S. to Frederick Douglass, September 10, 1855

BOSTON, Sept. 10, 1855

FREDERICK DOUGLAS, ESQ.: DEAR SIR:—The weather has moderated—to-day we have summer heat. The cold and frosts came on so early, many of us have feared that the corn and potatoe crops would be much injured. We hope not, for we are now living at famine prices. We are at a loss to know why the prices are kept up. The yield of wheat the past summer has been unusually large, and yet retailers have the consciences to ask from $11 to $13 per bbl. for flour. We charge it on the speculators, though many of the retail dealers say they can afford to throw away such of their fruits and provisions as will not keep, in order to keep up the prices. "Beef and veal steaks are selling at 18 and 20 cents per lb.; mutton, 15 cents per lb.; pork, 14 cents per lb.; ham, 16 to 20 cents per lb.; chickens, 75 cents to $1.50 per pair; salt pork, 12 1/2 cents per lb.; tame pigeons, 25 cents each; wild pigeons, $1 per dozen; sweet potatoes, 4 cents per lb.; whortleberries, green gages and beans, each 17 cents per quart.— Those who do not choose to pay these prices, can live on "codfish and potatoes" (which is a famous New England dish) or starve. Add to this the enormous rents and you must see that "Jordan is a hard road to travel." A pleasant dwelling house containing 10 or 12 rooms rents from $350 to $600 per annum. The poor people generally rent two or three rooms--and among the Irish it is not uncommon to see six or eight families occupying the same tenement. You may think this is crowding the mourners. It is, nevertheless, true. Colored people seldom live so thick. Independent of these drawbacks, there is no State in the Union more prosperous than Massachusetts. The secret is, everybody works, and everything pays. There are not many sponges; every man relies on himself for his fortune. It is true that there is not so much sociability as among Southerners, but there is more practical friendship. "Loungers," or rather "bores," are sometimes met with—who will detain us an hour or two, when they have no business and don't want any. But such "tricks" are not very common. A boy in our office has stuck a pin with the point upwards in a certain chair where a Mr. "Lounger" is accustomed to sit, and as he usually complains of being "hard up," the next time he sits down, he will, no doubt, "make a raise." But to return the farther North you go, the more enterprising and industrious, the people are. We know many of the laboring classes in the Middle States who are considered industrious, who never calculate to work during the cold weather of winter. They hang around the chimney corners like crickets and do not dream of going out till they bear the swallows building their nests in the chimneys. While here, where we often have snow on the ground all winter, you will see the industrious Yankees, male and female, muffle themselves up and defy even the storms. It is true that the enormous foreign emigration, and the low prices at which foreigners will work, leave the American but little to do. Hence the origin of the Know Nothing movement and its popularity with the laboring classes. The Anti-Catholic and Know Nothing movement have done a good work for the colored people. The colored man stands as much above an

Irishman here as he does beneath in Philadelphia; and as black as we are, we would not change positions with him if we had to take the brogue still hanging to his tongue, along with us.

On Monday the new school law went into effect, and the colored children in large numbers flocked to the district schools. They were soon filled, and many were refused, there being no room for them. They will be obliged to build another school house in Ward Six to accommodate all the children. The colored children all went "fixed up" nice and clean, and were well received, both by teachers and pupils. The Smith (colored) school is almost entirely deserted. Mr. Paul, the teacher, received eighteen hundred dollars per annum. School teaching pays very cleverly here. Teachers in the primary schools receive from $250 to $400 per annum. Masters of the grammar schools receive $1500 for the first year's service, with an annual increase of $100, until the salary amounts to $1800. Sub-master's $1000 for the first year's service, with an annual increase of $100, until the salary amounts to $1200. Ushers receive $700 for the first year's service, and an annual increase of $100 per year, until the salary amounts to $900. Masters of Latin, English, High and Normal Schools $2400 each.— Sub-master's $1500 for the first year's service, and an annual increase of $100 per year, until the salary amounts to $1800. Ushers $1000 for the first year's service, with an annual increase of $100 per annum, until the salary amounts to $1500.

The health of the city continues good. Bos-ton would be a healthy place if it was not for the damp east winds, which make it a dangerous place for persons affected with lung complaints.

