The Bangkok Recorder.

A Weekly journal will be issued from the
printing office of the American Missionary
Association, at the mouth of the Canal,
"Klawng Bangkok Yai" It will contain such
Political, Literary, Scientific, Commercial, and
local intelligence, as shall render it worthy
of the general patronage.

The Recorder will be open to Correspon-
dents subject to the usual restrictions.

The proprietor will not be responsible
for the sentiments of his correspondents.

No communication will be admitted un-
less accompanied by the name of the Cor-
respondent.

No rejected manuscript will be returned
unless as a special favor.

First, insertion-ten lines or half a square,
and under, ONE DOLLAR and each additional
line, FIVE CENTS.

Subsequent insertion, SEVENTY FIVE
Cent, for ten lines, and each additional line,
FIVE CENTS.

Advertisers must be particular to specify
the number of insertions.

Standing advertisements as per Con-
TRACTS.

Communications and remittances can be
sent to the subscriber, or left at the store of
Messrs. Virgin & Co.

EXTRACTS.

A correspondent of the New York
Independent, Mr. X., being on a visit
to New York recently, decided to go
on Sunday morning to hear the Rev.
Dr. Chapin. To his regret, on arriv-
ing at the church, he found not that
eminent divine, but a stranger who
preached eloquently from the text,
"Bat Simon's wife's mother lay sick
of a fever." X. thought he would go
to Plymouth Church in the afternoon,
to hear Mr. Beecher. There he found
the same stranger in the pulpit, and
again he listened to the expounding of
the text. "Bat Simon's wife's mother
lay sick of a fever." Somewhat vexed
at his ill success, X. having liberal
views, went in the evening to Dr.
Osgood's church. What was his as-
tonishment at being compelled to
listen again to the now familiar sermon,
from the same clergyman. Having
occasion next morning to cross the
ferry, X. discovered his next neigh-
bour to be the strange preacher, with
his sermon under his arm. "I won-
der what that ringing can be!" suggested
the stranger modestly, as a peal of
bells was heard from the opposite
shore. "I suspect," returned X. sav-
agely, eyeing the manuscript, "that
Simon's wife's mother must be dead.
I heard in several places yesterday
that she was very dangerously ill!"
The rest of the voyage passed without
incident or conversation.

Mouse Power.

A man in Scotland has trained
a couple of mice, and invented machin-
ery for enabling them to spin cotton
yarn. It is so constructed that the
mouse is enabled to make atonement
to society for past offences by twisting
and reeling 100 to 190 threads per day.

To complete this, the little pedestrian
has to run 10¼ miles. This journey
he performs every day with ease. A
halfpenny’s worth of oatmeal, he says,
at 1s. 8d. per peck, serves one of these
treadmill culprits for five weeks. In
that time it makes 110 threads per
day, being an average of 3850 threads
of 25 inches, which is nearly nine
lengths of the reel. A penny is paid
to a woman for every cut in the or-
dinary way. At this rate a mouse
earns 9d. every five weeks; which is
one farthing per day, or 7s. 6d. per
annum. Take 6d. off for board, and
1s. for machinery, there will arise 6s.
clear profit from every mouse yearly!
The canny Scot is going to make ap-
plication for the lease of an old empty
house, 100 feet by 50 feet, and 50 feet
in height, which will hold ten thou-
sand mouse-mills, besides sufficient
room for keepers and some hundreds
of spectators. Allowing 200l. for
rent and task-masters, 10,000l. to
erect machinery, and 500l. for the in-
terest, there will be left a balance of
2300l. per annum! Of course, the
“hundreds of spectators” are likely to
be also made to pay for their house-
room, no less than the mice.—-London
Builder.

The lost Wager.

"There is a Cabman on this stand,"
said a gentleman at the west-end of
London, "whom you can't get to
touch a drop of drink," "I won't be-
lieve that," said one of the company,
"I'll lay a wager that I'll make him
drink a glass of grog" ! The Cabman
was called, apparently to take a fare,
The glass of gin was offered him but
respectfully declined. Dropping a
sovereign into it, the tempter, said,
"Drink it off, and the sovereign is
yours" The Cabman was unmoved.
A second, a third, and even a fourth
sovereign was dropped in, but the
honest driver was firm as ever. "No,"
said he "if you fill it with gold, I'll
not drink. I'm a happier, healthier,
and a wealthier man since I gave up
the drink. By God's help I'll not
touch it again."

A sea Captain, when his crew had
signed the articles called them to-
gether and said, "Now lads, I have
a favour to ask, will you allow me to
be the first to swear on board this
ship!" all consented, and there was
not an oath uttered during the voyage!

A Beautiful Reply.

A pious Scotch minister, being asked
by a friend, during his last illness,
whether he thought himself dying,
answered, Really, friend, I care not
whether I am or not, for if I die, I
shall be with God—-if I live he will
be with me—-British Workman.

A particular Clergyman.

It does not require a very old per-
son who has lived in the country, to
remember the time when instrumental
music of any kind in a church was
considered little less than a sacrilege.
A bass-viol has set many a congrega-
tion at logger-heads, and the clergymen,
especially, used to set their faces hard
against the innovation. We remem-
ber a clergyman, whose voice and
warning against the instrument had
been overruled, who rose to give out
the morning psalm, with the following
introductory remarks:

"You may fiddle and sing the one
hundred twenty-fifth psalm!"

Get Right and Wait.

An American soldier who was dis-
charged in Mexico, took up his resid-
ence in California, while that State
yet belonged to Mexico. On being
asked why he did not return to his
own country, he replied, "because my
country will soon be here." Events
soon proved the correctness of the sold-
ier's reasoning, and politicians may
learn a very useful lesson from the in-
cident. It is always safe for a man to
plant himself firmly upon the most
radical principles, if they be true. How-
ever impracticable they may seem at
present, they are, nevertheless, hurry-
ing along, and with be here by and by.
The regular politician forgets that we
live in a progressive world; in fact, he
forgets every-thing but himself and
the old landmarks of his party. The
man who comes squarely up to the
full recognition of human rights,
explained by moral law and approved
by individual conscience, can safely
afford to wait. The country will come
to him. It is only by friction that
brightness and smoothness come, and
it is because some men hold back, that
others make a more determined effort
to go forward—and thus we advance.
-—Full River Newt.

People Who Fail.

