Weekly Messenger, Volume 1, Number 52, Vevay, Switzerland County, 11 September 1832 — Page 4
MARIA II OS Sltf Eli L. A few year since, business of a mercantile nature called m-3 lo 13 s!on, the metropolis of New Fglind. There is :n air of quiet neatness .).' inostcntacious elegance i rr this place, whih I have never teen in any other
place of sucli extensive wealth and prosperous IraJe. New York may, without condemnation, be pru I of her hundred spires the thousand flags in her harbor the immensity of her commerce the revenue she pays to the treasury of the nation, and the just title of the -'London of America;" yet, although not prejudiced in fivor of what are termed 'B ;!! nation," I should prefer a residence in that city to any I have ever visited. Elegant retirement friendly hospitality unassuming benevolence and literary taste and refinement exists in their most fascinating firms, and the state of society is evidently considerably in advance of any other place
on the continent. In regulating my mercan
tile aflYirs, it became necessary to call fre
quently at the house of Mr. M , a person
who eimbineu all the qualities that consti
tute the gentleman. 1 frequently dined with
him and family, which consisted only of his
wife, one ef the most charming and lovelv
women I have ever seen, and three fresh blooming, and beautiful children, the culture of whose budding, promising powers, formed
their chief and most delightful recreation. There was an ease and familiarity which can exist only in the most culiivated minds a
frankness which can only be the result of
confidence, and a harmony and sympathy in
our sentiments which endeared them to me
and I do not recollect an acquaintance in any
family that appeared to en oy such unalloy
ed happiness. On one of these visits, I ob
served on the table a plate of most delicious strawberries, which were the first I had that
season sf en, nd mide a remark to that ef
fect. i . mi t M t mm
'inese oernes, saia Mr. ivi , "are my peculiar favorite, as he significantly put hie finger o his forehead, where, on its broad
and smooth surface, I had often noticed
small, red protuberance.no! widely differing
n appearance frtm the fine fruit before us. 44 Your predilection," answered I, smiling
"is sntncientlv accounted for, but it must
have been a fortunate hit indeed, which pla
ced it on a spot where it is so plainly dis
eernable.
"It wa9 not altogether accident," he repli
ed ; "I have often heard my mother relate
the circumstances; I was their oldest child; but a short time before I was born, my father
and mother walked into a field where there was an abundance of strawberries, and while my mother seated heiself on a mossy bank in the shade of a wide spreading ush, my father had selected a number of stems of the finest friit, and throwing himself by her side, tossed them into her lap. They were just what the wished, and while eating them, a large
and beautiful red one attracted her notice." 'See what a delicious strawberry I have
found,' eaid ehe, holding it up by the stem to
my father,
"That, my dear, is mine,"' he replied, pU) fully snatching it from her and putting it in his mouth. A slight flush passed over
her countenance, as she endeavored in vain
to recover it.
"'I will mark my child with that straw.
berry, said 6he, laughing as she spoke, and placing the tip of her white finger on the
enter of her forehead the berry waa fixed,
but it wag the most fortunate moment of my
existence, for to that strawberry 1 owe all my
happiness;
A look which denoted a deep feeling of
mutu il satisfaction, of happiness which could
not be mistaken, passed between Mr. M
and his wife, and the deep flush which ac
companied it, excited my curiosity to obtain
an explanation of the hint thrown out. Ac
cr Jingly, when, after dinner, we were seat
cd in the counting room, I made known my
wishes without reserve.
"I shall willingly gratify you," he replied
'for I love to recall the incidents lo my ima
ginauon. iou nave seen mrs. rtl ; vou
admire her I adore her; for she is the sanse
fond, confiding, affectionate creature as when
6rst t became acquainted with her, and it
was the happiness I receive from her socie
tv and hiendship that 1 alluded, sue is in
deed a treasure; and an accident singular enough threw her into my possession. I was
seventeen years of age, possessed, as I supposed, of every thing that could make a person happy; health, wealth, friends were mine, and I lived carrcssed and admired. Although in the almost daily habit of meeting with some of the first young ladies of the city, i had seen ihem come and go without any itn predion being mide upon my hort, or a single wish exci;ed to call them mine. 1 loved their company, I admired their beauty and
grace, and was never more happy than when
in the society of the lovely and the gay
One fine morning, 1 was in my father's store,
chatting and laughing with a young gentle'
.rrtan on the common topics of the day ; when
.. he turned to leave the store, I heard him ad
jjress some person in Che street with 'Young
s-.-vajan, do you wish to sell those Etawber riesl .'I do,' was the answer. "Then .walk in.'
