> 
■: 
| = 
I ; 
$ 
: 
IG 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
n*f-w rttsas w.t: 
ROCHESTER, JANUARY 20, 1855. 
TO AGENTS AND NEW SUBSCRIBERS. 
Back numbers of this volume con still be furnished 
to new subscribers. i Our edition is probably sufficient 
to fill all orders for two ar three iveelcs to come, but 
these who wish to secure the complete volume should 
renew or subscribe immediately. Until our edition is 
exhausted we shall send back numbers to all new sub¬ 
scribers, unless otherwise directed. Agents will please 
note this paragraph ,— and also that additions to 
Clubs ( whether in ones, fives, tens or twenties,) arc 
now in order, and as gratefully received as heavier 
timber. Will not the friends of the Rural govern 
themselves accordingly, and send on the names and 
funds of all who may yet wish to join their companies ? 
«»* 9 s * * * * rV ^ K * *' Y * X * ** d * .<* w* \t 9\ 4 \J* A »'W *V f \ 4 * a w r \ 
Basswood Paper—Cost of 
Congressional. 
In the Senate last week, sundry bills from 
the House were presented. Gen. Cass’s reso¬ 
lution that the soldiers of 1812 be invited to 
take seats in the Senate chamber, was passed. 
A memorial from the Academy of Science, in 
relation to Dr. Kane, was referred to the naval 
committee. Mr. Clayton presented a petition 
of the officers of tlieU. S. frigate Constitution, 
for remuneration for losses sustained in the 
re-capture of the Levant. Mr. Douglas pre¬ 
sented a hill in favor of constructing the Pa¬ 
cific Railroad and a collateral Magnetic Tele¬ 
graph. Read and referred. Air. Shields, from 
the Committee on Military Affairs, reported 
back with amendments the bill for the re-or¬ 
ganization of the army. The hill was ordered 
printed. Mr. Brodhead presented a petition 
praying for an extension of the bounty land 
laws. Referred. Mr. Clayton presented a pe¬ 
tition from Joel Ware, relative to further pro¬ 
tection to American manufactures. Referred 
to Committee on Manufactures. On motion of 
Xffewspcipez's. I Mr. Cass, the first Monday m February was 
! assigned for the consideration of Mr. Under- 
Foleigi) ]f|feJfige*)ce. 
As our readers are aware, consideral 
ton lion has of late been given, in different 
parts of the country, to the manufacture of 
printing paper from materials not hitherto 
used for the purpose. Experiments have been 
made with straw, sea-weed, harks of different 
kinds, basswood shavings, etc., resulting in 
various degrees of success. Though the man¬ 
ufacture of print from either of the materials 
named is still in its infancy—scarcely having 
emerged from its embryo or chrysalis stage— 
we have great confidence, from the samples 
received during the past few months, that 
some one or more of the articles named will 
prove a good and cheap substitute for the rags 
now so extensively (and, as all interested are 
aware, expensively,) used by paper-makers. 
Mention has already been made in the Bu¬ 
bal of paper manufactured from Basswood 
Shavings, by G. W. Beardslee, of Albany, and 
we now have some tangible evidence of his 
partial success in producing the article. • We 
have before us a copy of the Albany Journal 
of Saturday last, printed upon paper made en¬ 
tirely of Basswood. Judging from the quality 
of the paper, (its color, surface and strength,) 
and the appearance of its print, we conclude 
that Mr. B. is making decided progress in per¬ 
fecting his substitute—though the sheet pre¬ 
sents several imperfections, such as lack of 
strength, a rough surface, etc. On the other 
hand, the color is good (and obtained, wc pre¬ 
sume, at little or no expense compared with 
the bleaching of rags,) and the sheet is free 
from the fuzz so common (and vexatious to 
printers) in ordinary paper. 
