put off finishing that piece of work till next day, which was agreed to, and his fellow-workman was set to another piece of work at some distance. This man, however, continued all the afternoon in going from the house to a hedge under the pretense of a colic, and after work-people had left the place, he returned and carried away, it was affirmed, above £5000 of gold, in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth, Charles I, Charles II, and James I. These were brought to a Mr. Foy, a silversmith, who bought many of them. The artful fellow would not tell where he got them, but finding they were gold went straight to London, and has never been heard of since. These were all in fine preservation, as if from the Mint. Mr. Foy let me have a two-guinea piece of Charles II, and that piece I presented to Lady Harriet Acland, who smiled and said it was very hard that the family should not have one relic of it. Most of the families in this part of Somerset were attached to the family of Stewart, and this money was supposed to have been lodged either to pay the Royal Troops sent to oppose the Duke of Mo'mouth, or for the use of the Duke of Monmouth himself. But as you know those in my possession are beautifully entire.* Lord Porchester, now Earl of Carnarvon [father of the present or 4th Earl of Carnarvon, a great-grandson of Lady Harriet, and late Sec'y of State for Colonies and more recently Lord Lieutenant of Ireland], is a very amiable young man, with very considerable, genteel abilities; he built an excellent new house upon the romantic hill of Pixton, where he sets an example of improving that highly picturesque country, by building bridges, enclosing and making new and improving the old roads all around Pixton with the road leading to it, put one always in mind of the river Kinnel in Dinnfresshire. Amiable, humane, good, generous Lady Harriet, how sincerly do I lament thy A. Macdonald. death. TAUNTON, 19 March, 1819. INTERESTING LETTER FROM JAMES MONROE TO GOVERNOR SHELBY OF KENTUCKY From the collection of Gordon L. Ford. Sir: Department of War The result of the Contest which is so gallantly sustained by our troops at New Orleans, under the command of Major General Jackson, is still doubtful. The enemy seem to have directed their whole disposable force, there, in the *This incident recalls one of a similar character in connection with the Saratoga Battle Ground. Some years since, a poor day laborer, while ploughing over the Great Redoubt, found a number of gold pieces-how many were never known. bought and paid for a fine farm near Saratoga Lake. Acland, July 21, 1815.-W. L. S. A few months after his find, however, he Lady Harriet died, the widow of Major hope of getting possession of that City and the command of the Mississippi, that important outlet to all the productions of the Western Country. I trust that the justice of our cause, aided by the bravery of our troops under the favor of a gracious providence, will finally prevail over these invaders and finally overwhelm them. As the result, however, is uncertain, and the enemy may receive reinforcements, we ought not to be less attentive to the Succour of our brave countrymen, who have so nobly submitted to every degree of privation and encountered every danger. An army must be formed and sent to their aid without delay. If our troops should be repulsed, which we cannot believe, this army will unite with their brethren, renew the attack, and repel the intruders. If the Contest should still be undecided, the reinforcement will turn the Scale. The President requests that you will immediately detach five Thousand of the Militia of your State for this service, preferring Volunteers if they can be obtained, and hasten them down the river with the greatest dispatch possible. Arrangements will be made by the Department for their transportation, of which you shall be advised. Everything will be in readiness to take the troops down by the time they are collected. Let every man who has one bring his Rifle or Musket with him. Our hundred and fifty thousand dollars in treasury notes will be remitted to you to pay for the expense of transportation already incurred for the troops now at New Orleans, and for the contingent expenses of those now required which you are hereby authorised to distribute to such agents of the Government as may be employed in paying, subsisting, transporting, and providing forage for the troops. Inclosed you will receive a copy of a letter from the Secretary of the Treasury to me of this date, giving assurance that the Treasury notes will be soon forwarded, on the authority of which I trust that your Excellency will be enabled to obtain of the Banks without difficulty, on loan, by anticipation, any sum that will be necessary for those purposes. It may be gratifying to your Excellency to know that a strong force is also ordered from Tennessee for this service. I need not observe that should you understand that the enemy have been vanquished and either made prisoners of, or driven out, that the march of these troops will be suspended. Let not this expectation, however, prevent their collection and march as soon as possible for it. His Excellency Isaac Shelby Governor of Kentucky. I have the honor to be Most ob. Ser'vt Jas. Monroe NOTES. THE MANUSCRIPT MARKET-One Guinea (the great link by which the great difficulty with which the maker of Molucca Islands are connected with manuscript is obliged to contend is, that New Holland on the one hand and the his market is constantly overstocked. Polynesian Archipelago on the other) is He is prone to think that if he furnishes a race of Haraforas, who live in the a clever poem, a bright essay, a well- hollows of trees, which they ascend by written, interesting story to a periodical, means of long notched pieces of timber. it will be certain of acceptance. But it The agility of the youth of this race will not be, unless accompanied by a among the branches of trees is wonderwell known name, which will carry the ful; they will climb and spring from one contribution independent of its merit. branch to the other almost with the When a man has reputation, he can dis- ease of monkeys, and like those animals pose of anything he may write. Before when attacked take to the trees as refhe has acquired reputation, his very uges, where they can defend themselves best may go begging. The general read- with