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P WEEKLY EDITION. WIXNSBORO, S. C.. WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 15, 1882. ESTABLISHED IN 1844. f| = Hermes Trismesistns. BY HESEV WADSWOBTH LONGFELLOW. AsSeleucus narrates, Hermes described the \ principles that rank as wholes in two myriads Jl of books; or, as we are informed by Manetho, Hfc he perfectly unfolded these principles in three myriads six thousand five hundred and twentymr fire volumes. * * * * * * Our ancestors dedicated the inventicns of their wisdom to this deity, inscribing all their own writings with the name of Hermes. ? ?lamblims. |PQpr vsriu tnrougn tgyprs Teaert pieces Flows the lordly X;le, b * From its backs the great stone faces Gaze with patient smile; StiH.'he pyramids imperious L 'Pierce the cloudless skies, % And the Sphinx stares with mysterious, ^ Solemn, stony eyes. Wt Bat where are the old Egyptian Demi-gods and kings ? Nothing left but an inscription Graven on stones and rings. Where are Helius and H^hoestns, Gods of eldest eld ? Where is Hermes Trismegistus, Who their secrets held ? Where are now the many hundred * j Thousand books he wrote ? By the Tha<finaturgists plundered, Lost in lands remote; In oblivion sunk forever, As when o'er the Jand, Blow? a storm-wind, in the river Sinks the scattered sand. > Something unsubstantial, ghostly, gm Seems this Theurgist, In deep meditation mostly ^ Wrapped, as in a mist. Vague, phantasmal and unreal, To our thougkt he seems, Walking in a wor d ideal, In a land of dreams. Was he one, or many, merging Name and fame in one, * Like a stream to which converging ^ Many streamlets run ? Till, with gathered power proceeding, Ampler sweep it takes, Downward the sweet waters leading From unnumbered lakes. By the Nile I see him wandering, Pausing now and then, On the mystic union pondering Between gods and men; ' Half believing, wholly feeling, With supreme delight, J How the gods, themselves concealing, Lift men to their height. Or in Thebes, the hundred-gated, o In the thoroughfare j? Breathing, as if consecrated. A diviner air; And amid discordant noises, In the jostling throng, Hearing far, celestial voices, Of Olympian s .ng. Who shall call his dreams fallacious ? Who has searched or sought All the unexplored and spacious Universe of thought ? Who, in his own skill confiding, Shall -with rale and line Mark the border-land dividing Human and divine ? Trismegistus! three times greatest! How thy name sublime Has descended to this latest Progeny of time! Happy they whose written pages * Perish with their live^, Tf OTni/1 f>>p rrnrr>Win^ ? Still their name survives! Thine, oh, priest of Egypt, iately Found I in the vast, . "Weed-incumbered, somber, stately Graveyard of the past; And a presence moved before me On that gloomy shore, #As a waft of -wind that o'er me Breathed, and was no more. W ?Century Magazine. TWO WEDDING DAYS. Everything had been duly and propel ly arraiged for the weddicg. The ? ? ?? ' ~ t ITiVf XTaII ~Dott f a \f y CLJ ^TUgt'IilCJU t Ui ?jcu> v*uj wv -tun. Beitram Langley hsd been announced in tie fashion column of a leading "society journal," and the wedding day % had arrived. I am Bertram Langley?commonly called Bert?and while I confess to being most sincerely and entirely in love with my little Nell, I mnst add I had been quite annoyed about our marriage, first at the persistence with which she insisted upon a grand wedding. For a month before we were to be married I believe I never entered the house once but Sato?Nell's married sister?rushed into the room with an? "Excuse rae, Bert, but Nell is wanted ??a ? r\. a moment. ur, uun u iuva uuw, Bert, but Nellie mnst see Madame This or That," till I lost all patience. There was another cans? of annoyance too?Nell's father was a rich man, and as able as he was willing to furnish his daughter with as much finery as she might desire, while I. on the contrary, was a man with his way to still make in i the world. True, I had a fair income and fair prospects, bnt I conld not hope to give Nell as luxurious a home or as elaborate jsr a wardrobe as her papa provided?at least not for some years ; but I could \ afford to support a wife, and I loved Nell with all my heart. I When I asked Mr. Hartley's consent \ to our marriage, he was at first just a little inclined to find fault with my financial condition. An older man, with a well-secured iortune wouia cave suited him better. He had a most un, wholesome dread of forfcuno-hunters, and even went so far as to have a mild suspicion that I might be just a bit inf clined in that way; but all that \7ore off in time, and we were on the best of terms. The day before the one fixed upon for our marriage, Nell and I had our first tiff. I called to inform her of the smallest possible hitch in the church machinery. The regular sexton was obliged to leave town, but had secured the services of his brother (a very deaf and stupid man, as it turned out.) Possibly she might have some instructions to give him. I waited full half an hour in the reception-room, cooling my heels and wanning my wrath, before Nell rushed n. " What is it Bert^?" she asked, breathlessly, " I'm awful busy 1" "If you are in such a hurry it is no matter what I wished to say." ?/ Nell opened her eyes in surprise. " I've got to select some lace," she exclaimed, " and Kate can't wait.' Jm " Neither can IP* I retorted, shortly, 1^ pulling oh "Sly gloves. Then after a m. moment I added, " yen think a gTeat deal of furbelows, don't you ?" "Indeed I do!" ? " I am afraid you will have to do with vastly less when you are married." Nell tossed her head saucily. "All the more reason 1 should be fn onirvr rvarva erfrps ma " . ?wvnv>? w ?>- ' "It is cot too late to retreat," I said coolly. " If yen repent yonr bargain, there is time to escape." Nell's eyes grow big with horror at the idea. "Indeed, it is entirely too late !'* she burst out. "Why, everybody knows it! All our set have cards?I should die of mortification to put it off now! We must go on, any way; I have no fancy for being a laughing stock for every one." . " "Better be laughed at a week than . miserable for a lifetime," I retorted. Nell opened her lips to answer, but just at that moment Kate ptti her head in tie door. "Nell! Nell! Excuse me, Bert?" I stayed to hear no more, but turned on my heel and strode away. No sooner had I reached my hotel then I was heartily ashamed of myself; and when Ton, my elder brother ^nd only living relative, rushed in and told me that he had left his wife ill at home, so anxious was he to see me married, the last bit of crossness departed. Next morning 1 saw Nellie for a moment only, but the kiss.I pressed on her dear little mouth was a silent plea for pardon and a promise for better control j over my temper next time. i JbJverung came?tne cnurcn was packed?and I, feeling most uncommonly stiff and awkward in a span new suit and speckless gloves, was waiting in the vestry. Nellie was to enter upon her father's arm, followed by her bridemaids and ! groomsmen?six in number?while I I was to enter in the nick of time from j the vestry, the minister from his study J I and meet before the altar. I had lequested to be allowed to be alone, so as to keep my part in mind, and for the same reason went early to the church, so as not to be stared at and confused, for this show affair was not one bit to mind. Just at the last moment Tom came rushing in, followed by the sexton. "I've got a telegram from .Letti-e," said Tom, his voice quivering. "She is worse, and I must start at once. Just time to catch the train. Good-bye, old VvATT ? n..\A ACO T?ATI " VUJ I VIUU ViWOO JVU. 