Editors Sunland Tribune:

                Doubtless, ere this reaches you, you will have been informed of the great calamity which has befallen our county, in the loss of our court house by incendiarism.  Quite a number of citizen were assembled at the mill this afternoon, awaiting the grinding of their corn when a messenger from the Post Office announced the startling news.  A silence, as painful as that attending the presence of death, and equaled only by the great sorrow which shadowed every face, as the truth of the news was solemnly vouched for by the messenger, fell suddenly upon us all.  Could it be possible?  What unhappy creature could have been so lost to all human feeling, as to perpetrate so foul a deed, so terrible a wrong upon the people of this?  At length, when language found terms of expression, a general burst of indignation arose from that angry company, and earnest hopes were freely expressed that the infamous fiend, or fiends, as the case may be, would be detected and brought to speedy punishment.  Our informant states that nothing was saved from any of the offices, the Clerk's, the Sheriff's, and Probate offices were on the ground floor of the building, their valuable contents are therefore ashes.  Hernando County is well nigh in the state of chaos.  Language cannot adequately describe the feeling of those who have the good of the county at heart, in contemplation of this terrible misfortune.  What must the feeling be of those who had valuable records in the building, the loss of which is to swell the measure their regretfulness.  An unhappy fatality seem to be brooding over us.  The last few months have been fraut with calamity to the county from which it will not recover for year to come.  Our reputation abroad has been blackened by the crime of all others most abhorred among men, and the stain has presently been spread out, that it is difficult for any one who resides in the county to escape its contaminating influence--- however innocent, and yet to add to its sum and to complete our misfortune the hand of the incendiary must be put forth as if to fix our disgrace indelibly, even by fire.  What can we say to the good people abroad now?  What assurance can we give them, that we are, as a mass, a law abiding people, and entitled to their respect and confidence?  We can but wait, and hope, the hand that holds the destinies of all men in its palm, will vindicate the cause of the innocent, and bring to condign punishment the guilty.

    And while we thus wait and hope, we trust it will not be asking too much of those who are at a distance from us, to extend to us the common charities of life, and in the benign spirit of that lovely principle, hold the many blameless of those crimes which are perpetrated by the few, and who do so, under the cover of the shades of night, when we are powerless to prevent them.  Truly we can say, as was said by one of old, "an enemy hath done this while we sleep."

    This disaster has brought to our consideration a matter which has been in contemplation for some time, but until now, has not been deemed of pressing importance, viz: a division of the county.  I will not intrude your time and space by referring to it in length.  It will be presented in due time and in proper manner, and the voice of the people had upon it.