Whether Basswood is to become the much- 
needed substitute, however, remains for fur¬ 
ther and more satisfactory demonstration.— 
Our impression is that it will prove the thing 
—yet, as many chemists and manufacturers 
are experimenting with other materials, we 
should not be surprised if some better substi¬ 
tute were soon discovered. One thing is cer¬ 
tain, and that is, unless some cheap substitute 
for ragjs is soon adopted in the manufacture of 
printing paper, the increasing demand for and 
expense of the artie’e will compel newspaper 
pub ishers to increase their subscription and 
advertising rates (as many have done a’ready,) 
or diminish the size of their journal. Hence, 
v/e rejoice at every indication, like this of B.’s, 
of an approximation toward the “good time 
coining,” and trust its arrival will not belong 
delayed, for it is a matter in which the people, 
as well as publishers, are directly interested. 
A few words touching the expense of pub¬ 
lishing first class newspapers may not be inap¬ 
propriate in this connection. The first cost of 
issuing a respectable paper is much greater 
than most people suppose, even when prices of 
provisions, labor, &c., are at the lowest rates ; 
and during such times as the present almost 
every item of expense is large y increased.— 
And yet, publishers must not increase their 
price i; an advance of two to four, or even one 
to two, shillings per year on the subscription 
price o' a woek y paper, wou’d ho met with 
“ stop ay paper” from many a subscriber who 
is reeel ring a still greater advance upon his 
labor o. products. For example, the expenses 
of pub' shing the Rural have largely increased 
during lie past two years—the first cost of such 
items as paper, labor, rent, fuel, &c., having 
advanced from 10 to 30 per cent.—yet, as the 
subscription price remains unchanged, our 
profits are greatly diminished. Indeed, were 
it. not for the large increase of our subscription 
list during the period named, we could not now- 
pub ish the paper, in its present style, without 
losing money. Hence, there is no fear of our 
making too much profit, however largely the 
list may be increased this year, unless paper 
and t ome other of the many items of expense, 
can again be trought down toward the basis of 
prices upon which the paper was commenced 
In any event, we hope necessity wi 1 not com¬ 
pel us to do either of the things which many 
of our exchanges have done—increase the price, 
or diminish the size, of the paper; and cer¬ 
tain :y will not if the agents and friends of the 
Rural continue their exertions in its behalf. 
t- | wood’s resolution relative to religious freedom 
in foreign countries. Mr. Fish’s bill for the 
establishment of. a Custom House and Post 
Office at Plattsburg, N. Y., was referred to 
Committee on Commerce. Mr. Rusk moved 
that the Pacific R. R. bill be printed and re¬ 
ferred to special committee. Agreed to. Mr. 
Shields asked and obtained indulgence to bring 
in a bill authorizing a sale of the Rock Island 
R. R., Ill., and for other purposes. 
House. —The Land Graduation bill was dis¬ 
cussed, and several amendments offered, all of 
which were lost, as a'so the bill itse'f. Mr. 
Giddings, of Nebraska, introduced a bill for 
the establishment of post routes for the pro¬ 
tection of proprietors of towns and for the 
survey and settlement of the half breed races 
in that territory. Mr. Crocker introduced a 
bill providing for the continuance of the im¬ 
provement of the Taunton river. Mr. Wheeler 
presented a memorial praying for the estab ish- 
ment of a steam-tug at the mouth of N. Y. 
harbor, to protect life and property on the N. 
J. coast. Referred to committee on commerce. 
Mr. Richardson introduced a bill to improve 
the Mississippi and its tributaries. Referred 
to committee on commerce. The bill to re¬ 
model the dip’omatic and consular system was 
discussed, as a’so the Pacific railroad bill ; and 
a resolution adopted to terminate the debate 
on the latter on the 16th. 
F ire at Le Roy. —The active and pleasant 
villnge of Le Roy, Genesee county, has met 
with a severe calamity by fire. It occurred on 
Saturday morning last, at the corner of Main 
and Worth sts., and was not arrested until one 
of the best business portions of the village, in- 
cluding several dry goods, grocery, and other 
chores, was consumed. The loss is estimated 
, $150,000. Le Roy has once or twice before, 
within a few years, been visited by a like 
destructive conflagration. 
New York Legislature. 
