260 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



JAN. K9, I<>4 



MISCELLANEOUS 



THE WILD FLOWER. 



BY J. F. SMITH. 



Sweet wilding lufls that, 'mid the waste. 



Your lowly liuds expand ; 

 'I'houglr hy no sheltering walls embraced, 



Nor trained by beauty's hand : 



4 



'J'he primal flowers which grace your stems, 



Bright as the dahlia's shine, 

 Found thus, like unexpected gems, 



To lonely hearts like mine. 



'Tis a quaint thought, and yet perchance, 



Sweet blossoms, ye are sprung 

 From flowers that over Eden once 



Their pristine fragrance flung. 



ThatMrank the dews of Paradise 



Beneath the starlight clear; 

 Or caught from Eve's dejected eyes. 



Her first repentant tear. 



ETHAN ALLEN IN ENGLAND. 

 Col. Ethan Allen was a man destined to strike 

 the world as somethinjr uncommon, and in a high 

 degqp interesting. He was bnt partially educa 

 ted and but obscuYely brought up ; yet no man 

 was ever more at ease in the polished ranks of life 

 than he. Not that he at all conformed to their ar- 

 tificial rulesiand title etiquette ; but that he obser- 

 ved the dictates of natural good sense and good 

 humor. His bearing was in total defiance of fash- 

 ion, and he looked and acted as if he thought it 

 would be a condescension this to trammel himself. 

 It is well known that early in life, in his own coun- 

 try, he acquired an influence over his fellow-mrn, 

 and led I hem on to some of the most daring achieve- 

 ments. Ho seemed to have possessed all the ele- 

 ments of a hero — a devoted patriotistn, a resolute 

 and daring mind, and an excellent judguTCnt. 

 ^His conduct as a partisan oflicer is well known 

 in this country, and was of great service to the 

 cause of liberty during our revolutionary struggle. 

 He was taken prisoner and carried to England; 

 where his excellent sense, his shrewdness and wit. 

 introduced him into the court region. A friend of 

 our earlier life, who was well acquainted with this 

 part of the history of this smgular man, used to 

 take great delight in felling us some anecdotes of 

 Coh Allen, while a pri.soner in London. We have 

 before mentioned the firmness with which he resis- 

 ted the attempts to bribe him from the cause of hks 

 conntry, and the caustic satire with which he re- 



tioned as highly interesting. His Majesty asked | she, " never mind the subject — any thing will do 



plied to a nobleman, who w 



as commissioned by the 



ministry to make him formal offers to join the Bri 

 tish cause in America. The incident is a strikincr 

 one, and will bear a repetition. 



The commissioner, amongst the templing laro-es- 

 ses proposed that if he he would espouse the c "use 

 ofthe king, he might have a fee simple in half 

 Of he State of Vermont " lama plain man," said 

 Col. Allen in reply, « and have read but few books, 

 but 1 have seen in print somewhere, a circumstance 

 that forcibly reminds me of the proposal of your 

 lordship : ,t IS of a certain character that took a cer- 

 tain other character into an exceedino- hi.^h moun- 

 tain, and showed him all the kingdoms ofU.e earth 

 and the glory thereof, and told him that if he would 

 fall down and worship him, these would all be his ; 

 andthe rascal" added he, " dicPnt own afuot of them "' 



His interview with the King at Windsor is men- 



tlie stout-hearted mountaineer, if they had any 

 newspapers in America. " But very few, and these 

 are but little read," was the answer. " How tlien," 

 asked the King, "do the common people know of 

 .these grievances of which they complain, and of 

 'Vjjiiicb we have just been speaking ?" "As to that," 

 said he, " I can tfll your Majesty, tliat amongst a 

 people who have felt the spirit of liberty, the news 

 of oppressJon is carried by the birds of the air and 

 the breezes of heaven." "That is too figurative 

 an answer from a matter of fact man, to a plaiiii 

 question," rejoined the King. "Well, to be plaii^," 

 answered the rebellious subject, " among oull^peo- 

 ple the tale of wrong is carried from man to man, 

 and fron neighborhood to neighborhood, with the 

 speed of electricity ; my countrymen feel nothing 

 else : 'out of the abundance of the heart tlie mouth 

 speaketh.' I will add, with great re.spect to your 

 Majesty, that such a people cannot be put down 

 with the sword." 



The King made a long pause, as if strongly im- 

 pressed with the truth of his remarks. At length, 

 changing the subject, he asked Col. Allen if he 

 knew Dr Franklin ; and being answered in the af- 

 firmative, inquired concerning his experiments with 

 electricity, and expressed a curiosity to experience 

 an electric shock. The British sovereign seemed 

 to take pleasure in the conversation, which he kept 

 up for more than an hour, and at length made Col. 

 Allen promise to visit him with his countryman, Dr 

 Franklin, at his palace in London. Some weeks 

 .after this, he was reminded of his promise by the 

 nobleman above mentioned, and an hour was fixed 

 for the homebred philosopher of America to explain 

 the mysteries of a new discovery in science to the 

 royal family. They attended accordingly, and with 

 an apparatus chiefly of his own invention, Dr Frank- 

 lin exhibited many of those simple and amusing ex- 

 periments, for which he was so noted, and at which 

 the royal children, even those of a larger growth, 

 were much delighted. 



In this playful way, Dr Franklin took occasion 

 to convey instructions as to the properties of this 

 astonishing fluid. While the royal habitation was 

 thus in a most unkingjy uproar, the Premier was 

 announced as in waiting. The King seemed for a 

 moment disturbed. " I forgot my appointment 

 with the minister," said he, "but no matter, I will 

 eschew business for once, and let North see how 

 we are employed." Accordingly the minister was 

 ushered in witli little ceremony, and it was soon 

 concluded that he should have a shock. Allen 

 whispered to the Dr. to remember how he had 

 shocked ns' iicrcms. the waters, and to give him a 

 double charge ; whether it was designed on the 

 hint of his friend or not, was not ascertained, but 

 the charge was so powerful on the nerves of Ins 

 ordship, as to make him give way in the knees, at 

 which all, especially the Princesses, were almost 

 couvulsed with mirth, 



Some of Col. .Mien's happy retorts at the clubs 

 and fashionable parties are still remembered and 

 often repeated. On one occasion he was challeng- 

 ed to a glass of wine, by the beautiful Duchess of 

 Rutland, who seems to have been particularly 

 pleased with his independent manner, "and you 

 must qualify your glass with a toast," observed the 

 lady. The ' Varmonter' very unaffectedly observed 

 that he was n'ot used to that sort of ceremony, and 

 was afraid he might give offence. If, however, the 

 lady would bo so good as to suggest a subject, he 

 would end ea\ 'or to give a sentiment "0,"said 



so that it has no treason in it." " Well," says h« 

 " this may do for a truth if not for a toast," anc 

 fixing his eyes adoringly on the far-famed cout 

 beauty, he proceeded : 



" If any thing could make a double traitor out o 

 a good patriot, it would be the witchcraft of sue] 

 eyes as your ladyship's." 



The blunt sincerity with which this was spoker 

 together with its exact fitness to the occasion ani 

 the person, caused it to be long hailed in the ' beai 

 tnonde,' as an excellent good thing; and althoug! 

 it had the effect of heightening for a moment tha 

 beauty to which it was offered as a tribute, it is sai 

 the fair Duchess often afterwards boasted of th 

 compliment as far before all the empty liomag 

 she had received from the glittering coxcombry t 

 the city. 



A lady once sneeringly asked col. Allen, in 

 large assembly, at what time fashionable ladies i 

 America preferred taking the air. He perceive 

 her drift, and bluntly answered, " Whenever it wa 

 necessary to feed the geese and turkeys." " What, 

 inquired the lady, " do the fine women in your couD 

 try descend to such menial employments ?" Alle 

 was always aroused at any attempt to depr^-ciat 

 the fair ones of his own country, and with a goo 

 deal of warmth he replied, " American ladies hay 

 the art of turning ev^n amusements to accoiint- 

 Manj of these ladies could take up the sub 

 ject of your Grace's family history, and tell you c 

 the feats of valor and bursts of eloquence to whic 

 your ladyship is probably indebted for your distit 

 guished name, most of which it is likely, would b 

 as new to you as the art of raising poultry." Th 

 sarcasm produced a deep blush iW the face of th 

 faii- scoffer, hot it procured for the captive and h 

 countrymen an indemnity against court ridicule f( 

 the future. 



An Engli.'h gentleman, who had long been su 

 fering with an imposthiiine, was declared by h; 

 physician to be at the point of death. Havin ■ bad 

 farewell to his wife and children, he expr. nsed 

 wish to take leave of his servants. One aftt 

 another they came in, kissed his hand, listened teai 

 fully to his advice and blessing, and bowing Ion 

 left the room. Last of all came a favorite monkej 

 He too bowed respectfully, placed one paw in hi 

 master's hand, and with the other covered his eyei 

 At this ludicrous sight, the dying man burst int 

 such a convulsion of laughter, that the imposthum 

 broke, and he recovered. 



' Cromtoell's Skull. — A person visiting a museui 

 of curiosities, was shown the skull of Oliver Crom 

 well. "It is extremely small," said the visitor.- 

 " Bless you sir," replied the Cicerone, " it was hi 

 skull when he was a little boy." "j. 



Henry VI. being asked why he went so mean! 

 attired, answered, "It beseeiaeth a king to exce 

 his subjects in virtue, not in vesture." 



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