Indiana State Sentinel

"There Be Land Rats and Water Rats."

—On Saturday was sold at public auction a variety of articles rescued with labor, difficulty and expense from the wreck of the British ship Chinn. They brought, we suppose, about what they were worth in these times of low prices. But when the whole thing was complete and buyers, innocent souls! thought they had done an honest business, there came down upon them the revenue officers, for duties—and it was found, we understand, that the gross amount of the sales, would about pay the Government claims, which take precedence of all others. Wreckers, auctioneers and all look blue—buyers swear, and also sellers. The best article in the lot—a nearly new cabin cable—went at 21 cts. per lb. The duty is 2 cents. Here is a beautiful illustration of the benign operation of the tariff. A foreign vessel is stranded on our shores, and the Government stands like a shark ready to swallow whole every unfortunate wretch who may attempt to escape. The savages in the dark ages who plundered every wrecked vessel, were only a type of our paternal Government, arming its remorseless law of robbery against the commerce of the world.—Charleston Mercury.