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FROM OUR BOSTON CORRESPONDENT.

BOSTON, Aug. 13th, 1855.

MR. EDITOR:—The weather here is "as cool
as a cucumber," the mercury standing, or rath-
er sitting, below 70°. We have had a cool
summer here. Those whose business depends
upon the fiery heat of Sol, Mars and Sirus, have
not made immense fortunes with their summer
stocks—for there has been but little call or need
for them; and the few who have patronized the
fashions have forced the season. Business of
almost every kind has been better this year
than last; the enormous rents, and the high
price of provisions have made life among
the poor almost a drug.

The carpet and dry good stores in this city
are proverbial for "selling out;" some or them
have bills up from one year's end to the other
"selling out for thirty days." These bills are
good advertisements to take in the stranger
who seeks to buy low: being dazzled with the
idea that he is buying from an establishment
that must "close the concern," he takes it for
granted he must have bought low, for he has
bought of a man forced to reduce the price of
his stock in order to sell out in a few days
and in this way he is often forced to "pay too
dear for his whistle." Some of our store-keep-
ers here are guilty of another deception trick;
they mark the price on samples of their goods,
at less than cost, and put them in the windows.
Persons seeing them very low, go in to pur-
chase, and suppose that in the dark stores they
buy at the same rate. There is an establish-
ment here famous for taking in any one they
can get a chance at. We remember not long
since, an acquaintance, Mr. —, went into
said store to buy a silk dress for his wife; he
bought a cheap one at a cost of something like
ten or twelve dollars; as he was going out he
saw another that he liked better, and expressed
a regret that he had not seen it at first, as he
did not care about the difference in the cost—
The store-keeper insisted on his taking the
second, which our friend agreed to do, provided
that the trader would take back the first; this
he consented to, and the dress was cut off. Our
friend handed him a fifty dollar "slug," and the
trader took pay out for both dresses, and as he
had the money, would not give it up. Mr.
— had no witness to prove the transaction,
while a half-dozen clerks in the store were no
doubt ready to "swear like Turks," so that he
had nothing to do but to make the best of a
bad bargain, and to "look out for the sharks."
We do not desire to make a sweeping denuncia-
tion of our retail dry goods and carpet stores,
for we know many fair and honorable men who
would scorn to take any advantage; we merely
give the truth to let strangers et al know that
there are "sharpers" in town. A word to the
wise is sufficient.

Our fashionables are now mostly out of town,
either at Nahant, the white Mountains, or some
of the pleasant small towns in this State, bor-
dering on the sea. A few still go to Newport,
Cape May, Long Branch, and Saratoga.

The Maine Law has been pretty thoroughly
executed throughout the State, except in this
city, which is the stronghold of rum and hard
cider. It is now pretty clearly settled, that
the temperance law, in its present form, can-
not be executed in Boston—the majority of
our jurors being in favor of carrying on the
temperance cause with ardent spirit. We have
laws against drinking houses, houses of ill-fame,
and smoking in the street, not one of which are
executed. The officers of the law are often the
best patrons to the sinks of iniquity. Boston
has always been noted for its morality; but
we believe in no city in the Union are houses
of ill-fame conducted so publicly, and so shame-
lessly, as in this city.

Col. Wheeler's slave (Jane Williams) arrived
in this city about a week ago, en route for—.
We have been unable to elicit more than what
has already appeared in the papers.

There is but little political excitement here
in relation to the fall campaign. The political
anti-slavery men are seeking for a fusion of all
parties upon an Anti-Nebraska platform. The
decision of Judge Cain in Philadelphia will as-
sist it. The people are getting to see that we
must present a clear and unbroken front against
slavery, and the determination now appears to
be to resist slavery to the teeth.

The largest mail ever received at the Boston
Post Office was received on Friday night from
New York, and the South, it weighted 14 tons,
about 5 tons more of the same mail was left in
New York from impossibility of furnishing
means for its transportation in that train.