'Tm going to?just came to wish you joy Mr. Berk," said the sexton, who had known me since I was a lad. "Sorry I can't see you married. My road's the same as your brother's, so I'll go with him;" and off they both hurried, the door shutting with a sharp click behind them. The time for the arrival of the wedding party drew near, I advanced to the door that opened into the church, designing to open it and peep through. It resisted j my efforts. I struggled with it sharply ?no use! the door was locked. Then I flew back to the inner door j and listened. The organ was playing 1 gaylv, and a subdued hush told me that | Nellie was entering on her father's arm, an/3 Vidro ttoo T trier onoeA likft a i rat. I glanced around The windows ! canght my eye?why had I not thonght ' of them ? I conld at least make my escape, and the ceremony might be delayed, and consequently awkward; still Nell would not be utterly put to shame. Like the madman I was, I seized the table, dragged it to the window, sprang upon it, and climbed on to thejiigh and narrow window sill; throwing up the sash, I prepared to leap cut; but I had reckoned without my lost; the cord that held the weight was broken, consequently the moment my hand left the eash the window descended with startling rapidity, striking me fall upon the head, anc, knocking me off the narrow sill, dashing my head against the sharp corner of the table, and at last landing me fall length on the floor. I tried to rise; something warm rushed over my face ; I put up my hand to clear my eyes?my hand was covered. with blood. I felt giddy and weak, still I staggered, to my feet; then a black mist arose around me, and I kne* no more. This was Thursday eve. Snnday afternoon, the sexton, returning to his duties, found lying upon the aoorhalf dead, wholly delirious, my face ' covered with blood, and a hole large enough to let the life ont of any man. That mine was spared was because I had. fallen with the wound down, and the soft pile of the carpet acted like lint to stanch the blood. As soon as I could control my thoughts I begged to know of Nelli e. Poor little girl! she had been quite wVion T foiled tn armour u*ci nuoiiuvu* TI uvu Kate's husband rushed out to inquire o:c ! the sexton if he had seen me. Ee was positive that I had been there, and equally positive that I had left again in company with his brother?said he could not be mistaken - both seemed in a great hurry and had jumped into a carriage and been driven rapidly awj y. Messengers wero sent to my hotel, but without gaining a clew to my whereabouts ; so after a mortifying wait Nellie had been taken home, and the very morning of the day I was dis covered the whole family sailed for Europe. As soon as J was able to stand, I sailed in search of the woman I hud so inno cently humiliated. Not knowing her whereabouts, it was two months before I found her. Af last, one evening, wandering on the seashore of a quiet little English town, I espied her?and alone. That she believed me a most blackened villian was plain, for the look she gave me when she recognized my presence was one of unutterable contempt. Now that I had found her, I was determined she should hear the truth. ! "Nellie," I cried, hurrying to hei, and grasping both her little hands before she had time to escape. !4 Well sir?" she replied, haughtily, trying in vain to free her hands. " My darling," I pleaded, " you will at least hear a man before you condemn him ?" j Her face flushed angrily. " What can you say," she burst out hotly, "that will mafie your conduct less dastardly? Have you not made me the object of every one's ridicule and contemptuous pity! Offering me public an insult no -woman could ever forgive ? Hayejou not made me hate everybody, jEydyymost of ail ? What more do yoa wish, Bertram Langley?you villain !" I winced a little at the word, as I thought of my broken head?though God knows I did not blame her, believing as she did. "Why are you here ? And why did you run away?" she demanded, with a whole world of scorn on the word "runaway." " I did not run away ; I was locked up." " Locked up ! For what ? Where ?' cried poor Nell, starting back, a look of horror creeping up into the "brown eyes. I verily believe she thought for an instant I had added murder to my other crimes. ? Wire in thft vpstrv." T PYnlftinorJ a ! .,u.j, ~ ?- " ?. J ?r little foolishly. " Come and sit down and let me tell yon. I am qnite ill yet." This was a master stroke. Nell seated herself without demur, and half sitting, half lying at her feet, related to her the chapter of my misfortunes. Dear little'girl! ker face brightened before I was half through?indeed, I am sorry to say she laughed quite heartily ; but she became sober when I told her about the window coming down and leaned over and kissed the scar on my head tenderly, and I knew that peace and confidence were restored. Great was the family wonder to see us walk in together; but everything was all right as soon as I explained, and Mr. and Mrs. Bartley consented that j Nell and I might be married next day j in the quaint ltttle church in the place. And so we were. I led mv bride in * A 1 T\ 1 ?*** . ? myseir, ana rapa ana mamma hartley j followed soberly behind, and Kate and j her husband were all the crowd we had. __ Miss Lizzie Esthelz, of Beverly, Ohio, I who lost her power of speech three ! years ago, found herself able to articn1 late, and now is able to talk as well as j ever. The case is puziiing the doctors, j as she had no bodily ailment to canse ,! her to be speechless, and her restoraI tion is equally unaccountable. THE SATIOXAL LEGISLATURE. j i Some Curiou* Fact* About Member* of I ConeresH. I During the first forty-five congresses, j | all but 142 out of the 5,337 members j I were born in the United States ? New i York having 705, Pennsylvania 598, j Virginia 535, Massachusetts 439, and | Connecticut 340. Most of our foreign- , j bore statesmen have come from Ireland. | I England, Scotland and Germany have i ! followed in about equal proportion. J i There have beer, two who were born in j j Bavaria, two from Bermuda, five from j i Canada, seventeen from England, iive ! from France, twelve from Germany, fifty-two from Ireland, one from Maderia, one from ttie Netherlands, one from New Brunswick, one from Nova Scotia, twenty-one from Scotland, two from Switzerland, four from Wales, and four from the Weet Indies. Out of that long list there have been some 2,000? considerably less that half ? who received a classical, collegiate, or liberal edncation. Is has been the custom, more observed in the Eastern States than in the West, to send their representatives to Congress for long continued periods. The occupations of congressmen embrace nearly every branch of modern industry and the professions. Yet there have been representatives of some occupations -with whom the newcomers will hardly think it an honor to be classed. Among them may be mentioned one prize-fighter, one murderer, and one barber. From the colonial days to the present it has happened that several generations of the same family have served in one or both branches of Congress. The mos t notable among these are the Adamses. Bayards. Breckinridsres. Har risons, Chanclers, Stocktons, Frelinghuysens and Heisters. A complete record of the number of congressmen who have been engaged in duels has never been kept; but the number who have died in affairs of honor is pretty well known. Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the treasury under Washington, leader of the Federalist party, and a leading spirit in the formation of the Constitution, was mortally wounded by Aaron Burr, at Hoboken, July 3, 1804. Richard Spaight, of North Carolina, was the first to die in a duel. He served in the Constitutional Congress, and sat in the convention which framed 1 the Constitution. He was killed by hij successor in Congiess, John Stanley. 1 The latter was tried, and sentenced to imprisonment, but was pardoned by Governor Williams, of North Carolina, in a year. Stanley was subsequently elected 1 to Congress. 1 Thomas K. Harris, of Tennessee, died ; in 1816 from wounds received in a duel 1 with Colonel Simpson. 