University of South Carolina Libraries
^ THE J31^E^ILLIj JPI^ SS A. ' BY W. A. LEE AND HUGH WILSON. ABBEVILLE. S.'C., FRID A Y?.'MAT 12, 1871. ;a . - - ?n? ? ???>? ?I????a?_. SO GOES THE WOELD. V: v.' Our varied days p?v?s on and on, Our hopes fade unfulfilled away, And things which seem the life of life, Are taken from Us day by day; r And yet through all the busy streets The crowd of pleasure-seekers throng, The puppet's play, the showman's calls, An gossips chat the whole day long, And so the world goes on. Our little dramas come to nausrht: Our lives may fail, our darling plan May crumble into nothingness; Our firmest castle fall to sand ; And yet the children sing and dance, The money-makers laugh and shout, The stars unmindful, still shine bright, Unconscious that our light is out, Aud so the world goes on. The house grow3 sad that once was gay, The dear ones seek tbeirBlesSed Home, And we may watch and wait in vain To hear their well-known footsteps come; And yet the sunlight checks the floor, And makes the summer shadows loug, The roxe-buds at the casement bloom, The bird pours forth his cheerful song, And so the world goes on. And God goes on, and wltii our woe, Weaves golden threads of joy and peace, Guarding with his heart of-hearts, Our days of pain, our days of ease? He marks thein all?the seed,, the sheaves, ' } The dauger's smile, the mourner's, tears, And keeps them safe?His children all? Through "all the great eternal years, And so, thank God, the world goes oil THE MYSTERIOUS ORGANIST. At* a grand calhedr; 1 overlooking ihe Rhine tb.cre appearod a ^iatin-t guishcd organist. -The great coroipo ser who had played the organ so much had suddenly died, and every ;body, from king to the peasant, was vvondcrhig wtoo could be found to fill ' liis place, whco one bright Sabbath' morning, as the'sextdb entered the church; ho saw a saw a stranger sitting at the crape-shrouded orgftn.. He was a tall, graceful man, with a pale but strikingly, handsome, face, great black melancholy eyes, and hair like the raven's wing for gloss -and color, sweeping in dark^ waves over his shoulders. lie did not seen* to notice tht}? sexton, but went on playing, and such music as he drew from the instrument no words of mine can describe. The astonished listener declared that the organ seemed to have grown human?that it wailed ;and sighed and clamored as if its tortured human heurt were throbbing through its pipes. When the music at length ceased, J the sexton hastened to the stranger and asked: "Pray who are you, sir." I "Do not ask my name," he replied; | "I have heard that you were in want of an organist, and I have come hero on trial." "You'll bo sure to get the place," exclaimed the sexton. "Why, you surpass him that's dead and gone." "No, no, you overrate me," said the stranger, with a smile ; then, as if din inclined to conversation, be turned from old Hans, and began to play again, and now the music changed from a sorrowful strain to a grand' old paean, and the mysterious old or ganist: Looklng upward full of grace Playing still from a happy place? God's glory smote him iu the face, Jjind his countenance seemed not unlike that of St. Michael, us portrayed fyy Guido. &ost in tho melodies which swelled ! - - - * * .... j r around him, he sat with ins "lur-seeing'' ejof fixed on the distant; sky, a glimpso of%hichvKc caught through am open window, -when there was a stir about the church door, and a royal party came sweeping in. Among them might be seen a bright young girl, wit3a a wealth of golden liair, <yw iike the violet's hue, an.d ' lips like wild cherries. This was the I Princess Elizabeth, and all e\'es were ! turned towards her as she seated herself in the velveUcushioaed pew ap-; propriated to the court.;. The myste- j rious organ infixed his eye upon her I and went to playing. No sooner had j the music reached her ears than she started as if a ghost had crossed her j path. The blood faded from her t crimson cheek, her Hps qnivered, and I her whole frame grew tremulous At last her eyes met the organist in a long, yearning look, and the melody lost its joyous notes, and once more wailed and sighed and clamored. "By faith," whispered the King to his daughter, "this organist has a master hand. Hark ye, he shall play .at your wedding." The pale lips of the princess parted, Trot she could .not' speak?she was j dumb with grief. Like one in a paiuful dream, she saw ' the pale man at the organ and heard the melody which filled the vast edifice. Ay, full .well afre&ncw who it was and why tlift in&tpiimrwtt caot>iod hlV.athinff OUt the agony of a tortured heart. ' When the services were over and the royalparty; had left tbe cathedral, he stole away as mysteriously as he bad come lie was not seen again by tho sextou till the vesper hour, arid .then he appeared iu the organ loft and -commenced bis task. When he played, a>"v?iled figure glided in, and knelt near a shrine. There 6he remained until tho worshipper* disappeared, when tho sexton touched bar on tbe shoulder and said: "Madame, everybody has