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Portland
BY GOULD ‘LWELL,
Office 80 Middle, near Corner of Exchange ‘St.
(AN INDEPENDENT FAMILY. JOURNAL OF LITERATURE, NEWS, &. oe
SATURDAY, MAY 24, 1851.
_YOLUME XY,
POETRY.
i LIKENESS IN DIFFERENCE,
‘There was a tale of fecling,
ve in a stately room,
Where the air was an odor stealing,
And the light was a gorgeous gloom ;
‘Was of wet vine-leayes, that glistened
And shook in the swaying wind ;
Two tales that were divers spoken,
Yet their import ong, I knew,
And the language of each was broken—
And both were true!
‘There was 2 maiden queenly—
‘Through bright halls gliding came, ©
Which grew brighter, as still serenely
She smiled o'er an pbreathed Name:
And there sat a maiden lon
On the hearth. striving, tine by line,
By the light of embers only,
To spell out a Valentine.
Two hearts that were keeping duly
Oue thing and one tune in each breast.
Both true-loved and loving truly—
And both were blest
{Household Words.
AN EXCELLENT STORY.
THE DU EL.
BY DR. WILLIAM ELDER.
—- .
From the commencement of our Revolution till
the year 1815, a period of forty years, England was
engaged in war'without any intermission. These
wars were with the thirteen colonies, or United
States, France, Spain, Holland, the French Repub-
lie, Bonaparte, and again with the United States ;
sometimes singly, sometimes with several of these
nations at once.
The battle of Waterloo was fought on the 18th
of June, 1815. That year the army of England
amounted to three hundred thousand: men; and in
1845, although she had thew enjoyed thirty years of
peace, her standing army ‘was still one hundred
thousand strong. In time’ of peace one would
think that such a host Of soldiers could not be re-
quired for any purpose; and they probably are not,
but it is the policy of such governments as that of
England to keep as many ‘men in the public ser-
vice as possible. ‘To say nothing of other purpos-
es, it is easy, in an army of a hundred thousand
Soldiers, to have four or five thousand commission-
ed officers, who generally belong to the class of gen-
tlemen—a class that is found to furnish the most
useful and the most submissive slaves to those who
feed them. - The most useful, because, being well-
born, well-educated, and : well-connected, they are
yery capable in themsely8s, and yery. ‘influcutial
with others; and most submissive, because they
are so well paid,and have no other service than
public office which it suits them to accept.
‘The army of England is. crowded with officers
who enter it merely as a trade or profession, by
which they may get a living. “A horrid business it
is, indeed, to undertake to do any killing of men
anywhere that the. gavernment may command,
without asking any questions, or knowing or car-
ing whether it is right or wrong! But so it is,
when rightly understood ; and yet we must not be
surprised if we find, once in a while, a man too
ood for such a trade engaged in it, for it is gener-
ally thought honorable, even the most honorable of
all professions, and but few stop to inquire if it is
also right.
My story will introduce the sort of man that | is
an exception to the rule.
To be perfectly candid with my readers, I must
inform them that I have forgotten the names of the
persons that I am to tell about. ‘The precise place
where it happened has also escaped me, but I am
sure that it was somewhere in Ireland ; ; and the ex-
act date is gone, too—but I know that it was after
the year 1815, and before the year tl for ; that
was the time when I heard it,
The general, peace. of Europe, which followed
the fall of Napoleon, released the army of England
from forcign service, and. ofter reduction to about
one-third of its former number, it ‘was distributed
among the military stations within “the kingdom
and provinces. A large number of the surviving
PORTLAND,
Ireland. They were generally men who had seen
hard service, and had earned their honors and of-
fices in the battle field ; but a considerable number
of new men received appointments through favor
of their wealthy and powerful friends, and. came
among the veterans with commissions in their
pockets which gave them high rank in the army—
The old soldiers, naturally coih tookea upon
recruits as mere upstarts and intruders.—
They despised them for their inexperience, and
hated them for the injustice suffered by their pro-
motion., In a profession where honor is gained by
killing the country’s enemics, it will scarcely be
thought immoral to hate the individual's rivals and
supplanters. The Apostle John says that murder
and hating one’s brother go together. And, taking
the military sentiment for the standard of judg-
ment, it is mean to beg or buy promotion, where
other people have to fight for it. But this is done
elsewhere, as well as in the British army; for the
offices which are thought the most honorable are
often obtained by means the most dishonorable.
‘The hero of my story was in this situation; and
whether he deserved the judgment we have passed
upon his class, or not, he certainly suffered it in
full measure. He had obtained, by patronage, the
appointment of Ensign, after the establishment of
peace, and was quartered, with some dozen or
twenty officers of Wellington’s army, in one of the
cities of Ireland. An Ensign is the lowest com-
missioned officer, and the salary, or pay, is so small
that it is a saying, “if an Ensign has wine for din-
ner, he must go without supper.” Our Ensign was
very poor—he was friendless, very young, and con-
stitutionally shy.
m the other hand, the officers of the station were
generally well supplied with money, and had noth-
ing to do but to spend it; they lived fast and high,
and were, by all their habits and_ tastes , unpleasant
companions for such as he.’ Besides his retiring
manners, there was something else in him which
disinelined him to their society, and exposed him to
their dislike ; this was a certain air of self-respect,
showing refinement and culture, and a strict pro-
priety of language and manners, which quictly, but
all the more severely, rebuked their general loose-
ness. and. rudeness of conduct.) They hated him
for the manner he entered the army, and still worse
for his personal character and demeanor among
them. , All this had its effect. upon him also, and
so the breach between them widened every day.