A company of some 60 colored men have or-
ganized a Military Company to be called the
Massasoit Guards. They are picked men, ac-
tive and intelligent, and in case of a war for
liberty, I believe they would "fight like tigers."
Mr. John Bailey is talked of for Captain. He
is active and energetic, and is the well known
proprietor of the Franklin St. Gymnasium, and
Pistol Gallery. He has taught many of the
"solid men of Boston" the use of short arms, and
we believe his industry and ambition would
make him a skilful commander.

On Sunday, July 28th, a beautiful grove on
the premises of Rev. J. J. Locke, at Green-
wood, was dedicated to "freedom, truth, and
right." The day was damp, though the gather-
ing was a good one, and embraced many of the
old and tried friends in the cause of freedom.—
Mr. R. H. Ober, of the firm of Morey, Ober, &
Co., of this city, who lives in the mansion, is one
of the old practical Anti-Slavery men, with a
heart exuberant with goodness, did everything
in his power to make his guests comfortable, and
carefully administered to the wants of the body,
so that they could enjoy the rich intellectual
feast set before them; among the speakers we
noticed Rev. J. M. Spear, Rev. J. J. Locke,
Rev. Richard Thayer, Messrs. Wm. C. Nell,
Robert Purvis, McEntrye, C. L. Remond, Mr.
Hewett, and Dr. J. S. Rock. The meeting was
held in the morning in the mansion, and in the
afternoon and evening in the Grove, and was
highly successful in every respect, and too much
praise cannot be bestowed upon Mr. Ober and
Mr. Locke, in their indefatigable exertions to
aid suffering humanity, and to consecrate an-
other temple and spot to the Goddess of univer-
sal liberty. Yesterday (Sunday) there was an
elegant large new hall dedicated to the Anti-
Slavery Movement, at Reading. Messrs. Re-
mond, Garrison and Phillips, were expected to
speak.

A large and enthusiastic assemblage of the
friends of Freedom gathered together at New
Bedford on the 1st of August. Frederick
Douglass, Esq., was the orator. I was not
there; the Mercury said his fine face, as the
procession passed, showed the rich oratorical
treat which was to follow. Mr. Douglass spoke
at the 12th Baptist Church in this city on Sun-
day evening, 5th inst. We were professionally
engaged, and did not get an opportunity to
hear him. His subject was "Slavery;" he is
reported to have made an excellent speech.—
The house and the avenues leading to it were
filled.

The Abolitionists celebrated the Anniversary
of West India Emancipation. Messrs. Garri-
son. Phillips, Remond, and others, were the
speakers. They had a good time.

S.

BOSTON, Aug. 20, 1855.

MR. EDITOR:—On Sunday, Aug. 12, the
large and beautiful new hall, at Reading, (which
I alluded to in my last,) was dedicated to the
Anti-Slavery Movement. Messrs. W. L. Garri-
son, C. L. Remond, and W. Phillips, were the
orators of the day. The meeting was large and
of unusual interest, some coming ten or fifteeen
miles from different sections of the State, to
hear those old champion orators of freedom,
and to add the weight of their presence and in-
fluence to the Anti-Slavery movement. The
Hutchinsons were thee, and gave us some of
their best vocal music. Geo. W. Putnma read
an excellent ode, composed by him for the occa-
sion. There were three meetings during the
day, and all were well attended. The citizens did
every thing they could to administer to the ma-
terial wants of the body, and all seemed to re-
gret that the happy Meetings had been brought
to a close.

After reading your views and those of Mr.
W. L. Garrison on Prof. Mahan's book; I
have been surprised to find you both spiritual-
ists. Perhaps I might go farther and say Me-
diums
?

