or any other description of paper, whatever, calculated or intended to circulate as money or currency, of a less denomination than five dollars; or to receive as dues to the state, notes, bills, checks, certificates of deposit, or any other description of paper, whatever, calculated or intended to circulate as money or currency, which may have been issued by any person, association or body corporate that is not expressly authorized by law, or by the act of incorporation, to issuc such paper; or which is made payable at any other place than where issued, whether the place of payment be expressed in the body of such paper, or written, printed, stamped, marked, or endorsed thercon; or which is made payable at a future day, or at any other time than on demand; or which is made payable in bank notes, currency, or any thing else than gold or silver. AN ACT of Mass., concerning passenger carriers. Be it enacted &c., as follows: If the life of any person, being a passenger, shall be lost by reason of the negligence or carelessness of the proprietor or proprietors of any railroad, steamboat, stage coach, or of common carriers of passengers, or by the unfitness or gross negligence or carelessness of their servants or agents in this Commonwealth, such proprietor or proprietors, and common carriers, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars, nor less than five hundred dollars, to be recovered by indictment, to the use of the executor or administrator of the deceased person, for the benefit of his widow and heirs; one moiety thereof to go to the widow and the other to the children of the deceased; but if there shall be no children, the whole to the widow, and if no widow, to heirs, according to the law regulating the distribution of intestate personal estate among heirs. Approved by the Governor of Massachusetts, March 23d, 1840. Sec. 6. That it shall be unlawful for any disbursing of ficer of this state, or other person authorized to pay out money on the behalf of this state, by himself or agent, to pay out, either directly or indirectly, on behalf of this state, to any creditor of the state, or to any contractor, sub-contractor, hand or hands on any of the public works of this state, notes, checks, bills, certificates of deposit, or any other description of paper whatever, calculated or intended to circulate as money or currency, of a less denomination than five dollars; or pay out, either directly or indirectly, on behalf of this state, to any creditor of the state, or to any contractor, sub-contractor, hand or hands, on any of the public works of this state, notes, bills, checks, certificates of deposit, or any other description of paper, whatever, calculated or intended to circulate as money or currency, that may have been issued by any person, association or body corporate, not expressly authorized by law, or by the act of incorporation, to issue such pa per, or which is not made payable at the place where issued, whether the place of payment be expressed in the body of such paper, or written, printed, stamped, marked, or endorsed thereon, or which is made payable at a future day, or at any other time than on demand, or which is made payable in bank notes, currency, or in any thing else than gold and silver. Sec. 7. That any such person or persons mentioned and described in the fifth and sixth sections of this act, violating any of the provisions of said fifth and sixth sections, shall forfeit and pay for each and every such violation or offence, one hundred dollars to be recovered by any person suing for the same, in an action of debt in the name of the State of Commissioners, to divide the 17 wards of the city into voting Division of the city of New York into Districts.-The Ohio, to be paid over by the officer before whom it is recov-districts, have made 73 districts, as follows: ered to the treasurer of the county in which the suit may be brought, for the use of common schools, in said county; and 4 in the 5th; 4 in the 6th; 7 in the 7th; 8 in the 8th; 6 in 3 in the 1st ward; 2 in the 2d; 3 in the 3d; 4 in the 4th; every such violation or offence shall, moreover, be good cause the 9th; 5 in the 10th; 4 in the 11th; 2 in the 12th; 4 in the 13th; 4 in the 14th; 4 in the 15th; 4 in the 16th; 5 in the 17th. Whole number of districts, 73. for removal from office. Sec. 8. That so much of the twenty-third section of the act entitled "an act to regulate judicial proceedings where banks and bankers are parties, and to prohibit issuing bank bills of certain descriptions," passed January 28, 1824, as prohibits actions to be brought upon any notes or bills issued after the passage of said act, by any bank, banker