A certain amount and kind of courtesy he was
entitled to, by the rules of the service; this they
gave him, but so sharply measured out, that every
salute was an affront, and every look an insult, and
he might have had cause of quarrel at any moment
that he pleased.’ It was, in fact, the settled purpose
of several of these men to drive him out of the ar-
my by their incivilities, or to drive him into a ducl,
and so dispose of him finally.
‘his grew worse continually, The contempt of
the older officers for the young Ensign, and: his ré-
pugnance to them, increased with every meeting,
until they paid no kind of respect to his feelings,
and he avoided them with a caution that looked
like an antipathy. ‘The worst of all was the evi-
dent conviction in the minds of the whole garri-
son that he was a coward—a character most shame-
ful in a soldier, and, in any man, a weakness that
renders every other virtue worthless.
Poor fellow ! he was alone, friendless, and“ with-
outa dollar in the world but his monthly pay.—
With these beggarly circumstances he was a schol-
ar and a gentleman, with feclings rendered over-
sensitive by high culture and recent misfortune.
But his chief impediment was a conscience—a re-
ligious sense of right, which left him no liberty to
relieve himself or mend his prospects by any means
which the highest morality forbade. He suffered
much every way, and most of it all he endured for
“righteousness sake.” "Of course. he had. the
strength and nobleness which stich a sentiment be-
stows; but it is easier todo great things than to
hear little ones. There are more heroes than saints
in the world, St. Peter was not afraid. of the sol-
diers in the garden, but he was ashamed of his mas-
ter in the Judgment Jlall.. To bear disgrace, and
shame, and scorn, to stand quict under suspicions
that drive one out of society, for the sake of a prin-
ciple which nobody believes or respects—this is
fi cers of the ficld of Waterloo were Sarrisoned i in
cross-bearing,
Our young hero occupied the position of a sol-
dier and a gentleman, with the character of a cow-
ard and a slave! It was a bitter cup, and his ene-
mics kept it constantly to his lips.
One day he received an invitation, as a matter
ter of course, to dine with the General in command,
who had just arrived at the station, A meeting
with his brother officers promised him no pleasure,
and he was personally a stranger to the General,
who knew nothing of him but by report of those
who despised him. Ile managed to arrive at the
latest allowable moment, and he contrived to pro-
cure a seat at table next to the General, who, both
as his host and superior officer, was bound to afford
him protection from the insolence of the company.
Ineed not say how the dinner hour passed with
him. Totally silent and neglected, except for the
necessary notice of the General, the time, so full
of pleasure to the company, wore away heavy and
painful to him; but he was contented to escape
rudeness, and made indifference comparatively wel-
come.
After the cloth was removed, the wine circulat-
ed, the company. drank freely, the mirth grew loud,
and the presence of our young friend was nearly
forgotten, until a circumstance of @ startling char-
acter brought him into notice. The General sud-
denly cried out, “ Gentlemen, I have lost my watch
—tThad it in my hand ten minutes ago, but it’ is
gone.” A painful suspense: instantly followed ;
every man exchanged glances with his neighbor,
until at last every eye settled with’ suspicion upon
the Young Ensign. Who but he, of all the compa-
ny, could be guilty of such a’ crime? Besides, he
was, perhaps, the only. man near enough to the
General to effect the theft. Such thoughts as these
werein every mind—they left not a shade of doubt.
The miserable wretch was caught at last; and
there was as little pity as respect felt for him.
“Shut the door,” shouted the Colonel of the
regiment, “ Ict no man Ieaye the room. - The watch
is-among us, and it concerns every man present to
fix the guilt where it belongs. I propose that a
search be instantly made, and let it begin with me.”
“ By no means,” interposed the General. “It
shall not be so. No gentleman is. capable. of such
an act. . A hundred watches are not worth the im-
peachment of any gentleman's honor. Say no
more about’ It has no speeial value above its
price, and I care nothing about that.”
“ But, General,” said the Colonel, “ the watch is
in the room. “One of us must have it,” lookin;
sternly at the young Ensign, “and the rascal must
be driven from the station. We cannot have a
pickpocket among us, and we cannot conscnt to
leave it a moment in doubt who. the wretch really
is. ‘There is no fear that the shame will fall on
any unexpected place. . We must finish the fellow
now, and be done with him”
The Ensign sat stéady, motionless, but. pale as
death. Every eye was fixed. upon him, and to
every eye the signs of gnilt were perfectly clear—
The General had. no doubt of it, and he was the
more anxious to prevent the search on this ac-
count ; but he was overcome, and submitted. A
few minutes sufficed for the examination of every
one present, till it came to the Ensign, who was
left purposcly to the last.
