Sufficient Excuse

We take the following, says a Boston paper, from a private letter written by the venerable John Tappan, Esq, of this city : De.vr Sir: - I must teil you for the amusement of tho children, thut JR. lias sent me a printed advertisement of my being drafted into the arrny of New York ; with a notice that in case I do not nppear when ealled upoo I shall be advertised as a deserter. Wben we were in New York Ia3t May, E. hemd that men ealled at the boardiug house, and asked !or the naoies of the gentlemen in the house ; and they probaliy obtained mine, and thua I wns enrollcd as one of the able bodied defenders of the country, atid uiy name put iu the wheel and drawn as a conscript. I I wrote thecuptaia who sent me the notiü-catiou that there were two or tliree j obstacli's in the way of my ansvvering the cali, viz : Ist. 1 did not belong to New York, but to Massachusette. 2nd. I had sent a substitute. 3rd. That I was drafted in the war of 1812, and did serve in that war. 'llh. That being now nearly eightyfour yeais old, and bowed down wilh years, I do not thiuk tny services demauded ; especially as I ani ropresonted by six or more grandsons ouo of whora is Maj. Gen. Davios of the Cavalry." L3?" General Login is eaid to bu responsiblo for tho following story : A man being found dead one cold winter's morning, iu the rnountaius around Ghattanooga, and suspiciously by a wavsido tavern, a TennenBee sheriff who was a near relativo of the rebel General Piliow, Ktiinmoned a corner's jury to ei t on the case . " Gentlemen;" said the sapiont sheriff to llip jury, " our duty is to nnd whether the deoeased carne to his death n oue of three ways : wliether, first, liy acoidence, whether, second, by mcidence, betbóV third, at the hands of tha iucendiary." The jury, ufter due dulibei'iilion, fuiind " that the decea.si'i] came to his deuih at tbe hands of Jteubtjn Judkiuo, tav'ern-keeper, who.causnd tho deeeascd to be irezeu ín death, by ieloniously mixiog too mueh water with liis whisky." Englarul is now paying for poano at tv.( .- tï'x ol b -;'it ?P)2'i),0 -ei annum