There are four boilers, each heated by eight thus making the passage in about seventeen furnaces, in two rows of four each. The con- days, in spite of stormy weather and entanglesumption of coal is about fifty tons every twenty-ments among ice; the average time taken four hours; "and that," said one of the en- by the Liverpool steamers during 1849 being gineers, "is walking pretty fast into a coal- fourteen days. Her return voyage, however, mine, I guess!" According to the calculations of the very wise men who predicted the failure of Atlantic steam navigation, such a vessel as the Atlantic ought to carry 3700 tons of coal; but it will be seen that one-fourth of that quantity is more than enough, even making allowance for extra stores to provide against accidents. In the engine-room is a long box with five compartments, each communicating with a wire fastened like a bell-pull to the side of the paddle-box. These handles are marked respectively, "ahead," 'slow," "fast," ‚" "back," and "hook-on;" and whenever one is pulled, a printed card with the corresponding signal appears in the box opposite the engineer, who has to act accordingly. There is thus no noise of human voices on board this ship: the helmsman steers by his bells, the engineer works by the telegraph, and the steward waits by the annunciator. made under more favorable circumstances, was AT [From Sharpe's Magazine.] THE LITTLE HERO OF HAARLEM. T an early period in the history of Holland, Two traces of national habits struck me very a boy was born in Haarlem, a town remuch. Even in the finest saloon there are, in markable for its variety of fortune in war, but places where they would be least expected, happily still more so for its manufactures and handsome "spittoons," the upper part fashioned inventions in peace. His father was a sluicer like a shell, and painted a sea-green or sky-blue—that is, one whose employment it was to open color, thus giving ample facility for indulging and shut the sluices, or large oak-gates which, in that practice of spitting of which Americans placed at certain regular distances, close the are so fond. Again, much amusement was entrance of the canals, and secure Holland from caused by the attempt of one of the officers in the danger to which it seems exposed, of finding charge of the communication between the small itself under water, rather than above it. steamer and the Atlantic to prevent the gentle-water is wanted, the sluicer raises the sluices men from leaving the latter until the ladies had seated themselves on the former. The appearance of the deck, crowded with ladies only, and a host of gentlemen kept back, some impatient to get down, but the greater part entering into the humor of the thing, was quite new to English ideas. It is but fair to add that the ladies did not seem to like it; and that, when the steamer again came alongside, it was not repeated. Upon the whole, this Atlantic steamer is really worthy of the great country from which she has come. If, in shape and general appearance, she is inferior to the old vessels, she is decidedly equal, if not superior, to them in machinery and fittings. Her powers as regards speed have of course yet to be tried. One voyage is no test, nor even a series of voyages during the summer months: she must cross and recross at least for a year before any just comparison can be instituted. The regular postal communication between Liverpool and the United States will speedily be twice every week-the ships of the new line sailing on Wednesday, and the old on Saturday. But other ports besides Liverpool are now dispatching steamers regularly to America. Glasgow sent out a powerful screw steamer the City of Glasgow, 1087 tons-on 16th April, for New York, where she arrived on 3d May; When more or less, as required, as a cook turns the cock of a fountain, and closes them again carefully at night; otherwise the water would flow into the canals, then overflow them, and inundate the whole country; so that even the little children in Holland are fully aware of the importance of a punctual discharge of the sluicer's duties. The boy was about eight years old when, one day, he asked permission to take some cakes to a poor blind man, who lived at the other side of the dyke. His father gave him leave, but charged him not to stay too late. The child promised, and set off on his little journey. The blind man thankfully partook of his young friend's cakes, and the boy, mindful of his father's orders, did not wait, as usual, to hear one of the old man's stories, but as soon as he had seen him eat one muffin, took leave of him to return home. As he went along by the canals, then quite full, for it was in October, and the autumn rains had swelled the waters, the boy now stopped to pull the little blue flowers which his mother loved so well, now, in childish gayety, hummed some merry song. The road gradually became more solitary, and soon neither the joyous shout of the villager, returning to his cottage-home, nor the rough voice of the carter, grumbling at his lazy horses, was any longer to be heard The little fellow now perceived that the blue of the flowers in his hand was scarcely distinguish- | "I am hindering the water from running able from the green of the surrounding herbage, out," was the answer, in perfect simplicity, of and he looked up in some dismay. The night the child, who, during that whole night had was falling; not, however, a dark winter-night, been evincing such heroic fortitude and unbut one of those beautiful, clear, moonlight daunted courage. nights, in which every object is perceptible, though not as distinctly as by day. The child thought of his father, of his injunction, and was preparing to quit the ravine in which he was almost buried, and to regain the beach, when suddenly a slight noise, like the