1 Spencer Pettis was killed in a duel ; fought with Major Thomas Biddle, at St. Louis, An gust 26, 1831. The duel ' arose out of ft quarrel over tlie United. States Bank, the president of which, 3 Nicholas Biddle, was the brother of the 1 challenger. ] Armstead T. Mason, ex-senator from 1 Virginia, fell in a duel fought near 1 Washington city with John M;Carty, 1 his brother-in-law, in 1819. < Joseph Pierson, of North Carolina, died from a duel fought in 1831 with John Jackson. < Jonathan Cilley, of Maine, died from 1 a shot received in a duel fought Feb. ' 28, 1838, fired by Williwna J". Cbovoo, < Kentucky. Graves was subsequently ji elected to congress. George A. Waggaman, United States Senator from Louisiana, lost his life m a duel near New Orleans, March 23, 1843. George Poindester, Representative from Mississippi, fonght a duel with a merchant and killed him about 1835. There have been many duels which were bloodless. Among them the following are the most notable: Those between Henry Clay and Humphrey Marshall, and between Clay and John Randolph, of Virginia. Samuel W. Inge, Representative from Alabama, foflght at Bladensburg with Edwaid Stanley, of South Carolina, in the ThirA? nai+Vicir Vioinct SArioTIS LV-HrOu VJULLgXCOOj UVXVXAWA ww^?W ,?? ly injured. John S. Jackson, of the Thirty-seventh ! Congress, fought several duels, one , with Thomas F. Marshall, none resultii g seiiously. Leonard Jarvis, member from Maine, challenged a colleague, F. 0. J. Smith, . from the Porfcls.md district, in about ' the Twenty-fourth Congress, but the . latter declined to fight. There have been a number of mem- j. bers who have committed suicide. Eaywood Chauncey Riddle shot himself through the head in Tennessee, . about 1875. He was undoubtedly in- ; sane. James Blair, a Representative from ! South Carolina, blew out his brains at a bcarding-House on Capitol Hill, April ! 1, 1834. Felix McConnell, a member from j Alabama, committed suicide in a fit of j delirium, at the St. Charles hotel, "Washington, by stabbing himself and then cutting his throat, September 10, 1846. Representative James Ashmore, from South Carolina, blew out his brains at Sardis, Miss., December 6, 1861. Elijah Hise, Representative in the Fortieth Congress, committed suicide at Russellville, Ky., May 8,1876. John White, Representative from Kentucky, committed suicide at Richmond, Ky., September 27, 1845. James G. Wilson, United States Senator from Xew Jersey, threw himself from his house in a fit of delirinm in 1832, and was killed. William Ramsey, Representative from Pennsylvania, committed euicide at I Barnum's hotel, in Baltimore, by shoot- j ing himself through the eye with a pistol, i about 1840. ! .InVin F.win<r_ nf Indiana, was found I dead in his room at Vincennes in 1S39, and on his table the following epitaph: Here lies a man who loved his friends. His God, his country, and Vincennes. Representative Alfred H. White, of Ohio,committed suicide by taking poison on tho grave cf his two children, at Coinmbus, August, 1, 1865. He was charged with improper acts in connection with cotton speculations. James Heniy Lane, United States Senator from Kansas committed suicide at Fort Leavenworth, about 1866. James S. Johnson, Representative from Kentucky, committed suicide while suffering from ill health, at \ Owensbcro, Kv., February 12, 1^73. A number of Congressmen nnd exCongressmen have met wiih accidental deaths. Clement S. Yalladingham died from the accidental discharge of a pistol in 1870j while arguing a murder case at Lebanon, 0. Eobert Young, United States Senator from Indiana, was killed by a railroad train while walking on the track, at Indianapolis, November 14, 1855. Abraham B. Yenable, "United States Senator from Yirginia, perished in the burning of the Richmond theater, December 21, 1811. James Martin, Representative from South Carolina, was drowned on the passage from New Orleans to Galveston, November 15, 1857. He vras the founder of the Southern Quarterly Review. Josiah Stoddard Johnson, Senator from Louisiana, died Maroh 19, 1813, from the effect of an explosion of gunpowder on a steam packet on the Red River. Charles J. Julian, Senator from Dela aware, died Octobers 17, 1S62, from in juries received while experimenting with a rifle-cannon which he had invented. There have been members of Congress who have killed men not on the field of honor. Eenry Daniels, from Virginia, shot his brother-in law, at Mt. Sterling, Ky., in 1845, as the result of a quarrel. Daniel Sickels killed Philip Barton Key, February 28,1859, at Washington. Richard Weightman, a delegate from "fCf>TP iVfoTi/>A in tVio t.liirf-v-QA^nrwl CV.n gress, killed a Santa Fe trader with the same knife with which he cut a cadetcomrade at West Point?an act for which he was expelled from West Po-'nt. Charles F. Mitchell, of New York, n-as convicted of forgery in 1842, and tent to Sing Sing, but was pardoned a year later. Jacob Barker, once a great financier, wa3 indicted in New York for conspiracy to defrand ; removed to New Orleans, and was elected to the United States Senate?but was not admitted to his seat. Richard Potter, representative from North Carolina, w?,s sentenced to ix months' imprisonment in 1831 for an assault on two male relatives of his wife ; and then removed to Texas, where he was killed in a private quarrel. The assault of Brooks, of South Caro lina, 'ipon Charles Summer, is historical. General Houston, of Tennessee, was reprimanded before the bar of the Eonse for having waylaid and knocked down with a bludgeon William Stanbury, a Representative from Ohio, in the Thirty-second Congress, on account of words spoken in debate, Thomas D, Reynolds, a Representative from Tennessee, in the Twenty- i second Congress, was assaulted in the Capitol, May 14, 1832, by Morgan A. Heard, who fired a loaded horse pistol at him, the ball grazing his arm, and then struck him with a bludgeon. Shall "VVemen Smoke' Well, that is a question for her to decide. The practice is a pernicious one ; it pollutes the breath and blackens the teeth; it injures the complexion, and undermines the health; but, for all that, Mary has as good a right to a sly pnff as John. It is assumed that woman will not be attractive to man if 6he smokes. "Why not, if the man smokes? If they enjoy it, as they pretend, why deny the enjoyment, to women? That which they keep in their own mouths they cannot call unclean in others. He whose month is odorous with tobacco can have no sensitiveness a-, to the same odor in other mouths. Kissing is an exchange of endearments peculiar to human kind. It is current coin of the rewly married. If the man's lips are reeking with tobacco, shall not the kiss have the stronger zest if the woman's lips exhale the same flavor; Does he not need this strong flavor to reach his own highly flavored sensibility? If tobacco-tainted lips be repulsive, the wife needs to tan hers in she same way in self-defense. The married state is a leveler. One of the twain, who are now one flesh, cannot continue delicate if the other is coarse. What is meet for the one is meet for ;he other. The wife of a smoking man lan have no reason of cleanliness or delicacy toward him to keep her from smoking. Ho who smokes or chews >an lia^o no clclIC&Cj to Vo i smoking or chewing woman. Jf there is any benefit to bo derived from smoking, then, woman should share it frith man. It is a habit of stimulation c?hich is exempt from the reproach of intemperance. A cigar is a' stronger intoxicant than a dram, but he who takes ia.ilv drams is called a toper. One may keep his brain fuddled all the while with tobacco; may be so subject to it that if he misses his cigar, pipe or cud, be runs down, as the toper when he misses his stated dram, and yet be not i subject for the temperance crusaders ; cnav himself be a crasader. Here is a way in which women may get a share of ihat incessant stimulation which seems a necessity to men. With unlimited ;:igars, and those positive nerve stimulants, tea and coffee, they will not have i bad chance. Why should they be hindered from indulging their own sweet wills in this respect ??Exchange. A Valley of Roses. The maritime vale of Santa Barbara, for sixty miles facing the Pacific ocean, says a California letter, we consider the most attractive in the states. The soil is extra deep dark alluvium. By the formation of the coast it is sheltered from the rude trade winds, elsewhere so udpleasant on our shores. Here flourish in luxuriance the fig tree and the olive, the prune and the almond, the orange and the lemon, the nectarine and the pomegranate. Here grows Alfalfa clover, giving three cuttings a year and pasture through the winter. Here flowers bloom perennial. Here only is a paradise of roses and other fragrant Sowers cultivated for commercial perfumery. Here the bee pastures all the year, the hivers gather honey every day and abstaining themselves they give to man nearly their whole production. Only in stress of stormy weather they draw upon their hoarded sweets. Feathered songsters never migrate from this elysium. Man's dwelling is enlivened by the chirp of birds, and their music gives perpetual cheer, unchecked by winter frosts. i?appy, tnnce niesseu are they whose lot is ca?