I confess that increasing years bring
with them an increasing respect for
men who do not succeed in life, as
those words are commonly used.
Heaven is said to be a place for those
who have not succeeded upon earth;
and, it is surely true, celestial graces
do not best thrive and bloom in the hot
blaze of worldly prosperity. Ill suc-
cess some times arises from a supera-
bundance of qualities in themselves
good—from a conscience too sensitive,
a taste too fastidious, a self-forgetfull-
ness too romantic, a modesty too retir-
ing. I will not go so far as to say,
with a living poet, that “the world
knows nothing of its greatest men,” but
there are forms of greatness, or at least
excellence, which “die and make no
sign,” there are martyrs that miss the
palm but not the stake, heroes without
the laurel and conquerors without the
triumph.

The Best Blessing.

The following lines are from Sir
Humphrey Davy's Salmonia:

I envy no quality of the mind or
intellect in others, be it genius, power,
wit or fancy; but if I would choose
what would be most delightful to me,
I should prefer a religious belief to
any other blessing; for it makes
life a discipline of goodness, breathes
new hopes, varnishes and throws over
decay and the destructions of existence
the most gorgeous light; awakens life,
even in death, and from corruption
and decay calls up the most delightful
visions of palms and amaranths, the
garden of the blest, and security of
everlasting joys, where the sensualist
and skeptic view only gloom, decay,
annihilation and despair.

How to Cure Thieving.

"They have a singular way of pun-
ishing robbery in China," said a mis-
sionary, who had just returned from
the Celestial Empire, to a number of
friends who had called in to hear his
account of things in that land of mar-
vels. "Does it cure the offender of his
unfortunate propensities?" eagerly in-
quired a "philanthropist," whose in-
terest in human beings was in exact
ratio with their villainousness. "Well,
replied the missionary, "I never saw
the punishment inflicted but once.
I will tell you how it was done, and
then you can judge for yourself as to its
reclaiming and converting powers.
They put the culprit in a large mor-
tar, and then fired him head foremost
against a stone wall."

Pretty Preaching.

I am tormented with the desire to
preach better than I can. But I have
no wish to make fine, pretty sermons.
Prettiness has its place. I like to
see a pretty child, and a pretty flower,
but in a sermon, prettiness is out of
place. To my ear it would be any-
thing but commendation should it be
said to me. "You have given us a
pretty sermon." If I were upon trial
for my life, and an advocate should
amuse the jury with his tropes and
figures, burying his argument beneath
a profusion of the flowers of rhetoric,
I would say to him. "Tut, man.; you
care more for your vanity than my
hanging. Put yourself in my place,
speak in view of the gallows, and you
will tell your story plainly and earnest-
ly."-—Robert Hall.

A Beautiful Incident.

At a Sabbath School anniversary
in London, two little girls presented
themselves to receive the prize, one
of whom had recited one verse more
than the other, both having learned
several thousand verses of Scripture.
The gentleman who presided inquired,
“And could you not have learned
one verse more, and thus have kept up
with Martha!

“Yes, sir,” the blushing child re-
plied; “but I loved Martha, and kept
back on purpose.”

“And was there any one of all the
verses you have learned,” again in-
quired the president, “that taught you
this lesson?”

“There-was, sir,” she answered,
blushing still more deeply: “In honor
preferring one another.”

Attack of Pirates.

Report of the Siam barque "Diam-
ond City" which arrived here on the
13th Feb. 1866.

Left Hong Kong on the 29th Jan.
at 4 A. M., bound for Bangkok, with a
stiff breeze from E. N. E. Cut upon get-
ting under the lee of Hong Kong Island
it fell calm till near daylight. While
laying here I observed two junks coun-
ing out from Hong Kong pulling close
under the land and soon passed us. I
asked the Chinese pilot, what kind of
junks he thought they were; and he
said they were junks trading to Hai-
nan.

When the breeze sprung up we
overtook the junks, and the wind blow-
ing fresh, the pilot's boat could not be
towed astern: so I let him go, his ser-
vices not being required any longer.
When the pilot left he told me to watch
the two junks to windward, saying
that one day they could be trading
junks and the next pirates. I passed
close to them, meeting an inward
bound vessel at the time. We kept a
good watch on all their movements, but
could not see any thing suspicious a-
bout them. They had each two or
three guns on board, and two boats
on deck: only a few men could be seen
standing about the deck.

When we passed out of the Taitami
Channel and got clear of the islands,
I saw other two junks about three
miles upon our weather bow, of the
same size and appearance as these we
had just passed; but thinking they were
only trading junks I kept on my course
nearing them fast. To leeward of us
there were a great number of junks, so
I had no alternative but to stand on.
When about half a mile from them,
I saw on board of one of them a man
hoisted to the mast head with some-
thing in his hands, I at once concluded
it was a stinkpot and that the junks
were pirates. I kept the vessel off to
her best sailing point, at the same time
calling the supercargo and informing
him about the junks. He said that
there was neither opium nor money
on board, only a few chests of silk, and
he thought it was not possible for us
to resist or fight them with the few
firearms and small guns we had—this
was my own opinion also. Our only
chance of safety was in outsailing them,
but I left it to the supercargo to do as
he liked.

A few moments passed when the junks
bore down upon us and commenced
firing. The helmsman was wound-
ed in the hand by a grapeshot, he in-
stantly left the wheel and went forward,
when I called for another man to take
the wheel, I found that every one had
deserted the deck, and that too, with-
out squaring the yards, as I had pre-
viously ordered. No one coming to
the wheel I took charge of it myself.
The nearest junk was now on our
weather quarter and commenced throw-
ing stinkpots, which fortunately did
not reach the ship — both junks were
firing at us now. one with grape — the
other with muskets. It was now noon
and the wind had gone down, the ship
making only three or four knots an
hour, but even at this rate we were
sailing faster than the junks. The
weathermost junk now bore down up-
on us and came so close that a stink-
pot thrown from her, fell close by me
at the wheel. I made the attempt to
throw it overboard, but when in the
act of taking it up it exploded and my
face and hands got pretty well scorch-
ed. I again took the helm hoping that
the breeze might freshen and enable
us to get clear of them. No more
stinkpots reached us, and the stern-
most junk's musket balls fell short of
us. They now got two guns forward
and recommenced firing with grape-
shot, at the same time they got out
their sweeps, about ten on each side.
At this time a ball grazed my head
and rendered me unable to steer the
vessel any longer, and I was forced to
give up all hope of getting clear of the
pirates, and being unable to continue
longer on deck, I left the wheel and
went below.