gone bat you and me, and I wish to close the door." . "I am not ready to go yet," was the reply j "leave me?leave me!" The sexton drew back into a shady niche, and watched and listened. "The mysterious organist still kept bis post, aod his head bowed upon tho instrument, and he could not see the lone devotee. At length she rose from the aisle, and moving lo tho orgau loft, paused beside the oig.inist "BertramI" she murmerecK Quick as thought the organist raised his head. There, with the light of the lamp suspended to the arch above falling full upon her, stood the Princess, who had graced the royal new that dav. The court dress of velvet, with its ermine trimmings, the tiara, the necklace, the bracelets had been exchanged lor a gray serge rohe and a long thick veil, which was now pushed back from the fair, girlish face. "Why aro you here, Bertram?" asked the Princess." "1 came to bid you farewell; and as I dared not to venture into the palace f gained access to the cathedra' by bribing the bell-ringer, and having taken the seat of he dea l organist, let my music breathe out the adieu I could not trust my lips to utter." A low moan was the only answer, UMIJ IJ4J CUfillllUCU . ' You are to be married on the morrow ?" "Yes," sobbed the girl. '"Oh ! Bertram, a trial it will be to stand at yonder altar, and take upon me the vojvtf which will doom me to a living death." v "Think of me," rejoined the organist. ''Your royal father has requested mo to play at the.:wedding, und 1 have promised to he here. if I were your equal I could be the bridgroom instead of the organist; but a poor musician must give you up." "It is like rending my soul and body asunder to part with you," said the girl. 4,Ta-n.ight I maj* tell you this? tell yoQ.frow fondly I love you. but in a few*hours it wiil bi a aiul Go, go, God bless you." She waved him from her, as if she would banish him while she had the power to do so.; and he?how was it with him! He arose to leave her, then caine back, held her to his heart in a lon.'r embrace, with a half ? * d smothered farewell, left .her. The next morning dawned in (-loudness splendor. At unearly hour thecathedral wai throw n open and Lho sexton began to prepare for the wedding, Flame-colored flowers nodded hy the wayside?-flame colored leaves came dashing down the tree* and lay in heaps upon the ground; and the ripe wheat waved like a golden sea, and berries dropped in red and purple clusters over the rocks along the Rhine. At length the palace gates "were Dpened and the royal parfyjappeared, escorting the Princess- Elizabeth to the cathedral, where the marriage iva8 to be solemnized. It was a bright pageant ?. far jrighfer thnn the entwined foliage and kh.^/ttvia t t>o toi-Pl-i *>f ilium ?s ivliich floated from stately heads and festal robes that streamed down over the nousing of the superb steeds Hut the Princess, mounted on a snowy palfrey, and clad in snow white velvet, looked pale and sad.; and when, on j heading the church, she heard a gush j of organ music, which, though juhi- j hint in sound, struck on Jicr enr like a funeral knell?fiiie trembled and i would have fallen to the earth,, had not a page supported her. A few minutes atterwa ds she entered the j catbedral.v There wilii his retinue Rtood the-roy-cl bridegroom, "whern sbe had never before seen. JBu-t her glance roved from him to the organ loft, where she had expected that mysterious organist. IIo was gone, upd she was obliged to return the graceful bow of the King, to whom she had been betrothed from motives of policy. Mechanically she knelt at his side on the altar stone; mechanically listened to the service and made the response. Tuen here husband drew her to him in a convulsive embrace, -and whispered: ' Elizabeth, my queen, my wife, look up." Trembling In every limb, she obc}*ed. Why did t^hoseeyes thrill her so? Why did that smile bring a glow on her ehceks? Ahl though, the King wore the royal purple and-many a, jeweled order glittered on his breast, he seemed, the humble person who had been cmDloved to teach ortran music, and bad v y ^ taught her the lore of love. "Elizabeth," murmured the monarch, "Bertram Ilofi'mar, the mysterious organist, and King Oscar (the Royal Free ilason) are one. Forgive my stratagem. I wished to marry yon, but I would not-drag to the altar an unwilling bride. Your father was in the secret." j While tears of joy rained from her blue eyes, the new-made q-icen rc! turned her husband's fond kisses, and I for once two hearts were made happy by a royal marriage. r J> r t ^ ? ? ; J* 'j : ; i ' - ; Serious affray in urbenvili.e.? i Wo learn that a difficulty occurred in, : Gr<*envHe, on Monday afternoon, which camc near proving a verj* seJ rious matter. It appears*" that two ! colored men?one of them a notorious ! character?went into the store of a merchant, named Isaacs, where some ' words ocourred, and Mr. Isaacs ordered them out; as they did not-lwave | promptly, ho started after them with ia stick, wheu the i' traders immedi! ately left As Mr. Isaacs turned around, one of the men