*- where happiness is so lightly wooed and won 1 Here in mid-December the company's rose gardens are 3 sight to charm the eye, when, day by day, children gather everblooming flowers for extraction of perfume for the toilet. At Kezanlik, in the foothills of the Balkan raage, in Ronmelia, Sonth Tnrkev, is a valley devoted to rose cnltnre exclusively for like purpose, but there the sale of the nosegays to many villages is extra profitable. There, as here, the hair and the clothes of all who work among the roses retain the perfume for a week of absence from the valley. A Tailor's Kevenge. The Leeds (England) Mercury tells how the late Mr. Poole, the eminent tailor, was walking on the pier at Brighton one morniDg, when he was accosted by a cerlain noble lord who honored him with his patronage. "Good morning, Mr. Pcole," said the peer, "Good morning, my lord," replied the tailor, who then passed on. "Stay, Mr. Poole; I wanted to show you this coat," cried the aristocrat. "It doesn't fit me at all." Mr. Poole was a gentleman of ready wit. He stopped, looked carefully at the coat, then, drawing a piece of cbalK from his pocket, said: "Your lordship is right, the coat wants to be taken in here, and let out here, and just a little bit lengthened here," and at each "here" he made a heavy chalk mark. "Now, my lord," he continued, as he saw that a crowd of' wondering idlers ha'd gathered round them, "5 you will just take that coat up to London, marked as it is, my manager will see '"e aH-or^rl ",n vorcr satisfaction.' luau xu xo j His lordship did not again commit the impertinence of giving Mr. Poole in structions on the pier at Brighton. ? ?ii Praying toward the east is an ancient custom, and when churches were built in early times thev were bnilt with a view to this practice. A number of reasons are given for the canse; the ' most important is this: At the Savior's crucifixion His face was tnrned towards j the west, and hence by praying, turned to the east, is signified looking into His I ace. HOME LIFE OF THE CZAR. How the Russian Ruler Lives?His C<i? toros and CharacterlHtics. The general arrangement of the buildings, besides offering the advantages of accommodation to be fonnd in a large mansion, affords special security for the personal safety of the emperor, whose apartments are completely isolated and unapproachable except by narrow passages that are strictly guarded. The galleries at Gatchina have long been farced as contain -o i. aa11AA4;^0 mg magniucexit atustiu vuuctuuuo. One which leads to the emperor's private rooms is called ?he Japanese gallery, and here are assembled a number of curiosities of the highest value, which have from time to time been presented to the great white czar by rulers of China and Japan. The Japanese minister, who was lately presented at Gatchina, and who is a great collector of both European and .Asiatic bric-abrac, stated that there was nothing in the East to compare with this Russian collection, and that it would be impossible to replace many of the ancient and extremely valuable artistic objects that adorn the imperial gallery. . i T'Vi/i vv/^iviaTTr ci ft i r> or.Ti'iTI f>f the CZar -1.A1U UivUUUij - ? is a comfortably but si&plyj^urnished apartment. Little elegance or oraa ment is noticeable, bnt a. large writing table and other unmistakable signs denote that many of the emperor's hours are here passed in close application to the endless business that devolves on the autocratic head of ft system of bureaucratic centralization. The czar is tin early riser, and the labors of his day commence at nine in the morning. Till one o'clock he is occupied in his study receiving the ministers who present their daily or weekly reports, and consulting with them over ^fiairs of state, it is especially significant of the policy of the present czir. that, while high UULLUicUO ilii V c Ulbou a wuivuiy vwtaining an interview, 'his majesty is always accessible to provincial deputations, which are sometimes composed of wild Khirgiz, sometimes of swarthy Kalmucks or skin-clad Samoyedes, and sometimes of illiterate Russian peasants who desire to present a holy picture to their great father, and to express their loyalty and devotion to his person. The emperor receives one and all with a stern dignity, which, though accompanied in most cases by a certain kindness of manner, always leaves the conviction that Alexander III. feels himself an autocrat, and is determined to yield none of his prerogatives, bnt to impress on ail that approach him tliat they are in the presence of an absolute, kindly master. This species ot self-assertion was a trait in the character of the em peror in his very earliest days. He is | devoted to mnsic, ar.d when a boy it was suggested that he might derive pleasure from taking a part in the musical performances of the palace orchestra, the then heir-apparent was delighted at the idea, and it remained to be settled on what instrument lie should learn to perform. Characteristically this imperious prince selected the trombone as being the instrument with which he could produce the greatest effect, and, lover of music though he was, his performance appealed chiefly to consist in a well-sustained and fairly successful effort to drown the remainder of the orchestra. Although stern and even overbearing to the majority of those who surround him, Alexander ITL has always been a 8YXE .... J. 'C- _ ? ^ uuxcr and father.' <3 o'clock daily h lunches with hi. lfe and children, and to this meal none but the closest intimates of his family are ever admitted. After the luncheon, if thero are no further deputations to receive, or important business to attend to, the czar goes out walking or driving, in company with the empress or his sons. In the evening there is often a little music, of which the empress is as fond as the emperor, and her majesty is a good pianist. The czar retires to bed early, and by eleven o'clock all is silence in the imperial apartment. During the daytime the empress ' ^ 3 A occupies a room on me grotrna noor, exactly below the czar's study, with which it communicates directly by a small private staircase. The czarina's boudoir is elegantly furnished, but in a simple style, and with no appearance of luxury, except such as is given by the presence of certain handsome pieces of furniture and objects (Tart, which remain to testify to the more extravagant tastes of former occupants. The empress is an admirable manager, both of her time and of everything that pertains to the household duties. Her great intelligence and sweetness of manner have given her an extraordinary influence over her husband and all other persons who are brought into contact with her. The Antchkina Palace* which she ocopied as czar en a, was a model of household management, and to her initiative is due the commencement of sweeping reforms in the administration of the other 1 OVi/1 Crt wn^tAMAoa overgrown pamuea. ouo xo j^?u.iv.llcoo, and