harm or peril to no one but himself. His career was short but brilliant, and terminated about twenty-seven years ago, or in the year 1829. His deeds were recorded in verse, a few weeks after his decease, by the renowned Major Jack Downing, who had then just made his appearance in public life. We have commissioned our artist to add the magic of his pencil to the pen of the Major to illustrate and render memorable the heroic deeds of Sam Patch. We ought, perhaps, to assure our younger readers, who do not remember the circumstances, that every incident related in the poem is strictly historical, names and all. Sam Patch was a laborer in a cotton factory at Pawtucket, Rhode Island. where he commenced his jumping career in the Summer of 1829. He then went on a jumping tour. He jumped the Passaic Falls, at Paterson, New Jersey. He then went to the Falls of Niagara, and jumped from the end of Goat Island, between the Horse-shoe Falls and the American Falls. His last jump was at the Falls of Genesee, a descent of a hundred and twenty-five feet. In his previous jumps he had descended perpendicularly, feet foremost, and escaped injury; but in the last jump he lost his balance, struck the water sideways, and was probably killed by the concussion against the surface: BIOGRAPHY OF SAM PATCH. BY MAJOR JACK DOWNING. Pawtucket is a famous place, Where cotton cloth is made, And hundreds think it no disgrace To labor at the trade. Among the spinners there was one, Whose name was Samuel Patch; He moped about, and did his stentFolks thought him no great scratch. But soon a maggot, in his head, Told Sam he was a ninny, To spend his life in twirling thread, Just like a spinning Jenney. And if he would become renown'd, And live in song or story, 'Twas time he should be looking round For deeds of fame and glory. "What shall I do?" quoth honest Sam, "There is no war a-brewing; And duels are but dirty things, Scarce worth a body's doing. And if I would be President, And when he safely swam to land, He stood there like a stump, "O, what a glorious jump." New light now shone in Samuel's eyes, His heart went pit-a-pat; From Clifton House to Table Rock, And round Goat Island's brow, The multitudes all held their breath While Sam plung'd down below. And when they saw his neck was safe, And he once more stood on his feet, They set up such a deafening cheer, Niagara's roar was fairly beat. Patch being but a scurvy name, They solemnly did there enact, That he henceforward should be call'd "Squire Samuel O'Cataract." And here our hero should have stopt, And husbanded his brilliant fame; But, ah, he took one leap too much, And most all heroes do the same. Napoleon's last great battle prov'd His dreadful overthrow, And Sam's last jump was a fearful one, And in death it laid him low. 'Twas at the falls of Genesee, He jump'd down six score feet and five, The crowd, with fingers in their mouths, "BEGUN CROOKED." One cold morning we heard the following conversation between a child and a friend who spent the previous night in the family to which she belonged. Said the girl to the visitor, "Were you cold last night?" The visitor pleasantly replied that it was very cold when he put his feet down in the bed, and he had to lie very crooked all night. Immediately the child replied, That was because you begun crooked." Probably most persons understand the truth and fitness of the remark who have slept in a cold room and a spare bed on a Winter's night. 66 But the remark is capable of a wider application. Look at the youth who is irregular in his habits, and crooked in all the paths which he marks for his feet. He has lost his regard for his parents, lost his self respect, lost the confidence of his friends, lost all reverence for sacred things, and has approached to the very verge of ruin. And as you look do you ask the cause of all this? We answer, he begun crooked. FASHION PLATES: ENGRAVED FOR THE UNITED STATES MAGAZINE. LATEST REPORT OF FASHIONS. [From the Paris Moniteur de la Mode.] AUTUMN TOILETS.-Dress of a small pattern silk on a gray ground, trimmed with bands of plain silk and small pendant buttons. The body, high, forms a point in front. The lappet is put on at the sides about an inch on each side the point. A strip of silk, cut slantwise of the stuff, borders the lappets and runs up the body as braces, following the shoulder seam and descending to the waist behind. The lappet is not gathered at all in front; behind it forms three double plaits and one on each side of the hip, five plaits in all, spreading out well in the fan-shape. The front is ornamented with small pendant buttons, and some of the same buttons also hang at the point of the body on each side as far as the lappet. The sleeve is com posed, at top, of plain silk puffings, separated by small frills of the same material as the dress and terminates at bottom in two flounces, one over the other, and bordered by a strip of silk. WALKING TOILET.