signs of life. I therefore reloaded my | had made inroads on her lair, and prorifle, and with a second shot I pierced bably had destroyed her kittens. 1 was immediately behind the ear. Its head the more convinced of this from the fact then dropped between its paws, and all that I never knew from my own experiwas quiet. ence, nor could I learn from the oldest hunters of my acquaintance, an instance wherein a bear and a panther engaged in combat ;—and again, no circumstance but the above would be sufficient to awa ken that vindictive perseverance in the passions of a panther, which would lead to the annihilation of so formidable an animal as a bear.-Cabinet of Natural History, and American Field Sports. On examining the panther, no marks of violence appeared, except where my rifle balls had passed completely through, within a foot of each other; but on turning the animal on its back, I discovered it to be a female, and a mother, and by the enlargement of her teats, had evidently been suckling her young. From this circumstance, I supposed the bear The Cotton Plant. HIS plant grows spontaneously in the hot or tropical portions of the globe. It derives its name from the Arabian word Kotôn; and is one of the four great materials designed by Providence for human clothing-flax, wool and silk being the other three. It is remarkable that neither of these useful articles was the natural product of Europe. All were indigenous to Asia. Cotton and flax were also natives of Africa and America. Cotton, which is the most important of these articles, was the last to be gen erally diffused. Silk, wool and linen were in use three or four thousand years ago, but cotton was introduced at a later date, and up to the time of our Saviour, was almost unknown as a material for clothing, except in India. Even in the middle ages, we hear no mention of cotton garments in Europe. The Chinese, who have taken the lead in so many arts, did not adopt cotton for use till the eleventh century, though, for four hundred years previous, they had cultivated it as an ornamental shrub in their gardens. Even at the present day, China imports the wool of this plant for manufacture. Cotton was grown, to a small extent, in the United States, nearly two hundred years ago; but it was not extensively introduced till many years after. In 1786, Mr. Madison, writing to a friend, says, "there is no reason to doubt that the United States will one day become a great cotton producing country." In 1792, the whole crop of the country was only 138,328 lbs.; 1795, it was 6,276,300 lbs. ; and in 1842, it was 783,221,800 lbs. !!! About two thirds of this immense | setts, the several establishments make about 75 millions of yards of cotton cloth every year; and use almost 23 millions of pounds of cotton wool, annually. quantity goes to Europe, chiefly to England, and some to France. Nearly one third is used in the manufactures of the United States. At Lowell, in Massachu View of Washington. HAT an agitation seems to shake this whole country from Maine to Louisiana! By day we hear the shout of mighty gatherings of the people, and by night, torch-light proces sions are seen throwing their lights and shadows along the streets. Hickory poles lift their tall tops to the skies on every hand, and flags and streamers are waving in every breeze, and on every side. The names of Polk and Dallas are seen dancing amid the stars and stripes, in one direction, and those of Clay and Frelinghuysen, in another. Even many of the boys and girls have hoisted their flags and play whig and democrat, like their fathers! Perhaps both child and parent, in many cases, know just about as much of what this all means-the one as the other. It would be a long story to tell all about the election of President; but we must at least say a few words about it. Every four years the people of this country choose a man to rule over this great nation of twenty millions of people. The way the election or choice is made is this: the people of each of the twentysix states, choose certain persons, called Electors, and these meet together, and cast their votes for President. The person who has the highest number of votes is chosen, and he removes to the city of Washington, where he lives in a fine edifice, called the White House. He holds his office for four years, and then another election of President takes place, as above described. The two leading candidates for Presi dent, at this time, are Henry Clay of Kentucky, and James K. Polk of Ten nessee. BENJAMIN CONSTANDT-IRISH WIT-DR. WATTS. BENJAMIN CONSTANDT.-This celebra ted French orator had a cat which was so great a pet that she attended him in the morning before he got up, followed him into his study after breakfast, and played and reposed where she liked. One day, when Constandt was expected to make an important speech in the chamber of deputies, his friends, finding that he was absent after his time from the arena, came to seek him at his house, and going into his study, found him quietly reading some book that had evidently nothing to do with the matter in hand; and when they told him that everybody was waiting for him, "What can I do?" said he; "look there; my cat is sleeping in the sun on the papers I have prepared for my speech, and till she wakes, how can I take her off them?" 149 HERE are few persons, whose names are recorded in history, to whom mankind are more indebted than IRISH WIT.