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NULLIFICATION, &c.-A resolution was passed, denying the right of any state to nullify an act of congress, or to secede from the Union, &c.

REVOLUTIONARY PENSIONS.-Numerous pensions were granted, in consideration of revolutionary services.

COLONIZATION.-In the house of delegates, January 16th, it was, on motion of Mr. Johnson,

Ordered, That the committee on the coloured population be instructed to inquire into the propriety and practicability of designating some future day, beyond which all slaves, who may be born in this state after that period, shall be free upon arriving at a given age, and upon condition not to be permitted to remain in this state; but shall be removed to Africa, or some other place of safety, beyond the limits of the United States, as may be provided for by law, and make report to this house.

PUBLIC LANDS.-The following resolution was passed by the house of delegates, by a vote of 48 to

23.

Resolved, That the recommendation by the president of the United States in his last annual message to congress, to cede the public lands to the new states in which they are located, is impolitic, unjust and highly injurious to the fair and legitimate claims of Maryland; and that it is our duty to those whom we represent, solemnly to protest against the adoption of such a policy, and at the same time earnestly to request our representatives in congress to give a zealous support to the passage of the bill, from the senate, providing for the distribution of the proceeds of the sales of the public lands amongst the several states and territories of this union, now pending in the house of repre-sentatives of the United States.

VIRGINIA.

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black. To the honour of the state' be it said that there is not a singlewhite women amongst them. The legislature, session before the last, pardoned the only one white female who was confined within its walls. To the editors of the Lynchburg Virginian.

ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENON. GENTLEMEN: On this morning, between two o'clock and daybreak, we were presented with a most beautiful display of electrical excitement in the upper regions of the atmosphere, probably not excelled in interest by the similar meteoric phenomenon of November, 1802.

At 10 o'clock last night, I was struck with the uncommon transparency of the atmosphere and brilliance of the stars. Soon after hav. ing my attention thus called to the peculiar state of the air, I felt a slight repetition of the tremulous motion of the earth, which has repeatedly been observed in this vicinity of late.

The shooting stars, of which we had so impressive an exhibition this morning, made their first appearance in our hemisphere between 2 and 3 o'clock, but I did not notice them until about 5 o'clock. From the vast number and brightness of the meteors, the sight was, at that time, indescribably beautiful. Their ge. neral course was from the south-east to the north-west, the most of them appearing to the south-west of our zenith. They first came into view 20 or 30 degrees to the east of our celestial meridian, and extended their flight 40 or 60 degrees to the west of it. Their general motion was probably horizontal, although, from the position of the observer, they seemed to fall. Their path was marked by a train of light which was most brilliant near the point of their disappearance, continuing from 3 to 7 or 8 seconds, and sprinkling the heavens with long, bright dashes of light, resembling in their form the marks made on the window, by the first drops of a shower driven against the glass. The colour of the light was generally a pure white, but sometimes tinged with a reddish hue; and so great was the number and frequency of the meteors, as to illuminate the night sensibly, though slightly. The average flight of each ball was over an arc of about 50 degrees. The phenomenon was most brilliant to the south and west of Lynchburg, at an elevation of from 30 to 60 de

grees. The meteors vanished from sight without a visible or audible explosion, and for the most part without scintillations.

No appearance of the aurora borealis was observed, nor the slightest vapour of any kind. The air continued, as on the evening before, entirely pellucid.

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At half past 6 o'clock, the thermometer stood at 54 degrees, Far., the barometer at 29 inches and 4 tenths, and the hygrometer at about 28 degrees. No change was ticeable to the magnetic dip, variation or intensity. Gold leaf electrometers were excited by a touch; Bennet's, placed on the prime conductor, with the cushion insulated, rose on a slight motion of the machine. The pendulum of De Luc's dro pile was accelerated.

Your most obedient servant,
F. G. SMITH.

Lynchburg, November 13, 1833. NULLIFICATION.-At the commencement of the session of the legislature on the 1st monday of of December, 1832, a message was transmitted to the legislature by governor Floyd, in which strong ground was taken against the tariff, and an evident leaning was manifested towards the doctrines of South Carolina.

