The Jeffersonian Democrat, 1859-11-25

1 Many years ago, n wealthy German merchant residing in Mexico, becsma em embarrassed - barrassed embarrassed in his all'nirs, through specula speculation; - tion; speculation; and after un lionornblu struggle lie failed. This reverse of fortune nppcared to him ii reparable; no consolatory hopo was to be seen on the horizon of the blank desert of lis future life. He despaired. His ex existence - istence existence hud become nil insupportable bur den to him. nnd he resolved to bo l id of it. Still bn shrunk from casting '.lie disgrace of suicide on ft name borne nt home by honorable relations, so he devised a plun which would accomplish his purpose, wiihou. creating suspicion of his having hud suicidal intentions. Over the crater of ronocatunell Imncrs a cluuJ of sulphurous vapor which issues ! in volumes from the depths ot the abyss. Any near approach to the crater produ produces - ces produces a Rutfocniing sensntion on every one who Iihs ascended so far. A descent into the crater, therefore, was considered to be certain denth. All this was well known to him, so he mentioned to his friends his THjitention lo have a trip to the mountains, and he set out Tor it. Ou the various slopes of the mountain lire some villages of the oborigimil Indians. From the last of these lie took two guides, with ropes and poles, nnd oilier articles used in the ascent, and so readied the summit. Here he ordered his guides to plant two poles crosswise on the bank of tho crater, as he wished to explore tho interior, lu vain they tried to dissuade him. He merely tu!J them to wait for him, nnd on his sig signal - nal signal to haul him up; und hluitting his eyes and compressing his motilli nnd nostrils, ol and he descended by lhe rope into the yawning chnsm. His senses wero in a whirl, his bruin reeled, and the oppression on his respiratory or -ans made the terrors of death palpable? Still he persevered , and clutch cu the rode convulsively, he con-1 . "? . . . J .. lir.ued his descent, when lo! on a kudden An immense dome of till oppressiveness vanished he fell him sell to be in a pure, lespiruble atmosphere, and in a few moments more he stood on firm ground. lie opened his eyes, and lie was indeed in nnolher woi Id. glittering yellow crystals, forming figures of infinite variety was lit up by innumer able pale blue flames, flickering from cor- Ol nict-f, from ai ubesques and deep recesses, or playing, or increasing nnd decreasing jots of (he walls of this une-wthly hall whose dome was propped by huge fluted col columns - umns columns of a glassy polish resembling giant bundles of iccds. For a moment our he ro, stupefied nnd astonished, doubted the evidence of his senses, that all around him was unreal, shadowy, a delusion of his whirling binin. But a dim glimpse of tho distant opening above him, through which, the white vapors whirled in ascending spi spirals, - rals, spirals, and thro' which at moments the clear sunlit atmosphere shone like a diamond, reminded him of the world above him. He saw that he whs in a cavern of sul plnir formation, an inexhaustible mine of sulpher crystals; his speculative spirit re revived, - vived, revived, for he perceived at a "lance what immense wealth might be derived from what ho saw around him. A boundless horizon of hope expanded i.n his heart, and while his eyes filled with tears of gratitude lo his forgiving Ood, he gave the signal to be hauled up. Ho now perveived that only very near the mouth of crater llio vapors became compressed and suffocating, Bnd that im immediately - mediately immediately below there was an atmosphere perfectly healthy and salubrious. This mine of sulphur soon yielded him an im immense - mense immense fortune and he returned to his own country a rich, perhaps a better man. The mine is woiked to this day and ap appears - pears appears lo be exhaustless. At the brink of the crater, where lhe hero of our tale descended, are still to be seen the two cross-posts by means of which he effected his descent, and which certainly gave a color of truth to the ro romance, - mance, romance, as told (o the writer.

Morals is Texas. Judge Buckler, ia a recent charge to the grand jury of the District Court of Galveston, presented most deplorable elate of morals in Texas. Among other things, he said there was no other country in habited by the Anglo Sax on race in which there was so little regard to low and and order as Texas, ad! con tinucd: During the fouryears that I havo been on the bench, there have been be between - tween between fifty and sixty cases of murder be fore me: and if in each of the twelve judicial districts in the State there Las been a like r.uruuer, men mere nas ueen up. ward of six hundred cases of murder in four years, showing a state of thiogs un unequalled - equalled unequalled in any country; and that of these six hundred cases not six of them bai been found guilty by the jury before whom ihey were tried. It is not possible to sup suppose - pose suppose that, in all these cases, there was a deficiency in evidence, and the only coa coa-elntinn - elntinn coa-elntinn io which I can arrive is, that the ! jury roust have forgotten or disregarded : their oaths. The Powxa of Congress Ovir tbi . .,. r t I ERKITOHI IS. a IU laIVUUGUI V. .w ' ! . r Aftainy Post says: "Judge Jianney of Ohio, staled In bli debate with Denoison (Governor elect of Ohio, )lhat the act ol cession, passed pj list Virginia, reomred Coneresa to abolis and prohibit Slavery in the ceded terri territory. - tory. territory. "If such be the ease, al that time Vir Virginia - ginia Virginia roust have thought that Congrese had lhe powtr to pass such a law Tor the tenitory; aud certuinly Congress though so and passed the law, as did the new Congress at at their first session, two or three years afterward. Under our pres present - ent present Constitution, did they not repass and . readopt the same law or ordinance?--Were the Virginia Legislature, the old Congress, and the new Constitutional Congress mistaken as lo their power, end Judge Taney right? or might not tba Judge possibly have erred himself?