Thb State Legislature continues its daily 
sessions and thus far has been occupied in the 
usual prefatory acts of Legislation ; introdu¬ 
cing a large number of hills, referring them to 
appropriate committees, discussions in com¬ 
mittee of the whole, &c., &c. We have no 
room to give the proceedings in detail, hut 
when bills are passed to a third reading will 
take cognizance of the fact, and give our read¬ 
ers an account of them. In the Assembly, 
bills to prevent the sale or removal of wood, 
stone, timber and bark from the Onondaga 
Reservation, and to expediate the canvassing 
of votes for Senator at the special election in 
the 29th Senatorial district, to be held on the 
30th Jan., were so passed. In the Senate the 
act amendatory of the act for the assessment 
and collection of taxes was finally passed. 
Correciions— are a bore, but occasionally 
“necessary evils,” even in the best regulated 
newspaper offices. For instance, there were 
two or three ludicrous “mistakes of the prin¬ 
ter” in a part of the edition of last week’s 
Rural. The item on second page, which talks 
about making 151 lbs. of butter per day from 
the milk of one cow, should read “ 15£ lbs. 
per week”—and the story is large enough at 
that. (As “misery loves company,” we do 
not feel very uncomfortable on seeing the same 
paragraph in one of our dailies, with the fig¬ 
ures reversed—51A lbs.!) The paragraph 
about seed potatoes, same page, instead of 
reading “prefers to dry his potatoes in wet 
weather,” should read “ prefers to dig,” Ac.— 
a slight difference! In the notice of the an¬ 
nual meeting of the Monroe County Agricul¬ 
tural Society, the name of Asa Rowe, Esq., of 
Sweden, one of the new Vice Presidents, was 
unintentionally omitted. Perhaps if we had 
not attended said meeting, held on the day the 
Rural went to press, there would have been no 
occasion for inditing this, to us, exceedingly 
unpleasant paragraph. t 
Draining Tonawanda Swamp. —We are glad 
to notice the effort making to drain the swamp 
lands in the north part of Genesee county.— 
Some of the best land in the county is now 
worse than useless, for the ivant of a small 
sum to be properly expended in draining.— 
There is no good reason why the Legislature 
should not take the matter in hand and pass a 
law that will cause the improvement to be 
made at the expense of the owners—as has 
been done with the Cayuga marshes. 
Shocking Calamity. —About three o’clock on 
Saturday morning last, the house of Mr. John 
A. Haven, at Fort Washington, near New 
York city, was burned, and three of his daugh¬ 
ters, between the ages of fifteen and twenty, 
perished in the flames. The dreadful calamity 
has occasioned indescribable grief. The lire is 
supposed to have originated in the basement, 
from the carelessness of servants. 
Dr. M. M. Rodgers, author of “Scientific 
Agriculture,” etc., died in this city on Tues¬ 
day, of consumption,-—-as we learn while clo¬ 
sing this paper for the press. 
Arrival of the Baltic. 
The Baltic left Liverpool early on Saturday 
morning, the 30th ult., and reached New York 
Jan. 11th. She brings 82 passengers, inclu¬ 
ding Commodore Perry. 
The Sarah Sands ha 1 put into Cork, with her 
sails damaged, and would proceed on her voy¬ 
age, after repairing, without returning to Liv¬ 
erpool. The Arabia sailed from Marseilles on 
the 21st, with 1540 French troops for the Cri¬ 
mea. No news of importance has been re¬ 
ceived from there. 
A high diplomatic conference was to he held 
at the residence of the British Minister in Vi¬ 
enna, on the 28th. The Ambassadors of Eng¬ 
land, France, Austria, Prussia and Russia, and 
Prince Gortschakoff were to take part in the 
discussions. The conference was to be of a 
private character. 
Affairs before Sebastopol were unchanged up 
to the 20th Dec. The Russians claim to he 
doing considerable damage to the approaches 
of the Allies. Nevertheless, the French 3d 
parallel was mounted with cannon. The rein¬ 
forcements of the Allies down to Dec. 18tli, 
reach 18,000.' 
Five thousand Turks have landed at Eupato- 
ria. The destination of Omar Pacha’s army 
was kept a profound secret. It was thought 
that they wou.d invest the north side of Se¬ 
bastopol. 