About ten minutes after I left the
deck, the pirates came alongside, and
took possession of the ship. Two men
were sent to watch me, and the head-
man asked me where we had the mon-
ey and opium stowed? I told him
that we had none, and also that I had
no control over the cargo. They now
went below and commenced searching
the hold, passing every thing up out
of the hold they thought of sufficient
value, to take with them. This went
on for two hours, when the headman,
speaking in broken English, ordered
me to pick out the charts I required
to go to Bangkok and one of the
chronometers, saying "that the vessel
would be well watched during the
night, and if I attempted to put back to
Hong Kong, he would board us again
and destroy the vessel, because he did
not want it to be reported in Hong
Kong that the vessel had been plund-
ered so close to the port."

The pirates now all left the cabin,
and a short time afterward one of my
men came to look for me, I sent him
for some water and asked if any one
on board had been killed, he said that
there was none. After pouring some
water on my hands and face and bath-
ing the wound in my head I felt a lit-
tle better and went on deck, when I
found the ship a complete wreck aloft;
most of the standing rigging, and near-
ly all the haulyards were cut. I order-
ed the Sarang to get them repaired and
set sail on the ship as soon as possible.
Wind was easterly, light breeze and
fine weather.

The supercargo came on deck and
wanted me to put back either to Hong
Kong or Macao, I told him that that
could not be done. At the same time
I told him what the headman of the
pirates had said: so he consented that
we should make the best of our way
to Bangkok. I hoped to make Cape
St. James in a few days, and if I felt too
sick to proceed any further I intended
to have called there for medical assis-
tance as I had no medicine on board.
My eyes began to swell up and for
four days I could not see, this made
the navigation of the ship somewhat
difficult. We had light winds and fine
weather and we were nine days before
we passed Saigon, when I found my-
self so much better that I did not call
there, but proceeded on to this port
where we arrived after a passage of
fourteen days from Hong Kong.

Some of the men told me that the
two junks we had passed inside of the
island, when coming up to us, sent
there boats on board, and as they came
last they took every small little thing
they could find that was likely to be
of any use to them, even the salt fish
which the crew had for provisions for
the passage was taken by the pirates,
and the crew had only rice and salt for
the passage down.

The supercargo told me that the
pirates had taken silk to the value of
ten thousand Mexican dollars. They
also took all our clothes and provisions.

I estimate the junks to have been
manned by about forty men each.
With such a cowardly crew as ours
proved themselves to be, and the little
armament that we had on board, any
resistance shown on our part would
have been of no use without a little
more wind than we had.

Report of "Sophia Amalia".

Captain P. T. Von Overclift of the
Dutch barque "Sophia Amalia" re-
ports that on the 18th Jan. 1866 at 4
P. M. left Hongkong bound for Bangkok,
with a fair wind strong breezes—ship
going 11 knots an hour. At one o'clock
in the morning of the 19th, I heard a
crash forward and the voices of men.
I went forward and found that we had
run into a Chinese fishing junk belong-
ing to Macao. We struck her right
amid ships, one mast being on each
side of us, and the junk in two peices.
Twelve men and five women jumped
on board of us, and we brought them
on to Bangkok.

I immediately shortened sail, and
brought the ship to the wind, and hove
too, but the sea being heavy and the
wind strong I was obliged to put the
ship before the wind again. I saw that
part of the junk on the port side on
fire, but I could not go back as the
ship had shifted her ballast and had
two feet list. I heard there was five
men left on board the junk, but as it
was impossible for me to render any
assistance, I proceeded on my passage
to Bangkok, where I arrived in safety.
I do not know the names of the people
that were saved.

Bangkok Feb 2nd 1866.

Bangkok Recorder.

The following singular government
document was written it would
seem in reply to some petition
that has recently been made to
government for the privilege of estab-
lishing a telegraphic line between this
city and Paknam, and to an article
among our local items on the 22nd
ulto.—-concerning the expediency of
constructing a canal from Maakloung to
Bangkaboon.

We are very sorry to think that the
Siamese government will treat so great
and grand a subject as that of the tele-
graph with such derision and contempt.
Still we hope and believe that long and
patient importunity on the part of the
foreign community on this subject will
ultimately secure the object. It cannot
be that Siam is going long to shut out
the telegraph from all her other im-
provements.

We are glad that the government
is thinking so seriously about the
noble object of opening the Bar at the
mouth of this river. The article be-
low appears, to be an invitation on the
part of government for foreigners to
discuss this subject through the col-
umns of the "Recorder", and we hope
our business men will feel themselves
called upon by the government to do
so. To us the dangers of opening the
Bar and straightening the Petchabaroe
river as set forth in that paper ap-
pear to be quite visionary.

The publishers of Newspapers are
repeating the excellencies of telegraph
lines and urging and pressing for
their establishment in almost every
one of their issues. They do it be-
cause they think their readers will be
astonished and delighted at the accounts
they give of them, and will respond
—Oh! how excellent! There is noth-
ing that can be compared with these
telegraphs! Truly they who have
read their reports are now exclaiming
Oh! Oh! and their throats have be-
come dry with this shouting until they
have become so hoarse that they can
now scarcely do more than whisper.

But to speak truthfully there is al-
ready a telegraph line in this city.
And it has been tried. We have men
who understand it, and have used it.
It is not a very wonderful thing after
all. Do not be at the trouble of pub-
lishing more about the telegraph. We
have had enough of it. Let these
few lines be translated into English
and inserted in the "Recorder."

The matter published in the "Re-
corder" about making a canal from
Maaklawng to Bangkaboon and thence
to Petchaburee is attended with many
difficulties. If we speak of improv-
ing old canals that they may be more
freely navigated, that seems not likely
to become of very great service to the
country. There are other far more im-
portant internal improvements that
can be made, which it is not likely those
who speak of improvements have yet
thought of.

As regards the improving of the
way to Petchaburee we do not see
clearly: but can see more clearly the
improvement that might me made at
the mouth of the Chow-Phya. At this
place there is a Bar crossing the mouth
of the river. Vessels drawing many
feet of water cannot cross it. This Bar
is a cause of much trouble, hindrance
and damage. There are those who
have proposed to dig the channel deeper
by a dredging machine, which will
dig up the sand and cast it out into
banks, making the channel broad and
deep like the river, so that there shall
be nothing to hinder vessels going and
coming.