Shortly after the passage of the ordinance, and the issuing of the proclamation, by the president of the United States, an additional message was sent in, communicating those papers to the legislature. They were immediately referred, on motion of Mr. Brodnax, to a select committee, and a long and elaborate report was made on the 20th of December, which after being deba. ted, modified, and amended by both branches of the legislature, resulted in the following resolutions, which were passed in the house, ayes 77,

nays 47, and in the senate, ayes 28, nays 4.

Whereas, The general assembly of Virginia, actuated by an ardent desire to preserve the peace and har. mony of our common country, rely. ing upon the sense of the people of each and every state of the union, as a sufficient pledge that their rep. resentatives in congress will so modify the acts laying duties and imposts on the importation of foreign commodities, commonly called the tariff acts, that they will no longer furnish cause of complaint to the people of any particular state, believ. ing accordingly, that the people of South Carolina are mistaken in supposing that congress will yield them no relief from the pressure of those acts, especially as the auspicious approach of the extinguishment of the public debt, affords a just ground for the indulgence of a contrary expectation; and confident that they are too strongly attached to the union of the states, to resort to any proceedings which might dissolve or endanger it, whilst they have any fair hope of obtaining their object by more regular and peacful measures; persuaded, also, that they will listen willingly and respectfully to the voice of Virginia, earnestly and affectionately requesting and entreating them to rescind, or suspend their late ordinance, and await the result of a combined and strenu. ous effort of the friends of union and peace, to effect an adjustment and reconciliation of all public differences now unhappily existing; regarding, moreover, an appeal to force on the part of the general government, or on the part of the government of South Carolina, as a mea sure which nothing but extreme necessity could justify or excuse in either; but apprehensive, at the same time, that if the present state

of things is allowed to continue, acts of violence will occur which may lead to consequences that all would deplore; cannot but deem it a solemn duty to interpose and mediate between the high contending parties, by the declaration of their opinions and wishes, which they trust that bothwill consider and respect : therefore

1. Resolved, by the general assembly, in the name, and on behalf of the people of Virginia, That the competent authorities of South Carolina be, and they are hereby earnestly and respectfully requested and entreated to rescind the ordinance of the late convention of that state, entitled, "an ordinance to nullify certain acts of the congress of the United States, purporting to be laws laying duties and imposts on the importation of foreign commodities;" or, at least, to suspend its operation until the close of the first session of the next congress.

2. Resolved, That the congress of the United States be, and they are hereby earnestly and respectfully requested and entreated so to modify the acts laying duties and imposts on the importation of foreign commodities, commonly called the tariff acts, as to effect a gradual but speedy reduction of the resulting revenue of the general government, to the standard of the necessary and proper expenditures for the support thereof.

3. Resolved, That the people of Virginia expect, and, in the opinion of the general assembly, the people of the other states have a right to expect, that the general government, and the government of South Carolina, and all persons acting under the authority of either, will careful. ly abstain from any and all acts whatever which may be calculated to disturb the tranquillity of the

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country, or endanger the existence of the union.

4. And whereas, considering the opinions which have been advanced and maintained by the convention of South Carolina in its late ordinance and addresses on the one hand, and by the president of the United States, in his proclamation, bearing date the 15th day of December, 1832, on the other, the general assembly deem it due to themselves, and the people whom they represent, to declare and make known their own views in relation to some of the important and interesting questions which these papers present: There fore, resolved by the general assembly, That they continue to regard the doctrines of state sovereignty and state rights, as set forth in the resolutions of 1793, and sustained by the report thereon, of 1799, as unquestionably true, and worthy of all acceptance; but that they do not consider them as sanctioning the proceedings of South Carolina indicated in her said ordinance, nor as countenancing all the principles assumed by the president in his said proclamation, many of which are in direct conflict with them.