threw a brick at him, which struck him just above 1 in tho elf nil tne lempie, uuu iuhoucu ... Au officer arrested one of the party, but the other ran ofP. As the prisoner was being carried to jail, a rescue waB attempted by a number of colored men. The whites sided with the officer, pistols and other weajpom j were displayed, and for a short timo tli^re was imminent danger of a Moody affair. Judge Orr and other influential gentlemen interfered, the excite rment quieted down, and the prisoner was locked up. Mr. Isaacs was alive at last accounts, but no hopes are ' entertained of his reeoverv.?Phoenix. ^ " GEORGIA'S GREATEST SON. A Son of the Late Henry J. Raymond Visits the Hon. Alexander H. Steph t'iiS. II. W. Raymond, Esq., of the I New York limes, (a son of its founder,) has recently visited Hon. A. II. Stephens, at the latter's home in Georgia. Like all men who have ever eonie i;; "contact ! with Mr. Stephens, Mr. Raymond was evidently impressed with his greatness, lie writes to his paper that, as the interview was mostly confidential, he cannot tell what took pJace wnue it lasted. lie had Mr. Stephens* permission to make public some of his views. We quote: Warm as was the day, a bright coal fire was burning in the grate, at.d every window was firmly fastened down?Mr. Stephens being a vk'tim ot that air-abhorring disease known as rheumatism. Two beds stood against the wall, a Imok-faee in each corner, a few chairs and a couple of tables littered up with a /utiiliionf) ?n n jo 1 vuinu.^u lAjavo \si books, documents (among winch I noticed a pamphlet speech by Senator Bayard,) and newspapers, made up the furniture of the room. On the floor were scattered, in wild confusion, copies of newspapers from every section of the land. Air. Stephen's, appearance is familiar most people; his spore ligtire so very slight and frail, his large head and piercing eyes; but to mf? wlin liiiil ripvpr kpoii him be tore, lie seemed but a mere skeleton. But when he talks the man is forgotten in the charm of bis conversation. For three hour* and a quarter Mr. Stephens talked with me on almost all subjects, and my only iegret was thai the time was tip so soon. Firm in his convictions, emphatic, and at times eloquent in his comparisons, illustrating all points with illustrations drawn from a long life of varied experiences, full of reminiscences of the old political times when statesmen filled the places now occupied by politicians, Mr. Stephens could not but be entertaining as well as instructive. I was amused, during our interview, with the freedom in the manners of the chil dreu ot Ins household servants. . They came in-and out at wal-l, squattod on the floor ami played with the dog, or stood before the fire ami stared to their hearts' content, j took part in the conversation when-1 ever they defied, being humored in everything by their much-loved master. Mfc. STEPHENS' VIEWS. ' I should like very much to give ! a detailed account of Mr. Stephens' i payings, for I know it would be j interesting; but, with the excep-; tion of a few points which I have j I his permission to repeat, J must be ! silent Mr. Stephens adheres as i firmly as ever to the doctrine of; State rights, and sees in its triumph alone the salvation of the Republic from a centralized despotism, lie j considers the thirteenth amend-! meut as having been full}' ratified ; and valid, as the natural result of: J the war. The fourteenth amJfif-j I teenth amendments he considers ! as "gross usurpations of power, j passed by force and fraud," with j seven of the original thirteen colo-! nies unrepresented. lie would not; hear of any such thing as "accept-1 ing the situation" with those two j amendments in existence. lie did not, nor did any one, propose to j do away with negro suffrage, but, desired to avoid what now existed i ?hostility of race to race. Mr. Stephens spoke of the Tammany King, New York, as an "abomination" and a disgrace. Of Governor Hoffman lie said th<it he knew of nothing against him, but he did not know liim. Of General Hancock and Frank Blair he spoke strong terms of admiration, the latter being a "man of nerve." The conversation turned on State ..:~i 1.1. ~ i TlglllS-, LUC pUllllUUI IIIIUIC, IMC next campaign, the condition of the Smith and its needs, &c\; but as , Mr. Stephens desired the conversation to be considered as confidential, I observe his request. Some of his political predictions, as to the votes of the States it) the next election, I jotted down in my notehook for future reference, since Mr. Stephens "staked his heml" on their accuracy,-and said that he had never been mistaken iu predicting the vote of a State since 1844' Such a- stake would be wortli winning. A nolored postmaster, murdered by the Kti Klux in South Carolina, has ! suddenly nindc hin appearance in Dei ' troit, Michigan. So we learn from a i Western oxchan^e. THE DEMONSTRATION IN LONDON IN FAVOR OP THE PARIS COMMUNE. The last files of the English: journals contain full reports of the . meeting which took place in Hyde , Park, London, on the fifteenth