great chance of success. Their er's judgment of literature of any kind is habits are essentially the same as those commonly founded on the fame of the of other tribes already named. Beccari writer. He admires what he believes bears testimony to the fact of having he ought to admire; he recognizes abil- seen some of them wearing bracelets of ity through the eyes of others; he adopts human jaw-bones, and necklaces made outside opinions as his own. The manu- of the spinal vertebræ which had script-maker seldom suspects that the evidently been subjected to the action of periodical to which he has sent his con- heat. Their habitations in the tree-tops tribution already has on hand a number were also decked with human skulls, of clever poems, bright essays, interest- which led to the belief that the taste of ing stories, for which it cannot find human flesh was not unknown to them. room; consequently, if the editor tells -Anthropophagy Historic and Prehistoric, him so, he is inclined to discredit the by General Charles W. Darling. story. In truth, only a few of the initiated have any conception of the continually increasing number of manuscripts that flood every office in the land. marvel is not that such a host are rejected, but that so many are printed. Not one out of twenty, prepared with care and confidence, ever sees the light of day. The inky mania rages universally, and is incapable of abatement.-Junius Henry Brown, in Forum for July. The SAN GABRIEL-To see at its best the loveliest part of Southern California, as improved, one must descend into its great valley of San Gabriel. The Sierra Madre Mountains that form its northern wall rise with a sudden sweep much higher above the valley than most of the great mountains of our country rise above the land at their feet, lifting one at once into a different climate and to a country where primeval wildness still HARAFORAS-In the interior of New reigns supreme. Few parts of the United States are less known and less traversed than these great hills; yet they look down upon the very garden of all California. Away up there the mountain trout flashes undisturbed in the hissing brook, and the call of the mountain quail rings from the shady glen where the grizzly bear yet dozes away the day, secure as in the olden time. From the bristling points where the lilac and manzanita light up the dark hue of the surrounding chaparral the deer yet looks down upon the plain from which the antelope has long been driven; while on the lofty ridges that lie in such clear outline against the distant sky the mountain sheep still lingers, safe in its inaccessible home.-Southern California, by Van Dyke. THE BOSTON ROCKING-CHAIR-Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, Bart., while at some lordly mansion in England, his hostess had begged him to have made for her a Boston rocking-chair. Not wishing to disoblige her ladyship, he enlisted the services of the village carpenter, and a few days after had a contrivance not then to be found in fashionable mansions outside the nursery, placed in the apartment where the company at the castle assembled before dinner. With all due ceremony he led the amiable and muchhonored lady to the chair, in which she ensconced herself and began to rock. Unfortunately, the rockers had not been constructed on scientific principles, and over it went, with many eyes to behold. Too well-bred to be affronted, she gathered herself up as best she could; and by taking it kindly put the admiral at his ease, and contributed to the gayety of the repast. Her husband, whose good services placed him in Parliament, did not abate them for the casualty.-Life of Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, Bart., by Thomas C. Amory. WHERE WAS WASHINGTON?-Editor Magazine of American History: No intelligent and true patriot can be found in our land at the present day who does not admire the daring exploits and dashing heroism of the gallant General Anthony Wayne, and especially his courageous and successful assault upon Stony Point. We all admire his laconic and modest dispatch: "Stony Point July 16th 79 2 o'clock A.M. General Washington The Fort and municions are ours. The Officers and Soldiers acted like men deYours termined to be free. A. Wayne " Will some one please say, through your Magazine, where Washington was in waiting to receive this dispatch? R. W. JUDSON REPLIES COLONEL BENJAMIN WALKER [XVI. 110]- Editor Magazine of American History: Colonel Benjamin Walker was born in England in 1753; came to New York and became a merchant before the Revolution. Early in the war he was captain in the Second Regiment of New York Continentals. On the arrival of Baron Steuben, in 1777, Colonel Walker joined his staff. Speaking French, he was of great service to the baron. In 1781-2 the colonel belonged to General Washington's military family. August 3, 1789, President Washington, in his first list of nominations to the United States Senate, nominated Colonel Walker for Naval Officer for New York City, and his nomination (with others) was the first confirmed. Soon after Baron Steuben's death, Colonel Walker being one of his executors, removed to Utica, New York, to be near the baron's estate. In 1801-3 Colonel Walker was a member of Congress. I have never before heard that Colonel Walker was ever sent to France on any errand. He died in Utica, New York, January 13, 1818, and a few years ago his remains were removed with much parade to our beautiful Forest Hill Cemetery. M. M. J. UTICA, NEW YORK JOEL BARLOW AND THE SCIOTA LAND COMPANY [XVI. 110]-I can throw no light on the first part of this query, but as to the question: Who was Colonel Benjamin Walker? I can furnish this information: "Colonel Walker was a native of England, where he was born in 1753. He became a captain in the Second New York Regiment, in the Continental army, having left the mercantile business for a military life when the Revolution broke out. After serving as Steuben's favorite aid for about four years, he entered the military family of Washington in 1781. At the end of the war he was Governor Clinton's private secretary. He became a broker in New York, and was Naval Officer there during the administration of Washington. In 1797, he was appointed agent for the management of a large estate in Central New York; served a term in Congress from 1801, and died at Utica, in 1818." WM. HARDEN |