On Saturday morning, the 28th, after breakfast, the President with his suite, proceeded, in an extra train, to Fredericksburg— where he was welcomed by the Mayor and citizens in handsome style; and where he afterwards partook of a sumptuous dinner which had been prepared for him at the Exchange Hotel, garnished by patriotic speeches, and toasts after which he took the cars for Aquia creek, and, embarking in the steamer, proceeded to Washington, where he arrived the same night.

We shall only add, that this brief and salutary excursion of our Chief Magistrate, has no doubt served to give him some fair and very agreeable views of our Old Dominion; and, on the other hand, we are quite sure that all our citizens who have seen and heard him on this occasion, have felt confirmed in all the favorable impressions which they had previously formed of his conduct and character, both as an officer and as a man.

THE NEW POSTAGE LAW.

The New Postage Law which went into operaton on the 1st inst., will no doubt operate very beneficially, and ought to be generally known. Its main feature is the reduction of postage on all letters not exceeding half an ounce in weight, to three cents, if prepaid, and to five cents, if not prepaid, for all distances under three thousand miles; for distances over three thousand miles, the rates are doubled.

The following table shows the rates on newspapers under the new law.

All weekly papers free within the county where they are published. Papers of less than one and a half ounce, half these rates, and papers not over 300 square inches, one fourth these

rates.

The rates on monthly and semi-monthly newspapers the same, in proportion to the number of sheets issued, as on weekly pa

pers.

The act further provides: "And there shall be charged upon every other newspaper and each circular not sealed, handbill, engraving, pamphlet, periodical, magazine, book, and every other description of printed matter, which shall be unconnected with any manuscript or written matter, and which it may be lawful to transmit through the mail, of no greater weight than one ounce, for any distance not exceeding five hundred miles, one cent; and for each additional ounce or fraction of an ounce, one cent; for any distance exceeding five hundred miles, and not exceeding one thousand five hundred miles, double those rates; for any distance exceeding one thousand five hundred miles, and not exceeding two thousand five hundred miles, treble those rates; for any distance exceeding two thousand five hundred miles, and not exceeding three thousand five hundred miles, four times those rates; for any distance exceeding three thousand five hundred miles, five times those rates. Subscribers to all periodicals shall be required to pay one quarter's postage in advance; in all such cases the postage shall be one half the foregoing rates. Bound books and parcels of printed matter not weighing over thirty-two ounces, shall be deemed mailable matter under the provisions of this section, and the postage on all printed matter, other than newspapers and periodicals published at intervals not exceeding three months, and sent from the office of publication to absolute and bona fide subscribers, to be prepaid; and in ascertaining the weight of newspapers for the purpose of determining the amount of postage chargeable thereon, they shall be weighed when in a dry state."

VIRGINIA CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLD'S

FAIR.

The official catalogue of the World's Fair has been published, and copies came by the last steamer. The entire number of American contributions to the Fair is 534. Those from Virginia are numbered and described as follows:

No. 264. W. A. Pratt & Co., Richmond, Va.-Daguerreotypes.

No. 265. P. Robinson, Richmond, Va.-Specimens of manufactured tobacco.

No. 266. G. Z. Miles, Richmond, Va.-Specimens of ladies' and gentlemen's saddles.

No. 267. D. W. Sims, Buckingham county, Va.-Specimens of iron ore.

No. 268. T. & S. Hargrove, Richmond, Va.-Sample of manufactured tobbacco. No. 269. C. Braxton, Hanover county, Va.-Specimen of green sand marl.

No. 270. Institute for the Blind, Staunton, Va.—Specimens of books. types, &c.

No. 271. Gen. J. H. Cocke, Fluvanna co., Va.-Samples of iron ore, soap-stone, and other minerals.

No. 273. Dill & Mulchaney, mauu., Richmond, Va.-Specimen of manufactured tobacco.

No. 274. E. H. Sims, Buckingham county, Va.-Specimens of roofing slate.

No. 275. E. H. Sims, Buckingham county, Va.-Slab of

slate.

No. 276. Jennings & Claghora, Richmond, Va.-A gentleman's saddle.

No. 277. F. Hobson, Buckingham county, Va.-Specimens of gold ore.

No. 278. R. S. Patteson, Buckingham co., Va.-Specimens of iron ore.

No. 279. W. Faber, prod., Nelson county, Va.-Specimens

of ores.