The Railway expedition from Eng’and was 
a’ready on the way in seven steamers and two 
sai ing ships, with all the materia s for bui cl¬ 
ing a rai way from Ba'aklava to Sebastopol.— 
The wretched state of the country from heavy 
rains, had a 1 most put a stop to operations.— 
Communication between Pekop and Simpher- 
opoi was comp ctely interrupted, and a week 
had e’apscd since a courier had arrived at 
Odessa from Sebastopol. At last accounts the 
weather had improved with heavy frosts, and 
both armies were renewing their activity. 
Admiral I-Iamelin, writing on the 12tli, says: 
For the last four days that the p ace had kept 
up a tolcrab y brisk fire. The enemy had made 
vigorous sorties against our lines and those of 
the Eng ish. As soon as he reached the para¬ 
pets he was received by a well sustained fire of 
musketry and repu sed at the point of the 
bayonet, after an obstinate struggle. A skir¬ 
mish occurred near Inkerman on the 14th.— 
Two Russian steamers towing 6 gun boats ran 
out of the harbor on Dec. 7th, and after firing 
on a French steamer and bomb-ketch were 
compelled to retire. The passage left between 
the sunken, steamships was on y wide enough 
for one vessel to pass at a time. The allied 
fleets moved outside the double hay of Cher- 
sonesus. 
Orders had been received at Warsaw to com¬ 
plete the additional works of the citadel with¬ 
in the first fortnight of January. Marshal 
Paskiewitch had ordered the immediate enroll¬ 
ment of three flanks of flying artillery. The 
recruits of the new levy arc to create a second 
grand army of reserve, to be concentrated in 
and around Moscow. 20,000 men were occu¬ 
pied in fortifying Kier. 
The Baltic. —France and England have no¬ 
tified the Swedish government that all inter¬ 
course with Finland and the Russian harbors 
in the White Sea is to be stopped. A Russian 
ukase has been lately published, ordaining that 
whoever, after battle, shall commit acts of 
cruelly on the wounded or unresisting shall 
suffer the penalty of death. 
Great Britain.— Parliament is not in ses¬ 
sion. The royal assent has been given to the 
foreign enlistment bill, but the measure con¬ 
tinues as unpopular as ever. It is said the 
articles of the German confederation expressly 
forbid German subjects from entering military 
services of foreign states. 
Col. Colt denies in a letter to the London 
Times that he lias offered to supply his pistols 
to the Czar of Russia. 
The U. S. frigate San Jacinto was at Gibral¬ 
tar, Dec. 12. The steamer New York passed 
the straits the same day. 
France. —The Emperor opened the Legisla¬ 
tive Session of 1855 in person. In his speech 
he alludes to the treaty for the present ; thanks 
the British Parliament for its cordial and warm 
demonstration, and the English army for its 
valuable co-operation. 
The land army is stated at 581,000 soldiers, 
and 114,000 horse, with 62,000 sailors on ship 
hoard. He asks for an additional levy of 140,- 
000 men, and states that the revenue of the 
country remains undiminished. His speech is 
Highly praised, but it has caused a slight de¬ 
pression of the funds. 
On the 27th, the Minister of Finance was 
authorized to negotiate a loan of 500,000f. 
Spain.— A letter from Madrid states that Mr. 
Soule was present at the discussion which took 
place in the Chambers on the sale of Cuba. 
No report of the discussion is given. 
A quarrel has sprung up between the King 
of Naples and the Jesuits, upon the question 
of the superiority of the Pope over the Kings 
of the Earth. 
Liverpool Markets. —Being Christmas week 
all markets were quiet. Wheat and flour quiet 
at previous prices. 
Richardson & Spence report white wheat at 
12s a 12s 9d ; red 10s 3d a 11s 6d. Mixed corn 
44s; yellow 45s ; white 45s 6d a 46s. Beef 
now quiet, at full prices for old. Pork ad¬ 
vanced Is—fair demand. Bacon dull. Lard— 
moderate sales at 50s 6d a 53s. 
Railroad Accident. —On Saturday evening, 
Jan. 13th, while a return emigrant train was 
following a freight train coming East on the 
Rochester & Lockport branch of the N. Y. Cen¬ 
tral Road, the former ran into the latter near 
Brockport, knocking the passenger car attached 
to the freight train to pieces, and injuring sev¬ 
eral persons severely. Mr. James R. Thompson, 
of this city, had his head badly cut and his 
knee injured, and a boy peddling fruit had a 
leg broken. 
Death of a Venerable Lady. —The Albany 
Journal announces the death of Mrs. Ann Van 
Cortlandt Van Rensselaer, the widow of the 
late Phillip Van Rensselaer, in the 89th year 
of her age. She had resided in Albany over 
sixty years. She was the youngest daughter 
of Pierre Yan Cortlandt, the first Lieut. Gov¬ 
ernor of this State . under the Constitution, 
which office was held by him for & period of 
eighteen years. 
Among a number of criminals recently sen¬ 
tenced at Detroit, was one Charles Baker, only 
17 years of age, who was convicted upon six 
different charges of burglary, riot, and assault 
and battery. Upon the first five charges he 
was sentenced for 10 years each, and on the 
last for the balance of his natural life ! 
A paper has been started at Florence, Ne¬ 
braska Territory, which rejoices in the title of 
the Rock Bottom. The cut on the top of the 
paper represents a big Indian, and under it 
appears the name of Stephen A. Douglas, of 
Illinois, for President, and A. C. Dodge, of 
Iowa, as Vice President, for 1856. 
At least one thousand tons of freight were 
daily passing to a market over the Cleveland & 
Erie Railroad, and every ton'represents say 
one hundred dollars. Thus the interruption 
of railroad communication at Erie has resulted 
in the stoppage in transitu of property to the 
amount of $100,000 daily. 
A warrant was issued at Boston Jan. 10, by 
U. S. Commissioner Woodbury, for the arrest 
of John Jackson, an alleged fugitive slave, 
escaped from Capt. John Parks, of Ya. The 
Evening Telegraph says that the vigilance 
committee got wind of the proceedings, and 
started the fugitive for Canada. 
A correspondent of the New York Times, 
who writes from Syracuse under date of the 
4th instant, says :—“ Put this prediction on 
record—that money will go begging for five 
per cent, before the 4th day of July, and food 
will be scarcer and dearer than it has ever 
been known in this country.” 
The Mesilla Valley, and the other territory 
acquired from Mexico, by the last treaty, is 
now under the laws of the United States. The 
proclamation was made on the 15th of Novem¬ 
ber, in the presence of Gov. Merriwether, Gen. 
Garland, &c. The American flag was hoisted 
and saluted. 
The British Revenue for the last fiscal year, 
was about one hundred and seventy-eight mil¬ 
lions of dollars, to wit:—Customs £20,198,641; 
tax £15,526,892. This is more than three 
times that of the United States, and is larger 
than ever before received into the British ex¬ 
chequer. 
Complete returns from the Nebraska election 
for Congresrional Delegate, show the following- 
result:— Giddings, Anti-slavery Dem., 439; 
Johnson, Dem., 845 ; Chapman, Dem., 117 ; 
Dyson, 46 ; Hollister, 15. Mr. Napoleon B. 
Giddings has already taken his seat i£x the 
House. 
The flouring mill of Messrs. Miller & Co- 
quillard, at St. Joseph, (la.,) was destroyed by 
fire on the 6th inst. Loss $10,000. Next day, 
as Mr. C. was walking across a beam, some 18 
feet from the ground, examining the ruins, he 
fell, fractured his skull, and died in an hour. 
The Railroad from Toronto, on Lake Ontario, 
to Collingwood, near the head of Georgian 
Bay, Lake Huron, is completed. The route is 
almost an air line, and the distance, which 
formerly occupied a week to travel, is now ac¬ 
complished in three or four hours. 
Dr. Potter, the Provisional Bishop of the 
diocese of New York, has requested that his 
salary may be five thousand a year, and not 
six thousand, as voted by the Convention. He 
thinks the former sum quite enough for his 
necessities, and is not willing to accept more. 
The New York Evening Post says that the 
money market continues to improve, and capi¬ 
talists will soon find the quantity of solid secu¬ 
rities offering not in proportion to the amount 
of money seeking investments. Money begins 
to accumulate and rates to decline. 