“ Now, young man,” said the’ Colonel, turning
and advancing toward him, “now, sir, it is your
turn ;”. his face looking perfectly savage with
scorn and hate.. “The watch, sir, without a word
or a moment’s delay !”
But a terrific change had passed upon the long-
snffering, patient boy.. He sprang from. his scat
with a scream 80 wild, so fierce, and so full of ag-
ony, that every heart stood still a moment with
surprise. In that moment he had planted himself
against the wall, drawn his sword, and taken, the
attitude of defence.’
“Come you to search me, tir, as you would ‘a
suspected thief? On your life, I warn you not. to
offer me that indignity, My dead body you may
search, but not my living one. Approfich now if
you dare. | I defy the whole of you as one man!”
Instantly the Colonel crossed swords, with him
in furious combat. » . ;
“Tlold ! peace ! arrest them !” cried the General,
and sprang forward himself to prevent the affray.
‘At the first step the watch rolled on the floor! He
had missed his fob, and now the watch fell from its
One Dollar for Eight Months, in advance
Cranseript.
TERMS: $1,50 PER
NUMBER 6. |
concealment in the yiolence of his movements—
The company was electrified. . The conduct of the
Ensign was inexplicable! He had braved destrue-
tion, risked his reputation, and perilled his life, on
4 point of honor too nice for his superiors to feet ;
and he had insulted and defied them all in one
breath, au there he stood justified and victorious
before
It was on much to bear, for they were too much
excited to understand it... Their determination was
taken, and the company dispersed with resolutions
set and purposes inflexible. The, General seized
the opportunity to apologize to the Ensign for the
unhappy mistake which led to the quarrel, and re-
oe him to call upon him that evening at alate
Our hero was scarcely in his own room till ‘the
Colonel’s challenge was presented to. him, ‘ With-
out a moment's delay he answered the second who
brought it: “I will not accept this -chalienge to
mortal combat. I am opposed to the duel in prin-
ciple, and I will not be driven from‘my sense of
duty. You all know what I have already endured
rather than revenge or defend myself by taking
life. I think you have done your worst, but if not,
Iam prepared for it. Iam my own master, and
will not allow any man to dictate my opinions as,
a matter of right, or compel me to conduct which
my heart and head condemn.
“ Sir,” replied the second, “ you have ‘fcen fit to
include me among the men who despise you, and
you are right in that opinion. Let me ‘tell you,
that cowardice and conceit, covered with preach-
ing and canting, will not protect you. You have
grossly insulted every gentleman in the garrison,
to whom you were odious enough before, and you
must cither give them the. satisfaction which. the
code of honor approves, or you must leave the ar
my. Be assured of that.”
When he met the General that night, and in-
formed him of the challenge, and his refusal, that
officer shook his head and looked at him sadly and
earnestly, if not doubtfully.
“ My dear young friend,” said he, “Tam afraid
it won't do. . These men will not be satisfied with
an argument, and it is plain that you are not the
man to make an apology while convinced that you
are right, nor do I believe that they would accept
anything short of your resignation, You have
somchow got the ill will of the whole corps, and
to-night you affronted them mortally. I am sure
you cannot know how sharply your conduct and
language touched them, and your triumph only ag-
gravated the offence. And now, your refusal to’
accept the Colonel's chalienge is, under the most
favorable construction, an attack upon the code by
which military men govern themselves toward cach
other. Isce no escape. Fight you mast, or your
challenger will heap upon you such personal indig-'
nities as will make your life intolerable, or. drive
you into violence, which will amount to the same
thing as accepting his challenge. I saw that in
your eye to-day which convinced me you are as’
brave as Julius Cwsar.: Yes,.f saw something
there braver than mere physical courage, and I felt
its superiority ; but, you cannot convert the world:
and reform the army soon cnough to answer your
own ends, and you must submit to its rules, or be
driven from it in disgrace. I honor your princi-
ples, for I understand them, but you cannot main-<
tain them.”
Our hero’s reflections that night must_be oft to,
imagination.’ The difficulties which surrounded”
him, the compulsions that were upon. him, can be”
known only to those who have been tempted ‘and’
tried to the utmost, with the world and their own”
necessities against them. -
In the morning he accepted the challenge,. .
Having the right to choose the weapons, he nam-
ed the stmall-sword. When the Colonel heard this, ,
with 9 touch of feeling, which all his bitterness ?
could not ‘quite extinguish, he said: “Does the.
moth know that he. is fluttering in the flame P’—
"The second answered, “I told him that you are re:
puted the best swordsman in the army, and ‘begged. :
him to choose pistols, which would give bim some ,
chance of equality ‘in the fight, but -he declined —
In fact, I don't know what to make of, ‘this young,
fellow—like the sword that he has chosen (to fight.
with, he is so limber, and yet so elastic and metile- *
some sometimes; he is such a mixture of Metho-
eatin?
*