On the other hand there are those
who think that the vast rice districts
of the old city Ayuthia, Lopburee,
and Angtawng which are favored an-
nually in the 10th 11th 12th and 1st
months by flooding, so that the rice
has sufficient time to be well watered and
that the water subsides in good time
for harvests because of the Bar at the
mouth of the river. It is said that this
Bar prevents the too rapid subsidence of
the water from the rice fields—that
when the water of the sea outside of
the Bar settles down, the water of the
river can flow out but slowly—and
that hence the vast rice fields are
suitably watered. It is surmised that if
the channel over the Bar be deepened,
the sea outside, settling down will oper-
ate to draw off the water from those rice
fields so that the water shall not remain
on them full 3 month; and that if this be
the case those vast fields in the districts
of Ayuthia Lopburee and Angtawng
will be ruined. It is the custom in sea-
sons when the water is deficient, to
dam up the canals in the vicinity
of the rice fields so that the water
within the dams shall be higher than
the water outside of them—-sometimes
to a half a cubit, and sometimes a
full cubit. When the water within
the dams are found to be too high the
dams are opened a little, and the water
drawn off. Now this business of
daming up the canals in seasons of too
little water is a certain advantage
which cannot be disputed. The Bar
appears to be only a dam on a large
scale. If it be opened wide we fear
that the water from all these fields
will flow off too quickly. On this
subject there are many who see with
us.

But as to the Petchaburee river from
Bangláám up to the entrance of the
canal Bangk’rok it is very crooked,
bending to the east and west some 9
or 10 times, so that it requires more
than an hour to pass all those bends.
Now if there were a canal cut straight
from the north to the south making
it large and deep it would be only a
short way requiring not more than
20 minutes to pass it.

The river above Bangk’rok is shallow
and from the landing of Temple
Kády Tawng it is quite crooked. If a
canal should be cut from the back
side of Temple Kády Tawng and
on the upper side of it conducting to
Temple Koon-tra, below temple Noi-
Nang-móók—making them but shal-
low, just enough for the water to flow
into them, and then stop up the old
channel the current of the water
would cut a large channel in a short
time. But should this be done it would
injure the old homesteads on the old
channel. The people now live hap-
pily using the river for their boats
and rafts. Now if we cut a new chan-
nel, and shut up the old one it will be a
great damage to those old settlers. And
when the new channel shall have
been finished, and the old channel again
opened the water would of course
flow in the straight channel—and the
old channel would gradually become
shallow.

And again to drive the people thus
from the banks of the old channel to
the new one seems hard. Some of them
would remove and some would not
because their houses and fields are on
the old channel.

But then again.—-It is the usual re-
sult of every improvement made, that
some will be benefited by it and some not
-—but rather suffer loss. Hence we must
so manage as to study for such changes
as will be of profit to the large body
of the people—-such as will decidedly
be of great advantage to the country
as a whole.

Now with regard to the Petchabu-
ree river, when it shall have been
straightened as proposed above, the ad-
vantages and disadvantages of it
will be divided among the inhabitants
of the place. Possibly the disadvan-
tages of such a change might be
greater than the advantages, because
the bends are not very great, and the
river in the dry seasons will, any way,
be unnavigable and those who wish to
go and come quickly can go by land
very readily.

But to make a short cut of those
10 bends below Bangk’rok, is very
tempting, for that part of the country
is not much settled, the land not be-
ing of a passable quality. Still when
we have consulted with many on the
subject the general fear is, that there
would be danger that such a change
would cause the water to flow too
quickly off from the rice fields; so
that those fields would be greatly in-
jured—as the water would not over-
flow them in the suitable seasons.
The water of that river is accustomed
to have its particular seasons for over-
flowing, and several in a year. If the
old channel is allowed to remain un-
changed, the rice fields will remain in
part good and in part damaged. And
the inhabitants will, as usual, have
occasion to grumble only of
bad fortune. But when the old
channel shall have been thus changed
and the damages appear, the peo-
ple will cast the blame upon him
who made the change: because the busi-
ness of growing rice is a great business
for Siam. Now when we see any
change proposed that will not inter-
fere and cross any great business—not
likely to produce much murmuring
among the people, we think it suita-
ble that such changes should be
tried.

Correspondence.

SIR,-—Are we ever to get any more
of the new flat ticals? This question
may be considered impertinent by
some, and one lying beyond my
province; but I am really interested.

I have seen no new ones of the flat
kind, for some time, and the old bul-
lets have mostly become so worn by
use, that it is very difficult to pass
them. It is as much as many of
them are worth to get them off your
hands. In paying a little bill of thirty
ticals the other day, about one-half
of them were returned. The man
said they were good, but very difficult
to pass, and he inquired at the same
time why I did not have the new ones.
Now if we are to use the old ones until
they are entirely worn out we shall
have a good time of it. They should
all be gathered in as soon as possible,
and new ones distributed in their
place. Some new salungs and fuangs
are also needed. There are but few of
the new kind in circulation. The old
ones are also scarce, and those that
are in circulation are also very diffi-
cult to pass. When a person therefore
gets any thing less than a tical in
change he is obliged to be loaded down
with bad ots.

Mr. EDITOR

During a residence in this place
of more than fifteen years, I have
not seen a European or an American
in my house intoxicated by liquor.
Nor have I known of but one death
among all the male teetotlers of the
place during the same time. And I
am glad to know that the temperance
principle is so strong among us.

There is, if I mistake not, a large ma-
jority of the foreign resident families,
who never allow any kind of intoxicating
liquor at their tables-—not even the
lighter wines. There are some who
deal out the poisonous drug for gain
in some parts of our city, forgetting
the word of God—-"Woe to him that
giveth his neighbor drink, and putteth
the bottle to him, and maketh him drunk-
en." Thus doing, they draw into the
vortex of ruin some who have not the
moral courage to resist the tempter. But
even these might be prevented by a
suitable effort on the part of those in
authority residing near them, taking
advantage of the nuisance law. It is
an infinite pity that any man for the
sake of a few cents should give his as-
sociate, a draft that takes away the
reason the most precious of Heaven's
gifts, and leaves him exposed to all
the fearful consequences of such a
state. I hope the time is near when
such a thing will no more be allowed
than the dealing out of other poisons.

Answer.

Having waited till the last day of
grace for some one to answer the query
of our correspondent concerning Looang
Oòpâtate Lamache in our issue of the
22d ulto, we feel that it becomes our duty
to make some reply ourselves. As he
seems to be realy and fully restored, we
presume His Majesty the king has
seen in him what he regards as suffi-
cient evidence of genuine repentance
for the past, and a sincere determina-
tion to do well in the future, and that
therefore he has "been allowed to as-
sume his former rank and position."
Now while we cannot go the full length
of President Johnson in his views of
the pardoning power, we believe it
right and wise for the Chief Executive
of any nation or kingdom to pardno,
such offences as those of Lóoang Oò-
pâtate Lamache's on good evidence being
given that the offender is sincerely sor-
ry tor his faults, and promises to do
the like no more. It is noble to re-
repent of wrong doing. It is godlike to
forgive. We think it just and wise to
take this view of Lóoang Oòpâtate's
present position, and shall stand firmly to
it until compelled by opposing devel-
opments (which we pray may not oc-
cur) to abandon it.