-Silk bonnet trimmed with blonde and feathers; inside flowers and blonde. The new pardessus, (called the Incroyable,) from Gagelin's, made of moire antique, trimmed with galloon and silk fringe, and lined with silk of a small check pattern. Body high, with straps buttoning across in front. These straps are bound with a galloon turned over the edge. Pockets on each side, bordered with a Tom Thumb fringe. A fringe borders the lappets from the last strap to the waist and all round the bottom. The opening of the sleeves is trimmed in the same style. The skirt of this pardessus is cut slantwise of the cloth in front; the fullness is obtained by means of bias, but is thrown very backward; it forms a double plait behind each hip and three in the middle behind. The sleeve, cut straight way of the stuff, is twenty-two inches long. At bottom it is from twenty-three to twenty-seven inches round, and is slit up in front for about fourteen inches. The top of sleeve comes high on the shoulder and the armhole is very large, to afford a passage for the sleeve of the dress. Plaid silk dress, trimmed with bands of black velvet and small buttons. On the front of the skirt there are two bands placed edge to edge, proceeding from the waist, each about two inches and a half wide at top, and running down the skirt to the bottom, where they are five inches wide. Buttons, placed about an inch apart, decorate the middle and edges of this piece of velvet. A band of black velvet five inches wide terminates the bottom of the skirt, and, with five inches interval, there is a second band four inches wide. lay them. This remarkable fact may serve to throw some light on the discovery lately made in Madagascar, described in the following paragraph : The Calcutta Englishman says: "The Mauritian mentions, on the authority of a Bourbon journal, that a singular discovery has been made in Madagascar. Fossil eggs of an enormous size have been found in the bed of a torrent. The shells are an eighth of an inch thick, and the circumference of the egg itself is two feet eight inches lengthwise, and two feet two inches round the middle. One which has been opened contains eight and a half litres, or about two gallons! What was to have come out of these eggs-bird or crocodile ? The natives seem to be well acquainted with them, and say that ancient tradition is uniform as to the former existence of a bird large enough to carry off an ox. This is only a little smaller than the roc of the oriental fable, which waited patiently till he saw the elephant and rhinoceros fighting, and then carried them off, both at one swoop. Some fossil bones were found in the same place as the eggs; but the pupils of Cuvier must decide to what animal they belong." As a lady was walking on Washington street, Boston. a short time ago, a gentleman's button caught hold of the fringe of her shawl. Some moments elapsed before the parties separated. "I am attached to you,” said the gentleman, good humoredly, while he was industriously trying to get loose. "The attachment is mutual, Sir," was the good-humored reply. "Thou rain'st in this bosom," as the chap said when a basin of water was thrown over him by the lady he was serenading. There is a "world of wisdom" in the following quotation, brief as it is: "Every school-boy knows that a kite would not fly unless it had a string tying it down. It is just so in life. The man who is tied down by half-a-dozen bloom and stronger flight than the bachelor who, having nothing to keep him steady, is always floundering in the mud. If you want to ascend in the world, tie yourself to somebody." COSTUME OF A LITTLE BOY OF SIX OR SEVEN.-Velvet vesting responsibilities and their mother, will make a higher rounded at bottom. Poplin waistcoat. Very broad belt (about three inches) of moire antique, with the edges turned in; that is to say, you take a No. 60 or 80 ribbon and turn in the edges to make it of the above width. Silver buckle. A poplin fustanelle, very ample and gathered in close round plaits. Very short pantaloons. Leg gings of velvet like the vest. This part of this costume is made just like high gaiters very tight to the leg, but not covering the ankle, nor reaching above the knee. DESCRIPTION OF ENGRAVING.-Plain velvet cloak trimmed with guipure, on the head of which there is a passementerie trimming. The dress is plain silk, and has two flounces of a tissue imitating fancy fur. OLIO SEASONINGS. LATIN FOR THE HOOSIERS.-Andrew Jackson was once making a stump speech out West, in a small village. Just as he was concluding, Amos Kendall, who sat behind him, whispered, "Tip 'em a little Latin, General. They won't be contented without it." The man of the iron will instantly thought upon the few phrases he knew, and in a voice of thunder, wound up by saying, " E pluribus unum, sine qua non, ne plus ultra, multum in parvo!" The effect was tremendous, and the Hoosiers' shouts could be heard for miles. IMPROVED BREED OF HENS.-We see by some of the latest California papers that they have a very extraordi nary variety of hens in some parts of the Golden State. They are far superior to the Shanhais, though much smaller in size. Indeed, they are only about the size of common pullets. But the great feature of their excellence is that their eggs are a little larger than the pullets which A GREAT PRACTITIONER.-A loafer, recently arrested in Cincinnati, being questioned by the officer as to his vocation, replied: "Sir, I am a docter; I have cured a pain in the head of navigation, and drawn teeth from the mouth of the Mississippi; I have anatomized the side of a mountain, blistered the foot of a hill, felt the pulse of an arm of the sea, plastered a cut on the hand of nature and cured a felon on the finger of scorn." Lines written in a lawyer's office on the approach of SPRING. Whereas, on certain boughs and sprays, The songs of those said birds arouse The memory of our youthful hours, The birds aforesaid-happy pairs Love 'mid the aforesaid boughs enshines Oh, busiest term of Cupid's Court! Where tender plaintiffs actions bring- Hail, as aforesaid, the coming Spring! |