-A poor Irishman, on entering a village in England, observed a board on the corner of the street, prohibiting public begging. He marched straight to the parsonage, and asked to see the minister; after a little hesitation the girl admitted him to the study. Pat immediately slipped up alongside the minister, and whispered into his ear, "Your reverence will please give me something in private, and bad luck catch me if I mention it." Pat's plan answered the purpose; the minister was amused at the poor starving fellow before him, and Pat retired from the audience, ask-rhymes! how many millions of grown up ing down blessings on the "minister, his persons have had their piety elevated, by wife and childer-good luck to the whole the influence of his sacred songs! of them!" Isaac Watts, the author of the Hymns for Infant Minds, and of the version of the Psalms in common use for sacred music. How many thousands of children have had their minds touched with reli gious emotions, by reading his juvenile This great and good man was born at Southampton, England, July 17, 1674. He displayed good talents at an early He who would reap well, must sow well. age, and wrote pleasing verses in his childhood. He was educated at London, England. It contains nearly 250,000,000 and became in due time a Dissenting of acres. minister. Though his health was always feeble, he discharged his pastoral duties with zeal and fidelity, and found time to write many good books. Those we have already mentioned are the most celebrated, because they have proved to be the most extensively useful. Dr. Watts' life affords abundant proof, that a man even of frail constitution, and possessing by no means wonderful geni- | us, may yet do incalculable good to mankind, provided he has a heart warmed with piety toward God, and kind, tender emotions toward his fellow men. How different is such a life, from that of the conqueror, or miser, or lover of pleasure; and how different must be the estimate which the All Wise makes of it, from what he does of the man who lives only for himself whoever he may be! Texas. s the whigs and democrats are talking a great deal about Texas, some of our young readers are desirous of knowing something about it. We therefore propose to give a brief account of it. The western regions are mountainous, and are said to abound in mineral wealth. The remaining portions of the territory are diversified with hill and dale, though the general aspect has a level character. The rivers are numerous, and the water pure. Texas presents a variety of soil. This is divided into three kinds, river bottoms, bottom prairies, and high prairies. These are all rich, deep, and productive. The climate of Texas is very fine for a hot country. The low grounds are unwholesome, but the higher portions are otherwise. Snow is seldom known in the southern districts, and the winter seems like our spring. All The productions are numerous. kinds of grain and garden vegetables thrive here. Besides these, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, tobacco, coffee, indigo, vanilla, cotton, silk, hemp, flax, honey, wax, cochineal, are easily produced. The soil and climate are particularly favorable to cotton. Of this and many other products, two crops may be obtained in a year. Among the animals, wild horses, buffalo, deer, and a great variety of smaller game are abundant. Gold and silver abound in the mountains, and coal, iron ore, and salt are found in other parts of the country. This country lies on the Gulf of Mexico, and is bounded on the north and east by the United States, on the south by Texas formerly belonged to Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico, and on the west by but a good many people from the United Mexico. The people of the republic States having settled there, they began claim the country to the Rio del Norte to talk, about ten years ago, of making on the west. If we take this boundary, themselves independent. A convention its whole extent is about 300,000 square assembled in March, 1835, and made a miles, and is eight times as large as New | declaration to that effect. On the 21st of the following April, a great battle took | varied and great-all, however, being place, at San Jacinto, in which the Mex- presents from the bridegroom, one Luke, ican General Santa Anna was defeated a wealthy land owner for Texas, in posand taken prisoner. From this time, session of much cleared ground, and the country has remained free from in- many hundred head of cattle. It may vasion, but Mexico still claims it as a be matter of surprise that a man well to province and threatens to reduce it again do in the world should have chosen a to subjection. bride so every way rude and uneducated; but in Texas women are scarce, and then the lover might have looked far before he could have found a more cheerful and good natured companion, more willing to learn, more likely to be loving, faithful, and true, than Betsy Rock. The number of inhabitants in all Texas is probably not equal to that of Boston. They are, however, increasing. The people live for the most part in poor huts, but some good houses are to be found. There are a few churches and some schools. But although the climate is fine, and food is abundant, those who go to reside there, from the settled portions of the United States, must live without many of the comforts which they had formerly enjoyed. Slavery is tolerated, and may people do not wish that a new slave region should be added to the United States. The whigs are opposed | to its annexation; and the democrats are in favor of it. The following description of a wedding which took place in 1842, is furnished by a Scotch traveller, and will show how people marry and are given in marriage in this new country. "After sixteen miles' journey down a river by moonlight, and as many more across the rough and sea-like bay of Galveston, enlivened by merry jocund talk all the way, we arrived about dawn at the new settlement of the Rock family. It was a large deserted barn or warehouse near Clare Creek The family was already up and stirring, and engaged in active preparation for the important ceremony; and, to my surprise, the supply of eatables and drinkables was both The blushing bride received me in a cotton gown, shoes and stockings, and other articles of civilized clothing previously unknown to her, and in which she felt sufficiently awkward. But Luke had sent them, and Betsy wished to appear somebody on her wedding day. About eight o'clock the visiters began to arrive. First came a boat full of men and women from Galveston, bringing with them a negro fiddler, without whom little could have been done. Then came Dr. Worcester and his lady from St. Leon, in a canoe; after them Col. Brown, from Anahuac, in his dug-out; and, about nine, the bridegroom and four male and an equal number of female companions on horseback, the ladies riding either before or behind the gentlemen on pillions. Ere ten, there were thirty odd persons assembled, when a most substantial breakfast was sat down to, chiefly consisting of game, though pork, beef, coffee, and, rarer still, bread, proved that Luke had had a hand in it. This meal being over, the boat in which the party from Galveston had come up, and which was an open craft |