Indiana American, Volume 3, Number 20, Brookville, Franklin County, 15 May 1835 — Page 2

For the Indiana American. 1 Mu. Printer: A friend who called on me few nights past, favored ine with the perut il of a new political catechism, said to have ;ieen adopted in 1S-25- And my friend thinks, rctty generally believed and acted on at this

lay. I had onlv time to make the following xtract, on account of the early departure of ny trientl. on his return 1 may copj the ba;.ince. 1 his will serve however, as an exam le: A Subscriber. Extract of a modern Political Catechism, Question 1st. What are the great duties of public onicersT Anszccr. The duties of officers vary accor ding to the station in which they may sever ally be placed. If the office be one authorising an individual to make, or participate in die making appointments, then his first great July, in this country where almost every office is elective, is to examine the list of candidates, nd if he finds one who voted for his opponent at his election, then to "attend to his case," or in other words, prevent, if in his power, the appointment of such person. Q slslion 2nd. How will a man, acting in this mnner, answer to his conscience for such n course of conduct, under the solemnities of his oath of office? Answer. His oath has nothing at all to do in mis matter, he being sworn only to dis charge with fidelity the duties of his office. Question 3rd. But in the case contempla ted in your first answer, is not the making of appointments an important part of his duty as an officer; and does not these words of his oath, "faithfully discharge the duties of the office,1' most obviously bind him in the most solemn manner, to lay aside all prejudices, ana io act nis judgement, unbiased and free, und for the interest of the people, whose ser vant, ne is i .Inszcer. I am aware that much is said, late years, about the solemnity and imposing cuaracter oi oaths, and their binding effect, as regards the duties of officers. Rut for nnp. I have always regarded them in the light of preliminary steps, and and solely of a qualify "85 tiu imposing nature. Ana I am nappy to see that the subjci io ro6.rdoH that light by officers generally. question 4th. V hy docs the statute require an officer to take an oath, "faithfully and impartially to discharge his duties as such," unless it were, in this solemn manner, to secure the people against the evils to which they would be liable, if an officer was left free to disregard the interest of the people, by indulging his malignity, or gratifying his pleen, on those, who perhaps at the election did not give him their suffrages? Ansrccr. I cannot admit, for a moment, the monstrous doctrine embraced in -our question. 1 his would makean officer entirely the servant of the people, and thus destroy his inde pendence. It would place it out of his powa tc :1 .1. i , t . er io "puiusu me man wno dared to vote lor his opponent, and prevent him from rewarding those, through whose exertions he was elected. Who, in this way, and in this country might expect a second election. His friends unrewarded,Jwould doubtless forsake him; his enemies unpunished, would be einboklened, to oppose him afresh, unawed by dread of that punishment, of which they have had no example, in the officer's former con duct. No sir, take from the officer the power, nay, the right to deal forth rewards and punishments, deprive him of the high privilege the glorious perogative of punishing, in the most exemplary manner, the insolence of him who, under the color of right under the spacious name of independence, might dare to preter his opponent, audrwho then would take an office? And as regards the Statute, anu us impositions,! regard it unconstitution nl and void, I ?mcan upon the construction implied in the last question. From N. Y ."Courier & Enquirer THE COMET OF 1935. The following new observations upon the comet of Halley, the return of which is announced for the month of November next, are extracted from a little work recentlv nublished on that subject, by M. Pontecoulant, one of me most eminent l-rench astronomers of the day. It will be seen by them, how far the anticipations of the lovers of the marvellous are likely to be gratified. M. Pontecoulant ays: "Ut all the comets at present known, the most remarkable for Us importance in the his tory oi astronomy, is unquestionably that call cu ine comet ot llallev, which re-appears at intervals oi , o or i o years. 1 he hrst appearance of this comet was marked by some ex traordinary circumstances; since those periods it nas successively lost its alarming characteristics; its size has diminished its light greatly enfeebled and at its last appearance, it had nothing in its appearance to distinguish it from an ordinary romrt. TUt f ITr.llr.. has been, for a long time, the only one of uic periodical returns were known. Our planetary system has received the addi tion, within a few years of two new comets of i the same species; but although they offer to uie astronomer and geometrician some subjects of interesting research, the short duration of their period, the circumscribed space within which they arc, to speak, enclosed, the slight perturbations which they undergo, and which change but in a very trifling degree, me elements ol the orbits make them in effect, as lo nearly all physical phenmenon, nothing more or less to us than new planets. They do not, like the other comets, sweep beyond the knon limits of our planetary system; they do not, after a near approach to the fun, retire lo distances so vast as to confound the imagination: in a word, they do not possess those characteristics of grandeur and regularity w hie rTrvt tract u, in tpite of ourselves,

to every thing which appears lo overleap the ordinary course of nature.'