or bankers, and intended for circulation, unless such bank, banker or bankers shall be incorporated and authorized by the laws of this state, to issue such bills and notes, and which declares that all such notes and bills shall be held and taken in all courts as absolutely void, be and the same is hereby repealed. Sec. 9. That the act entitled "an act to prohibit the issuing and circulation of small bills," passed Feb. 9, 1839; and the act entitled "an act to prohibit the circulation of foreign bank bills of a less denomination than $5 in this state," passed Jan. 31, 1831; and the tenth section of the act entitled "an act to regulate judicial proceedings where banks and bankers are parties, and to prohibit issuing bank bills of certain descriptions," passed Jan. 28, 1824; be and the same are hereby repealed: Provided, That such repeal shall not affect any suits or prosecutions now pending against any company, association or person, under said acts of Feb. 9, 1839, and Jan. 31, 1831, nor any right to any suit or prosecution against any company, association or person, but the same may be prosecuted as though said acts had not been repealed. Sec. 10. That the first, second and eighth sections of that act, shall be in force from and after the passage of this act; The Bank of England.-Quarterly average of the weekly liabilities and assets of the Bank of England, from the 10th December, 1839, to the 3d March, 1840, both inclusive, published pursuant to the Act 3 and 4 W. IV., cap. 98. Liabilities. Assets. Circulation, £16,678,000 | Securities, £23,223,000 Downing-street, March 5, 1840. £27,494,000 the Election, there being three at each poll.-N. Y. Jour. of It appears from this that we shall have 219 inspectors of Commerce. It is stated that the town of Gloucester, Mass., employs 200 vessels, comprising more than 10,000 tons, manned by 1400 men, in the fisheries. The bounty allowed by government essential to the prosecution of the business, as the average annual earnings of fishermen in that town, have not exceeded $140 for the last 10 years. A bushel of Grain. The last Legislature of Indiana passed a law prescribing an uniform mode of ascertaining by weight, the quality of the different kinds of grain, that shall pass for a standard bushel in that State as follows: wheat 60 pounds, avoirdupois, rye 56, corn, 56, barley 48, oats, 33. Appointments by the Governor.-Isaac W. Norris, George Handy, Abraham P. Eyre, Joseph A. Evans, James M. Linnard, and John J. Krider, Esqrs., to be assistant wardens of the port of Philadelphia. Mortality in St. Louis.-There were 666 deaths in St. Louis in the year 1839. Forty seven were accidental, or violent deaths. This was an action of REPLEVIN to recover certain goods and merchandise, enumerated in the Writ of Declaration, valued at $919 46. The plaintiffs were merchants of New York, and the defendants were common carriers between the cities of New York and Philadelphia. The facts of the case, as detailed in the evidence, were briefly as follows: In the month of September, 1835, Isaac Campbell, of Alton, Illinois, went to the city of New York with the view of purchasing goods. He represented to the plaintiffs that he was a member of Isaac Campbell & Co., which firm, he said, consisted of his father, brother and him self-that the firm was free from debt-that his father was in affluent circumstances, and that the capital of their firm was about $10,000. sand sheets of paper per day. The rags are, as it were, received at one end of the building and carried out bound books, finely printed on beautiful paper at the other. So rapid is the process by which paper can be made by the power of steam, that rags have been received at this mill in the morning, manufactured into paper and printed before night. We do not know the number of hands employed at this establishment, but we should suppose in good times a hundred or more would be necessary to carry on the labor required in all the various departments. The company have published many very valuable works with which the pubkinds and the Comprehensive Commentary-the Lives of lic are well acquainted. We noticed Bibles of various the Presidents, and various other publications, some of which were finished, in most elegant style. Their establishment appears to be furnished with the very best of machinery and we know of no similar one in the country which combines so many facilities for carrying on the books as this. Bellows Falls Gazette. An aged Matron of the Revolution.