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VOL. 11. MANNIN(J, CLAARENDO N'L -NTY, S. C9., WVEINES1)A, YD ECEM8ER NO.5?. THE ; R1.iU. L . 1i i . -rT: VOUK uGN: IN i: " ' The LawmaktIerz. Nettle 0911.. ti) Ill Work ---M:WanyMrovlimn and Considered. The second week of the s,-in of 1.S; Was mirked by the introth:etion the usual number of bills, some tant, some needless-sonc tL. wi2 pass, many that will sulfer the def*at a:ey de serve. The General Assembiv le settled down to actual work, and the fruit of its labors will ere long be visible the peo 0 - ple. We give below a synopsi.s of the proceedings, condensed from ihe daily papers. Senate. The Senate's siwert ession v a very busy one. Many bills were i.: roduced. a large number of reports were tumade and the Calendar was cleared of all measures except those provocative of speech making. There was objectia to the consideration of the Charleston and Summerville reassessment bi:l, and it went over until to-morrow. W> Ien the came up for its second reading Senator Hemphill made the objection that the printed bill had not been on the desks of members for twenty-four honrs as re quired by the rules. Senato- McMaester had it made the special order for Friday at 1 p. m. Senator Edward's South Carolina Col lege tuition bill, with its unfavorable re port, was made the special order for Thursday at 1 o'clock. The bill in Telation to burning or cut ting untenanted houses having been re ported upon unfavorably, was recom mitted. Several minor bills were passed and sent to the House. The following bills received their see ond reading: Amending the General Statutes in relatin to quarantine; limit ing the number of trial justices in York county; amending the law in regard to the wooden buildings in the city of Charleston; amending the chaiter of the Eutawville Railroad Company. Senator Smvthe introduced the follow ing concurrent resolution: "That the committee on printing of the two Houses be instructed to inquire and report at as early a day as posib whether the method of priting the official reports of the State oeers and of the Acts of the General Asse-nbly can nzt be' so altered that much of :he blank space now appearing therein. - shal be hereafter saved. Also, w'h..-her the printing of so much duplieae matter cannot be avoided. Also, as th- 4e pro priety of requiring each se verv d epart ment of the State Government to report annually the expense of printing incurred by such department. Also. :.s to the propriety of omitting any pc~:t of the matter now annually printee at a great expense to the State GovernI :Lt." The following new neasures were in troduced: Bill to regulate ti! public printing. This bill is designe to pre vent the allowance of unnece rv "fat" in Publishing the annual repur; of State oicers, and is of a geneal rdormitory nature. Bill to amend Sectior !,028 of the General Statutes, fixing the trustees of the University. The bill provides that the trustees shall consist of the Governor, ex-offleio, and tv; o members from each Congressional distriet, to be elected by the General Assei:bly, one from each district for a terian of two v-ears, and one for a term of four years. After the first election the tenxu of office shall be four years. No professor or judicial officer of the State shall be eligible to election. Bill to regulate the sentence of pris oners to the upenitentiary. This bill pro vides that all persons sentenced to im prisonment for a term not longer than one year shall be confined in the county jails and reouired to do such work in the counties as mnay be required by law; bill requiring certain persons sentenced to imprisonment in county jails to work on roads, streets or other public works, and punishing the escapes of prLaoners sen tenced to impri'sonment in couinty jails: bill amending the charter of K-ingstree; proposing an amendment to Article IV of the Constitution. This provides for a Court of Probate in each county, with jurisdiction in all matters testamentary and of administration in business apper taining to minors and the aihtment of dower in cases of idiocy and insanity; abolishing the ofice of jury comnussion er; amending the charter of tihe town of Hampton; providing for the taxation of dogs'and bitches. The tax is one dolar a head and the money is to go to the county treasury: to strike out Stetions 595 and 59G of the General Statutes, re lating to the privilege tax on fertilizers, and substitute others in lieu thereoi. This bill is designed to prevent frauds in fertilizers; joint resolution to ratify~ the census amendment to the Constitu tion; to provide fo- transporting con victs to the penitentiar-y by the~ peniten tiary guards. At 1 o'clock on Tuesday, :m thx ult. th( Senate, accepting the invitation of the House, proceeded to the Hall of Repre sentatives and joined in the Legisl?ativt procession to the Opera }louse to p1 ticipate in the inauguration cerermonie-. At 2 o'clock, the inaugur-ation bein over, the Senate chamber was age' illea. Lieutenant Goveruor Mauldir and President p:- tempore iilar oAccL pied seats at the~ Presidenit's d Governor RichrdIson and ex-Goveran Sheppard sat somershat 'oehind te At 2.03 IPres-ident tzlr led the