of i last month. The demonstration was intended to express the sympathy of the English republicans with the present insurrection which < is destroying Paris and disturbing | France. Though the assemblage jwas comparatively small, the Ian-1 < gunge of the orators was fierce and . violeut, and unmistakably hostile to the governments of England and other European countries. From ( the addresses made on the occasion it is easy to perceive the drift and J tendency of the thoughts of these would-be leaders of the working- 1 men of Great Britain. Unfortunately the sentiments of these 'men t<>o often exercise a dangerous influence over the working classes, ana noiwiinstanumg that the ting-1 x lish press affects to ridicule the:-] the demonstration in Ilyde Park it is nevertheless true that the agi- 1 tation inaugurated in London, ex- j pressive of sympathy with the insurgents in Paris, is the indication of a dangerous sentiment prevail- fc ing among a certain class of British j workmen. In all large cities there a*re io be found republicans of a I stripe who advocate the overthrow ^ of every form of government which * does not concede impossibilities. London is the very hotln-d of these men. They flock there from every clime, and receive a warm welcome from the fanatical theorists \vl o 1 abound there. The little cropping out of the Keil element at the Ilyde Park demonstration mav bt but ?i.~ ~?i ?i nit: jncuursor ui uuier aim more j r serious exhibitions. It is well i t known tlint throughout Uiecapitals j I1 ot" Europe there exists combinations j1 of ineu-as daring and as reckless a$i 1 those who now fight behind the j( baviieadet? nf Paris. Give them but i ^ an o{i|H?rtuuity to show their j j stren?^t Ii, ai??l they will do it. View- j ing the London demonstration in <j this light, we do not wholly agree a with the prcssi of Loudon in re- I j yarding the democratic display in ' u 21. - LV -1 . i - _ ^ i __ _ - f 11 I t uju iLugi.su cupiiui as 01 small r account.?N. Y. Herald. t r ? . \ . c An Execution in Union. i i t Henry Cannon and Taylor Palmer, . the two colored men sentenced to bo | | hung last Friday, for the murder of 11 G M. Stevens, on the night of the j t :31st day of December last, Buffered ! [ the penalty of the law as ordered by j t the Court. They died without ma--' ( king any disclosures except that on i the day of the murder it had been ar- , ranged by negroes in the village to : i meet at or near the place where the ! ( murder was committed and go from I there to Joncsville, about five miles j t beyond, to fight the Ku Klux, and if u they could not get a fight there they j f were to cail on a respectable citizen f who lives on the road and "take his , head off." The prisoners acknowl- ^ edged that they were In thn crowd r who murdered Stevens, but persisted t in raying they did not commit the , deed. They pretended to know none ^ who were present, except those who ( had been taken out of the jail by the r disguised parties, and three who are ] now at large. There? is no doubt they t had been led to believe they would bo pardoned at the scaffold; but. wh<jn | lint? t Kn an/I I tHV> oivj/pvu U|J\/|? tuv j/ium/1 III t*iivt I | the sheriff commenced to adjust the t rope around Palmei's neek, ull hope | Vanished and he fell to the ground, j The prisoners were attended upon b}T j Golden Foster, a colored minister, j Before "the rope was cut the minister ^ appealed to them not to die with a lie upon" their mouths, but to reveal all they knew; to which they replied, "you know all." In a moment after the drop fell, and the spirits of lienry Cannon and Taylor Palmer were sent from time to enernity.? Union \ Times. ( I ( The feat of enclosing 15.000 ordi- i nary and 500 8vo pages of official d.is- i patches in a small quill, and attaching 1 the latter to the tail feather of a pig- 1 : eon in an eh a manner as not to impede i : the bird's flight, or to incommode it, i and not to cause it to disembarrass itself of its precimio burden, was ac- i : cornplisiied in'Puria during the late i seigc.- The result was not attained by one effort; at first the dispatches i were written by hand < n the thinnest < paper known, next the manuscript messages were photographed microscopically on paper; thirdly, the dis "iti? h\j in ij 1^1 at, uii;ii reduced by photography, which showed of greater diminution in sizo, and afforded more legibility when enlarged. Lastly, un important important improvement was erteeted by Rending the almost imperceptible message on thin films of collodion. These films 1 were ten times thinner and lighter than the paper already mentioned, ! on *l.nf i> iiitr<>nri WHst pnnliliwl in nw viiav u * ^ w/ v-ciiij un immensely increased budget without any additional weight or volume ? in fact, With a diminution of both. I The nystem was conceived and worked out by M Steinacher, DirectorGeneral of Telegraphy with* the aid of MM. Boreswell, Blaise, and Lafuil^-e, who were at Tours. Queens of the Summer. 