It has been intimated that, because
in our Bangkok Calendars we have in-
variably published Lóoang Oòpâtate
without his Siamese title, that therefore
we have intended to dishonor him. We
beg to explain that matter. The truth
is we have omitted the title for two
reasons; first we have not known till
recently what his title certainly was,
and secondly, because we really sup-
posed that we were quite correct in
styling him Drill Master of H. M's
troops. Now it turns out that his Si-
amese title, if we understand it correctly
means that he is an officer for,
teaching military tactics tothe king's
troops: or perhaps more correctly a
foreign soldier Master, for there is an
affix to the title not expressed above
which means a soldier, and that affix is,
T'ooi han. Hence his whole title would
read Lóoang - Oöpatate - T'ooi - han.
This sounds well in Siamese and is in-
deed quite honorable: still we cannot
but think that the plain English of it
is equally so.

Now this is a very responsible and
honorable calling, and we hope that
neither Lóoang Oöpatate nor his friends
will any longer entertain the thought
that we have designedly done anything
in that line to dishonor him. We
could not style him, as desired, a General
commander of the king's forces for we
have never believed that he was such
in any sense. We think that he
would not be sent out by the king as
General of the royal army in case of
[?]. As we understand it—A Drill
Master of the king's troops is one
thing, and a General or "Commandant"
of His Majesty's forces is quite an-
other.

LOCAL.

A good number of the European and
American community of this city had
the pleasure on Monday last of an
audience with His Majesty the Supreme
king at the burning of the remains of
the sister of H. E. the Prime Minister.
His majesty's arrival at the place be-
ing quite late in the p. m.—nearly at sun-
setting. he had but a few moments that
he could devote to saluting his foreign
friends. He however, was pleased to
give all a gracious bow and spoke kind
and encouraging words to a few.

His Majesty was escorted by a com-
pany of royal troops neatly uniformed
and with guns brightly burnished.
They were gracefully conducted by
Loöang Oöpâtait Tooï-hân Lamache.
The royal Brass band with M. E.
Chabrïe their master at their head led
the royal escort.

Having sat a few moments in the
royal tabernacle prepared for him
His Majesty, conscious of the lateness
of the hour, descended quickly and
walked some 15 yards to the funeral
pile and was seated near to it. Pre-
sently 12 Buddhist priests came with
each his talapoïn or fan, and sat on
the floor in a line before His Majesty
This arrangement required about five
minutes. His Majesty then taking up
in both hands a neat bundle of yellow
robes, and holding it a moment before
his face as if kissing it, presented it to
the Head Priest' of that temple. And
then he took up another suit and did
likewise to the second priest in order,
and so on to four or five of them;
when he commissioned one of his lit-
tle sons present to go on and finish the
presentations to all the twelve. Hav-
ing recieved their new robes, they
took up their fans, and had some
Bali rehearsal over them. This being
finished, His Majesty took a lighted
wax candle and applied it to the
pile. A number of his children fol-
lowed the example, and then H. E.
the Prime Minister and others. A
curtain was then drawn to screen some
what the kindling from public gaze.
Presently the flame became so great
that it was removed and in less than
half an hour there was nothing left of
the body but ashes and a few of the
charred bones for preservation.

His Majesty left the funeral pile as
soon as he had applied the lighted
candle to it, and walked back to the
throne prepared for him. He sat but
a few moments when he descended
and sat on the carpet spread on the
ground, and had a conversation of a
quarter of an hour or more with his
chief ministers on government matters.
At this stage of affairs your reporter left
as it was getting quite dark.

As usual those funeral ceremonies
were attended with theatrical perform-
ances both in the Siamese language
and the Chinese. They were in full
blast up to the moment of igniting the
pile, and the Siamese, if we mistake
not, did not stop for this service. The
play actors all became noisy again im-
mediately after the burning.

There was also the sport of throwing
to the masses limes containing each
a small coin or gold ring picked from
an artificial tree.

Caution to Ship Masters.—

About a fortnight ago a chronometer
was stolen from the Sch. "Clio" whilst
the Captain was sleeping on deck. This
is the fourth chronometer stolen from
ships in the river and in every instance
the Captains have been sleeping (as is
customary in this climate) on deck. The
"Cadovious," "Fortune," "Bolden
Lawn" and now the "Clio" have all
been robbed and, what is the strangest
thing of all, two if not three were found
but the thieves have never been punish-
ed or even brought to justice their
must be a "screw loose" some where.

New Road.-—A fortnight ago
His Excellency the Prime Minister and
other functionaries rode down the new
road apparently inspecting it. His Ex-
cellency then paid a visit to the Bang-
kok Dock Company's new dry Dock.
From the number of convicts daily
employed on the new road we may
infer that His Majesty intends paying
it another visit. We would earnestly
suggest that His Majesty would pay
it two or three visits during the rainy
season for then there would be some
chance of riding or even walking from
one house to another without being
up to our ankles, and in some places
a foot higher in mud.

A Letter.—-Was received on the
1st. inst. from Mr. Thomson and party
who left Bangkok on the 17th January
for Onger, it was dated from Wat Sin
Ab, February 8th they had been twelve
days out and expected to be twelve
more before reaching their destination.
They complain of the want of elephants
which were not procurable although
many were seen, and were obliged to
make the journey on ponies and in
bullock carts. Mr. T. states that they
have often to sleep in the forest that
tigers were very plentiful, and that traces
of them round the encampment were
plainly visible every morning. They
had not been attacked, were well armed
and kept a good look out for all such
unwelcome visitors.

Fire.—-March 6th at 10 A. M. a fire
broke out at Talat Noi and burned
with unabated fury for 3 or 4 hours;
it was only arrested by tearing down
the houses which is the only way fires
can be put out in Siam. The fire
broke out in a Paddy house during the
absence of the owner, Chet Tew, on
board of a ship selling rice. There were
five coolies in the house when it caught
fire, but the immediate cause of the
fire is at present unknown. The coolies
have not yet been arrested. There were
84 bamboo, 27 plank and 4 brick
houses burned to the ground they
belonged to 45 different owners. It
was surprising to see with what in-
difference the Chinamen beheld house
after house burn down without given
a helping hand to the Police, who
seemed to be the only men who at-
tempted to arrest the progress of the
flames. Perhaps the close proximity
to their quarters stimulated them to
extra extortion, for as a "burned child
dreads the fire" so they having been
once burned out would scarcely relish a
repetition of such a fearful calamity.

