Town of Girard Laid Out--The First Bridge Dispute--An "Episcopal Association" Formed
A Broken Bank--A Scene of Active Business, &c.

Mention is made among the incidents of a previous year, of the purchase of Marshall's reserve (opposite Columbus in Alabama) by a Columbus company. We find by an advertisement in the Enquirer that this company proposed to sell, on the 2d of June of this year, 500 building lots in the town of Girard, including the lot on which stood the western abut ment of the bridge across the Chattahoochee, also a valuable saw and grist mill and lots containing valuable water privileges. We cannot find any report of this sale in the files for June or any other month of the year. But we learn that extensive building in Girard was going on in 1834 and 1835.

In January of this year the Legislature of Alabama passed an act authorizing Daniel McDougald, Robert Collins, James C. Watson and Burton Hepburn, constituting the company above named, to "make and erect all things necessary to the permanent erection of the western abutment of said bridge, (the bridge built by the town of Columbus,) on their own lands opposite the said town," and to receive one half of the tolls accruing from said bridge, upon their payment to the Commissioners of one-half the sum expended in building it. The act also declared that the then existing location of the western abutment of the bridge should be permanent, and prohibited any person or corporation to land a bridge on the Alabama shore or to use a ferry within a space of two miles above or below. The act stipulated that the authorities of the county of Russell and those of the town of Columbus should fix the price to be paid by the company for one-half interest in the bridge, and in the event of their refusal or neglect to do so, then the Commissioners of Roads and Revenue of Russell County should alone determine the value.

This proposition of a divided interest in the bridge was not accepted by the town of Columbus, and we have no record of the action of the Commissioners' Court of Russell County in reference to it. But disputes as to the right of Columbus to both ends of the bridge, and of the right of the State of Georgia to both banks of the river, continued for a number of years, and led to vexatious conflicts of local jurisdiction and personal claims. The controversy assumed the form of litigation; the courts of Georgia decided in favor of the rights of their State and Columbus, and the courts of Alabama decided in favor of that State and its citizens. Finally the Supreme Court of the United States decided, on appeal, that the State of Georgia had jurisdiction to the extent of high water mark on both sides of the river.

On the 8th of March the Enquirer said:

We now have six boats plying between this place and Apalachicola. They were all built in Ohio and brought round by way of New Orleans. The first attempt to construct a boat in our section has been made within a few months. We understand a substantial light draft boat has recently been launched at Fort Gains by our enterprising fellow citizen, Captain Guyard. She is called the "Native Georgian," having been built of Georgia timber by Georgia mechanics. We hope this laudable undertaking of Captain G. will be liberally rewarded by a full share of public patronage.

A meeting was held at the house of Dr. E. L. DeGraffenried, on the 17th of August, to ascertain the prospects for the establishment of an Episcopal Church. A society was formed styled the "Columbus Episcopal Association," and the prospects were found to be most encouraging. The communication reporting the proceedings of this meeting said:

There are at this time three churches in this place in flourishing condition, and it was remarked by one gentleman present that there were more persons present at the first meeting of this society than the other three churches had at their commencement collectively. This shows that a little exertion on the part of those in favor of this movement is only wanted to insure complete success.

A bill to incorporate this Church was introduced in the Legislature in November.

Two events of this year gave evidence, which would be deemed quite conclusive in our times, that the "trading town" was assuming both the airs and the dimensions" of a city. These were the possession of a broken Bank and the opening of a race course. The suspension of the Bank of Chattahoochee, in April, created the flutter usually attending such disastrous events. In a few days thereafter an "arrangement" was made by which the Bank passed into the hands of a new Directorship, composed of Gen. Alien Lawhon, Thomas L. Jackson, Col. .John Milton and Robert W. Games, of whom Gen. Lawhon was President, and H. W. Carnes Cashier. A satisfactory exposition of the affairs of the Bank was promised soon, but it remained "suspended." The Enquirer attributed the suspension of this Bank to a change which had been made in its management.

Business opened in a very lively manner this winter, as is apparent from the following editorial of December 27th:

Our town the present week has presented quite a business like appearance. Bales of cotton have rolled down one street, whilst up another sacks of salt and coffee., hogsheads of sugar, barrels of strong drink and all manner of merchandise have moved to their places of deposit, on every imaginable vehicle, from the strongest road wagon to the humble wheelbarrow. On Christmas Eve we went to the wharf to see the cause of so much ado, and there we found seven beautiful steamboats discharging and receiving their cargoes. Three of these boats are entirely new and on their first visit to Columbus viz: The Eloisa, the Ellen and the Southron. All are splendid crafts, strong, beautiful and well adapted to the navigation of our river. Close beside these, "all in a row,'' lay our old acquaintances, the Columbus, Chattahoochee, Versailles and Georgian. All of these have done and are still doing good service. We hail these boats, old and new, as evidences of our prosperity, and shall be glad to see them and many more plying our river."