-The widow of Upon the faith of these representations, the plaintiffs sold him Brigadier General John Patterson, late of the State of New the goods in question. It was in proof that he bought goods of York, and a general officer of the Massachusetts Continenmany other persons in New York, by means of similar re-tal line, is now living at Ogden, N. Y. One of her grandpresentations. The goods sold by the plaintiffs, as well as others, were packed up in cases and bales, marked "Isaac Campbell & Co. Alton, Illinois," and delivered to the defendants, for conveyance to Philadelphia, thence to be forwarded to Illinois. On the arrival of the goods in Philadelphia, they were seized under process of foreign attachment, by pre-existing creditors of Isaac Campbell, whose debts amounted to several thousand dollars. Campbell absconded upon the laying of the attachments. It was afterwards ascertained that he was largely in debt in Philadelphia-that he was wholly insolvent, and that no such firm existed as Isaac Campbell & Co. Campbell afterwards fled to Texas. This replevin was issued to take the goods out of the hands of the defendants, who were mere stakeholders for the parties entitled, either the plaintiffs or the attaching credi tors. The plaintiffs' counsel contended, 1st, That they had a right to stop the goods IN TRANSITU, between New York and Illinois, in consequence of the insolvency of the pretended purchaser, James Campbell. 2d. That the contract of sale was annulled and rescinded by the fraud and falsehood which were practised to obtain the goods, and that no property passes where a purchase is brought about by misrepresentation. His Honour Judge Stroud charged the Jury, that if they believed the evidence they must find for the plaintiff-that the contract was violated by the fraud, and no property could pass under such circumstances. Verdict for plaintiffs. For plaintiffs, Job R. Tyson, Esq. For defendants, S. H. Perkins, Esq.-United States Gazette. Lunar Phenomenon. We are informed, by a gentleman of this city, that the Moon presented a very singular appearance between two and three o'clock on Friday morning. He states that it was obscured for the space of half an hour, by some body between the Earth and the Moon, so as to present the appearance of an annular eclipse,-a slight ring of light round the edge of the Moon being alone visible. The same phenomenon was also observed by the watchman on duty at that time. Can any of our astronomical readers explain the cause?-Troy Whig. sons, at the North, writing to another in this city, says: "I have returned from paying a visit to our grandmother, who is near one hundred years old, and found her as sprightly as you are, and in perfect health. She is the oldest female in this State, and amongst the last of our Revolutionary mothers."-Charles. Courier. Foreign Export of Wheat and Flour from Philadelphia. The shipments of Flour and Wheat from the port of Philadelphia to foreign ports, from the 1st of February to the 1st April, 1840, inclusive, have been as follows, viz: Providence Custom House. As evidence of the integrity and solvency of our merchants, and the vigilance and honesty of the officers of the customs in this district, we state as a matter of fact, that sincc the adoption of the Constitution of the United States by Rhode Island, there has been collected and paid into the Brattleboro' Typographic Company.-This company Treasury of the General Government up to this time more was incorporated in 1826 with a capital of $150,000, and than twelve million of dollars, and that the whole amount is at present doing an extensive business in the Paper and of loss to the country, during said time, upon bonds or otherBook line. A short time since we were shown by the po-wise accruing from this Office, will not exceed four hundred liteness of Mr. Fessenden, through the whole extent of this great establishment. They have ready for operation, eight power presses, sufficient for the printing of twenty thou dollars. Can any other Custom House in America make a like exhibit with truth. Providence Cour. to the importance of improving the navigation of one of its head waters. I mean the Allegheny river. The extension of that navigation from Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, to Olean Point, in the State of New York, will, I am persuaded, be a measure of very great importance, not only to the country immediately adjacent, but ultimately to a great part of the Union. There are at this time thirteen states interested in this improvement. Should the contemplated improvement be carried into effect, the effect will be as any gentleman by an inspection of the map can immediately perceive that a continued line of navigation will be extended up the Allegheny to the Genesse Valley canal-a work which the enterprise and perseverance of the State of New York are pushing rapidly to its completion. When this middle link of the chain shall have been supplied, there will be a water communication, extending without interruption, for twelve thousand miles through the interior of the United States. An object like this well deserves the name of a national enterprise, for all parts of the country are more or less interested in its completion. When this vast internal navigation is complete, not only agricul Prices of certain leading articles of Produce, in the Balti-tural produce, but troops, artillery, and munitions of war, more market, at the close of March, 1840. .