use of the cultivator and his fanfdy. 

 A FARMER. 

 The evil here noticed by "A Farmer," is vexa- 

 tious and grievous. We hope it will be com- 

 mented upon by others, until an impression shall 

 be made upon the public mind, so wide and deep 

 that this petty thieving shall bo scorned by all 

 classes and characters in the community. The 

 subject is a /)-i(i<-ful one, and wo invite our cor- 

 respondents to give it their attention. — Ed. A*. 

 E.F. 



flj'' The urchins and loafers of Concord, wo 

 believe, are more voracious and earnest in plun- 

 dering fruit and vegetables Irom the fields, than 

 in any other town of New England. Even a 

 belief in the Miller prophecy that the world is to 

 come to an end in A|n-il next, has not the effect 

 to deter some of the more serious part: there 

 are many here who nut only do not think it to 

 be i(nmoral or reprehensible to filch from the 

 trees and gardens, but there arc some who have 

 to feed their cows from the growing crops of 

 their neighbors, tram|iling down and destroying 

 ten times as much as is eaten, if it can be done 

 slily. On our old premises near the centre of 

 the village, flocks of men, and boys, and some- 

 times persons of the more delicate sex who we 

 are quite sure cannot belong here, beat the trees 

 in the eyes of all the neighbors looking on ; and 

 in years of plenty more than half of our apples 

 are taken— they are sometimes carried away in 

 bags! At a distant pasture out of sight, all the 

 apples have been anmially stripped off and taken 

 away before they had attained their growth. Our 

 neighbor, the landlord of the Phenix, whose gar- 

 den lies directly along side of our land, and whose 

 early corn hills had been stripped of many ears, 

 detected some of the i)ilfcrers on his premises, 

 v^ho were retreating with all convenient expedi- 

 tion over to our side of the fence. On inquiring 

 their business there, they told him it was only 

 for the purpose of getting a few apples from our 

 trees for which we had given them full liberty ! 

 —Ed. Visitor. 



war I 

 milli: 

 To I 



Revolutionary Items. 



estimated expen.se of the revolutionary 

 specie is over one hundred and thirty-five 

 s of dollars. 



leet this immense charge Congress issued 

 from 1776 to 1781, $357,476,541 of continental of 

 paper money, which during that lime depreciated 

 nearly two-thirds of its value. In addition to this 

 Congress obtained loans from France and Hol- 

 land ; from the former of twenty-one thou.sand 

 livres or $3,878,876, and from the latter of twenty- 

 two millions of livres of $4,074,073. The first 

 loan was in 1778, the last In 1783. 



The first President of the old Congiess was 

 Peyton Randolph of Virginia, chosen Septend)er 

 5th, 1774. 



The last was also a Virginan — Cyrus Griffin, 

 elected January 22d. 1788. 



The oldest of the signers of the Declni-ation oi 