We have heard of only one life having
been lost, that of a Chinaman who was
burned to death. The usual number of
half roasted pigs, dogs and poultry was
running about, men plundering and
quarreling, others dragging their pro-
perty through the crowd, added to
the lamentations of 500 poor name-
less wretches who appeared completely
indifferent to every thing, now that
they had lost their all, contributed
to make the scenestill more appalling
and to awaken the pity and sympa-
thies of every beholder. In many
places the fire burned all night, and
when the ashes were cool enough
the owners of the property returned,
some to dig for hidden treasures, other
to pick up old iron, etc and to think
what was next to be done. We heard
a friend say that a good fire once a year
was very servicable, if it was only to
lick up the filth which is allowed to
accumulate from year to year, which
was it not for the annual fires would
very likely breed cholera. Although
rather a severe remedy it would be
better that the whole of Sampeng was
burned down than such a dire calamity
should visit Bangkok for it is no re-
specter of persons.

Now is the time to improve that
portion of the bazar, which is barely a
fathom wide, and what with the usual
obstructions in the shape of baskets
&c. it is scarcely three feet wide in
some places; and the bridges too are
disgraceful: the one which was burned
down two years ago has never been
replaced, thereby making it impossible
at high tides for Europeans to walk to
the bazar without going up to the
knees in water, and the other bridge
is not safe for such a number of pedes-
trians who daily use it. A few con-
victs to sweep the bazar daily, and
clean the gutters, which are now only
public necessaries, and are never
cleaned, would do no harm, but a
great deal of good; but we fear that
in this we are only wasting ink and
paper for “cleanliness is next to god-
liness” and as the Siamese are very
far from the latter, we cannot expect for
many years to come that they will even
know how to appreciate the former
much less put it in practice.—We are
given to understand that the bazar has
within the knowledge of its oldest in-
habitant been swept once, and that
was on the occasion of His Majesty
being carried through it some months
ago when he visited Wat Sempeng
and Wat Kok. His Majesty should
take a quite strole with us sometimes
if he wishes to see it in all its glory.
Towards evening His Excellency the
Prime Minister visited the scene of the
late conflagration.

Rev. Samuel J. Smith and Mrs. Smith
are to leave, as we are informed, on the
-morrow for a missionary tour to Maa-
klawng, Bang Chang, and perhaps to
Petchaburee.

The Siamese government has ex-
pressed to us a good degree of satis-
faction in the course we took regarding
the publishing of reports of evil-doers
as appeared in our issues in the Siamese
and English last week.

By late intelligence from Petchabu-
ree we learn that the Missionaries and
their families in that city were quite
well, being cheered with some new
hopes of success in their work, es-
pecially among the Laos in that vicin-
ity

By the Str. “Chow Phya” we have
received the usual European and A-
merican mails: but as “The Recorder”
was just going to press when the steamer
arrived, no late news has been inserted
in this issue.

Passengers per “Chow Phya” Mrs.
Bateman and Mr. Hewetson.

A few days ago the cabin of the
British Schooner “Rantipole” was en-
tered by some person unknown and the
Captain’s gold watch and chain and
Free-masons medel was stolen there-
from.

what she then was not. She addressed
the President, and said, with his per-
mission, she wished to say a few words
to the meeting.

She had come because she heard
they were going to decide the "license
question."

"You," said she, "all know who I
am. You once knew me as the mistress
of one of the best estates in the borough.
I once had a husband and five sons,
and woman never had a kinder husband,
—mother never had five better or more
affectionate sons. But where are they
now!"

"Doctor, I ask where are they now!
In yonder burial-ground there are six
graves filled by that husband, and these
five sons; and oh! they are all drunk-
ards' graves! Docter, how came they
to be drunkards! You would come
and drink with them, and you told
that temperate drinking would do
them good. And you too, Sir, (addres-
sing the pastor) would come and drink
with my husband, and my sons thought
they might drink with safety, because
they saw you drink.

"Deacon, you sold them rum, which
made them drunkards. You have now
got my farm, and all my property, and
you got all by rum! And now, I have
done my errand, I go back to the
poor-house, for that is my home!

"You, doctor, you, reverend Sir,
and you, deacon, I shall never meet
again, until I meet you at the bar of
God, where you, too, will meet my
ruined and lost husband, and those five
sons, who, through your means and
influence, fill the drunkard's grave!"

The old woman sat down. Perfect
silence prevailed until broken by the
President, who rose to put the ques-
tion to the meeting—"Shall we peti-
tion the Court to issue the licenses to
the borough for the ensuing year!"
and then one unbroken "No!" which
made the very walls re-echo with the
sound, told the result of the poor old
woman's appeal—British workman.

[We are thankful that no Docter,
or clergyman, or deacon among us is
stained in the least with such a crime
as the one so affectingly described by
the eloquent widow.—-Ed]

John Wesley's Reproof.

JOHN WESLEY, having to travel
some distance in a stagecoach, fell in
with a pleasant-tempered, well-inform-
ed officer. His conversation was
sprightly and entertaining, but fre-
quently mingled with oaths. When
they were about to take the last stage,
Mr. Wesley took the officer apart, and
after expressing the pleasure he had
enjoyed in his company, told him he
was thereby encouraged to ask of him
a very great favour. "I would take a
pleasure in obliging you," said the
officer, "and I am sure you will not make
an unreasonable request."Then,"
said Mr. Wesley, "as we have to travel
together some time, I beg that if I
should so far forget myself as to swear,
you will kindly reprove me." The
officer immediately saw the motive,
felt the force of the request, and with
a smile thanked Mr. Wesley.

The Eloquence of Grief.

THE American philanthropist, Gov-
ernor Briggs, relates the following
affecting narrative:—

The inhabitants of a thriving burgh
in Pennsylvania, assembled, as was
their custom, to decide what number
(if any) of licenses the town should
potition for from the County, from
whence they were issued. There was
a very full attendance. The magistrate
presided, and the physician, deacon,
and pastor of the village, were on the
platform. One of the most respectable
citizens, after a short speech, moved
that the meeting petition for the usual
number of licenses, and not give way
to any excitement. When it was about
to be almost universally adopted, and
the President was going to put the
motion to the meeting, an object rose
in a distant part of the meeting, and
all eyes were instantly turned in that
direction. It was an old woman,
poorly clad, and whose careworn coun-
tenance was the powerful index of no
light sufferings; and yet, there was
something in the flash of her bright
eye, that told, she had once been

What "Little Mound."