$4,814 1839. $7,25 4,87 ......... .... 4,87 7,25 .13,00 18,50 3,00 4,37 1,50 1,00 Rye... ...do.. 47 97 Corn, white... can rapidly be conveyed from remote points on the Atlantic coast all the way to New Orleans, without being exposed to the dangers of the sea. Who does not perceive what an invaluable advantage this will be, should the nation be involved in war. Lard Galle's Comet. On the 25th of January last, Mr. Galle, assistant at the Berlin Observatory, discovered a comet; and after four days' observations, the elements of its orbit were computed by Professor Encke. His letter to Professor Schumacher announcing the discovery was brought out by the Great Western, and through the politeness of Mr. S. C. Walker of Philadelphia, I received a copy of the elements on Saturday last, March 14th. These elements were as follows: Perihelion passage 1840, March 11, 2703 Berlin mean time. Longitude of perihelion... Flour, bbls. 3,356 Perihelion distance.... Motion retrograde. 500 700 1,250 3,250 3,600 1,000 2,757 5,700 600 2,000 .24,113 Grain. bush. 3,000 5,000 3,700 Phila. Commercial List. The Alexandria Gazette says, that in the quarter ending the 31st March, 1840, there were shipped from Alexandria to Foreign Ports, (exclusive of coastwise shipments,) 21,511 barrels of Flour. Importance of the Allegheny River. Mr. Beatty of Pennsylvania, in a late speech in the House of Representatives, made the following statement: Large appropriations have heretofore been made for improving the navigation of the Ohio, and many of the streams. connected with it; and I now ask the attention of the house From these data I immediately computed the comet's present place, and waited impatiently for an opportunity to test the accuracy of the elements and my own computation. The first clear evening was on Wednesday the 18th, when on pointing the telescope, I immediately discovered the comet nearly in the place assigned it. It was faint, but brightest in the central parts; resembling a small nebula, nearly circular and about one minute in diameter; but its margin was exceedingly ill-defined. It could only be seen in a dark room. At 8 o'clock its Right ascension was 1 h. 58 m. 42s., and its declination 22° 49′ 36′′ north, which is but about ten minutes from the star Alpha Arietis, and nearly seventy degrees from the place where it was first discovered by Mr. Galle. Last evening the 19th, at about the same hour its Right ascension was 2 h. 0 m. 31 s., and its declination 22° 17′ 14′′. its declination diminishing 32′ 22′′ daily. From these data, Its Right ascension then is increasing 1 m. 49 s. daily, and observers will have no difficulty in following it for some time to come. It has never been visible to the naked eye, and as it is now receding from both the earth and the sun, it never can be visible without a telescope. A good refractor however of two inches aperture would suffice to show it distinctly. It can only be observed between the hours of seven and nine in the evening; yet as its apparent motion is in the same direction with the sun, it may perhaps continue visible for a month to come. ELIAS LOOMIS. Hudson Observatory, March 20, 1840, Making an aggregate of...... 125,000 00 .$246,710 00 of liabilities on account of the bonds issued for Planters' Bank stock which must be paid before the termination of the present fiscal year. To meet this liability, the only resource of the State is in the sinking fund, which amounts to the sum of $525,765 00, loaned out to 195 individuals; and of which in the opinion of your committee, not more than $200,000 can be realized in the course of four years. The liabilities of the State on account of bonds sold for the use of the Union Bank, are as follows: Taxes, Debts and Expenses of Salem Massachusetts. In looking over the statements which the Town and City authorities have annually published, I find the following as the comparative situation of the Taxes, Debts and Expenses, for several consecutive years: Taxes levied for 1834, $35,000, and the same for several previous years. 