SenaI to order and saUi "'Gentlem'en of the Senate, .I paesure in. introducing to- you Lieute' ant Governor Mauldin, who has anahl now rceady toasswne thee duis of Pr detof the Senate." Lieutenant Governor \l'n :i vancing to the deLsk, r-nd the folki brief address in a ele vi ce andt wi deliberate enlunci :ion: "'Gentlemneu of 11-. Senatt: The ntM of the peop'le of SouthI Car'ina calls:s my presence here ;o-day t-> assmo~ oilcial duties as your presiding oniec k~maiu t the t'anet extent mv in: prien'e- in this nev and responsible po. ii. 1 bespeak yocur kindest considera in i artiest eilorts to serve you and f'acilitate the business of your hon orable body. Actuated . as I know vou vne and all iare by a patriotic intention to ad'vauee thu. bet interests of the peo p inI cuntident that whatever differ ences in dise*_ssion may arise between -ou will be controlled within proper and 'courteouis bounds, and promoted alone bv a purpose to seek and do the right. TIe ho'lin-g of public office brings with it, at a'll nes, grave responsibilities. MIore esnecially is this true in the pres et coniition of our State. We are just p- I'ng tirough a year of serious and materiid disasters. The honest and I 'borious efforts of our people have been but poorly rewardcd. In addition to the filure ut our crops, caused by un propitious seasons, we have incurred the sad destruction of life and property in the chief city oz our State. la view of these unexampled misforttues it be hoovcs us, as the servants of the people, to act v ith the greatest caution, to the end thal we may justify the confidence of the people and give theni wise, pru dent and economical laws. I am sure that everv Senator upon this Iloor ap preciate. the intelligent needs of the State, and that such measures will re ceive your approval and support as will tend to promote the public good and advance the moral and material welfare of the people. Trusting that a kind Providence will direct your every etiort, I now announce that the Senate is ready to proceed with business." Resolutions complimentary to General Izlar, President pro tem., were unani mouslv adopted. The first real debate of the session occurred in the Senate Wednesday, the occasion being the bill providing for a reassessment of property in poi tions of Charleston, Berkeley and Colleton coun ties. Some of the most important pro visions of the bill would have failed but for the support of the Senators from Richland, Anderson and Spartanburg. Senator Wofford moved that on Wed nesday, December 8, the Senate consid er, as a snecial order, resolutions on the death of ~Senators E. H. Bobo, oif Spar tanburg, and R. P. Todd. of Laurens. Adopted. Senator Patterson renewed his con current resolution on the Columbia Canal, that the legality of a transfer of the State's interest to the city of Colum bia be inquired into, leaving the investi gation, however, to the select committee already provided for by Senator Sligh's motion, instead of to the finince and ways and means committees as originally proposed. There was no objection, and the resolition was manimously adopted. The judiciary committee reported a ill cLzrrying out the snggestions of Governor Sheppard as tu the swearing of witnesses by the foreman of thle grand jar'. The same committee reixrted 'avurably on bills ratifying ti: amend ments to the Constitution relating to the census and to State bonds. The committee on education reported unfavoraby on Senator Murray's bill chauging the method of elcetirg trustees of the- Universitv. The committee on county ofl ces and oilicers reported unfavorably on the bill abolishi'ng the oflice of jury coiimnission T4e agricultural connlaistee reported favcraiblv on Senator Youman:,s bill to prevent certain frauds in fertilizers, and submitted a favorable report wii Ii amend ments on the bill exempting : certain portion of Marion county from the operations of the stock law. The committee on printing recoium mended the passage of Sen-itor MIurray's bill to regulate the public print iug. The judiciary committee reported a joint resolution carrying out Governor Sheppard's suggestion as to extra com pensation for the attorney general for extr' services in the Blue Ridge Scrip cases. The amount proposed to be ap propriated is $1,000. The following were introduced: Pro viding for the transportation of convicts to the State penitentiary; providing for the collection of taxes due upon forfeited lands, and to restore such lands to the tax books; prohibiting the sale of eigar ettes to persons under the age of fifteen years; amending the law in relation to highway s and bridges. This bill abol ishes the office of superintendent of highways, and devolves its duties upon the county commissioners; authorizing county auditors to destroy tax returns aft r two years FThe bill to reduce the assessment of real estate in Charleston, in conmequeuee of the earthquake, was passed to its third reading, and afterwards read a third time and sent to the House. A concurrent resolution was adopted, to direct the Attorney General to enforce the State's claim against Corbin & Stone. The bill to authorize county commis soners and conty school commissioners to borrow money was