takes as far as possible an active share in the management of half the charitable institutions in Russia, and particnlarly those that are connected with the protection of women and children. Every morning, while the emperor is busy upstairs with his ministers, the empress receives the report from Mons. Delainoff and others, whom she intrusis with the supervision of the various societies in which she is interested. The empress' solicitnde for [ the safety of her husband is well known, and it has been observed that she is never at ease when he is called away from home. The education and care of her children also engross much of her thoughts. The e dest son, the czarewitz, is in his fou-teenth year, and resembles his moth 3r in features. He is - * ? ~ ~ /licriaclflati onrl OX &LL itUl/lVO ttUU iiYCAj Uit^/vuiuivuj MUM for one of his years is far advanced in his studies. Russian is always the language employed by the imperial family when they are together, but when the boys are with their teachers they speak French and English on alternate days. Six hours a day are devoted to study by the young princes, but their education is not limited to sedentary studies alone. They are also practiced in riding and shooting, and the czarewitz is, it is Biiid, already a good shot and rides vi ell.?London Telegraph. A Deserted City Discovered, j The discovery of a deserted city, I sixty miles long, cut out of the rocky j fs.ce of a winding cliff, rewarded the [ efforts of Mr. Stevenson's Smtihsonian Institution exploring party during l its researches in New Mexico and j Arizona the past season. This is | by far the most important find yet made j among the ancient haunts of the cliff j dwellers. Some of the houses contain | four or five dwellings, one on top of the i other, and in the plateau above the cliff were found many ruins of temples of i worship built of well-cut square stones. ! A comparison of the collections of pot[ tery and implements gathered in the | cliff houses by the exploring party with those obtained in the Pueblo villages strengthens the theory that the Paeblo Indians are the degenerate descendants of the once powerful race, that buil9 the mined cities of the plains, and then, retreating before some more warlike race, carved out these singular dwellings on the sheer iralls of dizzy precij pices, and found in them, it may be for i centuries, both fortresses and homes, j Perhaps the hieroglyphic inscriptions seen by Mr. Stevenson will one day be I and frvnTid tn onrtfrain I.Via | tragic history of the wanting away by j wars and famines of this ill-fated people who, like the coneys of the Bible, ' made the rocks their retnze, t i A DUTCH KER3IISS. The Annual Femivnl of Dordrecht, Holland. Dordrecht on the Maas, writes aHolland correspondent, was the scene of the Kermiss which I am about to describe. The town is very old and has its full share of canals and water ways appertaining to its kind ; in fact for a stranger it is exceedingly difficult to get out of the place when once there on account of the immense number of intercepting water-ways which bar escape on all sides. TT(-iTcoT7/sr qq fn fno TTpmrnss As it is generally held in July, or id the beginning of Angust, fine weather almost renders the open-air life of the people at this time possible; the fair lasts a week, during which time all business is suspended and the fun runs fast and farious. Well, on the occasion to- which I refer, we entered the town by the road from Kotterdam on a sweltering hot afternoon in July, and even in the out| skirts the natare of the fete proclaimed I itself. Everything seemed "en gala." As our cab rolled along the crowd gradually increased, until at length we had to proceed at a snail's pace in order to | avoid running over some one at every step. Sometimes a lot of young peoplo, men and women alternately holding each other by the hand, would come t~: 1 ? ~ ?:? ? JL UoilJLLli^ CLiVU%, DlllgllAg, \J? ItttllCl J?W ing, one of their curidus Dutch songs at the top of their voices as they went, carrying all before them, and almost too excited to part hands even when onr vehicle blocked the way. A little further on a group of clumsy looking soldiers with their sweethearts might be seen heartily enjoying themselves with an " al frasco " dance, half polka, half jig. And the damsels! How curious they lotk with their strange caps with the corkscrew - like ornaments, called "kryiler," sticking out on each side, causing them to look like some nondescript horned biped. How every one of the girls manages to procure a pair of kryiler is a mystery, since these are often very extensive, and even the simplest sort cost several guilders. Some of these have been in the family for centuries and are greatly prized. But meantime we have arrived within ear shot of the center of attraction, and on turning a corner the whole scene suddenly bursts upon us. Imagine a large square filled with booths of every description, each with its row of kerosene flares in front of it. Everywhere a rushing, seething crowd blocks up the street and the spaces between the booths. But, see! here is a stalwart fishermaD, probably from Schweiningler, with a couple of fair townswomen on his arms. He, poor fellow, is in the "betwixt and between" state, and his womankind are skillfully steering liim through the crowd to some place of refuge, but, alas for their good intentions. Mr. Jan, on passing a pancake tent, rushes away from his protectresses and is quickly engaged in swallowing the delicious hot morsels as rapidly as they can be prepared for him, leaving his friends to their devices and certainly, not inviting them to partake of the good thing?. Oh, those pancakes! how tempting they look, and what immense quantities are disposed of every day ! Another sort of cake, fried ki lard and served up hot.also commands a large'consumption. TIia DntfOi TiRTiallv rarrvRmftll flnorms of eau-de-Cologne in their pockets during the summer, and as a matter of COttrStr Xlje vcriiQ^-??. n lV "roaring trade."" The eau-de-Cologne" is used everywhere, and at all times. At home and in church, in the office and on the street. Mynheer may be seen besprinkling himself and his friends with the fragrant water rs they eat, pray, work or walk along, as the case may be. At a party which I attended during the Kermiss it was very amusing, every now and then, to observe a gentleman gravely handing his flask all around the room, when all where esprinkled and the turn came to himelf, having to be contented with the mere odor. But I am digressing. It is already quite dark, but the fun seems in no way abated, the dancing, singing and rushing about go on as madly as ever. Every one of the lower class of inhabitants seems to be in the street. Masters and mistresses must have a j bad time of it daring this period, for all the servants hive liberty, and do not bestow a thought on their houses, or on the work which they leave their employers to do for themselves. Eight on in the small hours the turmoil lasts, and then for a moment, just to let exhausted nature a have time to refresh itself with sleep, the streets are deserted, a few hours after again to resound with the noise of many hurrying feet and the shouts of the pleasureseeking crowd. The cafe chantants are of a harmless kind, and are visited by all classes. Nothing objectionable ever takes place. AmoDg the fair cantatrices the English element is invariably well represented, and it sounded very strange to hear the roars of laughter with which a foreign audience received an?sometimes difficult to understand?English song. But then the Dutch are cosmo politans! As is the general rule on the Continent, Sunday is the day of days for amnsements. In Dordrecht, for instance, during the Kermiss, how curious it looked to see a neat Dutch family, with the father at the head of the band, trooping along to one of the many gardens?beer gardens, one miv:ht clas tt em, and yet they are not that, either? with which the town abounds, where