trickling of water upon pebbles, attracted his attention. He was near one of the large sluices, and he now carefully examines it, and soon discovers a hoie in the wood, through which the water was The Muse of History, too often blind to (true) glory, has handed down to posterity many a warrior, the destroyer of thousands of his fellowmen-she has left us in ignorance of the name of this real little hero of Haarlem. [From Cumming's Hunting Adventures in South Africa.] ADVENTURE WITH A SNAKE. flowing. With the instant perception which AS I was examining the spoor of the game by every child in Holland would have, the boy saw the fountain, I suddenly detected an enorthat the water must soon enlarge the hole mous old rock-snake stealing in beneath a mass through which it was now only dropping, and of rock beside me. He was truly an enormous that utter and general ruin would be the conse- snake, and, having never before dealt with this quence of the inundation of the country that species of game, I did not exactly know how to must follow. To see, to throw away the flow-set about capturing him. Being very anxious ers, to climb from stone to stone till he reached to preserve his skin entire, and not wishing to the hole, and to put his finger into it, was the have recourse to my rifle, I cut a stout and work of a moment, and, to his delight, he finds tough stick about eight feet long, and having that he has succeeded in stopping the flow of lightened myself of my shooting-belt, I commenced the attack. Seizing him by the tail, I tried to get him out of his place of refuge; but I hauled in vain; he only drew his large folds firmer together: I could not move him. At length I got a rheim round one of his folds, about the middle of his body, and Kleinboy and I commenced hauling away in good earnest. the water. This was all very well for a little while, and the child thought only of the success of his device. But the night was closing in, and with the night came the cold. The little boy looked around in vain. No one came. He shouted he called loudly-no one answered. He resolved to stay there all night, but, alas! the cold was becoming every moment more biting, and the poor finger fixed in the hole began to feel benumbed, and the numbness soon extended to the hand, and thence throughout the whole arm. The pain became still greater, still harder to bear, but still the boy moved not. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he thought of his father, of his mother, of his little bed, where he might now be sleeping so soundly; but still the little fellow stirred not, for he knew that did he remove the small slender finger which he had opposed to the escape of the water, not only would he himself be drowned, but his father, his brothers, his neighbors-nay, the whole village. We know not what faltering of purpose, what momentary failures of courage there might have been during that long and terrible night; but certain it is, that at day-break he was found in the same painful position by a clergyman returning from attendance on a death-bed, who, as he advanced, thought he heard groans, and bending over the dyke, discovered a child seated on a stone, writhing from pain, and with pale face and tearful eyes. The snake, finding the ground too hot for him, relaxed his coils, and suddenly bringing round his head to the front, he sprang out at us like an arrow, with his immense and hideous mouth opened to its largest dimensions, and before I could get out of his way he was clean out of his hole, and made a second spring, throwing himself forward about eight or ten feet, and snapping his horrid fangs within a foot of my naked legs. I sprang out of his way, and getting hold of the green bough I had cut, returned to the charge. The snake now glided along at top speed: he knew the ground well, and was making for a mass of broken rocks, where he would have been beyond my reach, but before he could gain this place of refuge, I caught him two or three tremendous whacks on the head. He, however, held on, and gained a pool of muddy water, which he was rapidly crossing, when I again belabored him, and at length reduced his pace to a stand. We then hinged him by the neck to a bough of a tree, and in about fifteen minutes he seemed dead; but he again became very troublesome during the operation of skinning, twisting his body in "In the name of wonder, boy," he exclaimed, all manner of ways. This serpent measured 'what are you doing there ?” fourteen feet. THE MONTHLY RECORD OF CURRENT EVENTS. HE DEATH OF PRESIDENT TAYLOR is the leading event of interest in our domestic record for the month, as it has been the eading topic of public attention throughout the country. He died at half-past ten o'clock on the evening of Wednesday, July 9th, after an illness of but five days, the last of which alone was deemed dangerous. Exposure to the sun in attendance upon the public celebration of the Fourth, imprudent diet on returning home, and neglect of medical remedies until too late, aggravated rapidly and fatally the disease which he had contracted, which few of our army officers escaped, and from which several have already died, during his Mexican campaign. On the afternoon of Wednesday his alarming condition was announced in the two Houses of Congress, both of which at once adjourned: and they only met the next day to make arrangements for his funeral, which took place on Saturday, and was attended by a large military display, by the officers of government and the representatives of foreign nations, and by an immense concourse of his fellow-citizens. His death was announced on Thursday by the Vice President, MILLARD FILLMORE, upon whom the duties of the Presidential office at once devolved, by virtue of the provisions of the Constitution, in a Message to both Houses of Congress, and