killed. The resolution to authorize the State Board of Agriculture to erect buildings and make and exhibit of the resources of the State at the proposed Inter-State summer agricultural encanmpment at Spartanburg was opposed b1 Senator 3oody, who moved to strike out the re solving' clause. After some debate Sena-. tor Muarrav onbered an amendmaent pro v iding that no buildings be erected unless the site w'as deeded to the State, and limiting the expenditure to 81,U00. This w as aidotd and the resolution passed. Senator Edwards called for the special order, his bill providing that a tuition fec of 8'00 be charged students in the South Car olna' College. This bill had been unavorably rep)ortedL by the judiciary comittee. A minority, one-third *f the comlmittee, had ieported in favor ofa tuit ion fee of 850. Senator Edwarat mo' to indnitely postpone the report of te cnuniteeand take up thme biL He. then spoke iL favor of the bili. A 'lie close of his remai rks the furthier conm .ideaton of the bill wa s postponed ti[l the sth ins. i. u* in inr cne . iulu: reohnmt~u > et Io the pen~itenutiary '!n the t' A bil to-'L. a md : .h ::: :i..:heT , * IIIc Le'ath Ic Carlin I ix wh lu! i ;u!:ite puli pwinting w~ ed t a hir rahi. i :- .. pr blio g the -o oher AgrI~iculthe Coupr troller General. to be embraced in his re port. 1It:u . " 4 r aetpin atim. Among the new bills introduced are the following: Bill to amend the Act di viding the State into seven Congression al districts. The plan proposed is to take Beaufort county from the 7th and tack it on to the 3rd (Uncle Geurge Tillman's) district. That poition of Orangeburg county now in the 7th dis trict is to be tacked on to the 1st i Dib ble's) district, and that portion of Rich land now in the 7th district on to the 4th Perry's) district. Bill to create two new voting precinets in Kershaw county; bill to provide for taxation of dogs in this State and to direct the apphcation of said tax; bill in relation to the bond of Prol bate Ju adge of Williamsburg county; joint resolution authorizing the county comnnissioners of Greenville county to borrow a sufficient sum to iay off the jurors and witnesses: bill to abolish the lien law; a Constitu tional amendment abolishing the home stead exemption: bill to redace the sla ries of school commissioner to $100: bill to abolish auditor and require the treas urer to perform the duties; bill to repeal the office of register of nesne convey anee for Greenville, and devolve the duties thereof on the lerk: bill to make municipal corporations liable for torts: bill to change the name and amend the charter of the Chester, Greenwood and Abbeville R'ailroad Company: Mr. Hiar per bill to regulate the costs of dicting prisoners in county jails; bill to regtiaate and fix the salaries of school commis sioners. Among the bills reported by the judi ciary committee was one to amend S tion 1,T31 of the General Statutes, re lating to the selling of intoxicating liquors, &c. The report was unfavora ble, and in the general rush of routine work the bill was rcjected. Mr. Dantz ler, of Orangeburg, the author of the bill, moved a reconsideration of the bill, I with permission to take the floor and make a few remarks. Mr. Dant:der' stated that under the law as it is now written an insignificantly small commu nity could organize, get a charter and sell spirits under the local -ption law. The amendment proposed to limit the sale of liquors to towns of not less than 500 inhabitants. The bill was placed on the Calendar. The last bill passed before adjourning I for the inauguration was one to limit the numoer of trial justices in York county. During the passage of the bill fr. Ready, of Edgefield, offered an amend ment requiring official bonds of . 1100 from the justices and constables. In support of his amendment Mr. Ready took occaion to say that it was a noton ous fact that niany trial justices in the' State had collected pablic funds and Iai never accounted for them. lie thought that by bonding these ombcials the State would be protected and a better class ot men secured for the service. Mr. Wilson, the author, explained tht the bill threw sullicient safeguarlIs arourd the ofi cials, and besides it wa purelv local measure. The amendment was voted down and, the bill ordered for a final reading. The only measure that has conic direct from the Farners' Convention is a bill of which MIr. Tiudal, of Clarendon, gave. uotie some days ago. It was preparet. by the committee of the Fanners' Asso efation appointed for the purpose, and is intended to give to the FIarIers' Asio, ciation the control and management of the bureau of agriculture. The bili is, very long and its details elaborate. The following is a brief outline of its general features: Section 1. A board of agriculture i created to be known as "thie South Caro lina Board of Agriculture" to consist of ten members, live of whom arc to be elected annually. Term of ollice tw years. Vacancies to be tilled by thec board itself. The president of the board is to serve for one year. Section :1 names as the first b~oard1 theC gentlemen selected by the recent Farm ers' Convention, viz: D). K. Norris Johnson Hagood, ES. T. Stackhouse, R. A. Love, E. L. Rivers. Allan