the father drinks his beer and plays "kegel" (skettles), and mamma sips her "spirit-water" and sugar and gossip, with her neighbors, while the crowd of children of all ages play merrily around Everything goes on quietly, and the Vvnom nf t.Tio howls as thfcV roll along the alley, mingles with the animated laughter of tht- 2lders and the shrill piping voices of the youngsters. In honor of the Kermiss the children had a treat given them in the evening, in the shape of a carousal or merry-goround, in which sooth to say, many of the seniors joined them. After the children had left on their way home to bed the large hall belonging to the establishment was lighted up and dancing was earned on for some hours, but still all breaking up on the right side of midnight. The last day of the fete? idleness and i a surfeit of amnsement have done their work and the people are thoroughly tired out and eager to commence the old routine of business again. Sayings of the JLittle Ones. Tommy don't like fat meat. One day the steak was very fat. " Tommy,' asked the professor, "will you have some beefsteak ? " 4< Yes, sir ; but I don't want any that has pork all round it." When little Belle was two rears old she used to admire the full moon very much; buc wh^j her aunt pointed out the new moon, she exclaimed, in the most distressed tone, "Oh, 'tis broken 'tis broken!" A little boy of seven had been in the habit of sitting with his three-year-old sister in church. Last Sabbath he refused to sit in his usual place with his sister. "For," said he, "folk? might think we were married." In five years the work of the American Baptist Missionary Union has increased or. JVT-icRinnan"ps. from 138 to ?j lvuvnw * - v ? ?,, 186; native helpers, from 942 to 1,107; churches, from 778 to 1,001, and members, from 633,329 to 89,593. A CONVICT'S LIFE. 1 Prison Discipline and Behavior of the AubnnCN*. Y.) Prison. The prevalence of drunkenness in the | State prison at Auburn once puzzled j the officers for a long time. It was at first supposed that whisky was brought in by some one, but finally it was discovered that a distillery was in full operation within the walls of the institution. An enterprising convict had rigged a "worm" in a secluded spot in the kitchen, and with corn-meal and rye was able to produce a liquid that ? 1J .Li.- ?1 wouiu. jiiioinjate wuucvci uxau& much of it. The man did a thriving business, and when he was discovered he was making money at a rapid rate. "Beer," as it is called, is made even to this day. The beverage is a brewing of bread crusts and yeast, and is exhilarating if nothing more. The men in the kitchen make it and sell it to the prisoners. At one time connterfeitiDg was actually carried on in the prison. Imitations were made ot silver coins which would readily deceive unless closely examined. Molds were made of plaster of paris, and the ten, twentyfive, and fifty-cent pieces were plated in the saddlery hardware shop. The convicts were well supplied with this bogus money, and a great deal of it found its wa7 into circulation outside. The men are not allowed to carry watches, but a great many of them do, notwithstanding the rule to the contrary. Usually the watches are kept in leather bags which are suspended by a string about the neck underneath the fllntliinn X ernn/1 mtmrnf +Tip nrisnriAra read the newspapers regularly. How they obtain them is a mystery. The New York dailies reach Auburn at four o'clock in the afternoon, and often they will get into the hands of the convicts the same evening. Of course, each prisoner is not supplied with a paper. One paper will do for a dozen men or more. It is supposed that all letters written to convicts pass through the hands of the chaplain, whose duty it is to see that they contain no mischievous or improper language. Half of the men in the prison send and receive letters that the chaplain never sees. These "go fVirnnorVi fho nn^pr(rrrmr>r?" as t,he nffi cers say.- Generally they urc. taken in and eut by citizen-foremen, whose sympathies the men enlist. Some of the convicts send out for raw steaks, which they broil at the forges and in the furnaces. Others prefer cake and pie, for which they will spend every cent they can procure. Sunday affords a diversity in prison life. At six c'clock, the same as on aweek day, the convicts leave their cells and march to the bucket ground. Thence they proceed to the mess-room, where the morning meal of hash is eaten, after which they obtain their biscuits and return to their cells. At nine o'clock they go forth again, this time to Hi" w?.tortr> />Vicno1 rPhfi <JC if. ifl kug AMV *w called, is a large room?perhaps 100 feet loDg, and 75 feet wide. At the front end is a platform, in the center of which is the chaplain's desk, and on the left are the organ and seats for the choir. The anditoriam is filled with benches. In the rear of the chapel is a small gallery for the spectators. Daring the services the gnards sit on the broad sills of the windows, which are several feet from the floor, and keep their eyes on the prisoners. The walls bear sach inscriptions as " Meekness," march single file, one behind the other, v ?i_ _ i j e2.cn man wuu uis uauus upun mc o mco of the one in front of him. The movement is the lock-step, and the leader, who has won his place by good conduct, stamps with his left foot to keep his men in perfect step. The front seats are filled. "When a bench is reached, the leader of a company step3 aside and waits until it is filled, with the exception of one seat at the end. which he takes himself. The rest of the company file into seats in the rear, and so on until all are seated. The gnard stands near and counts off the number of men for each seat. The doors of the chapel are closed after all the convicts have marched in, and the services begin with the "voluntary," which is sung by the choir. This choir is a peculiar feature, every member of it being a man. Sopranos and altos, as well as tenors, baritones and bassos are men. The instrumental music is especially meritorious. The men sit nervously in their places and move their hands and feet uneasily. They are not allowed to turn their heads when they come in, and they must not look about while the services are in progress. How much the men fear God is perhaps best shown by their actions when prayer is offered. The beholder will L. durpris 1 to see how few bow in supplication. The majority hold their hands up in a defiant way, and seem to be entirely unmoved bv the spirit of prayer. In this connection it may be said that a "Sunday-school" is held before the regular services. Only those who desire need attend, and it is not over one in twenty who takes advantage of the opportunity. The classes are taught bv young men, mostly students at the Theological Seminary, who volunteer to do this work. The only ones who take real interest in the chapel services are the Sunday-school scholars. The others leave their cells simply to oreaK the monotony of the day and to hear the mn&ic. At 10 o'clock the convicts, after spending an hour in the chapel, march back to their cells. On the way they receive bread and cru?t coffee, which comprise the dinner. Bread and water are served twice during the afternoon to the men in their cells, but they do not receive sapper. The men do not leave their cells again until Monday morning. Tho rest of the day is spent in reading, writing, and plotting. On Sunday the chaplain was surprised, in the middle of his sermon, to see a convict'pop up like Jack-in-the-box and shout at the top of his lungs. The nrisfiTprs are verv excitable, and one man might set all the rest yelling. As a rule, convicts do not like Sunday, as they do not obtain as much to eat as on other days, and it is tedious remaining locked up so many hours. Tfce scene at the dinner-hour in the mess-room is not tne least interesting phase of prison life. The men sit at long narrow tables, but only on one side, as it is not thought best to place them face to face. They