"'Edmund,' said he, as he again entered the store, '1 send all the strawberries I tan find to you,' playfully placing his finger on his forehead. "But before I had time to answer, he was called, and hastily left the store. I was glad
he did, for when I cast my eyes upon the person he had thus introduced, I felt such a crowd of indescribable sensations pressing
upon me at once, that I was confused in the extreme; and had any one been present,, I am certain I should have appeared bordering
on the ridiculous. I believe the lovely girl
mv it. for she colored as deeply as the fine
berries she carried in her basket. I stam
mered something about the beauty of the
morning, and then handed her a chair. She
sat down, ar.d 1 ventured to look at her a
gain. She dressed perfectly plain, but 6cru
pulously neat; and her fine hgure, though
evidently undesigned, was,- by her dress, ex
hibited in the most bewitching manner, i
would attempt to describe her, but you have
seen her, and it' is needless. She was about
fourteen, and the thought involuntarily for
ced itself upon my mind, lif such the bud,
what will be the flower. Ihere was a mo
dest unassuming manner about her, which
made it evident she was unused to the busi
ness she had undertaken. The strawberries
were as neat in their appearance as she her
self, and when she inquired whether I wished
for them, there was a silver toned sweetness
in her voice which charmed me.
"'Have vou often brought strawberries to
t!se city? I inquired.
"Never before, she answered; my aunt with whom I live, is unwell; she is poor; she
wished for Fome cordial, and without the means of obtaining these things, I could not bear to see her suffer, but obtained her leave to make the attempt of relieving her wants in this manner; and you will oblige me by letting me return to my aunt's ae soon as possible.' "I returned her the basket, and put a five dollar bill in her hand she looked at me
with surprise. "I cannot take it,' said the lovely girl; 'what would my aunt say 1 I must not forfeit her good opinion," und she placed the money on the counter. "'You will keep the money,' I replied, 'tell your aunt it is a present from a friend, and assure her ehe shall be provided for.' 'She hesitated, but took the money with an expression of gratitude on her countenance that made her appear more lovely
nan ever.
"When 6he retired. I watched her splphke and beautiful form as it receeded from
my view, with an emotion entirely new, but which will never be forgotten. I had learned
her place of residence, and a few days alter,
under pretence of a morning s rice, I took
Mis Emerson, a young lady who was an in
timate friend of mine, into the carnage, and
visited the spot where the person who had
so mnch interested me lived.
'It was a delightful retreat embosomed
in trees; and so numerous were me nowers, and blossoms around the humble cottage,
that the very air breathed of perfumes, and the birds, unterrificd by our approach, fluttered among the branches which almost ob
structed the oath. The whole harbor of
Boston, with all its islands, its castles, its pel-
ucid waters, and white sails fluttering from
the many vessels gilding on its bosom, was in full view, and presented a most magnificent and delightful prospect. We alighted,
her aunt was unable to sustain the feelings
such a change in her circumstances produ
ced, and 6he gradually sunk to the grave, leaving Maria an unprotected and friendless orphan.
"What will become of her now, God onlyi
knows," added the clergyman, as he finished hs short narration.
"She shall never want,' replied my father
as they arrived at the gate of the little city of the dead, where the fresh mound of earth showed the 'appointed habitation.' 'If the
girl is what she appears, she shall find at my house a home and a parent.' '"God will bless you,' rejoined the minister, 'for befriending the amiable orphan.' "The procession stopped the coffin was deposited in the sacred earth, and a prayer by the clergyman finished the impressive solemnity. Maria hung over the grave in speechless grief, as she saw the earth heaped upon the remains of her only relative who had been spared in the wide world; and when the last green turf was placed on the little mound, she fainted, and was carried senseless to a neighboring house. When sho had sufficiently recovered, the proposal of my father was made known to her by her venerable and esteemed friend, the minister, and accepted with a gratitudemorc eloquent than words. She left a spot where her morning of life had been spent in youthful happiness and in a short time found herself at my father's house. What was my surprise, my rapture, at beholding him leaving the car
riage with the lovely creature, whom of all others I most wished to see, hanging upon
his arm, and clinging to him as her only
friend and protector. She entered the room and was introduced to my mother as the Miss
RosewelU in whose favor Miss Emerson had
so warmly interested herself.