The barque Storm sailed on Monday week 
for Hong-Kong. The Rev. E. Wentworth, 
D. D., accompanied by his wife and son, is a 
passenger. He goes out to join the mission 
family in China, under the care of the Metho¬ 
dist Episcopal Church. 
A young man named Hunter, a conductor on 
the Lockport and Niagara Falls Railway, was 
killed at Lockport Wednesday morning week. 
He was engaged in coupling the cars, when his 
foot caught in the rails at a turn-off, and the 
cars ran over him. 
The Michigan papers assert that the prison¬ 
ers in the State Prison at Jackson, have actu¬ 
ally been engaged in the manufacture of bogus 
coin, and by aid of accomplices outside the 
walls, have put the same in circulation ! 
Mayor Wood, of New York, has opened 
books in which anybody can enter his com¬ 
plaint. One of the entries is that a policeman 
in the 17th ward has not paid his shoe-bill for 
the last year ! 
The Evening Post learns by a private letter 
from Paris that Hon. John Mason, U. S. Min¬ 
ister to France, was struck with paralysis at 2 
o’clock on the morning of the 27th Dec., and 
was quite unwell when the letter was closed. 
The Superintendent of the Panama Railroad 
Co. writes to the agent here, announcing the 
death of Dr. Josiah Hopper, physician to the 
Company, at Aspinwall, on the 23d of Dec. He 
was a son of the late Isaac T. Hopper. 
A new poor house, in Cook county, Ill., was 
recently inaugurated by a grand ball. The 
idea is indicative of progress, and the example 
may be useful. Opening a poor house with a 
ball! This is a great country. 
Seven young men have been arrested in El¬ 
mira, charged with being concerned in recent 
mail robberies. One of them had passed a 
$50 bill which was mailed at Binghamton. 
They have all been sent to Troy for trial. 
A Duchess County Farmer offers to buy corn, 
grind it, and sell it to the poor of New York 
at first cost, provided the Hudson River Rail¬ 
road will take it to the city free of charge. 
One of the largest dry goods jobbing houses 
in Boston has issued a circular to its customers, 
announcing that from and after date all goods 
will he sold on a credit Of not over six months. 
The Court of Appeals, as now constituted, 
consists of the following Judges:—Gardiner, 
(Chief Justice,) Buggies, Johnson, Denio, 
Hand, Marvin, Crippen, Dean. 
The homestead and graduation bills were 
both defeated in the House of Representatives 
on Wednesday week, the former by a vote of 
93 to 72—the latter by 95 to 68. 
Nearly 2,000 persons, says the New York 
Express, have been discharged from the Bible 
House. Cause—want of funds to pay them if 
kept on. 
•ffebis 6Hppii)cj5. 
The Buffalo Republic has been mad? the 
official paper of that city. 
A Canadian Brigade tenders its services in 
the war against Russia. 
Senator Norris, of N. H., died in Washing¬ 
ton on the 11th inst. * 
’Tiie j udicial districts of Nebraska have been 
fixed by Acting-Governor Cummings. 
It is roughly estimated that 827,527,000 lbs. 
of flour are annually consumed in London. 
Arthur L. Payson, a well known Boston mer¬ 
chant, fell dead in his counting-room Jan. 10th. 
Chapman, the defeated candidate for delegate 
to Congress from Nebraska, has returned to Ohio. 
Laborers are said to he receiving two dollars 
per day at Omaha, the new capitol of Nebraska. 
An English paper says that 400 Mormons f rom 
Denmark were on their way to the UnitcdStates. 
Prince Albert has sent a present of a seal skin 
coat to every officer of his regiment in Crimea. 
The President of Paraguay has banished all 
Americans connected with the survey of the 
Paraguay river. 
The total amount of property destroyed by 
fire during the year, is estimated at over $22,- 
000 , 000 . ' 
The new Legislature of Nebraska convened 
at Omaha on the 16th. The new State House 
is completed. 
On Thursday week, hay was selling at $36 per 
ton in Pittsburgh. In Washington it is worth 
about $15 to $16. 
In the case of George W. Greene, the Chica¬ 
go Banker, convicted of the murder of his wife, 
a new trial lias been granted. 
There are fifty-nine newspapers published in 
California, including twenty-nine (of which 
seven are dailies) in San Francisco. 