are given half an hour in which to eat, and if they have not satisfied their appetites by that time they must go hungry. Each man is allowed so much to eat, but these who are recognized as "big eaters" are seated in an adjoining room and given more. The men demand good 1 - " > - > xi j ? _i. ] iooa, ana wnen mvj uu uui ^ct iu ciicj show their displeasure by groaning tnd littering cat-calls. At times the noise is deafening. Sometimes the corned beef will become bad before the kitchen men are aware of it. and whenever this meat is served trouble at once ensues. The "Auburn system" of government origiated at Auburn prison some fifty years ago. Discipline was maintained by the ase of the lash or "cat." For 1 every violation of the rules the cat was applied proportionate to the offense 01 the physical ability of the man undergoing punishment, until at la*t a man n??s trilled, and the la*h was prohibited : by law. The shower bath followed, but, | as related by old officers, a man died j from the effects of a deluge, and the i "shower" was discontinued. The irot S yoke, or crncifix, the dungeon, the bal i and chain, and shaving th? heads were I the different modes of punishment nntl 1862, when the application of the yoke was forbidden. The shower bath, to the dismay of the convicts, was resumed, and used nntil 1869, when all physical punishment was prohibited. It was soon found that the men could not be made to work if they were not punished when they deserved it and the "paddle" was devised, and is in use at the present time. The "paddle" is made of solej leather and is about two feet long and I three inches wide, with a wooden handle. The convict is taken to the "jail," wnere his feet are fastened to the stone floor. A pair of leather cnffs confine his hands, and to these is attached a rope by which his arms are drawn np. His body is then bared and while a convict presses on the victim's abiomen, the head keeper or depnty agent's waiter applies the "paddle." The resnlt is often quite serious. Men have been known to remain in the hospital for a long time after the punishment. The "cap" is also employed a great deal to bring the men to terms. It is an iron cage, which fits over the head and locks under the chin. The convict can wear it and still k|pp at his work The most common method of punishing prisoners nowadays is -to consign them to the dungeon on two ounces of bread and a gill of water a day. The only articles in a dungeon are a bucket, and a plank about a foot wide to sleep on. It is no difficult matter to see how quickly an obdurate man will nnnia t.n the f?nnclnsion that it is better to obey the rules than to be locked up*in tlie dungeon. Men used to be strung up, but that plan is not resorted to, at least to any extent, now. They were either held up by the thumbs or the wrist, often until they fainted.' A terrible machine, long since thrown aside as being too dangerous, was the ' jacket." It could be drawn up so : t tightly as to squeeze the life out of a man. Of late years the punishment has j not been nearly as severe as in former years, but good government has been achieved by strict rules and their rigid ; enforcement. In 1874 a law was passed j requiring the. construction of separate i cells for the confinement of incorrigible ' prisoners, but such cells have not yet i been built. Nothing seems to have ! such a salutary effect on refractory i prisoners as solitary confinement. The j dangers of maiming or disabling a con- j Vll/ily aiiU, OO UUO LTiCU U1IU VOCVj Ututvw? ing fatal injuries, are, by this method, j entirely obviated.? New York limes. ] Elephants in Winter Quarters. "Here they are, twenty of them, and | this is the gentleman who has taught t them all they know," said Mr. Thomas, - t Mr. P. T. Barnum'a press-agent, at the i Bridgeport, Connecticut,winter quarters ( of "the great moral show." Banged t on three sides of a room one hundred < feet square and fitted up foi their special i accommodation, are twenty elephants, ranging in size from the largest in the country to the engaging baby elephant lately- born in Philadelphia. "Yes," , said the keeper, "they are remarkable , beasts. They will live eighty or ninety years in captivity, unless a locomotive 1 or something of the sort should happen to strike them. Even then the chances would be against the locomotive." The ^ scene Drougac viviaiy to miuu a picture . of what the Tertiary Age might have j been, with its roving monsters It , seemed impossible that, the gigtutic beasts, slowly and continually sws ring . their head3 from side to side, shon] i be ] so tame and so easily managed. The c keeper gave a scarcely audible signal, ! Ve'annitor never wished to hear again. The Anvil j Chorus, if it bad been present, would have hidden its respective heads in J shame. This noise is made through the elephant's trunk, and there is not the slightest use of trying to get in a remark edgewise when one of the per- J formers has the floor. The throat tones ; sound like distant 'thunder, and make ' the most ambitious drum of no consequence. The baby elephant came ( up to receive a lesson?its third. It was ( to be taught to stand on its forelegs and ^ head. An apparatus was fastened to its , hind legs, and they were hoisted into ( the air by block and tackle, with the . paternal assistance of one of the larger * ? ttti ! _ il; ^? elepnanis. w nue uu ima resuieuc puaition the baby was made to touch its . head upon the floor, and when it had j done this it was immediately let down, , After a few trials, baby seemed to enjoy the process very much, and J presently put its head on the floor of I its own accord, as soon as its legs were j lifted. Having learned to do this, it ' was given an agreeable reward of car- ' rots and allowed to frolic in an elephan- ! tine way to its heart's content. The . keeper's method of training his charges ; is entirely by kindness, althongh it is often very difficult to break in an old , and wicked fellow. Mr. Thomas or- . dered a performance by the eiepnanis in two squads, aligned according to size. It was reallj startling to see them ' standing abreast in single line, and at ! th? order, "By the right flank, double , file," march off to the right, in double file, with much more eclat than often is displayed^ by seme city regiments. Mr. Barnum makes use of his elephants to do all the heavy work about the building, such as pushing chariots here and there and hoisting weights. The keeper said that these animals, if their angry passions were once really rou3ed, could easily break through the walls of the building and escape. They are so docile, however, that it is rarely that anything exciting nappens. ne is occasionally throve by them, if something irritates them, as was the case when the baby elephant was weaned. Both mother and infant expressed their wrath with great frankness and unanimity. Last snmmer, while on the road, ?he of the ponderous beasts refused to come out of a river it had crossed, and delayed the whole train for several hours, while he placidly rested or playfully gamboled in the cool waters. Curiosities of the Census, A bulletin issued from the United States census office, showing the approximate areas of the several States and Territories contains mucii matter of curious interest. Texas, the largest State, has an area of 262,290 square miles, and Rhode Island, the smallest, i has 1,085 square miles. Nye county, Nevada, is the largest county in the United States, covering 24,000 square miles. San Bernadino, Cal., with 23,000 square miles, is the next largest. California has four other counties each of them as large as Massachusetts; ; three that are each larger than ConnectI iuut, and fifteen others that are each ! larger than Delaware. Sioux county, Neb., contains 21,070 square miles. Oregon also has several large counties, Grant, Umatilla and Lake, containing respectively 17,500, 14,260 and 12,000 i square miles. Presidio, with 12,500 miles, is the largest county in Texas. | The