1835 $35,000, 35,000, Debts $43,000, Outrage on the American Flag. Captain Hale, of the Brig Boxer, just arrived at this port from a voyage to Africa-the brig having been chartered by the Maryland Colonization Society to take out emigrants to Cape Palmas-states that on his return he touched at Sierra Leone and received some freight, and proceeded thence to the Isle of Mayo to load salt for Baltimore. He arrived at Mayo on the 22nd of February, and having received the usual visit from the authorities of the Island, and obtained permission to land and transact business, he was afterwards sent for by the commandant, his papers detained, and himself and passengers ordered on board again. The alleged ground of suspicion was, that he was er.gaged in the Slave Trade. Next day, however, his papers were returned to him and he was told that he might proceed to sea, when the flag was lowered at the Battery. Shortly afterwards a boat came off with an order from the commandant for Capt. Hale, to come on shore again with his papers. He was put under guard, his papers were taken from him, and his passengers, officers and crew, with the exception of one man and the cook, were brought on shore, and with himself committed to prison. They were detained there, without beds or provisions, until next day, when he was sent on board his vessel a prisoner-a prize master and crew being put in charge, who procceded to Port de Praya, St. Jago. Here he presented himself to the United States Consul, F. Gardner, Esq. who procured a speedy examination and release of the vessel. Captain Hale now found himself in possession of the brig without a crew, when towards evening his passengers and officers arrived in an open boat from the Island of Mayo, and next day the remainder of the crew arrived, having been landed at Port Santiago, some 18 or 20 miles distant. The brig having come to Mayo, directly from Sierra Leone, a British colony, the first inspection of her papers might have satisfied the authorities at the former place that she was no slaver. The whole proceeding is a wanton, unprovoked outrage to the American flag, and as such, immediate reparation should be demanded of the Portuguese government, although it is highly probable that the authorities of Mayo did not venture upon this oppression without instigation. The British influence, while it is strong over the Portuguese is directed very decidedly against the American trade on the coast of Africa, and any occasion to throw embarrassment or difficulty in the way of its prosecution will hardly be suffered to pass. Capt. Hale has entered his protest against the unjustifiable detention, and measures will be taken to secure reparation for the damages incurred.-Balt. Amer. Correspondence of the Philadelphia Exchange. NEW CASTLE, March 6, 1840. Mr. J. Coffee: Sir-Perhaps it will not be uninteresting to yourself and the commercial community of your city, after so severe a winter as the past, to know a few facts touching Expenses $44,559 26 the harbor of this place. I have not been absent one day 39,010 75 from the wharf during the whole period of ice time-there39,832 97 fore my remarks are from ocular demonstration. This win43,363 88 ter, though not so long as that of last year's, made more ice, 41,829 61 and very strong. The ice run heavily during the whole 8,702 34 period of freezing. This harbor, though in an unfinished state, gave ample protection to ninety-three vessels, of all classes, viz: 1836 66 1837 66 35,000, 1838 35,000, 1839 43,000, 35,000, 66 37,419, 43,500, 66 35,000, Since the organization of the City Government, in 1836, the Surplus Revenue has been received into the Treasury, and the following permanent appropriations have been made, viz: The City Hall; Site for new Court House; Harmony Grove Cemetery; the land of Joshua Ward, for the purpose of widening Washington street; at an aggregate cost of more than thirty-three thousand dollars. The above items, together with many more which I notice in looking over the expenses of the several departments for the last municipal year, which have occurred from special causes, leave the City Debt at the end of the year $43,550, or $500 more than it was at the termination of the Town Government, VERACITY. Register. Meteorological Observations at Huntsville, Ala., for 9 years. By comparing the monthly and annual ranges of the above table with those of higher and lower latitudes than ours, we learn that our climate is less variable than that of the former, Believing it may meet the eyes of some who will value it, and more than the latter. The extremes of heat and cold I have compiled from the Register mentioned in a former as registered by scientific gentlemen in several of the northern article, (see page 171,) a table of maximum and minimum and middle states are greater than in North Alabama. In aptemperature at Huntsville, Alabama., for the last nine years.proaching the south they gradually diminish, and in New In the third column of each year is given the monthly range, Orleans, Mobile, Savannah, &c., are less than here. or difference, in degrees of Farenheit's thermometer, between the highest and lowest temperature. At the bottom is the greatest annual range. TABLE OF MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURE AT HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, FOR THE LAST NINE YEARS. 