Tiie South Carolina Legislature has passed a 
hill to allow the President of the State Bank to 
veto the decisions of the Directors. 
Ives, arrested on a charge of robbing his own 
store at Binghampton, has been Held to bail in 
the sum of $500 to answer the charge. 
Navigation is fully open between Kingston 
and Cape Yincent. Vessels arc passing and re¬ 
passing with merchandize and produce. 
Tiie annual meeting of the New York State 
Temperance Society will be held in the Assem¬ 
bly Chamber on the evening of the 17th inst. 
Francis McLelland, of Syracuse, was killed 
recently in the town of De Witt, by the limb 
of a falling tree, which struck him on the head. 
The Howard Association of New Orleans have 
generously contributed $2,000 for the benefit 
of the poor of the city of New York. 
Eleven thousand gallons of sperm oil were 
sold lately in the neighborhood of New Bedford, 
Mass., to a New York dealer, for $1,70 agallon. 
Tiie dwelling and barn of Deacon Palmer, in 
South Avon, were destroyed by fire some days 
since. Loss $2,200. Insured $800. 
A bill has passed both Houses of the Ark. 
General Assembly, prohibiting the circulation 
of Bank notes of a less denomination than $5. 
Rock Island is lighted with gas, and a grand 
celebration in honor of the event came off at 
the Island City Hotel on New Year’s evening. 
The volcano of Cotopaxi is in a 6tate of 
eruption—vomiting forth enormous masses of 
rock, large torrents of brackish water, and 
burning lava. 
Christopher A. Keene, as he styles himself, 
a resident of the sunny South, was arrested in 
New York on the 10th, for selling forged Texas 
State Bonds. 
The navigation of Lake Champlain between 
Plattsburgh and Burlington, is free and unin¬ 
terrupted, and the steamer Saltus continues to 
make her regular trips. 
The Buffalo Courier has a poor opinion of the 
literary taste of Bulfalonians, because 800 peo¬ 
ple went to hear Barnum and only 100 to hear 
Rev. John Pierpoint. 
Father Streeter, of Boston, during his min¬ 
isterial service of 28 years duration, lias married 
3,763 couples! Surely the old gentleman has 
much to answer for. 
Tiie Pittsfield (Mass.) Eagle, says Mr. P. R. 
Markham, of Curtisville, last week killed a pig 
eight months old, which weighed when dressed 
365 pounds. 
The committee, of the Edinburgh Bible Socie¬ 
ty, have placed large Bibles in the waiting 
rooms at the principal stations of the most im¬ 
portant railways. 
The location of the capitol at Omaha city 
sadly disappoints speculators at Nebraska city, 
Belle view, &c., while the office holders will 
make fortunes at Omaha. 
There were forty-eight steamboat accidents 
on the rivers, lakes and bays, and 587 persons 
killed and 225 wounded, during the year 1854. 
A large increase over the previous year. 
The Texas papers say that the Maine Law is 
to be made an issue in the next election of 
members to the Legislature, and they confi¬ 
dently predict its success. 
Dr. E. D. Worcester, of Lockport, died 
suddenly on Friday morning. He was much 
esteemed for his scientific acquirements and 
social qualities. 
M. Burr Hewson, who challenged Prentice, 
the editor of the Louisville Journal, to a duel, 
has been indicted by the Grand Jury in Little 
Rock. His second, Maj. Davis, is indicted also. 
There were 313,747 immigrants landed in 
New York city the past year, an increase of 
30,415 over 1853. Of these, 166,723 were Ger¬ 
mans, 79,400 Irish, and 30,016 from England. 
Letters received in Boston, from Messina, in 
the Island of Sicily, state that the ravages of 
the cholera have been unexampled in that city. 
Some 20,000 persons died in less than a month. 
A son of Thomas French, of North Pembroke, 
N. II., went out hunting rabbits on Sunday of 
last week, and was found with the top of his 
skull blown off—supposed by the accidental 
discharge of his gun. 
A boy about nine years old, was choked to 
death on Sunday week, at Bellevue, N. J., by 
a piece of hickory nut shell, which flew into 
his throat while he was cracking the nut be¬ 
tween his teeth. 