Johnston, B. R. Tilman, A. E. Davis, 3I. L. Don aldson and D). P. Dunean. These are to meet and select five of their number to~ serve for one year the remaining live two' vears. - Section 3. A meeting of the board is to be held every year in the city of Co-, lumabia, on the second Tuesday of No vember; together with the board there shall be a Convention of five delegates from each County Farmers' Association, who are made, for the time being, ex officio members of the board, "for the purpose of deliberation and consulta tion as to the wants, prospects and con dition of the agricultural interests throughout the State, and to fill all vacancies in the board." Section 4 grants the usual corp~orate rights to the board. Section 5 fixes the compensation of the members at three dollars per diem while engaged in the performance of their duties (not exceeding fiften days in a year, and live cents per mile travel ing expenses. Section 6 provides that the iuembers of the board elected at these annual Conventions shndl be submitted to the General Assembly foi confirmation, withi the right oa the part of the Legislature to reject any of them and elect others in their places. Section 7 prescribes the duties of the board to make annual reports to the Legislature, a general review of the con dtion of agriculture, ac.. estimates of money required, no money to be drawn rom the treasury excent under specific appiopr iation by the General Assembly on warrants drawni lby the secretary and coulnters.igned by the president of the Sectioni a pixd. for the election by the bo ard~ of "a secretary" or "'executive oilicer"* of the board, compensation The board may :aso elect a crk or clers to assist him, salaries --dollars. Scretary 's bond, .$>,ii0. Section o rescribes the gelienda duties 0f the'n s~eairy, which are about the same ats tI se perfonn~ed by the present cmnuio~1 ner. S "ection 14) provides for the distrihu tion, by the secretary, of all seeds, plants, trees and shrubbery received b hi. se. iSectioni 1i rela3tes to ti:. '(1 (ol ein of staisties, .ke., and provides thatt thle set' retary shall "aessist and co-operate with the state Agrieultural Society to malle th' eCouIrLgement in his power to the county fair associations." Sectiou gives the secrctary, under iu trulctions of the board, the poor to rantin.Le in cases of cntagious dis vases, among tc, nnls e S ion 1:- direc ts the secretary to col ct nts per ton on commereih: fer tiliers 'old or offered for sale in the State, the moey to be paid into the state trz::urV to the k.redit of the board. Ralro ad comupanies and other common carriers are prohibited from delivering any fertilizer that does not bear the pre scribed tag. Railroads and other com mon carriers are required to keep a recorl of all fertilizers transported by them, andi report to the secretary the namies of shliiperi consignees and dates of del'very. Said report to be irade on the I ti of July annually, under a pen alty of not less than 81 00 nor uere than -A,00, or isonmet. Section c:qeuires tags to 1.e allixed to eah p-te'ekge of fertiiZe showing the net po.':als, name' of manufacturer, and a chm.. an-alysis showing "the per centae tf nitrogei or its equivilent in ammoni in. any available form of potash solubl1 w-ater, and of phosphoric acid in an:"::iiable form soluble or reverted, as w : he total phosphor:t acid." Seei in requires mnanufacturers and seller. t: fertilizers to deposit samples of thei s with the secretary. in . The secretary is consti tuted hie te inspector of fertilizers, and he or :is deputy are authorized to open ai :;Lvzc s,mples of all fertiliz ers exid for e. See: rovides for tho appoint me. Lb bxhrd of a Sta.to chemist, and prescribes his duties. Section IS provides that no person shl offer for sale "any pulverized leath er, raw, steamed, roasted, or in ainy form as a fertilizer rr as an ingredient" with out attai'ing to every package of it a certificate of that fact. Section 19 provides the penalties for violating these provisions; fine from $1(0 to S500, or imprisonment from thirty days to six months. Section 20. The powers and duties heretofore exercised by the State board of agriculture in connoction with the collection of phosphate royalty are, by this section, transferred to the co'mr- -)I ler general. Section 21. Sixty days after the pass age of this Act the commissione- of agri culture be directed to turn over to the new board all the property, &c. Section 22 appropriates the sum of $15,00 to defray the expenses of the new board for the current fiscal year. Section 2:3 gives the board supervision of the fish interests of the State. Section 24 contains the usual repeal ing clause of all Acts inconsistent, ke. The following are among the -new bills introduced: Bill to regu late the sale of liquor by prescription in towns where the local option law prevails; biN to re quire persons fishing' with seines o regis ter their names in the clerk's oii, and to give bond not to violate the flih laws; bill ti devolve the duties of supervisor of registration upon jury commissioners; bill to amend Section 13, Chapter 2, of the General Statutes, relating to the compensation of members of the