"it is about the middle ot ot November, 1 8 Jo, that, according to every appearance, the passage of the comet through the point of its orbit nearest to the sun, will take place IIowever,notwithstanding the certainty of the methods we have employed in our calculation, justifies the hope that the period of this pas sage cannot differ more than a few days, at the most, from that we have assigned to it, nothing positive in that respect can yet be affirmed; in fact, the great number of quanti ties which are necessarily neglected in this calculation the corrections of which the planetary masses may still be susceptible especially that of Uranus, which is but very imperfectly known the resistance of a very rare medium which exercised an evident in fluence on the movement of the comet of 1819, and of which the effect must be to diminish the greater axis of the orbits of comets, and of consequence, the period of their revolution all these circumstances may so concur as to disappoint our predictions: and to retard or advance the time fixed for the return of the comet to its perihelion." The comet, according to the plan of its route which we present, will be visible thro" out Europe from the end of August or the be gining of September, that is to say, about two months before it reaches its perihelion. Its position will be very favorable for making it appear with its greatest brilliancy. It will pass the zenith of Paris on the third of Octo ber; it may then be distinguished by the na ked vision and will appear like a star of the first magnitude, though with a light a little more dim than that of the planets, and surrounded with a pale nebulosity, which will impair its brightness. Towards the end of November the comet will disappear, become invisible in the rays of the sun, from which it will not emerge until about the end of De cember. It may then Derhaos be a Fain visi ble for some days; but as its distance from the sun will rapidly augment, it will soon be at such a point that w e can no longei follow its track:. Such will be the physical appearance of the comet pi 1 t oil in its annrnafhinpr return, if nnva.-lk.nic I 3 7 olution it is just accomplishing, has not ma terially diminished the mass of matter which composes it as has been remarked to have happened to other cornels. We need not, then, "expect, as we have already said, to see "in 1835 one of those stars of horrible aspect, "as described on its hrst appearance horribuis "aspectu,) & of a gigantic magnitude (horrenda "magmtudinisA which filled the world with "consternation in the dark ages." Thus, it appears, by this lcared astronomer instead of having a baleful comet with a tail reaching trom pole to pole, that should eclipse the light of the moon and quench all the stars, "And from its horrid Lair, Shake pestilence and war!" and all the dire train of earthquakes, hurri canes, volcanoes, &c. which Lieut. Morrison has promised by way of interludes, this terri ble comet of li35 is to be as modest and well behaved a comet as has ever vet visited us. We are sorely disappointed at this result of our philosopher, as we have no doubt not a few of our readers will be. Uut then, on the other hand, M. Pontecoulant gives us in the sequel of his observations, considerable encouragement to expect, though not at a very early day, a downright rencontre between our planet and some unluckj' comet. Now take our words for it, and we do not speak without lull consideration whenever that happens, the comet be it the comet of Halley, or that ofEncke,or any of the tribe gets the worst of it that day! liut, to speak senouslv. we know we encounter the authority of no less than I.a Place himself, as well a M. Arago, and M. Pontecoulant, w hen we treat the idea as a ridiculous one. But let us ask. for a mo ment, what probability there is that any comet can come nearer such a catastrophe with regard lo the earth, than that comet did with regard to the sun, which approached so near that if it had kept on but one single hathour 1 l jl,. . 