1 * BY CLIO 8TANLEY. Queens of the garden are roses, Bonny, and fragrant, and bright; A red rose and white rose are shining, "With splendor of dew-drnps alight; Their cool leaves are kissing my eyelids, Their color is soft on the brow: I cannot grow dull or unthankful? The roses are blossoming now! Queens of the green houghs are birdlinga, Hiding their wealth in a nest; A.bove ine* about nie, they're flying, Kiriiriiitr fliAir wn-pclpst Rlirt hMr 5ad hours grow fullest of comfort, Blessings come back in a throng; While under tiie green boughs reposing, I liud the sweet meaning of song 1 'i j' , v . " ; ' 7 . Jueens by the brookside are lilies, Slender, and saintly, aiid white; t Iwiiirrlif-. vi'liDM T uMitnhprl thnir nnfnIH. There could be no bonnier sight; t'etthe lilies?oh, strange contradiction! Their giory grew dim in a day, Yhen my darling, With tender grace blooming . . Came silently, walking that way! ^air queen of my summer is JessieJessie, so tender ami sweet! 'lie meadow with melody ringeth At sound of her twinkling feet; ?he sunshine of Love's in her presence? It colors all shadowy things ; , Jefore her the moorland grows brighter, Behind her the valley-land sings! Sweeter than breath of the roses, Bright as a bird on the wing? >ure a? the sweet-scented lilies, Awake at ihe dawning of spring; :urer, and brighter and sweeter, - . Is Jessie, the queen of nay heart; " Lnd from her, come winter or summer, I never?no, never will part! A SINGULAR CRIMINAL lie Murderous Philologist?He Petitions for a New Trial. A conlirbution to permanent crimilal lite rut 11 re is famished in the petiion just addressed by Edward II. Rula? - .. ..I II .J * i im, now, vujniiiuiiiy ruimu me learned murderer," toGoveinor Hoffn?n, of New York, written Iron) the ell wherein he is confined, under conviction of murder in the first degree, [ he inun himself in a permanent crimnal curiositj*. He is of marked intelcclual power, lying especially in the lireetion of ucute, if not profound inalyhis, und ingenious, if sometimes >erveree, induction. Ilia utterances ire characterized by t>kill und artistis Inish. Ili.< linguistic attainments, uo, are of the highest character in joint of range and thoroughness Jpon these he has constructed a the>ry of the progression and perfection ng of language which is subtilo and nirenio.us It runs c ounter to the esablished views upon comparative )l?ilolog}r. He entcrta ne unaffectedy an entire faith in the soundness and i fierce zeal for at least its perpetuaion. In prison he lias been visited >y gentlemen of professional scientific ittuinrneiitH, who have bee" uniformly luzzled by the man's exhibition of in.elleetual power and minute, various ind special linguistic knowledge. Professor Mather,of Aniberst College, hus describes Rulloff's appearance: "In jierhon this strange man in ibout middle height, and of robust )iiild, and is apparently verging on i.ty year* of age. Be lias a singular '.?Cu, not villainous or groasly sensual, lor is it scholarly. The features are itrongly ma'kcd and full of sinister neariing In mannt-rs he is very ur>une and natural, and he converses ,vith great facility and elega> ce. Bis ?oice is mellow and pleasant, and occasionally showed tones of tendericss But for all that. I do not beieve the man has any tenderness save or language." , ... , . . >m A significant feature of this singoar chumeter is the apparent absence ?t* what, is understood by the term 'moral sense," and ho has endeavored ;o solve the problem of life as a proessional criminal. Accordingly we ind him pursuing the calling of sys^cniatic burglary for a number of rears, during which, on several separite occasions, he was overtaken oy nisfortune in the shape of a legal conviction, to which he has arison supe*ior bj' ingeniously breaking jailraad juccirtsfully maintaining a disguise ivhich prevented recapture. He has been suspected of compassing th< Jeath of his wife, but the proofs justify no more than the Scotch verdict of not proven." Once moro he is now M'itK O/l t i n t Ka <mica SLJ'Uggll IJ? n HII V Wl OJ t J III bUV >f u death sentence, after conviction for murder, and once more his intellectual nature stands him in stead, by interposing the remarkable petition ibove referred to. Last summer Rulloff and two others entered a store in which two L-lerks named Myrick and Burrows, were sleeping. 'I lie clerks awoke and the burglars fled. One of them, however, was struck down by Burrows, Myrick following up the advantage. 1 he prostrate burglar cried cried for ... .i U.'otiiwv /./.mnunmna Vi*f llt*n Ur^miilHUlT, mnn.u ud, and five pistol shots were tired, by dug of' which My rick was wounded and died. The thr<*e burglars attempted to swfm Chenango JRiver, All had been wounded und two sank i<nd were drowned. Rulloff reached the opposite bank exhausted, was identified captured and convicted. He is under sentence to be hanged May 18th. In his petition to the Governor he tnnkes two points: I. Ho wi 1' be able to show on another trial that he did not fire the fatal shot. It is shown that the two burglars bad abandoned tho commission of the larceny before the fatal conflict. Tho violence 1 ' 4 " ..l.v..I.A 4/Mitn??