suitable words of eulogy were pronounced, in the Senate, by Senators Downs, of Louisiana, WEBSTER, of Massachusetts, Cass, of Michigan, KING, of Alabama, PEARCE, of Maryland, and BERRIEN, of Georgia; and in the House by Mr. Speaker COBB, of Georgia, Messrs. CONRAD, of Louisiana, WINTHROP, of Massachusetts, BAKER, of Illinois, BAYLY, of Virginia, HILLIARD, of Alabama, JOHN A. KING, of New York, MCLANE, of Maryland, and MARSHALL, of Kentucky. Mr. FILLMORE, on the same day, took the oath of the Presidential office in presence of both Houses of Congress, and thus quietly, quickly, and peaceably was effected a transfer of all the Executive powers of this great nation-a transfer never effected without difficulty, and often causing commotion, turmoil, and bloodshed in the less free and more conservative nations of the Old World. In the preceding pages of this Magazine will be found a condensed outline of the life of the late President, which obviates the necessity of further reference in this place. His decease was celebrated by public obsequies in all the principal cities of the Union, and has awakened a universal and intense sentiment of regretful grief. It is understood that Mr. PEARCE declines the secretaryship of the Interior, but no official nomination has yet been made to fill his place. No business of public importance has been transacted in Congress. In the SENATE the Compromise Bill, reported by Mr. CLAY from the Committee of Thirteen, continues under debate. Mr. WEBSTER, on the 17th ult., made a very eloquent speech in its support, declaring himself earnestly in favor of admitting California, of providing a Territorial government for New Mexico, without the anti-slavery proviso, which he deems superfluous, and of settling the ques tion of boundary between Texas and New Mexico. He said he should have preferred to act upon these measures separately, but he was willing to vote for them as conjoined in the bill. Speeches were also made by several Senators against the bill, and some amendments, offered to obviate objections entertained to it in various quarters, were rejected. No decisive action has been had upon it up to the time of putting these pages to press. The chief action in the HOUSE, of general interest, relates to what is known as the Galphin Claim, the history of which is briefly as follows: Prior to the year 1773 George Galphin, the original claimant, was a licensed trader among the Creek and Cherokee Indians in the then province of Georgia. The Indians became indebted to him in amounts so large that they were unable to pay them; and in 1773, in order to give him security for his claims, they ceded to the King of Great Britain, as trustee, a tract of land containing two and a half millions of acres. The trust was accepted, commissioners were appointed, some of the lands were sold, and the Immediately upon the death of President proceeds applied to the payment of the expenses TAYLOR the members of his Cabinet tendered of the commission, but none was then paid to their resignations to President FILLMORE, but the claimants for whose benefit the trust had at his request, and for the safety of the public been created. The sum found due to George ing that a suit might be commenced against him Galphin was £9791, for which amount a certificate was issued to him by the Governor and Council in May, 1775. Meantime the war of the Revolution broke out, and its successful result destroyed the trust, and the lands were no longer subject to the control of the king. After the war was over the state of Georgia granted these lands to those of her soldiers who had been engaged in the war, and who became actual settlers upon them. The descendants of Mr. Galphin applied to the state of Georgia for the payment of their claims, as Georgia had merely succeeded to the trusteeship of the King of England. The claim was prosecuted and pressed for many years without success, it being contended that, as the lands had been used to pay for services in the Revolution, the government of the United States was properly liable for the private injury that might have been sustained. In 1848 the Legislature of the state of Georgia passed resolutions directing their Senators and Representatives in Congress to urge the payment of these claims upon the General Government; and Hon. GEORGE W. CRAWFORD was engaged by the claimants as their agent, and was made interested to the amount of one-third of the claim. Congress, at the session of 1848, passed a bill directing the Secretary of the Treasury to examine and adjust the claims, and to pay out of the public funds whatever might prove to be due. The Hon. R. J. WALKER, then Secretary of the Treasury, examined the question, adjudged the claim valid, paid the principal sum which he found to be due, amounting to $43,518, and left the question of paying interest upon it to the next Cabinet. In that Cabinet Mr. CRAWFORD held a seat, having first transferred his agency for the claimants to Judge BRYAN, but retaining his interest in the claim. The matter was pressed upon the attention of the Secretary of the Treasury, who consulted to revise the Constitution has adjourned until the Attorney General as to the legality of pay- the first Monday in September.A very deing interest on a claim of this kind. Mr. JOHN-structive fire occurred at Philadelphia on the SON gave a written opinion in favor of its pay-night of the 9th ult. Although not in the chief ment. Mr. MEREDITH paid the interest, amount-business part of the city, property to the amount ing to $191,352, Mr. CRAWFORD receiving his of more than a million of dollars was destroyed, share. The subject has been before Congress and over thirty lives were lost by the explosion for several weeks, and has excited a very earnest of various materials in the buildings burned. and somewhat acrimonious