1 ! J. i 11 i i luugci ni iijc liut; ii was travelling, it would have fallen into the body of that luminary! And yet when it had approached so near, the comet was either repelled by the similar electric state of the sun, or ils further course re sisted by the density of the medium which surrounded that body even at that distance, and its direction consequently changed. But whatever may have been the cause, the fact seems to prove that all our speculations about such encounters of comets with planets or suns are entirely chimerical. It is indeed too much to say that no changes can take place in our system by the advent of a comet. It is a plausible conjecture enough that or moon was once a body of that description, and by venturing too near our earth, was arrested in its speed, thrown out of its proper orbit, and assumed the rank of a satellite to our planet. k nere is, however, another lact against this hypothesis, too well established by the observations upon a late comet, which actually "got entangled," to use the phrase the astronomers have applied to it, "among the satellites of Jupiter," and was by that means delayed about thirty days in its passage through its perihelion. Now if a comet thus retarded bv the attraction of so large a planet as Jupiter, and thus"entangled" among his satellites, es caped after a slight delay and performed its revolution, we are led to the conclusion that there is some inherent quality in those bodies which forbids the possibility of actual contact or anv very near approach to any other heav enly body whatever, in our planetary system. We shall not undertake to speak so positively of what may happen among those hxed stars as we can them, particularly those whose light has not yet had time to reach our globe in the since it creation!

LAW OF INDIANA. Arf ACT, Providing against trespassing animals. (Approved February 7, 1835.), Sec. 1 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Slate of Indiana. That if any domestic animal or animals, shall trespass by breaking into the inclosures of any person or persons, such person or persons being injured by such trespassing animal or animals, may apply to the fence viewers of the township, who shall forthwith repair to the place where such in

jury was done, and there dilicentlv examine the fence over or through which such tres passing animal or animals broke or entered into any such enclosure. Sec. 2. That if in the opinion of the fence viewers such fence is of sufficient height and strength, and in everv respect such as good husbandmen generally keep, they shall pro ceed iromview and inquiry to assess the damages sustained bv such applicant from such trespassing animal or animals, which assess ment including the sum due for their services they shall certify and deliver to the person sustaining such damages. Sec. 3. That if the owner or possessor of such trespassing animal or animals shall refuse to pay the said damages on demand, the per son so injured may deliver said certificate lo a justice of the peace in the proper town ship, who shall issue process thereon and pro ceed to judgement and execution as in other cases. Sec. 4. That if in the opinion of the fence viewers the fence shall be insufficient, the per son caning upon tnem to view and examine the same shall pay all costs of scuh view and examination, to be recovered by action of debt, at the suit of such fence viewers, with costs, before any justice of the peace in the proper township. oec. o. l nat each ot the lence viewers shall be entitled to receive fifty cents per day, lor their services rendered under this act, and any fence viewer, who shall neglect or refuse to perform any duties enjoined on him by this act, shall be subject to pay a fine of not more than five dollars for every such neglect or refusal, to be recovered by action of debt, at the suit and for the use of the persons injured by such neglect or refusal. Sec. 6. Whoever shall kill or damasre such trespassing animal or animals, by hunting or driving them from such enclosure, or in any other manner, intentionally, shall be liable for all damages so sustained, to the owner or own ers of such animal or animals. Sec. 7. That so much of the act concern ing enclosures and trespassing animals ap proved February the seventh, eighteen hundred and thirty-one, as contravenes the provisions of this act, be, and the same is hereby repealed. This act to take effect and be in force from and after its publication. The Constituency of the Baltimore Conven tion. A primary convention was held at Con cord, N. II., on the 15th ult., for the purpose ol electing delegates to the Van Buren Con a T t . m venuon at Baltimore, ien towns were registered, and five of the delegates were Post Masters.