The Democrats held a Convention at Worcester on Wednesday. They express their confidence in the present National Administration, and have nominated E. D. Beech, the liquor candidate, for Governor. Rum and slavery have formed a union, and go hand in hand.

Mr. Barnum's baby show is to commence at the Music Hall to-morrow, Tuesday. He refuses to receive colored babies. The papers here all along have been contending that no New England mother will so far demean herself as to exhibit her offspring. We do not believe it; we believe that the full list of 100 will be made up, and more if he wished it. Wendall Phillips, Esq., once said (and we believe it) that, if a Yankee should see a bag of gold suspended over hell, he would jump for it, at the risk of his soul.

A Mr. Bateman opens a colored baby show, at the same time at Chapman Hall. He offers $50 for the handsomest colored baby, $25 for the handsomest "twins," $50 for the handsomest "triplet," and $500 for the handsomest "quarterp." $20 for the fattest baby, and $20 for the blackest baby, under five years old. We hope no mother will be so shamefaced as to exhibit her offspring. I know that we are prone to follow in the vices of our paler faced brethren and sisters, yet I do hope that colored mothers will set the whites an example. We can imagine a breeder of animals collecting the fines specimens of his stock for the sake of improving the breed. But we know of no one but slaveholders anxious to change woman from an uniparous to a multiparous animal. It may be all right to encourage this or even to throw aside all but the "triplets" and "quarterps" and

reproduce from them. Who knows but that in time women would have "litters" instead of a single offspring at a birth? Wonders never cease, but for a female to show what a good "breeder" she is, to us is a most revolting spectacle. Yet we may be a little Yankeeish in this respect. I know Barnum's gold is calculated to buy up most of the venal press, but there is a feeling higher than gold which we consider should not be stifled. More anon.

The New Jersey Rail Road accident has caused much feeling here. Those New Jersey Rail Roads are all nuisances. The companies are immensely rich, and yet they have on a great part of their roads a single track, and if one care is detained it must make up by putting more steam at the expense of life or limb or both, in order to gain time so as to be at the half way place at the proper time. This is outrageous; every Railroad that runs more than one train should have two tracks, and at no time should two trains meet each other on the same track. Again our railroad tracks should be fenced in and neither man nor beast allowed on them. Now every man who travels expects an accident while Railroad traveling can be made made and the traveller's life secure. I know it is an easy matter to censure Dr. Heinekin, but if the railroad had been protected as all railroads should be, no accident could have occurred.

Mr. Sumner has returned home after an absence of nearly four months during which time he has travelled in all the free States of the Union and three of the slave States. He is in excellent health and fine spirits.

Coroner Cornell was called on Saturday morning to hold an inquest on the body of a German named Ferdinand Hoffmiester, who committed suicide at his boarding house yesterday afternoon by shooting himself through the head with a pistol. It appears that he had been for a long time devoted in his attention to a lady whose husband is now in California.— He had been persevering in his suit and desired to marry, but the lady would listen to nothing of the kind. He carried his importunities so far as much to offend the lady. He even went so far as to insult a gentleman in the street who was in her company supposing him to be a rival. Disappointed in making her false to her marriage vow he blew the daylights out of him as above.

We are a little behindhand in attending to the Convention. Nothing has been done, and there has been very little interest manifested, so far; we regret it. Rev. L. A. Grimes, Mr. Lewis Hayden and Dr. J. S. Rock have issues a call for a Mass Meeting to-night. I hope they will awaken an interest.

A careful Irishman residing at Melrose, had a pound and a half of gunpowder, and forgetting the injunction of Cromwell, he allowed it to get wet. In order to dry it he put it in a wooden bowl, he placed it on the top of his cooking stove containing a hot fire. In double quick time-the powder dried and exploded, bursting out the windows and doors, and demolishing the plasterings, dishes, &c. The family fortunately were not hurt but were tremendously frightened and ran out of the house in great confusion.— The neighbors hearing the explosion and seeing the smoke rushed to ascertain what calamity had befallen them; upon inquiring, Patrick said, "Och jist nothing at all. Ye see I put a poond or two ay powther on the stove to dry, and bad luck to the maker av it, it got afire, and if I hadn't mighty keerful we should have been all blown up."

S.