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rudely violated, and our lovely little ones mercilessly torn from us in spite of their cawing, while we ourselves are assailed on every side by the engines of death, but our miserable bodies must be savagely mangled, and our scalps exhibited to your magistracy contemptuously strung upon strings rattling in horrible aridity!! To say nothing of the demoralizing effects of such exhibitions, and the impolicy of destroying so useful a race as ourselves, for proof of which we beg leave to refer your honors to Wilson's Ornithology; permit us to ask why are we singled out as the objects of your vengeance, when nothing is said of the rat or squirrel, the first more destructive than ourselves, and the last so much so as to have given birth to that most sarcastic observation of the Hon. John Randolph of Roanoke, viz. "that the Northern Neck resembles the outside row of a corn-field, where the squirrels had already commenced their nibbling" a language so prophetical and seemingly so verified by recent events, that we, sagacious as we are known to be, are astonished at his sagacity. On this subject we content ourselves with the simple observation of verbum sap. which is better Latin, we venture to say, than "igna fatuæ." Thanks to the fabulists, who have taught us all languages, and here we cannot refrain from remarking that certain orators appear to have been "at a great feast of the languages," but to have come away without even "the scraps." That more substantial participation in "the flesh pots" may be hereafter exhibited, we pretend not to know anything about, and hasten to call your attention to other matters, more relevant to our present petition.

No longer ago than at the last session of your Assembly, the hog, at the bare mention of the destructiveness of which the Virginia farmer ought to tremble, was treated with a courtesy which, when contrasted with the cruelty evinced to us, is truly astonishing. He was absolutely presented with the freedom of the town of Lewisburg, not in a golden box, but upon parchment, and permitted to rove at large, exempt from all restraint, that he might be upon a footing with the rest of his fellows throughout the state. It surely can

not be unknown to your honors that the hog is, beyond all contradiction, the most destructive to grain of all animals upon earth. In a single night he will ravage an entire field, and notwithstanding the authority to do so, derived from your honorable body, his bloody laurels often attest the sanguinary combat he has waged in defence of his privileges. To statesmen so experienced as yourselves, it would be presumption in us to call your most serious attention to the absurdity of conferring such honors upon an animal so voracious and so regardless of the true wealth of nations. In the single article of fencing, one-third of the labor annually employed in this state might be dispensed with if this licensed freebooter, this swinish corsair, were subjected to imprisonment. It is true we may be reproached with being frequently seen perched upon his back, and we sincerely wish that we could ride into power upon his shoulders, as many of the race of man have done upon the shoulders of their fellows; but alas! like the innocent apple upon the head of the son of Tell, the deadly shaft pierces us through, while the hog moves on unharmed, the pride and favorite of republicans. It is far from the wish of your petitioners to say one word that has reference to political matters. It is certainly our interest to please both sides--we have made "geoponicks" rather than politics our study, and notwithstanding we possess in an eminent degree that craft which is the distinguishing trait of the profound politician, the necessity of procuring subsistence has driven us rather to the contemplation of corn-hills than codes. Nevertheless we find ourselves constrained to say that we are somewhat in the predicament of Gen. Jackson. His deeds have been long known, commented upon, triumphantly vindicated, and yet there are some who seem to have been in a sort of political lethargy, and to have suddenly awakened to a keen perception of his atrocities. The flood long pent up in their bosoms hath at length found a vent, and a torrent of vituperation has poured down upon his head, so sweeping and so overwhelming that no place of secu

rity can be found for the hero of New Orleans, save the strong walls of your penitentiary. Now,

"Ever since old Adam was made,

Pulling of corn has been our trade"

and yet, with this knowledge on your part, vengeance hath slept until lately; the plea of necessity has been our justification-we have acted, as Mr. Adams says, under a higher sanction than human laws, and yet nothing short of an ignominious end will satisfy the enemies of our advancement. Nor are we at a loss to find a parallel in our case to that of Mr. Adams, if that eminent scholar will permit us to compare the humble Mantua with lofty Rome. Like him, we fondly flattered ourselves that our nests, carefully cemented by the aid of Clay, were too securely reared toward the skies to be reached by our opponents. We did not dream that explorations would produce so much mischief; we hoped that in these observatories we might securely sit, and that any attempt to disturb us would be "ineffably stupid," when lo! the auri sacra fames, (more Latin, an' please your worships,) the cursed love of treasury pap, has suddenly overturned all our hopes and left us a prey to despair. We forbear to trespass longer upon your valuable time, although this subject is capable of great amplification, and conclude with an earnest prayer that your honors will reject, promptly and with merited scorn, every bill which has for its object the further wounding of your petitioners, and if this humble boon be too much to grant, we implore that you will in mercy allow us at least the writ of habeas corpus, and ordain that our mangled crowns shall be no longer, with Indian ferocity, exhibited to your magistracy, an indecent spectacle and barbarian trophy, but that each victim, in propria persona, shall be produced, and your petitioners will ever pray, &c. &c. Signed by

MANY CROWS.

THE CAPITOL.

Quoth I, with a' my heart I'll do't,
I'll get my Sunday sark on,
An' meet you on the holy spot;
Faith, we'se hae fine remarkin.

Burns' Holy Fair.

Old Richmond bell began to groan,
The deafen'd year a greeting:

And loud proclaim'd the hour o' noon,
The House's hour o' meeting-
The sun was bursting through the clouds
That wrap the smoky city,

And men were thronging forth in crowds
And all the women pretty,
So gay, that day.

As lonesomely I took the street,
To breathe the genial air,

A laughing friend I chanced to meet,
Quite gay and debonair-

He press'd my hand with friendly grip,
True index of the soul,

And said, come take with me a trip,
To our great Cap-i-tol,
For fun, this day.

I will with all my heart, quoth I,
Since there I ne'er have been,
But first, my friend, pray tell me why
This rushing out and in-

Has Richmond City seen old "Scratch ?"
Or are State Rights in danger?
That folks move on with such despatch,
You see I'm but a stranger
To things, this day.

Oh no, quoth he, a better joke

By far than that we crack,

They've killed a man called Roanoke,
Whose christian name was Jack;

A woman threw a tile of yore,
And smote some fellow's head,
But Jack was smit by something more,
A Tyler killed him dead,
Quite dead, one day.

That Tyler now is also dead,
And turned 'tis said to Clay,
And so we go to choose, instead,
Some man to bear the sway—
The troops of those who wish to reign,
Will fight like bold Macduff;
The shout will be with might and main,
"Lay on" and he who "cries enough"
"Be d-'d" this day.`

So arm in arm, we sought the Hall,
Where onwards rolled the stream,
Through iron gate, with chain and ball,
That kept incessant scream-
I jogg'd my friend, and said, is not
This meant by wags a symbol ?
They've hung up here this cannon shot,
To shew there's room to tremble,
For war, this day.

He smiled and said, "pray, forward march,
A truce with jibes and goads-
See, here's a great Collossal arch"-
I ask'd if 't came from Rhodes?
But when I heard it was a work,

Built up for great Fayette,
Egad! said I, his foes at York
Must hang their heads and fret,
To see't this day.

Now on the spacious square we stood,
My soul I felt expanding,
My eye pursued the dazzling flood
Of James as he went winding;

I saw him raging far above,

And with the rocks contending,

Then lower down, less furious move,
As if his rage was spending

Full fast, that day.

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