"'Edmund,' said my father, as I entered
the apartment, 'thiB young lady jou are to consider as your sister; you will be to her a
brother. I took her hand pressed it to my
lips, and while her blushing countenance and
eloquent eyes plainly informed me that she
remembered our former interview, 1 assured
my father that I should always feel a plea
sure in complying with his wisbes. ihus
did our acquaintance commence. The ami
able Maria became the delight of her nunuer
ous friends, the joy of my parents, and the admiration of the brilliant circles, in which she moved a splendid star. The impression
that was made at our first interview was nc
er obliterated, and the little strawberry gir
became the adored mistress of this mansion
Never have I reflected on these singular oc
currer.ces wilhout a feeling of gratitude to
my Maker, who in this manner bestowed on
me a treasure which has made my life one of
continued sunshine and unalloyed happi
&:'ei introduced into England by M- Demoidion, which is loaded aid primed at one operation, and is corked by :Iil(ii g up the breech to introduce the cartridge. Thf car
tridge is of a peculiar kii d, coiitaii ing iiih-
in
itself a tube filled with detonating potv-
er, which exploding in the very middle of
lie cartridge, produces a belter discharge.
t requires a third les powder than common
cartiiges, and the bore of the gun is greater
the breech than at the muzzle, which
makes it carry further and more correctly.
he gun is so easily managed, that with a
lew hours practice, a soldier will hie ten to nineteen shots a minute; and can lo'ad, fire uptight or l)ing down marching or oianding one always as wcl! as the other. From not having to use his arm to load he is less
iable to be wounded by the enemy's shot;
and for the same reason the gun is very ad-
antageous on board of ships.
ness.
THE MEDDLER.
and were met at the door, and welcomed by the young lady with a cheerfulness and eae
.. . . .a... . nl 1-
which denoted oetter aays. miss umerson
was no lees charmed with her than myself, bat we regretted to learn that her aunt was declining rapidly, and to all appearance the
last rays of the taper of life weie already
glimmering in the socket. He soon return
ed, Miss Emerson having left a substantial
proof of her benevolence, and her amiable
disposition. Mv father, to whom Miss Emer
son related theocurrenances of the morning,
was so interested, that he, as soon as it was practicable, made them a visit himself; but
he arrived only to witness the funeral obae
quies of the kind aunt. While the proces
sion in which my father joined, was moving from the church to the place of burial, he
learned from the officiating clergyman, who
was an acquaintance of his, many particulars
respecting the young lady who had so deeply
interested the. leclings of us all. Her father.
who was a respectable minister, lived in the
western part ot the state, where he was set
.si 111.
lied over a small dwi aneciionale congregu
tion. He had been there but three years
and his only cnud, imn-u was about two
years old, when both he and his amiable
wiie were scizeu wiui a laiai disonge, and
the same grave received their remains on the
5th day after the first attack. The orphan
Maria was as soon as possible sent to reside
with her only aunt, a maiden lady, in afflu
ent circumstances, by whom, as soon as her
age permitted, she was placed in out of the
first boarding schools in the city, where she remained until about two years before the death, of her aunt. At this time, the failure
The largest flower and the largest bird. In
1818 Dr. Arnold discovered in the island of
Sumatra a flower which he named the Raffle
sia Arnoldi, and which an author has called
with much justice "the magnificent Titan of the vegetable kingdom." The human mind
indeed had never conceived such a flower;
the circumference of the full expanded flower is nine feet its neetarium calculated to hold nine pints the pistils are as large as cows' horns, and the blossom computed to be
lb. 1 emple, in his recent travels in Peru,
states that he shot a candor, and from notes taken on the spot, gives us the following di
mensions of its size " v hei tne wings are
spread, they measure 40 feet in extent, from
point to point; the feathers are 20 feet in
ength, and the quill part 8 inches in circum
ference" This almost realizes the fabled
roc of Sinbad in the Arabian Night , but its dimensions as here given, rest on good and very recent aothoritj. The Penny Maj.
"Paternal" governments are fine things.
The government of the Austrian emperor
rancii is a grand paternal government, and
very odd are the secret histories ot its off
spring. 1 he Augsnury Uazclte os the 9ih
inst. says that the indisposition of the young
duke dc lleichstadt has again assumed art "alarming character." If the reports of tra
vellers are to be believed, this "alarming character" most probably consists in the poor youth's having been brought into a state of
morbid debility, mental as well as corporeal
by the humane policy ot Austrian prudence. The following interesting statement is taken
from one of the back numbers of the Foreign f .in- O
quarterly Review:
With regard to the duke of Reichstfidf.
it appears, from the author's report that the
ex-heir of an empire is a prisoner both in
body and mind. No Frenchman i3 allowed to be presented to him; no communication can be made to him except through the medium of his gaolers; no word must be uttered in his hearing which might possibly touch
the chord ot ambition; he alone of all the civilized world, is ignorant of the history of his father. His life is measured out bv the
sqare and rule; the cabinets of France and
Austria determine on what he shall know.
and what he shall think.