/! tliain KlJOWn o y U1U Cluruo iv/n?iu vnvii orarade (he hold.-} was an unlawful violence, and the fata! conflict Was an attempt to suppress this unlawfalvioIcnce, Under the statute, such malice a? fixes the grade of murder in the first degree cannot he presumed to attach to a man who bad first abandoned his unlawful purpose of larceny, huu next returned to. tne spot omy to suppress the unlawful violence of the clerk?*, and, finally, had not himself fired the fatal shot. 2. But the prisoner becomes more earnest in enforcing his second point ?the value of his philologic discovery. And herein be only urges that o committee of qualified persons be immediately appointed to investigate the subject, to ascertain the value of his dincnverv. and to take such Htens as may be necessary it* preservation. In itself it is of infinite interest. It applies equally to the ancient Greek,. Latin and 'Hebrew, Sanscrit, Arabic, Celtic, French, German, Ehglish languages. It carries us back to a time in the history if the ancient Greek when as yet the letter R was on-^ known. Should petitioner perish without the means of perpetuating his discovery, ages might elapse before another p? rson would make such advances in this particular line of inquiry as to make this method accessible for purposes of general education. Petitioner sets forth a Bampleof what he elaims to be h's discovery, and of * L. iL ?.J iL.. ^2 it.n uie uieinuu en tuc juiruuuvuuji ui tut; letter R into the etcaeture of the Greek language, tracing some of its consequences with raro ingenuity.. Alter a review of the whole caso. however, it appears to be fitly summed up in the happy language of the Newark Advertiser ?' "Philology be hanged." The Planet Mercnry on Time. The sky and the atmosphere gave the requisite condition# for the observation of the planet Mercury on Sun- . day evening, which having then reached its greatest eastern elongation, was visible for nearly two hours after snnset. It was one of those rare evenings which are the delight of astronomers. when not a single fleecy cloud obscured the sky, and not a breath of vapor dimmed the vision. The cold -J /Vttltt /I Mil Kanlr 4 /* i A wiiiu was uic umj uian uati\ km iuc perfection of meteorological condition^ Juat-aboutan hourafler sunset the tiny star made its appearance in the position indicated lbr the fiery little planet. It wao directly in the sun's path, but so faint and small that wo could hardly believe it to be the glorious orb for whose long-anticipated sight we were willing, to watch the whole evening. But as the twilight waned tho tiny star grow in size and ruddy light, until we knew from it& soft glow that it must be the plane', we sought, and that for the first time, thongh we had looked for. it unsuccessfully hundreds of times, we saw the star so shy of showing itself to mortal eyes. A lovely pictaro of starlit plory was spread out on the dark concave of the sky; the growing orange twilight, the peculiarly brilliant Mercury the fascinating Venus, the silver crescent moon, and the '-star of imperial Jove" rising in celestial glory above each other, with ''the red planet" Mars mounting to the zenith in the eastern sky, while they Batik slowly to the west. Later in the evening, after the twilight glow had faded away, we had a view of these planets through the Professor's telescope M< rcury looked like a ball of glowing fire; Venus was intensely bright, reflecting every TM?iumntii* hiiM vvitii I'pimwn nnH win v - let predominating; Mars resembled Mercury, only larger and of a more fiery red, and Jupiter was tbe most charming telescopic object in the heavens, with his soft light, his wonderful belts plainly visible, and his four moons glistening" liko diamond points of light. The Moon also put on a lovely aspect. The edge's were clearly defined against the sky, and the cusps of tbe crescent shone liko stars reflecting their light on the unillumined surface, the whole bod3' of the Moon being distinctly seen as a sphere of grayish white. We had a third view of Mercury, i iust before he sank beneath the hori zon, when il was dark enough to bring out the constellation of the Pleiades, a lew degrees above him, the planet making a beautiful pendant to the glittering cluster. Mer'-ury may?lill be 6een for two or three evenings, but owing to his rapid approach to the Sun he mnut be looked for lower down towards the horizon. After this his light will be lost in the Inightnessof the great luminary until parsing to the wost of the Sun he will reach, on the 10th of next June, his greatest western elonj gution, when ho may again be seen j about two hours before sunrise as i morning star. ?A^. Y. Herald. The Interior op the Earth.?A writer in Soribner's Monthly says: ! We suppose that Professor David ! Forbes, of England, knows as mueh ! about the interior of the earth as auy ! inan living. In a !nte leeture he inj sisted that all the objections brought j by geology, mathematics or astrono' my againwt the old theory that the j earth is a molten