- JY. Y. Cour. y- Lnq. Slannard and the foot race. We were not quite correct in stating that Stannard had been training lor the late pedestrian exploit; for, strictly speaking, he had no training at all. A gentleman who certainly knows all there is to be known on tfie subject, authorizes us to slate that Mr. Stannard, who is the son of a respectable farmer, in Killingworth, Conn. and himself a young man of most unexceptioni i . . . ... ame cnaracter and habits, called on Mr. Stevens about three or four weeks before the day appointed for the trial, to know whether it was really expected to take place, and if so, to enter his name as a competitor for the prize, iur. otcvens asked him what reason he had to suppose it possible for him to win it, and whether he had been in any training for the purpose? Not at all, he replied, but haying seen the notice in the Courier & Enquirer a dar or two before, he had taken his watch and gone out upon the "Boston road" in the night and made a trial, which satisfied himself that he could do it. He then left Mr. Stevens for home, telling him as he went away that he would be back again in a few days before the race, and would certainly contend for the purse, as he was confident he could obtain it. Accordingly, he returned about a week previous to the day, and Mr. Stevens asked him whether he had been training: he replied that he had not, but he knew very well that he could go the ten miles with in the hour. Such an adventure, however was to the contrary of the habits of the community in which he had been reared, that he was very unwilling to have his name mentioned in connexion with it. Some days pre vious to the race, he went with Mr. Stevens on to the course, and he made the trial of five miles which he did within the half hour, but came out very much exhausted having done the urst mile too rapidly. He was told this would never do He must be more moderate in the commencement of the race, or it would be impossible for him to win. The day before the grand trial, he again went on to the ground with a gentleman, and went the distance just within the time. This is all the "training" Stannard ever had, and we are as sured that he had never been at all in the habit of running. Un rnday he went on the ground and won the race in as fine a style as a similar feat was ever performed in, under such circumstances. It was with considerable difficulty that he could be restrained from putting forth more speed during the race. He disliked very much to see his competitors going so far ahead of him in the last miles, and he Legged hard of Mr. S. to let him reach them; but he was checked until he had ran 91 miles, when he was exactly in time and had not a second

to spare, and when he wns told to 4igo ahead"!

as he pleased; and go ahead he did, to some purpose, for this part of his running was most splendid; the last quarter of a mile being done in one minute and eight seconds, iienrv Stannard is described to us as a fine looking young man, shrewd, sensible, and with a good education, and his whole deportment during the performance, as well as when it was so triumphantly terminated was in every respect perfectly proper, and honorable to himself and his mends.-5--V. I. Oour. y ,nq. PRUNING FRUIT TREESWe deprecate the old practice of trimming fruit trees, in autumn winter or spring. Vegetation being then dormant, trees can make no speedy effort to cover the wounds inflicted by the knife and saw. These wounds exposed lo searching winds, and a scorching sun, come disseases and often bring on premature decay. Besides, an attentive observer must have noticed that whenever pruning is performed in the spring, three shoots are often thrown out where one has been cut away, so that the very evil which it is intended to remedy, a redundancy of useles spray, is increased rather than disminished. If pruning is performed in summer, after the first growth, say in the first fifteen days in July, or the last seven in June, the tree then abounds in elaborated sap, the wounds are speedily bealed,and amply protected by the foilage, from the malign influence of the sun and winds.-We have remarked in successive yeais. and the lact is noticed by others, that when a tree is pruned in summer, there are very seldom'any sprouts seen to shoot from the parts where the knile and saw have been employed. If the reader will try the experiment of summer pruning upon a few trees, we have little doubt he will agree with us that it has a jdccided preference over that pruned in any other season. I he grand error of our far mers consists in not pruning at all, or enly at long intervals, when it becomes necessary to take out large limbs, and in doing this, the axe is too often employed, which mangles the tree so badly that they seldom fully recover Irom it. I runing should be performed annu