No. 280. W. Faber, Nelson county, Va.-Specimen of galena and silver combined.

No. 281. J. R. Anderson & Co., Richmond, Va.-Specimens of iron ore.

No. 282. Belvidere Manufacturing Company, Richmond, Va.-Envelop paper.

No. 233. of quartz rock.

-Brown, Buckingham county, Va.-Specimen

No. 284. J. H. Grant. manu., Richmond, Va.-Specimen of tobacco.

No. 285. S. Maupin, Richmond, Va.-Specimens of mine

rals.

No. 305. Oyler & Anderson, Lynchburg, Va.-Samples of tobacco, manufactured out of natural honey-dew, bright suncured leaf, the growth of Roanoke county, Virginia.

No. 325. Warwick & Otey, Lynchburg, Va.-Samples of manufactured tobacco.

No. 389. H. Ludlam, New York.-Sample of tobacco from George T. Williams, Lynchburg, Va.

No. 393. J. J. Stewart & Co., New York.-Sample of tobacco from D. H. London, Richmond, Va.

No. 471. W. H. Addington, Norfolk, Va.-Patent bellows; leather California boots.

THE WRITINGS OF WASHINGTON.

A Critic in the Evening Post, some months ago, produced an array of proofs that Mr. Sparks in his edition of the Writings of Washington had taken great liberties with the text of those writings, often altering the language, by substituting words and phrases which Mr. Sparks thought preferable to Washington's, sometimes suppressing his ideas, and sometimes, we grieve to say, making Washington convey a sentiment he had not expressed. We now understand from the Post, that a complete and authentic edition of the Writings of Washington is in preparation, to embrace more than two thousand letters, not included in the collection of Mr. Sparks, together with all of Washington's diaries, speeches, and public and private papers of every description. which may be supposed to possess any interest or illustrations of his character or history. 1. An exact chronological arrangement of the writings; 2. The most scruplous fidelity in copying; 3. Ample illustrations from published and MS. correspondence, diaries, contemporary biography, travels. &c.; 4. Historical reviews for each year, military, political, social, &c. N. Y. Observer.

THE DAY IN RICHMOND.

The Fourth of July was celebrated in our city, this year, with the usual observances, and rather more perhaps than the usual eclat. The appearance of the military companies at least was uncommonly fine, and the crowd of citizens on the square was much greater, we think, than we have ever seen it before. This was owing, perhaps, in part, to the new railroads which have been lately brought home to us, and which served to bring in large supplies of good people from the country to increase the common stock. There was, also, we hear an Address at the African Church, with the reading of the Declaration, by Marmaduke Johnson, Esq., which was highly gratifying to all present.

We learn, also, that some of the Sunday Schools observed the day in a very pleasant and profitable manner,-hearing good addresses, with pleasing music, and afterwards partaking of innocent refreshments with great glee.

There were, moreover, we hear, excursions into the country, by some of the companies, sunday-schools, and others-to the Slash Cottage, and elsewhere-with dinners, of course, and

dancings, and other amusements to suit the tastes of all concerned.

We infer from all these "signs," that our people are generally well satisfied with the Day, aud all its historic recollections, and with our glorious Union, which was indeed but "the bright consummate flower" of our Independence, and which, we trust, will never lose its beauty in our eyes.

THE DAY IN WASHINGTON.

We learn from Washington, that the Seventy-fifth Anniversary of Independence, was celebrated in that city in superior style. There was, indeed, one novel feature in the celebration, which must have given it, we think, a fresh and peculiar interest. We refer, of course, to the ceremony of laying the corner stone of the new structure designed to enlarge the capitol, which was performed by the President, assisted by the architect and masons, in the presence of a large concourse of citizens, with sol mu and striking effect. After this, there was an oration on the occasion by the Secretary of State, Mr. Webster, which we hear, and can readily believe, was altogether worthy of the subject and himself.

Miscellany.

POETRY AND PAINTING.

It has been said that Poetry and Painting are sister arts. Perhaps they are; but if so, the former is assuredly the elder muse. Her visions are more splendid; her flight is more rapid; her glance is more piercing and profound. The imagination of the painter is held down to the earth by lines and curves, by petty particularities of drapery and figure, by contrasts of colour, &c. But the words of the greater Muse are winged; and by them the fancy of the reader is sublimed, till he soars with her through shadowy regions and golden skies. which it would be idle, as well as a profanation, to attempt to reduce to visible detail.