Geiieral Assemblv: bill to make slander a crimi ul OffIense; hill to charter the Chester and New'erry Railroad; bill to punish the stealing of melons, fruits, !otatocs or turnips, whether severed fir om the freehold or not; bill to reduce tle salary Of the trial justice at the town of Man ning; iili to limit the number of trial justices in Edgetield county; bill to au thorize the county commissioners of Clarendon to borrow money. The bill to abolish thre salarv of the office of Lieutenant Governor waspassed to its thir.I reading. The bill provides that that officer shall receive only $10 per diem and m'ileagec during the session of the General Assembly. A motion was made to reduce the per diem to S5, but this was voted down. c'nder the pres ent '.aw the Liutenat Governor gets $1,000 per annum in addition to his per diem duriing the -essio~n of the Legisla ture. F'uture Lieutena~nt Governors will receive only about 8300f per annum all told. The bill to amend Section 2,62) of the General Statutes, relating to drawing and terms of service of grand jurors was passed to its third reading. In effect it makes a thorough change in the jury system so far as it relates to grand juries. As explained by its author it proposes to make the grand jury a per petuual body, constituted on the same plan as the State Senate is constituted. The officers of Court to diraw venires on December, 1888, two revives of 9 men each, thus making 1$ grand jurors. Nine of these arc to serve for one year and 9 Or two .'ears. Afteor the expira tion of one year only 9 jurors are drawn. every year, so that there will bre 9 old jurors and l' new jurors on every grand jury. The judiciary conmmrittee had re ported the bill unfavorably, and desig nated Mr. S. P. Hamilton to "conduct the case" a~s it were. Mr. Hamilton, therefore, moved to strike out the enact ing clause. The muotion was lost, and the bill passed, as before stated. The bill authorizing tihe foremen of grand jruries to admaini'tr oaths to wit ness snumoned by the solicitor was passed to a third reading. dohn cmittees, in their reports, sat down pon uite a number of b~illS, among them the following: Bill to limit the rate of interest to 7 per cent.; bill uroviding for a "horizontal" reduction in the salaries of all the State officers; bill to abolish the ollice of registrar of mesne conveyance in Gxreenville county, tuis ill was rejected and killed "out of hand;' bili to regulate the sale of liur by druggists: bill to make slain der crmiual oilee, (this bill was also illedi bill to reduce the salaries of Su preme and Circuit .iudges. All these. witi: Ch exction of the two specilledl, 'no on the Calendar for discussion. I Favor bl r. eporats wnre submitted on the rarmuer Agricuiltundl Bureau. nijl, thei text' of which has already beeni pub' lish . . r::soluin waLs adopted pronhibiting thle itrodutin of hills in thre Homui aftr te iithinsan .r. endiraelig sow 1 Lil t'n amend the io iu *e lati :' *itionn fee in !! P niversit \: in relion ' to trial justices in at'*ie cunty: t' reduIce the sJlai ri's ot sunrdry otlicers in P'ickenscouty: to regulate t'~ weiging if haled cotton: t o repeal Se: ti.~ nu ofn the Act to estrdb lisih the nriorities of certain statutory liens: to aniend Section -:,3:-. Genen Statutes. in relation to the enforcememlt of agricultural liens; to exmnpt certain portions of Colleton county from i.e operation of the stoek law: to anud Section 2,5., i, Gemeral Statute, m1 rela tion to the trade in cotton Pl "ed: to re peal the law requiring the pubieation of the annual reports of the county coi missioners and school commissioners: bill to ratify the constitutional amend ment relative to the census: bill to pro hibit the mortgaging of erops in South Carolina: bill to have a reassessment of the realty of the State made; bill to pro hibit coroorations from charging more for wegliinig cotton than is actually nece 1 essarv to nav the weigher: bill to allow all Confederate soldiers who have lost a limb or are otherwise unable to earn a living in consetmnence of womaus re eeived in the service of tiheir country, and who have rcsided withinm the State for teni :ea*., . have received no pay from any -th. state, to have and re ceive the s1'nk aLsistance as South Caro lina soldiers are allowed. The bill to reveal the Prohibitory Law in Barnwell comity was passed without debate. The bill to allow witnesses in criminal I cases to be ezamined by commission was amended and pass- d to a third icading. Several bills of local interest were in troduced, and a few ,f like character were passed to a third reading. Vhen the hill prohibitirg lces to be issu.d in I.ton of eS. th.n Ove 111im dred ihb:., as -chd!he de bastes~ bee:me IV-.'1e,-rs. Johu C. Hl:is keli in( Jhn C. -eegers taking an active part. A moti'n to enacting claue was lost, by 55 o5:1: a bsent 16. An amen(ment to strike out So' and in sert 200 was lost. A notlion to postpou- was laSt, by 6,1 to 41j. The temper of the I louse wa:s to tMIish the secowl readin. :;l pa-ss the h,11 t, a third reading, which w:s assured by the vote to strike out the enicting clause. L.EE'S 1MVIIOOD) i.0YN-. somei, In tterestin:: Fie A but the 4uit It of the Sonl III1. Hero. I have