ally, while the limbs to be taken off and the spray are small. The operation is then trifling and safe and, the wounds speedily heal. Wc want no beter evidence of a slovenly farmer, man to see nis iruit trees so enveloped with succors as to render it doubtful which is the parent a case which baling a litle fiction, is iY t 1 .a - . . ouen witnessed nytne traveller. Xot so Bad. We acknowledfp.with a duo sense of the obligation, the "receipt of a new j i . if .. ... f . uany journal irom the Munshing city of L tica, entitled "The Fap-End," "edited by an Associalon of Printers' Devils," Price One Pcncr," which for cleverness and originality goes far adead of any penny journal within our knowledge. In the prospectus, after dilating on the necessity which imperatively calls for the establishment of the new paper, in the usual terms, the associated editors gravely enlarge on the inconceivable expense of getting up their paper, (amounting, as the v flvrr. fn four and six-pence,) and demand a corresponding iiDeranty on the part ol the public, who, it is significantly remarked, will at least "show ther cents if they take the paper." After a sufficiently palhecic and pompous appeal in behalf of their "undertake-in." the nnhlUhprs close with the pithy injunction "Ivgader,fork over. uii-uirty vi nil is nm rnnhnnH r iho introductory article. Among the advertise ments are those Of'Dr HanHaiw'a rhnmnhnr. ated Essence of Stove-Pi np. fnr fli -n m rC uiupsy in uie ioot, burnt hngers,"&c. with "a J .1 - r . . : icw .Cgsoiine uncture ol liridiron;" "Joe Strickland's History oftho TTni "Lives of Eminent Bull-Frogs, in 1G vol's. Humiu nu cast-iron engravings;" "Canal Steamboats with white nak bnilorc" w works with "elegant brick-bat" ilustrations, vc. occ. X ne editorial naraprnnhs nrp nlil-P K:r j . , . -o--r unci auu pungent as lor mstauce 1 here are said to be two runners, three loafors and a negro to every stranger arriving in town. This is what the landlords rail a brisk run.' "io our Patrons.-We intend to enlarge our next paper if not in size of sheet, we will I a De sure to enlarge the type, so as not to injure the eye-sight of our patrons:" The joke here is, that the tvne is now lartro enouoghfora handbill, while the sheet is 1 it f -w . . aDout ine size oi a J une cab bage leaf. If the boys go on at this rate, thev will mm. niVh eclipsing their masters, at least in the "item" une. it tneir be here anv drar frnH tn v s- i a penny-a-sheet literatnre. we advise him in patronize the "Fag-End." JVca- Yorker. Jew York and Erie Rail Pnnrf. Tho kl-0 of the New York and Erie Rail Road Com pany were opened for subscription at New York on Wednesday, and .Qfi45 .OOft scriDea on that dav. Th A morgan r . - , ...wuuuIhursday states, that, including 1,000,000 J"1"""5'; ouustriuea, uie amount taken at 1 o'clock or. that day exceeded 1,700,000: an amount sufficient to secure the immediate completion of at least 150 miles of the road. Jezo lork paper. Interesting from the mnnn SnmAhl England is about to publish a map of the moon. in which lu ... o b'"f"j l iii-iuu "lamiliar to the mpanpsr nnni., ti . - VUj,Wl,, i 11C interesting planet. w an infnrm : about as much land as our own; so that, of vVU.o, .no iieriy an land, and we take it, therefore, that the lunarians have very little occasion for sailors,and it is doubtful whether they have ever introduced steamboats at all. It is not stated upon what terms a good farm may be purchased in that country ,nor is there a word said about the quality of the soil. It must be a cruel cold climate and too far

nordi entirely, for the culture of cuciintfcers. We hope the ingenious projector of tliis map since he takes so praise worthy an interest

in these lunatic anairs, will send an early coppy of it to the office of the Evening Post. Cour. irEnq. A bran new article. A country would bdaudy called in at a public house in tbii borrough a few days since to 'refresh himselfand after taking a half pint of bear, inquired of the hostess if she had any segars?,r Vve have none but Spanish," replied the l ift Kjpiniioi. i cAuaiiiiiu me customer, "that must be a bran new article. If vnn li.i good smokin, segars I would'nt much raiad ouyin, a cent s worm. Massachusetts Morals. That portion of the 'Bay State,' known as the Old Colonr consists of the counties of PI vmmiti, t.and Barnstable, & containing about 120,000 luuaDiianis. ji me recent session of the courts is these counties, after a vacation of three months in one, four another, and seven in the other there were but t9 