General Imboden, late of the Con-
federate service, is now in New York,
raising funds for the establishment of a
great express company in the South.
When he last appeared in print during
the war, he was proposing to strew
Western Virginia with "vandal carcas-
es," meaning the bodies of Unionists.
When one reads some of the speeches
of the Southern chiefs during the war,
one wonders how they are not ashamed
to sit at tables, eat bread and butter,
and do the ordinary work of life like the
rest of us. Mr. Toombs, of Georgia,
solemnly promised on paper, only a
year ago, to sacrifice himself when
"all was lost," but is still alive and,
we presume, in good health. Jeffer-
son Davis, too, pledged himself under
his own hand, in 1860, that if war
broke out, a "small mound on the
borders of his State would show where
he and some of his neighbors met the
enemy." The "mound," we will
wager, is not visible, and he apparent-
ly means to keep out of it as long as
he can—Nation.

Josh Billings on Hens.

Josh. Billings talks learnedly, as fol-
lows:-—The best time tew sett a hen
is when the hen is ready. I kant tell
you what the best breed iz, but the
shangbigh is the meanest. It kosts
az moch to board one as it dus a
stage hoes, and you might az well un-
dertake to fat a fanning mill by run-
ning oats thru it. There aint no pro-
fit in keepin a hen for his eags if he
laze less than one a day. Hens are
very long lived, if tha don’t contract
tho throat disesze: there is a great
many goes to pot by this melankolly
disease. I kant tell exactly bow tew
pick out a hen, but as a general thing
the long eard ones, I kno, are least
apt to scratch up the garden. Eggs
packed in equal parts of salt and lime
water, with the other end down, will
keep from 30 to 40 years, if tha are
not disturbed. Fresh beefstake is
good for hens; I serpose 4 or 5 pounds
a day would be awl a hen would need
at first along. I shall be happee tew
advize with you, at enny time, on the
ehn question-—and take it in eggs.

The Life Clock.

Our brains are seventy year clocks.
The angel of life winds them up
once for all, then closes the cases and
gives the key into the hand of the
angel of resurrection. Tic tac! tic-tac!
go, the wheels of thought; our will
cannot stop them; madness only
makes them go faster, death only can
break into the case, and, seizing the
ever-swinging pendulum wh.ch we
call the heart, silence at last the click-
ing of the terrible escapement we have
carried so long beneath our aching
foreheads. If we could only get at
them as we lie on our pillows and
count the dead beats of thought after
thought, and image after image, jarr-
ing through the over tired organ!

Will nobody block those wheels, un-
couple their pinions, cut the string
which holds those weights? What a
passion comes over us sometimes for
silence and rest, that this dreadful
mechanism, unwinding the endless tap-
estry of time, embroidered with spec-
tral figures of life and death, would
have but one brief holiday!—O. W.
Holmes.

What "War of the Races."

The Nation, commenting on Presi-
dent Johnson's statement to Major
Stearns to the effect that Negro Suf-
frage would bring on a "war of races,"
says:

How does he know it would cause
a war of races, any better than he and
most other Democrats knew four years
ago, as they believed they did, that
emancipation would cause a war of
races? It is quite clear that we have
not yet got at half the frightful conse-
quences that are likely to flow from
negro suffrage. "A Yan[?]ee" says it
would lead to amalgamation-—that the
white fathers would want to marry
their daughters to blacks so as to have
"mulatto grandchildren;" to the elec-
tion of negroes to the Senate. The
World says it would lead to the legal
establishment of polygamy in all the
Southern States, and the conversion of
the negroes to Mormonism. Mr.
Johnson now says it would lead to a
"war of races." We shall probably
hear next that it would cause an
epidemic among the cows or a drying
up of the oil wells. The powers of
the "everlasting negro" are evidently
not half revealed.

Lincoln—A Beautiful Tribute.

"It was a great compensation to the
martyred President that God permit-
ted him to see the work of crushing the
army of treason finished before he was
sent to his last account by the bloody
hand of assassination. His death, and
the mode and time of his death, have
made his name a symbol. When in
future ages the dreams of the friends of
liberty shall have been consummated,
and the genius of art seeks to embody
the spirit of liberty in a comprehensive
and symbolic form, its apotheosis will
be Lincoln. Eyes schooled to beauty
will turn from the perfect models of
Greek and Roman art, while hearts
pay tribute of respect to a form which
no artist would have chosen for a model,
but which grew into greatness under
the hand of God. The face which
lacked symmetry, whose corrugated
lines gave it an expression some regard-
ed as uncouth, will beam upon the com-
ing centuries with a glory unspeakable.
No bust of an Alexander—no noble
head of ancient Greek or Roman—be
the philosopher, warrior or poet—but
will sink into insignificance before that
of the humble Western rail splitter,
whose career illustrated the universal
aspiration of the human heart."

President Lincoln on
Negro Suffrage.

New York, September 25.—-The
Southern Advocate, of the 17th, says:
The following extract, which has just
been published, is from the late Pre-
sident Lincoln's letter to General
Wadsworth, who fell in the battle of
the Wilderness: “You desire to know,
in the event of our complete success
in the field, and the same being fol-
lowed by a loyal and cheerful submis-
sion on the part of the South, if uni-
versal amnesty should not be accom-
panied with universal suffrage. Now,
since you know my private views as to
what terms should be granted to the
South in the contingency mentioned.
I will here add, if our success should
thus be realized, and followed by such
desired results, I cannot see, if a uni-
versal amnesty is granted, how, under
the circumstances, we can avoid exact-
ing in return universal suffrage, or at
least suffrage on the basis of intelligence
and military service. How to better
the condition of the colored race has
long been a study which has attracted
my serious and careful attention. I am
clear and decided as to what course I
shall pursue in the premises, regarding
it as a religious duty that the nation
shall be the guardian of these people,
who have so heroically vindicated their
manhood on the battle-field, where,
in assisting to save the Republic, they
have demonstrated in blood their right
to the ballot, which is but a humane
protection of the flag they have so
fearlessly defended."

Newton and Voltaire.