to-day, says a correspondent of the Philadelphia Bulletin, writing from Rome, Italy, seen at Mr. Ezekiel's studio the clay model of General Lee as a boy of 14, which, it is hoped, will be erected in marble in front of the house of Lee's childhood in Westmoreland county, Va., on the site of the tombs of many of his followers who fell in the war. The figure is exceedingly characteristic and full of life, and the face rejuvenated by Mr. Ezekiel from his owi bronze por trait model of the General in later life gives eloquently the promise of what was to come. "Tie boy is father to the' man" here in very truth. The right hand, holding a little, simple cap, rests on the small stump of an oak tre', while the left, ibrought up to about the level of the waist, clasps a Bible, with one tinger between the- leaves. The youth ful tigure is slightly tu-ned from right to left, and the head is erect and thrown back a litlle, as if to catch the light breeze which blows apart the fold of the boy's simple blouse and reveals in part the promise of strength and compact ness in the figue. TUe small feet for which the Lee family are famous, are finely modeled, as also the slim, boyih leg, in its neat stocking and breeches buttoning below the knee. I had, by a were chance, an interesting opportunity of judging the faithfulness of the like ness as a mere likeness, if hereditary re semblances are to count for anything. While I was examining the figure in de tail there came into the studio a lady with three pretty daughters, who was in troduced to me as MIrs. Cooper, daugh ter of General Lee's first cousin. One of the roung ladies, aged about 15, bore so strik'ig a resemblance to the boyish portrait of her illustrious relative as to make it certain even to a stranger's eye that they were of the same stock; and, indeed,~3Irs. Cooper (who is usually called the "niece" of General Lee, though really the cousin once removed, and was on ternms of the greatest aftfec tion and confidence with him) declared that any member of the family must be satisfied with the striking likeness, apart from the artistic merit of the work. Florida Or'tag. The Florida orange crop is the earliest in the market, and although the heaviest shipments are made later, the receipts up to the p)resent timie, together with the reports from owners of groves in Florida, show that this year's crop will be at least one-hal', and possibly two thirds as large as that of last year. The first oranges received in Boston were iun ripe and sour, but they have improvedl during the last two or three weeks, and the latest consignments are sweet and heavy. The fact that the price ranges from three dollars to three and a quar ter a box-abouit the saume as last year is an indication that the principal dealers do not anticipate a special scarcity. The Florida oranges, when at their best, are superior to any others in the market, and the demand for them has s>in creased, that, while few shipments were made ten years ago, they are now sold in large quantities. 'The lest of the Florida crop is received ab out Christmas or a little later, and the great golden globes tilled with the sweetest of fruit juices, are as delicious and wholesome as any fruit to be found-nourishing to 'the sick, and equally inviting to the healthful appetite.-B~oston Tr-anseript. W heno Peol We-igih .'In. Aceording to experliments carried out by the Belgian savant Quetelet, says a recent Paris letter, a man attaons mns maximumn weight 1,2werd hislh or 11(1 begilns to lose it senisibly towar :i. x0t yer. A wonium, however, doe'm ttin her maximum weight unti 5lth year. The age at wh'eh pople ,. tan 'thir maximum weight ad wight itslf dither in the ditlerent c e o societ. ini the amnent elasss .veage sai.smnm weight i, 17- peu jOi'',~ ad is attined.. at 50) years of age. Ie the~ artisan elass it is 11 p'ounds, t taied at I'. Among1 farm inborer cral ela'vses it is- li pounds, auin rechmedl between and 50l years o' iation to the recignii'ion of the Confed er''v whichi wa- made on behalf of the ikeror Nanoleon. The date was not 11Uinum. Out I imagine that it must lvexe been at about the time that the ilerai Gov(rnnift was in the straits whih \lr. Swint;o has described. It wasn in :lav or June. 161. The .,tory -s i!t Was give'n to me, is as fol lows: Ir. Slidell had had a pleasaut ac quaintance with M. 3Iocquard, the pri vate Lecretary of the Emperor Napoleon, who rame to him at last with a mes sage from his imperial master. 31. Mocquard told Mr. Slidell that the Em peror cionsidered it for the interest of Franc, to assist the Confederate States to obtain their independence, and that he was anxious to give his assistance to that cud. "But," said 1. Mocquard, "England is unwilling to act with "us, and the opposition to slavery, whether the opposition be sentimental or not, is so strong that the Emperor feels that he cannot, especially when acting alone, take a step that would have the effxt of establishiig a government which has slavery as a basis. If, however," con tinued 31. Mocquard, "the Confederate Government will, by treaty with France. consent to the gradual emancipation of the slaves, no matter what length of time be taken to complete the operation, the Emperor will officially recognize the Confederate States as an independent nation, and order the immediate release of the ironclads which have been built for the Confederate Government.' Mfr. Slidell was astounded at this proposition, but proceeded to explair to A. M1ocquard that slavery was a matter over which the Confederacy had no con trol, as the States alone had authority to deal with their domestic institutions, and that each State would have to decide for itself whether to agree to what had been proposed. Mr. Slidell, at the same time, expressed the opinion that the States forming the Southern Confeaeracy would not consent to abolish slavery. 