mass surrounded by I a crust about fifty miles thick, are I quite untenable. He would have us i believe, while the outer layer of inel ted mutter, just below tho earth's cruet, may be a kind of glassy slag, : that not far below this layer, a salamander bent on discovery would fiud tho pure molten metals, of which the j heaviest?gold, platinum, etc.?would bo at tho earth a centro, \ ?ry .lKeiy c the mass of the earth is molten iron; and this view is quite corroborated by the fact that the broken fragments of some disrupted world, which in the form of aerolites, are continually JH1K ing from the sky, are often metalic iron. But what a tantalising thought it is, that just under our feet are countless tons of the precious metals, nnlir umiiinir fli* .TriHn Whnrnflf f.n Int. us &now the route by which bypassed through to China* useful morxmok * How .to lay off a Square Acre^Qf Ground?measure off 2u9 feet oa eaeh side, and you will have a square acre, within au inch. ,v t -f [ ({ /j if? off *j Contents .of an Acre.?An acrecon-. tains 4840 tquare rods... . . . , A square, uiile contains 640 acres. Measures and distances? A >iuila is 4280 feet,-op 1860 yards ia length.-.. - ^ A fathom is bix t'eet. A league is three miles.; t, , : Crf> A Sabbath .day's journey is 1144 yards? tbis is eighteen- yards less tuau two-thirds of a mile. , - ... .j A day's journey is 33} miles. I A cubit is two feot. A band (horse-measure) is 4 inches. A palm is 3 i'eet. r. y, Barrel Measure?A barrel of flour weighs 196 pounds. \..y A barrel of pork, 200 pounds.? - . A barrel of rice, 60i> pounds. A keg of powder, 25 pounds, A tirkin ot butter, 56 pounds. A tub of butter, 84 pounds* ,H ; Bushel Measure.?The following are itnM hir *rp\tr\it. n?r lui^tml '"IU J * ""? V J/V?, VMWUVI Wheat, beans and clover seed, -60 pounds to tho bushel. . Corn rye and flax seed, 66 pounds. Buckwheat, 53 pounds. Barley, 43 pouuds. Ool?, 32 pounds. Bran, 20 pounds* w. Coarse salt, 85 pounds* Various We ghts and Measures.? ? . c 1 1. -tj\ ? . ?r A ion oi rouuu uiuuer w tew, vi square limber, 54 cubic feet ; j A commercial bale of cotton is 400 pound*. ' A peek of wool, 240 pounds.' ' A section of government land is 646 acres, or one mile..,, A liquid ton is 252 gallons. - A box 16 by 16$ inches and 8 inches deep contains a bushel. - Under the head of "Useful, Facta for Grocers," the American Grocer gives tbe following information : " A sack of Liverpool salt should contain 224 pounds. ' A bushel oi Turk's Island salt-will weigh from 70 to 75 pou rds. A box of lemons will average a*>out 330 in number, a box of oranges from 200 to 250. A case of preserved ginger contains 9 jtirs. A-frail of dates weighs from 150 to 200 pounds* A dram of figs, 2, 4, and 8 pounds each.. A cask of prunes, 1300 to 1800 pound*, averaging about 1500 pounds. A box of raisins contains 22pounds net. Currents como in casks of from 275 to 300 pounds. a Citron comes in small boxei of about 25 pounds eaob. Tare, two to two and a half pounds. ' I Peanuts are usually sent to market i ?*> fio?.|/o /.Mnfniriin/y oKAiit. 5 hiwKnla I J IJ COVy UCj vviibtui i4,'& ui/vu V V vmvmwaw* Dried applet and peaches come in barrels, generally from 150 to 225 pounds. Blackberries come in barrels. . A quintal of tish is 112 pounds*. Virginia peanuts weigh 22 pounds to the bushel,. Wilmington do., 28 to 28 pounds. African do, 32pounds. THE NEXT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WHAT THE SOUTH ASKS. The South has ho negro issue to make in the coming election. All her views are national and conservative. We think we know the temper and opiuions ;of her peopie on that Question, and. at the risk A ** ' T . of a note of dissent from a few extremists, we now take occasion to embody them in the following pr .-pcwitions, which, we believe, will meet the cordial assent of ninety-nine out of every hundred democrats in the South. First?We regard African slavery as abolished, finally and forever. Second?Equal civil right to every class of American citizens without distinction. Third?While we hold that republican government, to be wise and safe, must rest upon the virtue unci intelligence ot the people, and view with serious apprehension the incorporation of a large servile class of unlettered peraous, wholly unfitted by previous education, habit or association, for an intelligent use of the elective franchise with the voting population of* the Union; yet, as suffrage without distinction of race, color, or previous. condition, has become engrafted upon all of the constitutions, State as well as federal, we accept the change as law, and, repu dinting all responsibility therefor, will give it a fair trial, leaving to the fatnro to determine, by the light of experience, whether a continuance of the system ahajl or shall not be safest and best for the country. ~ These propositions, in our judgment, embrace the views of the great bocty of intelligent Southern men on the negro question, and if | the Jacobin leaders can make any tning ny tnuing issue with tliem they are welcome to the victory. : .? -.'