In a tract entitled "Astral Wonders,"
written by the Rev. Mr. Craig, Vicar
of Leamington, occurs the following
interesting passage:
Let me narrate to you passage
concerning Sir Isaac Newton and
Voltaire. Sir Isaac wrote a book on
the prophet Daniel, and another on
the Revelations; and he said, in order
to fulfil certain prophecies before a
certain date was terminated, namely,
1260 years, there would be a certain
mode of traveling of which the men in
his time had no conception; and, that
the knowledge of mankind would be
so increased that they would be able
to travel at the rate of fifty miles an
hour. Voltaire, who did not believe
in the Holy Scriptures, got hold of
this and said: "Now look at that
mighty mind of Newton, who discover-
ed gravity, and told us such marvels
for us all to admire. When he became
an old man, and got into his dotage,
he began to study that book called the
the Bible; and it appears that, in order
to credit its fabulous nonsense, we
must believe that mankind's knowledge
will be so increased that we shall be
able to travel fifty miles an hour. The
poor dotard!" exclaimed the philo-
sophe infidel Voltaire, in the self-
complacency of his pity. But who is
the dotard now!

Man not made to Mourn

—O'Leary, gazing with astonish
ment on an elephant in a menagerie
asked the keeper. "What kind of a
beast is that atin hay with his tail?."

—-"How long did Adam remain in
Paradise before he sinned ?" said an
amiable spouse to her husband. "Till
he got a wife," was the calm reply.

How long may it take a man to
embrace Christ as his Saviour? As
long as it takes a drowning man to
let go a straw and lay hold of an of-
fered rope.

-—Yung men be more anxious about
the peddygree your going to leeve
than yu are about the l sumbony left,
yu.-—Josh. Billings

THE CONFLICT OF H.M.S. BULLDOG
WITH THE FORTS
AND GUN-BOATS AT CAPE HAYTIEN.

The West India mail has brought
us a more particular account of the
affair on the coast of Hayti, or St.
Domingo, at a place called Cape Hay-
tien, on the north side of that island,
where the British steam-sloop Bulldog,
carrying six guns, under the command
of Captain Charles Wake, got into a
dispute with the negroe chief Salnave,
the head of the insurrectionary faction
in the Republic of Hayti; and on the
23rd of October, had a regular battle
with the forts and flotilla of gun-boats
in the harbour; the result being that,
after silencing the forts and sinking
two of the enemy's vessels, the Bulldog
accidentally got aground, and was
burned and abandoned by Captain
Wake, to prevent her becoming their
prey. Three of our men were killed
and six were severely wounded. With
regard to the origin of the dispute, it
appears that the British Consul at Cape
Haytien, Mr. Dutton, had taken to his
house a few Haytien refugees, and
that Salnave had desired M. Dutton to
give up these people, which he refused,
whereupon his house was entered by
force, and the poor fellows under his
protection were taken out and shot by
Salnave on the seashore. The follow-
ers of Salnave then commenced to
wreak their vengeance on the Consul's
house; they smashed his furniture,
took everything they could lay their
hands on; pulled down the English
flag, stamped and spat upon it. Mr.
Dutton immediately went on board
the Bulldog (which was lying off the
Cape at the time) and laid the ques-
tion before the Captain who went at
once and asked Salnave what he meant.
The reply was a mere burst of vulgar
insolence. The Captain then returned
on board and wrote him a letter, de-
manding full and ample satisfaction in
twenty-four hours. Next morning the
Bulldog was seen steaming into the
harbour, and, on passing Port Picoli,
was fired into. The Bulldog at once
answered this fire with a broadside
dismantled all the guns on that fort,
steamed further in, smashed up ano-
ther small fort, and sent a shell into
the arsenal, blowing it up. The Vol-
drogue, a vessel which had been taken
by the rebels, had the impudence to
fire at the Bulldog. One shot, in re-
turn, was quite enough to settle her;
after receiving it, she reared on her
stern and went to the bottom in about
fifteen fathoms. A schooner, armed
by Salnave, came to the rescue of the
Voldrogue. It is needless to state that
she met with the same fate. The worst,
however, is yet to be told. The poor
Bulldog, after having fought for up-
wards of ten hours, got on shore on
one of the numerous reefs about Cape
Haytien. Immediately, the enemy on
shore took advantage of her position
and brought all their batteries to bear.
The Captain fought to the last pound
of gunpowder; that finished, he thought
it necessary to set fire to and abandon
his vessel. The officers and crew went
to Jamaica in the Union screw-steamer.
A few days afterwards the English
frigate Galatea, thirty-two guns, came
from Jamaica and lay about three-
hours at Port an Prince, saluted the
Haytien Republican flag, and then
left, with her Britannic Majesty's
Consul H. St. John on board, for
Cape Haytien. The commander of
the Galatea at once sent his message
ashore, demanding that Salnave and
all the members of the revolutionary
committee should surrender uncondi-
tionally on board that vessel. In case
of refusal the Galatea and Lily after
a delay of twelve-hours, would bom-
bard the forts. The French vessel
which brought the news from Cape
Haytien left just three-hours before
the term had expired.

Odds and ends.

—-I have had occasion to observe
that a warm, blundering man does
more for the world than a frigid wise
man. One who gets into the habit of
inquiring about proprieties, and the
expediencies, and occasions, often
spends his whole life without doing
anything to the purpose.-—Cecil.

-—At twilight every hen becomes a
rooster.

—-The poor pittance of seventy years
is not worth being a villain for.

—-The way to get a good wife—-get
a good girl and go to the parson.

-—What affectionate times these
are, Everything is so "dear!"

-—A Warning to Ladies.-—Tattle be-
gins with a-T.

An Englishman's opinion of
Negro Suffrage.

The eminent English writer upon
political topics, John Stuart Mill,
writes as follows to a friend in the
United States:

“I have always been afraid of one
thing only—-that you would be too
gentle. I should be sorry to see any
life taken after the war was over,
(except those of the assassins,) or any
evil inflicted in mere vengeance; but
one thing I hope will be considered
absolutely necessary: to break alto-
gether the power of the slaveholding
class. Unless this is done, the aboli-
tion of slavery will be merely nomi-
nal. If an aristocracy of ex-slave-
holders remain masters of the State
Legislatures, they will be able effect-
ually to nullify a great part of the
result which has been so dearly bought
by the blood of the Free States. They
and their dependants must be effect-
ually outnumbered at the polling places,
which can only be effected by the
concession of full equality of all
political rights to negroes, and by
a large immigration of settlers from
the North.”