31. o10cquard mmrmured his regrets and departed. A few days later the Emperor's private secretary made his appearance again, and told Mr. Slidell that he had a new suggestion. "The Emperor," he said, "will not question what you say about the powers of the Confederate Govern- j ment, but will be fully satistied if you, on behalf of your Government, will sign such a treaty as was ontlined in the first interview." "But," said Ir. Slidell, I have not the power; .I have not the au thority to make any such treaty. It would be nothi:ng but wtaste paper. "Never mind that," said 31. Mocquitrd, --because, before any disavowal can take place, the Confederacy will have been recognized by France, the Confederate ironelads will have raised the blockade of the Southern ports, and those who then question France's action must be prepared for war." 31r. Slidell insisted that lie could not dream of taking so un precedented a ztep, and, after some ex p Otulation, 1. -\1ocquard took lis leave. With hin the last hope of the Confederaev had vanihed. It strikes the ordinary Con federate, who was not a diplomatist, that Mr. Slidell could very well have accepted the Ofer which was inade to him when he knew that by doing so he would have secred the freedom of his people. What if he had bei; reprimaided? What if he had been accusil of treason? What i he had been taken ut by a Richmond mob andl swung to a lamp post? OneC life, even Mr. Siidell's life, would have beeni an insignificant price to pay for the fruition of oal our hopes, whielh France's action would hatve in sured. But MIr. Sli dl moved by rule and line, andl, had he becii iin the army, would have refused, no doubt, to have defeated thle enemy at all, unless he coldd have defeated them in strict ae (ordance with the theory of war:as given by' Jomini and other writers on militar strategy. How'eame it to be known that such a proposition wams made? MIr. Slideli re prt'd it to his Gloverinent. Et wa usual to send all dispatches in duplicate, because of the risk of loss in runnig the b~loc.kade. Onie of the dispatche was sent always to the Confederate agent at Nassau. 1i his temporary absence, the dispatches of Mr. Nideli were dle livered to the friend who had been choseni as his representative. It was ex pectedt that the dispatches should be oened and read, in order, perhaps, that an additional copy might be retained. Among the dispatches which camne into the hands of the temporary agent of thc Government at Nassau was the dispatch covering the narrative which has been gven jere. Soame months ago Fiamentionedt this to Ir. Jolin Bigelow, who was consul gen eat~ Pa'ri' during the civil war. MIr. Bielow was contident that no such propostion as that which is attributed to 3[. "Ioecard was ever made, as he woubl have been sure to have hieard of t. I can fancy that there were many things in French diplcomacy during the war that were not dreamed of by either 3inister Dayton or charming 3Ir. Bige .A Lady -lunmpsNiaarnm. N iagara's damnger's have one mo re beeni brv:.tis time by "a'pe itrnette, 're\ i:-d I '"in comipanyl with G.eorge Ia eu. " gointhough thle rapid- :-afly in pdhaeI barr. Sai Alle is ud.N. .)djyrizedt. Efe andi~ s ' ther.I ieto fiok iamL ie were bund. Tim ie re abi o b -znenle nde cotr 1o hit. Uneedoutthi ' tuel. Lrge boii'eso NINETY MILES OF WOODS AFIRE. The Forests In a Blaze-Fearful cenen Alon; the Central and Northeastern Railroads. Th- passeners oil the Columbia special train of the Atlantic Coast Line, wnich reached Charleston at 9.10 last night, had an opportunity of witnessing forest fires of rare extent and brilliancy. The woods 1 were on tire almost continuously from Sum ter to within five miles of Charleston, a distance of ninety miles. The grandest display of the accidental fireworks was in the section of country lying along the Northeastern Railroad be tween St. Stephen's depot and the Five wile curve near Charleston. In many places on both sides of the track the line of fire was unbroken for miles. and in other places the lire approached so near the track on either sirle that the train literally ran between walls of flame and through clouds of blinding and asphyxhttiug smoke. At such places the effect of the super heated and fire-laden atmosphere was sensi bly felt by the passengers through the thick plate-glass of the car windows. The fire was :lercely swept on by a stiff breeze from the northwest, and at some points leaped across the roadway and caught the cross ties. The whole heavens were lighted up with the reflection