-?l i#!'JT - I:W '(IP'I' .:t<- -scraps. .. c ?.:> " '.?df f ??5?! rf* Over, seventy Germai writer*)^" al present engaged in laanuiVwjturli^Y, war novels. ' The United States Goveriment expenses for Anril ??ra tvuiva ^ - ? half millions? " "loi. <v A. . The California Vintage for this ?eft* eon is estimated at ten million gal-41 lontJ. ^'"*"" " ??? , .Over twohundred 'delegates^^)iSt medical convention fro n the Eastern States are in San Francisco.^ * . IS-"'' " TKli MlWAtt# TifrtnilaW'- ?? .??? ?.vvuj.w?vj5? rwi uvnu the schooner Ada A.' AndwWs, from - ; Alejwiciria .fqr, Boeton, wj^i ooij., > Tho erew were 6*ve{l. .. , ., . : ?'?! V3:. & U ?rif The Beppblicftn exeoptlv#, copwniV i tee of New. York City bas t adopted resolutions against the annexation jdf San Domingo. : Jii}l ::t3'L * ! ?'-f ' A dispatch from ^ff?<npt?is-?lafcii* a # that a hail storm did fnuch1 damageni l> ' JNortb Alissiaaippi, Jloodagr-:!'^.r: pi v'i W. W. Corcoran, th*Wasbfinikidnc;1 philanthropist, is better, and hopa?/< are entertained of hiSireeovqrjv^ 01fn> Deer Creek earned off tiifttrwstta?* from the crevasse, saving; the rich , Deer Creek Valley of Bclivar an<t Washington Counties, Mississippi. ' * ' ^ General Spinner has been Treasurer., , of Che United' States for lo 'yeara> .and" hat bandied in that? time th? 'r very large an m of $50,000,000,OQOu. m;.> The* ladies of tlie BuItanV ikraW hold are reported to have read 93,00# h ! worth of French novels laet year. n;; f The bpanreb government bsfl jofcJ given oal a contract for ington rifles, to be delivered as /soon . ?ooh as po6sibie, for 'shfpmeottb Cuba. , . ' .<a q l\, \T.lUt A man at Sairry/ Termont, cased of having whipped bis dugSk ter, a boat welre jeanpld, so: me%: ; fy as to CMU80 her death, ^ ^ - The Washington, Chromclft gives t currency to a rumor.that-Minister, Cnrtin has tendered his regittnition and will soon return from Rtnrtia.'v,fI f Needles were first made in' England'' by a Spanish negro'-io-tb^ reign of ; klury. ;jQit hit) deaths bu art was Jott . nnlil 1566. when JBlias Groroao, aGer.iJ - ..... . ' u man, re-discovered th?u same. * , . JlfiiT ' no ffO:.: <ii _!?>*!?> ? The fonr richest men in Virginia .. are William T. Soatberiin, of .Dan* ' ville; James Thomas, of Richmond,1' Joseph Anderson; of : Richmdnd,> andFranklin St?arns,of. Richmond., _T.;, , An Illinois undertaker advertiMi ? that he keeps on hand ' an ^leg*H& stock of neat and nobby 'shrouds, ! warranted "to give satisfaction to thft most particular. ifF %' { James Tyson, now living near tfcr A A _l_ 1 !_ ' I, ? ? .. ? a.r?, Arit., ciairns la nave iongnr if* sixty battles and' skirmishes on" tb? bide of the rebellion, and to have' rwi; ceived more tl^ii) forty wounds is still able to manage a small farm. 4>;; Cashmere dresses, colored arid7 b1ack> are worn this spring over-Bilk' dresses, end are elaborately' embrold* ered or braided and edged with lao& The sack is cut ap at the sides awj' back, and with very loag sieves,. Abo trimmed with lace. / . <-v*;; The cotton merchants at Htm after long deliberation, have resolved on adopting in the^lassiflcation ofcotton the designations employed in 1 in America and Liverpool, instead, of the French ones heretofore employed* A . ?L.l *l>?(-i- ? -J? ' a j'UUiig Itiau ouyo bu?l mew Bay have been Mich a thing &s real -trttfr love in old times, bat now the notioa is entirety obsolete, and if yoo aak .* : lady now-a-daya to 6harevyo?ur lot, she immediately wants to; know hot* j large that "lot" is. Frederick Kapp, one of the po?ftK cal refugees from Prussia of 184%. was lecoived by Emperor William, at the palace in Berlin, with tho greatest cordiality;, as the representative of the Germans of America. -> , ' ,'i M .. . V.! . . ...? o l?o* O 1 JUTm* 4Ug ? ov* uivu )?oir Plymouth Church, on 'Ages to Come/ Rev. llenry Ward Beectrer indignantly scouted, the theory ol the teaurrection of the body. In consequence of the great consumption of perfumes by Americas soap manufacturers, it is now found profitable to go into the coltivatiooof some of the vegetables, especially winter-green, peppermint and berga* mot. i I GlfI1C U- ' V > ^ Eugene Webb, in Agricultural Park at Sacramento. Cal., yesterday, rode one hundred miles on horseback in four houra and thirty-four minutes. Ho agreed to perform the feat in fbnr hours and forty minutes for a purse of $1,000. On Thursday evening at 6 05 Sam Collyer, the well-known light-weight, | left Richmond on foot for Petersburg ; on a wager of $200 that he could reach it in three hours and fifteen minutes. Ho arrived at 9.15?five minutes wilhin time?winning tho mniinir r? Mrs. Fair, tho deliberate slayer of a Mr. Crittenden, of San Francisco, i will not be sentenced until the 29th of 1 May, her counsel desiring a month'* I time in which to prepare his motion j for a new trial. IJe makes only forty ; exeeptions to the rulings of the court , during the trial. The verdict in the : case of Mrs. Fair is generally approv. ! ed by the press of California, and, we may add, by the press of the - whole country.