smallest county in the United | States is New York, State of New York, ! and it has 1he largest population. Several years ago Ericsson predicted ! that the Nile and the Ganges would be lined with cotton and other factories driven by soiar heat. A French engi neer in Algiers has already contributed i to the fulfillment of this prediction by pumping water and making it boil by solar fore* alone. Within fifty years the number of i ordained foreign missionaries has , j increased from 656 to 6,696, not includ[ [ ing native assistants ; the number of > communicants in native churcbes nas i increased from 70,000 to 857,332, and I the contributions of American Chris? tians have risen from $250,000 to I ?2,500,000 a year. Firemen Sliding Down a Brass Pole. Eagine 33, of the New York fire department, Captain Golden, lie? in Mer- . cer street. The house is old-fashioned and inconvenient, bnt Captain Golden and his men are alert and spry, and their work as firemen has made the company one that the commissioners are prond to show to distinguished ^isi- . v tors from other cities and from Europe. Commissioner Yan C >tt and Chief of Battalion Bresnan, who was promoted from the captaincy of the company takes an especial interest in it, - * * "? a? a* and tne men, oeing anuer uie vgusuui, supervision of their superiors, have been put on their mettle. Until Saturday evening last they fancied th-.y had got the work, of hitching up snd dashing off to a fire down to about tlw finest point. Twice successively, for the benefit of a Sun reporter, they got to their stations on engine and tender within three and a quarter seconds. Quick as ?they were, though, they Were no quicker than Jack and Jim, the engine horses, and Bill, the jet-black motive power of the tender. At the first note , of the gong the big animals, as swiftfooted and sure-footed as cats, sprang . from their stalls and tlrandered among the flying men to their places under their harness. Indeed, Jack, a noble roan and the pet of the company, could be induced only by a stern command to wait for the stroke of the gong, but >-v* as he saw the captain approach it danced and plunged in his stall, his eyes blazing with excitement. After the trials, Chief Bresnan, who, ? i > J o woi* WJXLL ex-^xiuerzaiill lUUXlIC, woo VJI a liuiv to the house, directed the men to return to their sitting-room. Workmen had been setting up a novel appliance for saving tiijie in getting ready to start for a fire. It was a highly polished brass ~M pole, about three inches in diameter, set in a socket in the main floor, and extending, through circular holes cut in the two upper floors, to another socket in the roof. "Captain Golden ordered four men to go to the bunk-room on the / second floor-and lie jlown on tbeir cots. rhe two men nearest the pole were to 3lide down at a stroke upon the gong, . md the other two to run down the stairway. The men chosen to run down the stairs were the youngest and most active in the company. Captain Golden stepped to the gong md gave one resounding clan^. Overhead, for an instant, there was a clattsr of feet. Then two objects, clad in dark blue, flashed dosvn the pole, and within ;?ree seconds the driver was in his seat, ind the man whose duty it was to snap he* spring buckle on the off horse stood, vi'h uplifted hand, at 'his- poet. The ithor tr.en had zot onlv half way down ;he stairway, and bad twenty-tive feet >f flooring to traverse before they could each the engine.?New York Sun. Alpine Climbing a Trade. Alpine climbing has within the last iwenty years become a science and a Tace. Alpine clubs accumulate experience which is at tLe disposal of all the jrorJd. They have their newspapers md "their annurJ dinners, and their monthly meetings. There are shops vhere every mountaineering requisite s sold, and so numerous are the guides ;hat it is hard nowadays for even the 3est of them to make a living. These natives of the Alps make mountaineering easy. They point out to us the " ? - -x xf_ _ saiest roaas, ana warn ns against we nosfc dangerons rocks. They cnt for ^j^cagJtdveEtarer a step in the ice it they even assist his upward journey \ by a friendly push behind. Any danger of falling into a crevasse is avoided by the party being tied together, and a precipice is brought within reach of the average tourist by a rope ladder. Eenca, unless the ascent is entirely a new one, there is really little danger :o encounter. The ordinary mountaineer climbs for pastime and applause, ind he must be a spiritless caitiff inleed who kno^s not the zest which racn danger as the usual, but now and then inevitable, avalanche imparts to tehat is one of the tamest of sports. The Alpine climber, it is true, sometimes sets up claims to be reckoned among the pieneers of science. He now and then prints a dnll drawingroom boolc, with pretty pictures, and fondly imagines that he ranks with Sanssures, Tschades, Schlan-Gentweits, Forbeses, Payers and Tyndalls, who were first attracted to the Al]<>s by a love of whfct Bacon called ''natural knowledge," bnt their work was carried on at elevations which the Alpine ithlete would not condescend to visit, ind where there is less peril. The people who insist on writing letters to the papers about the necessity of looking after these reckless folks waste their sympathy. The average Alpine tourist is perfectly able to take care of himself. When he foolishly courts danger, the verdict must be that afterall he has a right to choose his own way of making his exit from a world in which he cannot otherwise achieve distinction. ; The Manna Li the "Wilderness. Botanists and travelers have been rather nnsncessfnl in attempts to ascertain the origin of different kinds of manna known in commerce. In the valley of Gohr, to the south of the Dead sea, sixteen hours onward which leads into a long valley. Buckhardt found what he called manna, dropping from twigs of several kinds of trees. According to his representations Arabs collect it and make it inter cakes, which are eaten witn uieir a^useous uutter made from the milk of sheep; They churn it thns A goat skin is filled wiiil _ milk and suspended between two poles, *** swung to and fro by pulling an attached ~ cord till it assumes a ne^ cbaracter?a greasy, soapy mass?and that is Arab butter. Mr. Turner found a grove of tamarisk trees near Mt Sinai in the valley of Farran, which iurnish what the monks called manvia. They were busy, about ten feet high, from which drops of sweetish ihick fluid ooze. If taken early in the morning, before the sun is up, it may be kept in earthen pots a considerable time. It i3 used in lieu of ougar in the convent. Commercial manna, principally in the hands of " * - ' 1 A 1 drnggists, is a product 01 me puncrarea stems of the ornus Europa, growing in Calabria. An article very similiar in appearance and medicinal properties is procured in Sicily by the same kind of process. Both have a sweetish taste, are soft, of a pale yellowish color, and used for their mild laxative quality rather than food. From the forgoing facts it is very clear ttnre is not the slightest resemblance to that extraor- - ? dinary nutritious article which was miraculously provided for the children of Israel in a barren wilderness on a memorable occasion, while in their forty years' peregrinations toward the TMv->rmspd land?Ronton Trannarivt. Queer Rewards for Doctors. The late empress o! China bavin? recovered from her former serious sickness, some half a dozen surgeons chosen by the governors of provinces and sent to Pekin, according to imperial directions, to attend upon her ^ majesty, have been rewarded by various _ appointments. One, it is announced, is to be made a taotai, or intendent of circuit, another a prefect, another a disi w>o;riot-rofo oriel <sn f/irth. This IS IIHASIV Aua^^wiuwv) very much as if after the recovery ot the Prince of Wales from his historic - '||| sickness Sir William Jenner had been made a county court judgo and Sir W. Gull a stipendiary magistrate.?Skung- j