Resolved, That this house will, by joint vote with the senate, proceed on this day to elect a commissioner, whose duty it shall be to proceed immediately to South Carolina, and communicate the foregoing preamble and resolutions to the governor of that state, with a request that they be communicated to the legis. lature of that state, or any convention of its citizens, or give them such other direction, as in his judgment may be best calculated to promote the objects which this commonwealth has in view; and that the said commissioner be authorized to express to the public authorities and people of our sister state, in such

manner as he may deem most expedient, our sincere good will to our sister state, and our anxious solicitude that the kind and respectful recommendations we have addressed to her, may lead to an accommodation of all the difficulties between that state and the general government."

Benjamin Watkins Leigh was then unanimously chosen a commissioner under the last resolution.

At a subsequent period of the session, the following preamble and resolution was moved by Mr. Knox:

"Whereas, a bill is now pending before the senate of the United States, which proposes to invest the president with the authority of employing at discretion the land and naval forces of the country, for the purpose of carrying into effect the revenue laws of the general government; and whereas, in the opinion of the general assembly of Virginia, there exists no necessity for clothing the president with such unlimited powers, Resolved, therefore, by the general assembly of Virginia, that John Tyler and William C. Rives, senators in the congress of the United States from the state of Virginia, be, and they are hereby instructed to vote against the said bill, and to use their best exertions in order to defeat the passage of the same; and likewise request our representatives in congress to do likewise."

After some debate, and a refusal to defer the fate of the resolution, by laying it on the table, it was indefinitely postponed (rejected) by a vote of 75 to 51.

COLONIZATION.-In the house of delegates, the committee of finance, to whom had been referred the various petitions for legislative aid to the colonization society, made a report conformable thereto.

A mo

tion was made by Mr. Brodnax to lay the report on the table, which was, after much discussion, rejected. Mr. Dade moved the indefinite postponement, which also, after consid. erable debate, was decided in the negative-ayes 57, noes 57. The house adjourned without disposing of the subject. On Monday, Mr.

Ritchie moved to take up the report-several members desired that the vote on the taking up should be considered as a test vote. The question was then taken, the ayes and noes being called, and it was taken up-ayes 61, noes 59. It was then referred to a select committee.

NORTH-CAROLINA.

FINANCES. It appears by the report of the treasurer of NorthCarolina, that the balance in the treasury on the 1st of November, 1832, was $7,924 73, and the receipts between that period and the 1st November, 1833, $188,819 97. The disbursements during the same period were $138,867 46; leaving a balance in the treasury at the beginning of November, of $57,877 24. The present amount of the literary fund is $117,024 81, no expenditures from it having been made during the year. The present amount of the internal improvement fund is $979, being merely nominal.

ELECTIONS-1832.-The balloting for governor in the legislature lasted three days. D. L. Swain, was at length put in nomination, and Mr. Polk and Mr. Branch being severally withdrawn, he was elected, receiving 99 votes, Speight 85, and 10 scattering.

INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.--A convention to promote internal improvements met at Raleigh on the 4th of July, 1833, and having appointed governor Swain the president, it proceeded to recommend to the general assembly that a fund should be created for this object, and that the state should subscribe two fifths of the stock of all companies chartered for internal improve

ments.

ORGANIC REMAINS.-SEPTEMBER, 1833.-Among the organic remains found in the marl pits of Lucas Benners, Esq. in Craven county, North Carolina, are the following:

Several pits have been dug, some of them to the depth of 25 feet below the surface of the earth, and ten feet below the present surface of the river. In the course of these excavations a great variety of interesting organic remains have been found, consisting of sea shells, bones and teeth of fishes, and the bones of land animals of prodigious size. Mr. B. mentions that the following is the order in which these remains have been found: 1st, Sharks' teeth, and the fragments of bones of marine fishes mingled with sea shells. 2d, Teeth, horns, hoofs, ribs, vertebrææ, &c. of quadrupeds that inhabited the land, mingled with sea shells of great variety. These remains of land animals are found at the depth of from 20 to 25 feet below the surface of the earth. Among them are recognised with certainty the teeth of the great mastodon, (Mastodon giganteum of Cuvier,) the hoofs, horns and vertebræ of an elk of great size, and the teeth of an animal supposed to be the hy

ena.

LEGISLATION,-The acts passed by the general assembly of North Carolina, at the session of 1832-33,

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