1835. 1836. 1837. 1838. 1839. 1834. 1833. 1832. 1831. Max. Min. Rge. Max. Min. Rge. Max. Min. Rge. Max. Min. Rge. Max. Min. Rge. Max. Min. Rge. Max. Min. Rge. Max. Min. Rge. Max. Min. Rge. Annual range, The mean monthly temperature not being given in the Register to which I had access, I estimated the annual mean by a method sanctioned by high authority, though perhaps less accurate than the one usually employed. Humbolt has observed that the temperature of April and October is very nearly that of the entire year. In accordance with this suggestion, I obtained as the mean of those two months for several years, 60°07 degrees, which may probably be receiv ed as the annual mean for our climate. It is a singular coincidence that the maximum and minimum temperatures of April for nine years is nearly the same, being 60°13 degrees, while that of October for the same time is but a fraction less. The coldest month in this latitude is January; the warmest July. The lowest temperature during the last nine years, was at sunrise on the 26th of January, 1832. The thermometer then stood at 9 degrees below zero, and the mean of three observations taken at sunrise, 3 o'clock, P. M. and at night fall, is 3°33 degrees above 0. The highest temperature was at 3 o'clock, P. M. on the last day of August, 1836. The thermometer stood at 96 in the shade. The mean of three observations taken as above is 85°16 degrees, giving a more intense heat for twenty-four hours than was ever recorded before or since in this place. In the Register before me the changes of the moon have been carefully noted for several years past, and after the closest examination, I see no ground for the popular opinion that they influence vegetation or the weather. They doubtless are sometimes the accidental precursors of phenomena which have more substantial though latent causes. If any deference is due to learning, these vulgar notions ought surely to be relinquished on the authority of such a man as Dr. Olbers, the celebrated German astronomer, who discovered the asteroids Pallas and Vesta. After careful meterological observations for fifty years, he says-"I believe I have demonstrated that the influence of the moon upon the weather is so small as to be totally lost amid the great variety of other forces which change the state of our atmosphere, and that its pretended influence on men, animals, or plants, is all of it due to illusion and prejudice."-Southern Advocate. Zoar, in Ohio, was settled by a company of Germans who put their property into common stock, with a patriarch at their head. They came over and purchased the township about 1820. One of the conditions of the compact was, that no one of the associates should marry until their affairs had arrived at such a state of maturity that the patriarch should In the space of think it expedient to remove the restraint. fifteen years, they had built a town, cultivated gardens and fields, erected a church, mills, &c. Of school houses they had no need, for there was not a child in the town. A gentleman who spent a Sabbath with them in 1834, says the patriarch, then about seventy years of age read a portion of the Bible, and then delivered an address, in German of course. The music was very fine, and accompanied with all sorts of instruments. The company consisted of about two hundred and fifty men, and a still larger number of women.There was no reason to doubt that the agreement of celibacy had been faithfully kept; but about a year afterwards the patriarch removed the restraint, and was one of the first to use the liberty he had granted.-N. Y. Jour. Com. Importation of Eggs.-The sloop A. M. P., Captain Brightman, has regularly, for twenty-three years, made twenty-five trips a year from Westport, Mass. to this portduring which period she has brought to our market, on an average, 500 dozen of eggs cach trip, making a total of 3,450,000 eggs, averaging 12 cents per dozen. Amounting to thirty four thousand five hundred dollars.- Providence Jour. |