The Colored Military known as the "Massa-
soit Guards," is now organized and Mr. John
P. Coburn has been chosen Captain. your
correspondent not being a member, is not pos9
tive as to the number of members enrolled, but
has been informed that they now muster nearly
one hundred, and that it is their intention to
petition to his excellency the Governor for
a grant of Arms similar to that granted by the
Executive of Rhode Island to a colored military
company in Providence. The Boston Evening
Telegraph
, the only daily Anti-Slavery paper
that we have with a back-bone, says, "We
think it very doubtful whether the Governor
will feed authorized to loan arms to a company
not chartered under the laws. And we are
somewhat at a loss to see why our colored
friends who so reasonably objected to being set
a part as a class in the school, should now volun-
tarily set themselves apart as a class in Military
service." This appears to us "to strike the
nail on the head," but we lay no claims to cor-
rect judgment in this matter; they may have one
hundred reasons that I know not of why such
a company should be formed.

Mr. John B. Gough the great temperance
orator, arrived at this port on Friday morning
in the America. He was waited upon by a
committee in accordance with an announcement
made in the daily papers, and cordially wel-
comed. He declines any public demonstration
at this time. He left early in the same after-
noon of his arrival for his home in Boylston.—
He is expected to speak in this city in a month
or two, and will probably return to England in
July '56.

The Liquor dealers have held a meeting dur-
ing the present week and appointed a commit-
tee to call a convention on the 30th inst. at
Worcester, for the nomination of an entire State
ticket to be supported at the November elec-
tion. Rev. Mr. Lovejoy, who Madame Rumor
says goes in for "Rum and hard cider," has been
suggested as a proper candidate for the guber-
national chair!

The Republic State Convention at Port-
land is one among the many cheering signs of
the times and adds new life to the political anti-
slavery union of all Northern freemen upon an
anti-slavery platform. Some fifteen or twenty
thousand men assembled at a State convention,
all bent upon a union of Northern men for
freedom, shows at least that the ball in motion
is gathering something besides moss.

On Thursday we had a grand fusion meeting
in this city at Chapman Hall. Whigs, Free-
soilers, Know Nothings et al, assembled, laid
aside petty party differences, and agreed to fight
together for freedom. The meeting was large
and enthusiastic. Among the speakers we no-
ticed Hon. Samuel Hoar of Concord, Hon.
John Z. Goodrich of Stockbridge, Hon. Moses
Kimball of Boston, Hon. Ed. L. Keys of Ded-
ham, Hon. Chas. Francis Adams of Quincy,
Hon. John C. Park of Boston, Hon. Amasa
Walker of New Brookfield, Hon. Geo. Bliss of
Springfield, Hon. Stephen C. Phillips of Salem,
Hon. J. W. Foster, of Brimsfield, Hon. Homer
Bartlett of Lowell, Rich. H. Dana, Jr. of Cam-
bridge, Hon. E. C. Baker of Medford, and Hon.
Henry Wilson of Natick.

The best feeling prevailed throughout the
meeting, and all appeared in earnest to form a
platform plain and simple, upon which all
Northern men without distinction of party
would unite for freedom. The following resolu-
tions was reported and unanimously accepted:

Resolved, The the time has fully come for
a united and earnest effort of the people of
Massachusetts, in concert with the friends of
freedom throughout the Union, whose object
shall be to restrain the alarming encroachments
of slavery.

Resolved, That as a means to this end, there
should be an early assemblage of the people of
this Commonwealth in Mass Convention.

Resolved, That the following gentlemen con-
stitute a Committee to issue a call and make
arrangements for such an assemblage first hav-
ing, if possible a consultation with any other
committees of political organizations, a public
meeting having the same purpose in view.

These resolutions were freely discussed, and
the convention adjourned about 7 o'clock P.M.
subject to the call of the committee.

What are our friends doing in relation to the
National Convention to be held in Philadel-
phia? Let every city, town and hamlet, be fully
represented. Preliminary meetings should now
be held in every section distant from Philadel-
phia, and pecuniary arrangements made for
the traveling and other expences of the Con-
vention. Let every man who can carry one
stone to the building be there, and let us have
a movement set on foot at once practiced and
useful and tending to elevate the condition of
the colored man in America; for such a move-
ment let usa all labor in earnest and give our
[unites?]

S.

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W. Kurtz

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