debate. The House, The occurrence has elicited from Prof. ROGERS, on the 8th, adopted a resolution affirming that of the University of Pennsylvania, a letter stating "the claim of the representatives of George that, in his opinion, saltpetre by itself is not exGalphin was not a just demand against the plosive, but that the great quantity of oxygen United States," by a vote of 142 yeas and 49 which it contains greatly increases the combusnays. The same day they adopted another tion of ignited matter with which it may be resolution, declaring that "the act of Congress brought in contact, and that this may evolve made it the duty of the Secretary of the Trea- gases so rapidly as to cause an explosion.sury to pay the principal of said claim, and it The cholera is prevailing with a good deal of was therefore paid in conformity with law and fatality in some of the western cities. In Cinprecedent," by a vote of 112 yeas and 66 nays. cinnati the number of deaths has averaged 20 A third resolution, declaring that "the act afore- to 35, and has been as high as 65: in St. Louis said did not authorize the Secretary of the Trea- it has been still higher, and in Nashville, Tenn., sury to pay interest on said claim, and its pay- it has been quite as large in proportion to the ment was not in conformity with law or prece- population. At the latest advices it seemed to dent," was also passed, 118 yeas and 71 nays. be diminishing. It has not made its appearance Soon after the adoption of these resolutions, Mr. in any of the eastern cities.- -The case of CRAWFORD addressed a letter to the House ask-Prof. WEBSTER, convicted at Boston of the The authorities of CUBA have decided to release the American prisoners taken from the island of Contoy, beyond Spanish jurisdiction. This will probably terminate all difficulties between the two governments growing out of this affair.—Considerable currency has been given to a story stated by correspondents of the London press, that the Spanish Gen. NARVAEZ had grossly insulted the U. S. Minister at Madrid, refusing in public to hold any intercourse with the representative of a nation which tolerated and countenanced pirates and assassins. The story is entirely discredited by direct advices.-The State Convention of Ohio called and the state Legislature, and to take such other murder of Dr. PARKMAN, has been definitively decided. Soon after the trial he sent in a petition for a full pardon, on the ground of his entire innocence and ignorance of the whole matter, solemnly asserting, and calling God to witness, that he knew nothing whatever of the manner in which Dr. Parkman's remains came to be found in his room. A few days afterward he sent in another petition, praying for a commutation of his sentence. It was presented by the Rev. Dr. PUTNAM, who had acted as his spiritual adviser, and who laid before the Council a detailed confession, which he had received from Prof. Webster, in which he confessed that he killed Dr. Parkman with a single blow from a stick, but claimed that it was done without premeditation, in a moment of great excitement caused by abusive language. He gave at length a statement of the whole transaction. After considering the subject fully and carefully, acting under the advice of the Council, Governor Briggs decided against the application, and appointed Friday, the 30th day of August, for the execution of the sentence of the Court. Upon that day, therefore, Prof. Webster will undoubtedly be hung.- A good deal of public interest has been enlisted in the performances of the new American line of Transatlantic steamers, running between New York and Liverpool. There are to be five steamers in the line, but only two of them have as yet been finished. These two are the Atlantic and the Pacific, the former of which has made two trips, and the latter one, each way. On the morning of Sunday, July 21st, the Atlantic arrived at New York at 3 o'clock, having left Liverpool on the 10th, at 11 o'clock A. M.-making the passage in ten days and sixteen hours, the shortest by several hours ever made between the two ports. Her passage out was also very short. These trips have confirmed the opinion which has very generally been entertained, that the Americans would speedily have a line of steamers on the ocean superior in speed, comfort, and elegance to those of the Cunard Company which have hitherto enjoyed so high a reputation.- -Mr. E. GEORGE SQUIER, U. S. Chargé near the government of Nicaragua, has returned to this country on a brief visit. We learn that he has made a very full record of his observations upon the country in which he has been residing, and that very volumnious papers from him on the subject are in possession of the State Department. It is to be hoped that they may be given to the public.—The initial steps have been taken in Virginia toward an enterprise of decided From MEXICO we have advices to the 1st of importance to the southern states if it should be July. The Presidential election, which was to earried out it is nothing less than the estab- occur soon, was becoming a topic of general lishment of direct intercourse by a line of discussion. There are several candidates, among steamers between some southern port and Liv- whom Gen. Almonte, Gomez Farias, and Doerpool, for the export of cotton and other articles mingo Ibarra are the best known in this country. of southern growth, and for the transmission of Congress was to have assembled, but not a southern correspondence, &c. The meeting of quorum of the members could be collected. delegates was held at Old Point on the 4th of The cholera was raging with excessive and July, and committees were appointed to make terrible fatality. From the 17th of May to the proper representations on the subject to Congress | 16th of June there had been in the city of |