"The risk he is told he runs of assassination
by some crazy frantic of liberty, is the talis-
man by which this enchantment of soul and body is effected. 'Rest perfectly assured, sir,' said the grand preceptor to our travel
ler, 'that he reads and sees only what we wish him to read, see, and understand. If by any chance a letter, packet, or book, should fall into his hands without our knowledge, his first care would be to deliver it lo us unopened; he would not even dare to look at it till he was assured that he could do so with out danger." "It appears then," remarked the author, "that the son of Napoleon is far from being as we suppose him in France." The answer was uThe prince is not a prisoner, but he is
placed in n very peculiar position." "Be satisfied," said the grand preceptor at another interview, "with knowing that he is hap. py, and that he is without ambition. His career is marked out for him; he will never approach France: Ae idea of doing so will never enter his head.1"
A raal ould Irish 'Squire. Of all the be
ings that ever lived, Mr. Flaherty was the
most forgetful. If ever man should have emigrated to Laputa,it was he. It would
take- a volume to record his obhviscenccs; a
few fragments must suffice: He mortally
hated reading and writing; but being, like most of his neighbors, a Utile in aan, or as
they call it there expressly, daivhorj he had once a letter to write by a certain day, which could not be dispensed with. This grievous
evil he put off until he was too late for the
posl, and sw eet Lidithy, who could best manage him oh such occasions, had to sit down
by him until he performed the feat. As the mail passed his gate, he went down to give it to the guard, but could not make them
hear him, so he mounted his marc and set offl
after the coach. This he caugfit afte about sixteen Irish miles hard riding; and . -n
as he saw it he commenced, "Ha , ' i , , i itap the mail slap the mail lur -here, guard, my boy, here's half n crovn for j u put the litter into the two pinny .vi-j ;f Dub lin, or nivur luk me in the fr.ee again."--"My sarvice to your bonos,"bo' t od 'Ax uaid.
fobbing the coin; ('but the litter if yoi j liise 'j l!.: k The 'Ould Crack,' meanwh.lr had 1 r.-t- nun-Ik-,fl
of a mercantile house, in whose hands nearly the whole of her property had been DlacpH.
reduced them to the depths of povertv. chimney piece !"--Sr ;.( r ,
ine Kinaness oi ineir iriens, and the nee d!e of Maria prevented their suffering; but JVcw Gun. A tv-v H-.1
maging his pockets. Th;: lider
-eli ch! 4jh!Oi.k, by jasa.--, i'u luckiest villain that Goo ii lt livi
ter! Devil buin it. 1 r ,':st hve l. ft
i;ie !, r!
Children in British Factories. In England thousands of parents are obliged to send their children to work in factories. If they refuse to do so, they are refused all relief out of the poor rates. The children thus employed
are denied those advantages which the brutes of the field enjoy. A member of the house of commons, during a late discussion upon the "regulation bill of the factories," stated that it rarely happened that any of the persons brought up in factories lived beyond the age of forty; and the consequence is that the mauufactur ingdistiicts are filled with orphans. The labor of children, even of the weaker sex, had been so oppressive, that adults must sink
under its inhuman pressure. The hours of
labor from time to time increase, until now,, no constitution, however robust, could with stand its exhaustation. The mortality among children so employed, is much greater than mortality in other classes of children. The
average longevity in a worsted mill, employ, ing four hundred females, does not exceed thirteen years! At a factory in Wales, the children are employed from six in the morning, to seven in the evening, and every other night they are obliged to work all night. For the night work they receive five pehce The children are allowed scarcely sufficent time far eating their meals. A surgeon, who' travelled through the manufacturing districts A ruid at Manchester, out of one hundred nni
'M.') seven children at work la a factory, j'ory-sev -were defenned .or mutilated in
j cuist q '.it h i. jt iwcesE.Ti t I.tbor. f the chu idr .n are i .rrd idle during the hours of la' !oi , she are chastised whipped with a
double strap, made of well seasoned r.
T'.e jbove facts we take from the speech aire iJy referred to. '
6 mi
h'
The Miner' Journal h; bis advertisemeo: Wanted A wefiurse to take charge of a
basket er children ten at tn'.s otnee a noit iiin since.'