indictments in the whole of them, and each of these for petty larcenies of less' than ten dollars in amount, and not a single indict, ment has been found for any aggravated of. fence, or any that would subject the offender, lo punishment in the State Prison. It i3not likely that a paralel state of society could ba found in the world. The Portland Advertiser announces its da. termination to test the constitutionality of law suppressing small bank notes, and invita subscribers to continue remittances as her tofore, in these notes. The Advertiser sayi "When states pass laws interfering with men's buiscness, where they have no rightto interfere, and when they linterfere unequally we shall pay just as much attention to them) as is for our convenience and no more; as for example, we should wear a black hat eveo if the state ordered a white one, and meaa. ure potatoes though 7the state orders weight. No blue laws here. No laws regulating dress, manners and behavior. Equal righti andeqaul laws is the principle on which our government is founded." MEXICO. By the arrival of the Congress, which left Vera Cruz on the 8th April, we have advicei from that city of Mexico lo the 1st. They giro particulars of another revolutionary mo? ment in that district of country, which eemi destined to involve the nation again in Uia horrors of a civil war. The demonstration against the existing order of things, took place in the town of Texca, on the coast of the Pacific, sereu leagues from the port of Acapulco. From the manifesto of the Chief, Gen I. Alvarez, it appears that the movement is directed against the supremacy of Gen. Santa Ana, whose official acts are held up to general reprobation. A full amesty is proclaimed for all political officers since the revolution, from which, however, Santa Ana and his Minister! arc especialy and solely excluded. So far as wc can rely on our imperfect knowledge of the internal policy and govern ment of Mexico, we infer that the measure ii fully justified by the tyranical and unconstitutional course of the existing rulers. How far it may be successful,is a problem more diffi. cult of solution, but it is said that the states of ZacatccasUurangoand Valladoiid, have declared for the movement; while great alarm pervades the official adherents of Santa Anna in Vera Cruz, and even the Capital is nol free from apprehension. Two thousand troopi have left Mexico tor the seat of the insurrection. An express was sent to Santa Anna, who was on his farm near Vera Cruz, requiring his immediate presence al the seat of Government. The country feels sensibly the effects of iU unsettled condition. Robberies arc frequent. A stage was recently attacked within a day'i travel of Mexico, and the passengers robbed of all their money and baggage. The Congress brings 90,000 in specie. Politics of Europe. The North American Review, in noticing a late French political work, concludes the interesting article as follows. "The view we have taken of the present condition of that interesting country have momentous bcaringupon ourown. Arc notour liberties in danger, and from the same causo that seems to retard the progress of freedom In France? Have we not, like the people of France, evinced that we are not enough aware of the sanctity ofthe charter of our rights! Have not we like them, been dazzled and blinded by personal courage & military gloryt Have not we been too ready to lake up arms to avenge our real or fancied wrongs? Have there not been acted among us, within the year, scenes more disgraceful to a people, and io iiuman nature, than the emeulcs unaer Louis Phillippe, or even than the mad carnage of the old revolution? We much fear that the respect for order, the submission in Inur tha v-.,. 1 fiTvi tinfl which distinguished our fathers, and which alone could have called forth the fair form of our republic from the chaos of revolution, are riJISSI n or n n.n v 4 r- rv-k t V. 1 j " 3 j iiij uitrii ucottiiuuuw" the French, we are in danger of abandoning the feelling of reverence for all institutions: auu iiKe tnem, so surely as we do mis, " "" be trodden under foot by a tryant; it matters little whether he be called King or President. 4l . I , ; o u r j i j- it ho u iijja uuui uiuaiKiiebs or uhiici, hoves all good men to combine together Sot the Dreservation nf rrnnA institutions by CJ preing,in tones of reproach and indignation. ..isBjis. VI UCUd VJ WJV.wy to cultivate among the people a more dev ted morality, more sincere religion and higher views on tne sacred charter ol Jaw. . o