from the lurid blaze from the dry, combustible foliage and from the trunks .of the forest giants that had been "boxed" for turpentine. Some of these trees resembled piliars of flame in motion as the train rushed by with thespeed of a lightning express. The woods on fire in South Carolina is a serious occurrence. At Mon -k's Corner it was reported that several plaatation houses had been burned down with all their farm attachments. At Stoney Landing it was only by the utmost exertion that the works were saved, the loss at that place having been confined to the destruction of about one hundred cords of wood. Several wood piles and wood racks along the track were in a blaze last night, and the loss in this respect may be still more serious. The people all along the line of road were out endeavoring to check the hurri cane of 1lame and protect their fences and dwelling-houses. The accidental landscape was Dantesque to a realistic degree, and furnished the passengers with sights and scenes equally difficult to describe or for get.-New* and Courier. E.LtuE BlRANcH, December 1.-A severe forest fire started yesterday morning in this neirhlborhood and, but for Providential in terference,the whole village would have been consumed. The tire was fought by men, women and children, foot for foot, but the strong southwesterly winds drove the fire through the village, burning fencing and threatening houses which were saved by almost superhuman efforts on the part of the workers. At last the tire got into 100 cords of wood. corded 200 feet north of the depot. and in a moment the flames were comInumicated to two flat cars on the side track, partly loaded with wood, and over the railroad to an old large mill shed, which was quickly consumed. At this juncture every hope of saving the village was given up, as the depot, two stores, a ginhouse, a dweiling-house and a large stable were in close proximity to each other and to the fire. The people became panic-stricken, and only thought of saving as much out of their houses as possible. At last a desper ate stand was taken opposite the depot and the fury of the flames stopped. Gen. W. Stokes'is the severest sufferer by the fire, having lost from $700 to $1,000 by wood, fencing and houses. AJ 1)o(g Wi'e in Hi' Generation. -Ever hear of a dog that would swal low money?" asked a man with thin lips who stood on a street corner yesterday "They've got a beast up at Billy Wright's that is ahead of anything of his kind I ever saw. His name is D)an ger, and an uglier looking brute I never saw. When he was a pup agrip car run over him and nearly ended his career. He had just begun to convalesce, and was siuning himself on the pavement one day, when a hansom cab swung around the corner, and, runng over him, broke his back. But, despite his deformities, Danger is a great dog. Drop a small coin on the floor and he will swallow it quicker than lightning. Why, it is only a few days ago that he swallowed $1.70 in pennmes, and yester day he gulped dlown a half dollar piece. A drunken man entered Wright's place last week and tossed a quarter on the counter in payment for a glass of beer. Receiving two ten-cent pieces in change, he attempted to thrust the coinsinto his pocket, but his hand being unsteady, one of the little silver pieces fell to the floor. Daniger was upon it in an in stant, and a second later it slipped down his gullet. "Where did that dime go?" asked the toper in surprise. "Dog swallowed it," replied the bar keeper. "That dlog swallow it?" "Yes." 'Oh, I guess not." "Well, if you don't believe it, drop the other dime." "The customer looked at the barkeep er and then at the dog. "Well, we'll see if he did," he said at length, as he dropped the other coin on the floor. There was a rush, a clang of chops, and then Danger wiped his whiskers witni his tongue and looked for more. "Well, Em-," said the man, in a uazed manner. "Give him a dollar," gturgled the fel low back of the buar. "Give him a dollar?" iterated the cus turmer. "Nixy; not in a thousand years." -Chicago Herald. .A comict's Mait Sacred. :LE~VEL.ND, Ohio. November 30.-A letter addressed to a prisoner in the Cleve land workhouse was opened by an otlcer of the institution, found to contain money, and laid away in the safe until the prison e's term should expire. When he was rleased the mianagenment forgot to give him the letter with the mouey, and it re miainied ini thie safe until traced through the postotiee, when the above state ot facts was disclosed. The attention of the United States authorities here having beeu called to this case. the qulestion has been freely discussed whether- the pracetice of opening letters adldreswed toi prisoner-s. which is common to most if not aill penal institutions, isnt a VioitionC'~ of thle L'nited States law colcerniur the sanctity of the mails. At the re'1uest of the Po stnaster, Assistant i nited State- .\ttorney S. ID. D~odge has ~iveni him a writteu opinion on the subject. It is a long~ review of the laws on this and kndredc~ points. and. conIcludes with the statleent that no prison oflicial hast the right to hpen a piri.soner's mail. - -How many womien mary a good, sensi bh- :nani ask. NKat1 Fibi.- inly one,~ if