an advanced age. He succeeded to the peerage when he was only six months old.

3d. At Newport, R. I., Hon. WILLIAM HUNTER, LL.D. He was in the senate of the United States, and in 1834 he accepted from Gen. Jackson the appointment of Chargé d'Affaires to Brazil, and in 1841 he was made minister plenipotentiary at that court, where he remained till 1844.

Recently, at Brussels, M. VERBEYEST, the most celebrated book collector in Europe, perhaps in the world. He had founded a very curious establishment, consisting of a house of several stories, and as high as a church, and disposed so as to contain about 300,000 volumes, arranged according to their subjects.

In England, ADELAIDE, Queen Dowager, at the age of 58. She was a daughter of the Duke of Saxe Meiningen, and her baptismal name was Adelaide Louisa Theresa Caroline Amelia. She was married in 1818 to William IV., then Duke of Clarence, eight years after his separation from Mrs. Jordan, the actress. She was recommended to the prince by the Queen mother, for her many amiable qualities and domestic virtues. A large portion of her annual allowance from the British exchequer has been devoted to deeds of charity and Christian benevolence, and an elegant English church in the island of Malta, remains, with other works of the kind, to commemorate her piety. She was a devoted wife to the late king, and though better fitted for private domestic life, she never failed to command the respect of all, even in the gay circles of the court.

In York, WILLIAM ETTY, a great modern painter. Like Rembrandt and Constable, he was a miller's son, and made his first sketches with chalk on the mill floor. He travelled and studied much in Rome, Venice, Florence, and France. His art was to him a source of unalloyed happiness.

In England, two of the heroes of the peninsular war, Sir GEORGE ANSON, and Sir JOHN ORMSBY VANDELEUR, who fought at Salamanca, Vittoria, Rodrigo, and Waterloo, under "the iron Duke."

5th. At Philadelphia, Penn., WILLIAM SHORT, in the 91st year of his age.

He was a native of Virginia, and educated in the same class with Chief Justice Marshall, was secretary of legation to Mr. Jefferson -was Chargé to the French republic, and was the first citizen of the United States nominated and appointed to a public office under the federal constitution. During the administration of General Washington, who evinced for him high personal regard, he was successively appointed minister resident at the Hague, and commissioner, and subsequently minister to Spain.

9th. At Boston, JOHN BROMFIELD, Esq. He bequeathed $205,000 to charitable institutions.

At Cooperstown, N. Y., Judge MOREHOUSE, of the 6th judicial district-an upright and highly esteemed man.

12th. In London, Sir MARE ISAMBERT BRUNEL, Vice President of the Royal Society and of the institution of civil engineers, a native of France. He built the Bowery theatre, New York, furnished plans for canals, invented the circular saw for cutting veneers of valuable woods, built steamboats, and was the engineer of the tunnel under the river Thames, London.

20th. In Washington county, N. Y., WILLIAM MILLER, "the prophet of the Millerites," at the age of 68. He was a native of Pittsfield, Mass., and during the last war with England, served as a captain of volunteers on the northern frontier. He began to speak in public assemblies upon the subject of the millennium in 1833, and in the ten years which preceded the time which he had set for the confirmation of all prophecy, he laboured assiduously in the middle and northern states, averaging, it is said, nearly one sermon a day for more than half that period. He was uneducated, and not largely read in even the common English commentaries; his views were absurd, and supported but feebly; yet he succeeded in building up a sect of some thirty or forty thousand disciples, which disappeared rapidly after the close of the "day of probation" in 1843, after which time Mr. Miller himself did not often advocate or defend his views in public.

25th. At San Francisco, California, GEORGE H. VAIL, Esq., of Troy, N. Y., at the age of 30. He was a young man of noble qualities of heart and head-of intelligence and talent of the first order. He contributed to this work the interesting articles on China and the opium trade.

The following lines were published many years ago anonymously, in a Rhode Island paper. The author, who was the Rev. James D. Knowles, believed that Gray had not given to the subject of his muse enough of religious character to render the charm complete; hence he wrote these verses to follow the stanzas in the elegy beginning with the words

"Far from the maddening crowd's ignoble stir."

No airy dreams their simple fancies fired,
No thirst for wealth, no panting after fame;
But truth divine sublimer hopes inspired,

And urged them onward to a nobler aim.

From every cottage, with the day arose

The hallowed voice of spirit-breathing prayer; And artless anthems, at the peaceful close,

Like holy incense charmed the evening air.

Though they, each tome of human lore un-
known,

The brilliant path of science never trod,
The sacred volume claimed their hearts alone,
Which taught the way to glory and to God.
Here they from truth's eternal fountain drew
The pure and gladdened waters day by day,
Learned since our days are evil, fleet and few,
To walk in wisdom's bright and peaceful
way.

In yon lone pile, o'er which has strangely passed,
The heavy hand of all destroying time,
Through whose low mouldering aisle now
sighs the blast,

And round whose altars grass and ivy climb.

They gladly thronged their grateful hymns to raise,

Oft as the calm and holy Sabbath shone; The mingled tribute of their prayers and praise

In sweet communion rose before the throne.

Here, from those honoured lips, which sacred fire

From heaven's high chancery hath touched to hear

Truths which their zeal inflame, their hopes inspire,

Give wings to faith, and check affection's

tear.

When life flowed by, and like an angel, death

Came to release them to the worlds on high, Praise trembled still on each expiring breath, And holy triumph beamed from every eye.

Then gentle hands their "dust to dust" consign;

With quiet tears the simple rites are said; And here they sleep, till at the trump Divine, The earth and ocean render up their dead,

BY ELIZA COOK.

DOCUMENTS.

STATE PAPERS.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.

MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO BOTH HOUSES OF THE THIRTY-FIRST CONGRESS, DECEMBER, 1849.

Fellow-Citizens of the Senate and House of Representatives:-Sixty years have elapsed since the establishment of this government, and the Congress of the United States again assembles to legislate for an empire of freemen. The predictions of evil prophets, who formerly pretended to foretell the downfall of our institutions, are now remembered only to be derided, and the United States of America, at this moment, present to the world the most stable and permanent government on earth.

Such is the result of the labours of those who have gone before us. Upon Congress will eminently depend the future maintenance of our system of free government, and the transmission of it unimpaired to posterity.

We are at peace with all the nations of the world, and seek to maintain our cherished relations of amity with them. During the past year, we have been blessed, by a kind Providence, with an abundance of the fruits of the earth; and, although the destroying angel for a time visited extensive portions of our territory with the ravages of a dreadful pestilence, yet the Almighty has at length deigned to stay his hand, and to restore the inestimable blessing of general health to a people who have acknowledged his power, deprecated his wrath, and implored his merciful protection.

While enjoying the benefits of amicable intercourse with foreign nations, we have not been insensible to the distractions and wars which have prevailed in other quarters of the world. It is a proper theme of thanksgiving to Him who rules the destinies of nations, that we have been able to maintain, amidst all these contests, an independent and neutral position towards all belligerent powers.

Our relations with Great Britain are of the most friendly character. In consequence of the recent alteration of the British navigation acts, British vessels from British and other foreign ports, will, (under our existing laws,) after the first day of January next, be admitted to entry in our ports, with cargoes of the growth, manufacture, or production of any part of the world, on the same terms, as to duties, imposts, and charges, as vessels of the United States with their cargoes; and our vessels will be admitted to the same advantages in British ports, entering therein on the same terms as British vessels. Should no order in council disturb this legislative arrangement, the late act of the British Parliament, by which Great Britain is brought within the terms proposed by the act of Congress of the 1st of March, 1817, it is hoped, will be productive of benefit to both countries.