Incidents

The new steamer Columbus, Jr., struck a snag on the 23d of February, and sunk. No lives lost.

This appears to have been the first summer that Columbus enjoyed the luxury of ice. A "Columbus Ice Company" had been formed, and in March received seventy tons, which was stored in its ice-house. Our present venerable and respected citizen, James Kivlin, was the agent of the company for the sale of it.

The Siamese Twins exhibited in Columbus in March.

The Enquirer commenced this year with bright, new type, making a handsome appearance, under the management of M. B. Lamar and W. B. Tinsley. On the 29th of March, R. T. Marks took the place of Mr. Lamar; and on the 12th of April Wm. B. Tinsley transferred his interest to W, L. Jeter and S. W. Flournoy. It was then for some time published by Marks, Flournoy & Jeter.

A three days' cock fight commenced on the 1st of July.

B. A. G. Lucas, a former citizen of Columbus, was shot in his house, in the Creek nation, by an Indian, and killed, on the 29th of May; and on the same day Gen. Edward Featherston a citizen of Columbus, was waylaid by an Indian, whose gun snapped, and thus the General escaped. Thus the two races drifted towards the war that soon followed.

Rev. John Baker, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, died in Virginia on the l5th of June.

In the 4th of July celebration this year, a procession was formed in front of Bedell & Walker's City Hall, under direction of the following officers: President, E. S. Shorter; Vice Presidents J. S. Calhoun, Dr. Hoxey and Ebenezer Torrence; Marshals of the day, Asa Bates and J. C. Holland; marched to the Methodist church where prayer was offered up by Rev. S. K. Hodges, after which the Declaration was read by E. S. Shorter, Esq., and an oration delivered by Judge W. T. Colquitt. After the oration the company, amounting to three or four hundred, repaired to Messrs. Shorter & Tarver's warehouse where a large barbecue had been prepared by Bedell & Walker.

The "Columbus Merchant Mills" were completed this year, three miles above Columbus, and were run by James Shivers & Co.

In November the Enquirer office was set on fire by an incendiary, and narrowly escaped destruction.

The steamboat Van Buren, loaded with cotton, was destroyed by fire, in December, while on her way from Columbus to Apalachicola. The passengers had to swim ashore, but were all saved. The loss was estimated at $45,000.

In December the bill establishing the Mayor's Court of Columbus was repealed.

Personal

The following were officers of a "State Rights Auxiliary Association" organized this year:

President--Allen Lawhon.
Vice-Presidents--G. E. Thomas, J. S. Calhoun, M. B. Lamar, N. Howard, A. S. Clifton.
Secretaries--R. W. Carnes, Garret Hallenbeck.
Treasurer--Samuel W. Flournoy.
Printing and Corresponding Committee--M. Torrence, E. S. Shorter. W. T. Colquitt, H. J. Harwell, W. B. Tinsley, John Milton, J. N. Bethune.
Committee on Orators--U. Lewis, J. A. Urquhart, C. L. Bass, Wm. P. Malone, Thomas C. Evans, Wm. D. Hargrove, A. K. Ayer, Jos. T. Kilgore, H. A. Thornton, E. L. Wittich.

At the October election, Walter T. Colquitt was elected State Senator, and Wm. L. Wynn and John Woolfolk Representatives.

Marriages

Feb. 20. - A. C. Bostick and Miss Henrietta C. Macall;
Feb. 20. - Harvey Hall and Miss Jane C. Ives.
March C. - George Montague and Miss Mary Angeline Parsons.
April 10 - Simeon Patillo and Miss Harriet Kirkland. ,
June 18 - Wm. D. Hargroves and Mrs. Woolfolk, widow of Sowell Woolfolk.
Nov. 14 - Battle A. Sorsby and Miss Elvira, daughter of James C. Cook.

Died

April 2, Mrs. Jane Odom, consort of John Odom.
April 27, Samuel, infant son of Dr. Billing.
May 3, Joseph F. Murray, a native of North Carolina.
June 9, Mrs. Ann Elizabeth Wynn, wife of Wm. L. Wynn.
June 12, Mrs. Martha Hudson, wife of Jonathan A. Hudson.
July 5, Samuel Sully, merchant.
July 11, George S. Shivers, Esq.
July 29, Isaac A. Smith, a native of Connecticut.
Aug. 20, Geo. W. Dillingham, a prominent merchant and citizen; formerly of Massachusetts.
Aug. 14, John W. Stapler.
Aug. 20, Mrs. Martha Ann, wife of Moses Jones.
Sept. 1, Miss Mary Ann, daughter of the late Rev. Elijah Tarver.
Sept. 4, Henry P. Garrison.
Sept. 9, Mrs. Mary Vinson, wife of Peyton Vinson.
Nov. 19, Mrs. Elizabeth Watson, wife of Gen. James C. Watson.
Nov.5, (In Rutherford, N. C.) Mrs. Harriet Camp, widow of Maj. Joseph T. Camp.

Business men whose advertisements appear for the first time: