Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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ABBEVILLE PRESS & BANNER J BY HUGH WILSON AND W. C. BENET. ABBEVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1879. NO. 32. VOLUME XXVI^M A Winter Morning Idjl. Hanting the darkness everywhere, The snow has clothed the moonless air Through the loDg hush of night; And now with morn the woodlands fill Their solitude, how bright ! how still !? The valley hides in light! Tbe sunrise through onr window seed Illumined toners, illumined trees, That melt in silver gleams, Where the weird artist of the^night, To give the child a new delight, Has tried to paint its dreams ! Tho trees with drooping sparkles glisten Beside our door; and?Fee them! listen !A dozen boys, aglow, Warm-blooded, full of buoyant life, Mingle, knee-deep, in merry strive? Mock battles with tbe snow ! Losing the winter in their joy; What shouts! whit laughter! Yonder bo; A champion litho and tall, Compels His corps with instant will ? \ An avalanche charge! Bat, massed cn still, These nei:her fly nor f-1 ! One little rogne, so cuunin^-sby, TovrdcTs the large boy i.i l>-.?s eye ; With quick-averted fnco Another throws?a c*p is Hying : To escape tbe ball another trying Jr'lips in soon-lost dicgt ace ! Who, smiling, watches, e?ger, there? An old man?hoar-frost in his Lair, Hat flower-wartuth in his Leart? At yonder window, peering through Joins in the happy battle, too, His boyhood taking part! ?J. J. Piatt. CLARA'S ROMANCE. CHAPTER I. On such a snuDy morning in th heart of a golden October, the ran frou Jersey to Guernsey in the good Bteame Southampton would Lave been tb height of enjoyment to all on board bad sailors and good, if wind and tid had not proved so perverse. As il hap pened, there were many immovable oc eupants of the canopied seats on th quarterdeck, and the ladies' cabin di< not lack tenants. Amongst tne latt-e were Clara and Amy Chadwick. T( them, poor things, the briefest sea-voy age, no matter how gracious the weath or, or how bland and agreeable win< and tide, was a period of unqualifie< misery. Not so to their lively cousin Isabel Skelton. She loved the sea ii all its moods, and verily the sea seem edtoloYeher. Since they left Jersey Fhe has not set eyes on * her eousinB* They descended into the cabin as th< boat steamed out of the harbor, leaving her to her own devices. She has not for saken the bridge from the moment thi barrier waa removed; and now, as th< Southampton nears St. Peter's Port, sh< is almost sorry the voyage is about t< terminate, albeit they are an hour be , yond the average duration of the run This is a dny in her delightful holi day. The father of her cousins?excel lent uncld Philip?invited her "to nc oompanj him and the girls on then tour through the north of France.' They havo left him at St. Malo. Oi parting witti them, he said, '* I have buainess which will detail me in this neighborhood for a coupl* of days, so you had better go on with out me, especially as that party a' Oornthwaite's is a young folks' affair and I should only be in the way. O oourse I thall spend an evening wit! him in Guernsey as I return, to tall over old times; but you get on. Isabe will take care of you," i'nnnl /^A^AWAMAA ?\1AA> XjUO WiltUlUai UClCiCULD IXf JLIIO UiCU as a person more to be relied on thai his own daughters gives anything bul pleasure to them. She is their junior, Her experience is inferior in all respect? to theirs. Sho has seen less society, has tasted less life. They, however, are too much in awe of their father t< openly manifest any objection to hit Views'; and consequently, when Clar? and Amy do "show temper " to theii oousin, it is on occasions when the flelc is literally their own. They are fine, showy girls; but she is pretty, and " as sweet as English air can make her.' Hers has been the robust training of ? fanner's daughter; theirs, that of the spoilt darlings of a wealthy merchantprince. They hare been invitee to break their voyage at Guernsey, ir order to take part iu an evening at the house of their father's retired friend, Stephen Cornthwaite. The programme embraces dinner, a carpet-dance, anc charades. The Misses Cbadwick are beni on conquest, and, like the tinoomely elder sisters in the story of Cinderella, have disclosed the-ir intention? to Isabel. She knows intuitively thai she owes her invitation solely to the kind consideration of her uncle Philip, If thty had had their will she would have been condemned to Bpentl her evening at the hotel which is their presenl temporary destination. The passengers have been bauiehec from Ihe bridge, and are grouped upor the quartet-deck, gazing with mteresl on the picturesque town of St. Peter'f Port, rising precipitously roof upor roof from the back of the extensive harbors to the topmost heights beyond. rtarjftna hrmrwl fr\y rinorncQT? vuuiuovj, "lav are sufficiently themselves to undertakt the task, are picking out their luggagt from the pile that has been placed read? for landing, and are, laden with umbrel las, bouquets of flowers and handbags, otherwise preparing to step ashore. Th< Misses Ohadwick have not yet emergec from the cabin. Miss Skelton, even feature of her bright face betraying th< keenness of her enjoyment, has n< thouorht for her baggage. Besides? "You are certain I cannot be of an^ service to you?" The voice is that of a tall, handsom youn^ fellow of about five-and-twenty who haB shown her a good deal of deli cate attention during the voyage. H had found her a camp-stool and rug, an had "packed her up " under a part c the paddle-box, where she was snugl, protected from the showers of spra; that dashed over the bridge. She, o: the other hand, had shown no little in terest in the contents of his sketch book. "Tfaank you very much, my cousin and myself are expected, and we ar only goiupj to the hotel." " May I "? he began, and then, ap peariug" to recollect himBelf, he adde<3 "Do you remain long in Guernsey?" " Tbat depends entirely on my uncle, replied Isabel, ingenuously. " He wi follow us from St. Malo the day aft* to-morrow." " Then I must wish you good mori _ it > i^g " Good morning, and thank you." "You never were here before, Isi bel?" said Clara; "of course not. is a drrt.ifuiJy Jaiilj place, Dut l turn you will like it. I do not profess I understand such things; but those wb do, Lionel Grant, for example?wh; look, Amv, there be is !" and she ac her sister acknowledged, and affab] withal, the salute of a gentleman wfc was proceeding in the direction wbic the carriage was taking. It was Isabel oompagnon de voyage. As his smile, lit his bow, was evidently directed i .jxjh to lier as to her couBin, she ale routined her head, blushing the whil this time the color of a full-blown roa ? Why, Isabel," exolaimed Amy. "c you know him? How's that? Hehj Bpnrr''"frf"' '** '7 ' ka been sketching in Jersey theBe three weeks, and yon never surely met him in England." " I never saw him until this morning on board the boat," replied Isabel Bimpiy. 44 Oh 1" exclaimed Clara, with meaning, at the same time exchanging glances | | with her sister. 44 Well, you will not ! require an introduction to him this evenj ing at the Cornthwaites'." I "He is to be there, then ?" eagerly i ejaculated Isabel. " I suppose so," rejoined she, with an J air of petulance; 44 he is a friend of the Cornthwaites. But I fail to see what - there is to gush about in that assurance. Doubtless there will be others at the party as nico as he. One would think ! you were smitten !" To these rude and ill-natured remarks ! Isabel vouchsafed no reply, and as they ! had reached their hotel, neither of Cinr, derella's elder sisters troubled to note the effect on Cinderella of the malicious little speech. It was clear that the | d Misses Cbadwick were pat out by the j knowledge of the accident which had j bronght Mr. Lionel Grant and Miss Isabel Skelton together. On returning from their own apartments to the coffeeroom, to supplement the apology for a breakfast which they had had in Jersey by partaking of a more substantial repast, the young todies found, to the distress of one of them, that part of the j Inggsige had gone forward to Southampton. Isebel's trunk was missing I She could have cried with vexation as she i thought cf the party at the Corn| thwaite's. Clara, the grittier of the two | sisters, said: "Oh, well, it can:t be helped ;|you will I have to send an apology. You might j have one of my dresses, but it would not i fit; and as for Amy "? "I have it," exclaimedbetter-natured I Amy, interrupting her sister. She was i I just the least bit sorry for Isabel. "You e j know that bloomy gray dress of mine; a j wear that The trimming is rather j r | shabby, but what is to be done ? And j e fine feathers do not always make fine i birds, you know." g "Thank you," exclaimed Isabel; "I ! _ ; shall be able to make that do nicely." I J | In her joy she kissed Amy, which mark [ B ! of gratitude that young person received j with a slight feeling of compunction. f j CHAPTER II. 3 i - j It was a merry dinner party. Mr. - and Mrs. Cornthwaite could not do J enough to pleasure their guests, both I then and subsequently; and being of , that order of people who have sunny no1 tions of life, and never grow old, they - ; succeeded to admiration throughout. , 7 i Twice only during the evening had . j Lionel Grant found himself in the im- j 5 I mediate society of Miss Skelton, onoe as |1 j | her partner in a quadrille, and again as 1 | an actor with her in a charado. 3 In their interchange of the rippling . i! amenities of society, there appeared to ' J ! each converser more meaning than those ' ) j littlenesses usually carry. His words - i were earnest, hers haltingly timorous, j, . | "I had no idea this morning that I I - 1 was to have the pleasure of meeting you j ! here. I am acquainted with Miss Chad j wick and her sister. I met them a great r j deal in London last season. Is it not ' j singular they never referred to you ?" I i| "Not at all," Isabel replied. "Our i 'livesare so different. I am a fariu*-r'e < i 1 daughter, and I live in Kent. Wo ure 3 J all busy at home in quite another -a ny j - from theirs during what yon call the j < b ! London season." < , j After the charade, in which Miss j 1 f ] Sbelton and Mr. Grant enacted parts, 11 l Isabel's two cousins, who had separately | < c | and conjointly observed the what they ! < 1 j were pleased to term brazen flirtation of < i the pair, took Isabel to task. It was i 1 ?j Clara who spoke. ! < i " Isabel Skelton, Amy and I are more ; t! surprised than words can express. Are . | you?are you aware that your frequent < i j conversations with Mr. Grant, who is a ( , i hardened flirt" (this was a falsehood 1 , j coined on the spot), "havebeen noticed i > i by .others beside ourselves ? Pray be c i j more circumspect; otherwise I shall i i j feel it my duty to tell papa." t r | Nothing was farther from Miss Chad- i i I | wick's intentions than the fulfillment of \ , this threat, but she hoped it would de- : c i press her cousin, and it did. The min' utes which had sped so joyously began ? i to drag wiili Isabel, who gradually be- ? 5 came intensely miserable, and wished herself miles away. When Mr. Grant { I next accosted her she replied to him t i ! with an air of constraint. Looking uu- > >! consciously from her face to that of i i , i Clara's, he saw there a maliriou6 sparkle j ] ! j which let light into the cause of Miss c 1 j Skelton's change of manner. So, she < ? 1 l?nrl Vippn intprfflrincr I i " Oh, Mr. Cornthwaite, what a lovely < moonlight night!" exclaimed Mi63 Chad- i i wick later on, as she looked from the 1 t veranda across the shining sea; "do i ) take us for a walk to Moulin Huet." , The amusements were by this time flr%gi ging, and Clara feared that, during the 1 | lull, Mr. Grant anil lier counin might t t; come together again. s ; "To Moulin Haet to-night, my dear ? < I Are you mad ? Remember the moon is t i | inconstant, and, alas, my climbing days 1 I j are over ! But if you will promise to i J ; be very discreet, and Lionel will act as i t ! guide, go by all means. I consign you j i j especially to his care. Let us to cards, , : my friends, while these madcaps go in t ? i search of the picturesque." 1 ) ! The arrangement harmonized with ' ) i Clara's views, but not with Grant's, t r ! However, he put the best face he could ] - j ou the matter, and led the way, accom- < , panied by Miss Chadwick, and followed i 3 ! by Amy, Isabel and two Guernsey < 1 i young Indies and their respective cava- j r | uers. jLHuuei mwuueu uy uu uu- j 3 : cient beau, gallant to a fault. Neither i ) | of them found the other's conversation J very entertaining. The party had not i f ! proceeded far when Lionel exclaimed : i 1 " Now, ladies, which is it to be, com- i e ; fort or a spice of danger ? i " By all meana let us have some ex- ] i- citement," rejoined Olara. She had i e confidence in her protector. The beau, d who had lost confidence iu himself, if counseled prudence ; but he was overy ruled. Disposing of their trains in a y manner that boded ill for the appeara ance of those appendages on the morrow, i- the ladies vigorously pursued the tori tuous path which was struck out by their guide, and the entire party speedis ly gained the heights. In the scramble e Isabel, who had persistently declined ; the assistance of her companion?he ?- j really had no superfluous stamina to I, ! spare?found herself alone. It troubled I her, so miserable was the mood into " i which she had wrought herself, to re11 main with the rest of the c apricious exsr : pediticn; and so, scarcely heeding the i nrar?r7ornrl ulin ! [ Uireubll'll JII \y LLl^Ll Due TT umiviVM, l- j gradually lost the sound of their voices. ; The wind was freshening, and driving dark clouds aerobe tho face of the moon *- in a manner that foretold a sqnall. Why [t j were Clara and Amy so cruel to her ? ;k She was snre there was nothing in her to innocent enjoyment of the bright con:o versation and pleasant society of Lionel f, Grant?what a dear bnnueouie fellow he id was 1?which they could properly find iy fault with. They were jealous. That 10 wr.6 it. They grudged? ih A fall, a piercing scream, a dull thud, 's and silence. if She had missed her footing on the is shorn grass, whioh is there as smooth as 10 velvet, and had been precipitated into e, the ugly depths below. 3. It is evident that her cry has been lo heard. A loud ringing shout comes #s from the other side of the bay. It is the voice of Lionel Grant. He hai rudely cast aside Mies Chadwick, anc seriously jeopardized the safety of tha young lady in his mad anxiety to lean the meaning of that cry of terror. "Where is Miss Skelton ? Will no body speak ? Braye " (the name of th< beau), " 6he was in your charge." Treating with indignant: scorn the stammering apologies of the feeble ole gentleman, Grant turned to the two Misf Chadwicks, now huddled together, anc said fiercely: " I must ask you to take care of your selves "? "Oh, Mr. Grant, if anything should have happened to Isabel " Would you be very sorry ?" lie asb ed, bitterly. Hereupon Clara began to cry. Paying not the least attention to her grief. Lionel turned to the men and said: "Those of you wlio know the bay, come with me. There is not a momenl to be lost. A heavy squall is coming on." ^ Whereupon he sped with pfctous alacrity in the direction whenc^he shriek had appeared to come. All thi? happened in the space of a few moments. As Grant's voice, with its continuous cry, "Miss Skelton, Miss Skelton!' was heard lcwer in the craggy hollow of the buy, the threatened squall came on in bitter earnest, and perfected the physical misery oJ the women, who were crouched in a heap under the joint protection of e stone wall and our friend Braye. The moon was hidden behind a dense cloud. As Lionel and his Guernsey aids proceeded in their search, he with feverish rapidity, it became evident that without the light of the moon the chance oi finding the poor girl was remote indeed. He continued his cry, " Miss Skelton, Miss Skeiton!" with piteous force. Then he prayed for a blink, just a blink, of the light of the moon. During those fearful minutes the knowledge came to him like a flash of inspiration that he loved thiB bonny maid of Kent with a love unspeakable, and if?But the thought was maddening. Oh, for the moon ! Thank God, there it was at last. Pausing in his downward career, he peered with painful care near and beyond him, and desqribffl?something. What was it that shone so curiously about a dozen feet below the crag over which he leaned ? The fringe of peacock feathers. Argus' eyes had met his ! Galling aloud for assistance as he lifted up her head, bleeding from the fall that had stunned her, he whispered her name : " Miss Skelton?Isabel?dear Isabel! It is I, Lionel Grant. Yon know me. Thank God she lives!" They carried her to the footpath that skirts the bay, and found with joy that, gave the severe wound she had sustained in her head, she was unhurt. " Will it leave a scar?" she asked, as, leaning upon Lionel, they slowly proseeded to where a carriage waB waiting to take her to Mr. Oornthwaite's. 'Yes, dear," he whispered, "in my heart. But you must heal that." And she will. About Diphtheria. A New York World reporter has had ihe following interview with Professor ilfred L. Loomis on the subject of 1 inlifliAMM " What is diphtheria ?" " It is an infectious disease?that is, >ne capable of being transmitted from jne person to another. Opinions further :han this are divided about equally. Some hold that it ie a purely local disease in which the throat only is con;erned, while ethers claim that it is a iisenee of the whole system, the memjrane or exudation in the throat being >ne of its expressions." " What is your opinion '' I believe diphtheria to be a disease )f the whole system. In different epilemics the types differ. Sometimes you vill find the throat affection to be the nost severe, causing death by mechani5al obstruction of the air passages; and, igain, you will find that the constitu;ional symptoms,which are of a depress* rig and exhaustive nature, kill the mtient before the exudation has advan;ed far." " Is there any reason why diphtheria ihould be most prevalent in the winter leason ?" " Onlv that at the openinpr of winter jeople begin to shut themselves up in heir houses and so surround themselves vith imperfect hygienic conditions, and nhale more Bewage gas than ordinarily. Diphtheria is by no means a disease of :old climates, for it is found in tropical jountries. There are atmospheric conations that tend to make diphtheria jpidemic, but what tho.se conditions are s not readily understood. It is certain, jowever, that they have nothing to do vith the change of the seasons." "Is diphtheria very prevalent now ?" " I have not found it so as yet this vinter. And you cannot judge much as :o the relative mortality of different seasons under given treatments, because at >ne time the disease takes on the exhausive form and at another the deaths are argely from the obstruction to the airDassages." "What is the best plan of treatment n your opinion ?" "I work upon the principle that the liphtheritic membrane is the result of a ?ery low grade of inflammation, and that vhen a higher decree of inflammation is jet up around about the diphtheritic patches those patches are prevented from sxtending. This is found to be the fact In practice. I endeavor, therefore, to jxcite this higher degree of inflammation md I do this by causing the patient to inhale large quantities of the steam of pure water. Then, of course, I use local antiseptics, such as chlorate of potish, and for the constitutional trouble I arive iron and the most nourishing food. Quinine I do not use much, as that is moBt valuable when there is a high temperature, and that is seldom found in diphtheria." Breathing Through a Hole in His Throat, John Charles Collins, the " Cast-Iron Man," lies in St. Lube's with some alloy in his composition. While he was acting last fall as a teacher of sparring in Colonel Monstery's academy in Sixth avenue he was suddenly attacked with a sense of suffocation. He was removed to Bellevue hospital and afterward tc St. Luke's, wh' re he was found to be ? cp?:? t?? ??TT^OI BUUCnilg iium ptiitijjr oio ui tuo ruvm cords?the little organs whose vibrations cause sound, and which, when paralyzed, fall together and prevent the entrancf of air into the lungs. The only imme diate relief for Collins was an operatior that would allow him to breathe from ? point below the vocal cords, and so ? hole was cut in his throat, or, as th< doctors would put it, the operation oi laryngo-tracheotomy was performed, anc a double silver tube, open at both ends, was introduced into the windpipe. Col liDS was immediately able to breath* without the aid of his nose or moutl and in spite of the paralysis of the voca cords, and his life was saved. Since the operation he has been doing well, and the doctors are now treating him with a view to cure the paralysis. Th< case is a peculiar one, as there are fe^ instances on rocord of a paralysis of th< vocal cords, and Collins' disease is fur ther complicated by the fact that the cause of his affection iB unknown. Be fore he was attacked he had suffera from a slight cold, but was otherwise, ai he had always been, in the beBt o health.?New York World, i i 3 I BAYARD TAYLOR. 1 I t Edmund C. Stedmnn's Reminiscence* ol Dend Poet, Journallnt and Travelei Edmund 0. S ted man, the poet, g the following reminiscences of the 3 Bayard Taylor in the New York bune j " The causes which led to his deat I this time," said Mr. Stedman, iffc j pause, " date back several ye I When he returned from Europe tJ he found his real estate and pers< property largely depreciated and enc bered, and though near the age of fi I he again found himself forced to tol bly hard work to support his family . I position. It was this hard work, con] with ins resolute purpose, nowever 01 , work might engross him, to keep up ' more serious contributions to permai ' literature, that ultimately led to death. He took great pride in his hi 1 and broad acres at Kennett Squ ' Penn., his native place. He desig ' his own house, 1 Cedar-croft,' and si , a great deal of money in its erect | and that with the 200 acres of 1 , which he owned and had greatly proved, was a source of expense rat , than income to him. He had a ho > some competence when he went abr< , all of which be earned ns a journa! I : author and Ject i rer; never having ear any money except by his pen. He r I Bired to maintain his property in E | I nett Square, and he set to work im i diately to pay off the debt. During ( last four years he has accomphs I this, his income amounting to fi 812,000 to 818,000 a year, but he tained it by very hard work. In fact had worked harder and accomplis more in that time than perhaps j other living literary man. He lectr I each winter, in all sorts of weather, j in different parts of the country. ! contributed largely to magazines and views, and never more brilliantly, | sides doing a great amount of regi wort I or tiie i noune, ne came iro : long-lived family, and his strength ! very great, but he undertook too mt He did the work of two able-bodied i every day, and his health gave ' under the great strain on one or occasions. He was compelled to g< the White Sulphur springs and ol E laces for recuperation, but he foi imself to work again before he fully recovered. During this time wrote his last and most important po | 'Prince Deukalion.' It was a sourc ( great trial to himself and of regre his friends that he was unable to gc with his 4 Life of Goethe,' for which had secured material during his sojourn in Germany. The great ti ble with him waa his inability, owing his excessive labors, to take suffici social recreation. His enemies, \ few in number, have falsely attemj to make a point againBt him on i account, charging him with exoesi beer-drinking. It was his want of : reation and rest that killed him. was forced to take some stimulus support himself under exhausting lal but he was not an excessive beer-drin as has been charged, though what he ! take may have helped to dcw.lop J disease. I " No man in the country could d< [ much journalistic work, and do it well in a given time, as could Mr. 1 lor. He was remarkable in brilliant fnofa nt lifnyorv nrifioiam Afl UUUU 1UUIU VA J 1UVXIU J VA<V<V1W<W! MW illustration I might mention that ab a year ago two large octavo volumes,c taining poems by Victor Hugo, in French, arrived by steamer and w placed in Mr. Taylor's hands on Tht day evening. For some reason it 1 desirable that the criticism should j pear in the Tribune of the follow Saturday, and of course the copy hac i be in the printers' hands early on ] 1 day night. Mr. Taylor's health was 1 I at the time, and lie also had in meantime to deliver a lecture in Bro lyn and another in New York, He ished his review in time on Frii night, and it appeared in the Trib\ the following morning, covering m than (two-thirds of a page. It was eq ! to any of his literary criticisms, and s passed any analysis of Hugo's gen that I have ever seen. One remarka feature of the review was over a coin of translation into English poetry fi the original, including several lyrics i idyls, so beautifully done that t] seemed like original poems in the E lish. " Mr. Taylor was a man of wide i thorough learning, and was a much m I exact scholar than would be suppos considering that he was never at coll* and spent a great deal of time in tra and observation. He had a smatter of all languages. He was familiar w T.aHn nnd snnka Frflnch w aod German like a native; he also c versed in Russian, Norse, Arabic, II ian, and knew something of mod< Greek. His knowledge of Greek 1 i increased by his classical feeling, whi ! as with Keats, amounted almost t< ! passion. He was a good botanist, i ! somewhat of a goologiBt, and was an i tablished authority on geograph: j questions. He was greatly interes j in all scientific studies. "As a man he was a peer among j fellows. He was the most simple, g j erous-hearted man of letters I e I knew. He waB the first literary ma ; met in New York, my acquainta: | dating from the time he came and t< me by the hand in 186U, alter tne pu cation of one of my articles. He 1 never so happy as when surrounded his friends in his own house. He ] unbounded hospitality, and made house the center of literary life in city. New York will greatly miss h and just such a leader was needec ftive encouragement to our literary 1 He was accused sometim'. s of egoii but he was not egoistical in tbo pro sense of the term. He was frank' i outspoken, and showed his feeli plainly, which gavo rise to that chai He always denounced shams and hi bugs, but I do not believe he ever di mean act; and he never grew angry cept on account of the meanness others. " His private letters, of which I h a great number, were far more deli{ ful than his published oneB. He very careful in his published letters 1 to say anything that might wound J feelings of distinguished persons fi 1 whom he received hospitality abr< ' His private letters are full of the n ' interesting anecdotes and conversati wjfch lending authors and magnate 1 other lands, and are charming in t ' clearness and esprit. His faults, ' | we all have them, were rather ot a n " | ble nature. He cared most for his r? 1 ! tation as a poet, and his books on tri 1 I and novels were a secondary matter i 1 j him. ) I E i The Cologne Gazette says that a c I ; mittee of experts having examined , documents known as " Luther's -w - which is in the possession of the Pre i tant church in Pesth, has declare t authentio. The document found 1 way with a number of manusci 3 of the learned theologian, J , Benedict Oarnzoino, to Hung i and came into the hands of a pri j collector, a rich proprietor na 7 Jankovics, from whom the a 3 duchess Maria Dorothea obtained il - 400 golden guldens. She presents ) to the Protestant church in Pestt - whose archives it has sinoe lain, nob 1 being positively certain that it 9 authentio. It is henceforth to be f posited in a special oase in the natii museum at Pesth, _____ Rabies. j 1 The ruby is so called from the redness j 1 th? which commonly characterizes this ex- I T quisite gem. Like the sapphire and the j j7?8 Oriental topaz, it belongs to the class i A?. styled corundum, the members of which | are alike in composition, though differ- . , , ent in color and in quality. The true ruby, or red sapphire, is said to bo the 6r a most valuable of gemB, when of large d iars* size, good color and free from fault, so ienj that it exceeds even the diamond in ^ )n value. It is harder than any other known substance except the diamond, a which alone among precious stones it g eraT will not cut. It is supceptible of electricity by friction, and retains it for , 3led a/,,v.n linnro if fllflo DORflORRftfl dOTlblfi . j, OUUJW ) " ? I ,?r refraction in a slight degree. Occasion- f( ally, specimens are asteriated, aa in the -n case of what are known as star sapbl8 phires. Though it cannot be fused by j.( 31116 itself, in combination with a flux it may . Br?? be melted into a clear glass. Mr. Streetn6<J er describes its color as carmine, coch- F ?eut ineal, or pigeon's blood, and rosebud, l0D' often with a play of violet. y and I The finest rubies are found in Ava, im" ! Siam and Pegu ; others are found in In- ^ ,ll?r dia, Qpylon, Brazil, Australia, Borneo, m mj Sumatia and some places on the conti- * j ' j nent of Europe. The Burmese mines ^ llst. i have long been famous ; the working of J ?ed i them is a royal monopoly, and the king ."e" | has, among other titles, that of the Lord h -en* I of the Rubies. The Brazilian ruby is * j declared to be a pink topaz, inferior to * ? I the true ruby, yellow in its natural state, m bed and colored artificially. It is, unforturom nately, beyond the power of ordinary pur- m ?k- chasers to pronouuce any critical opinion b? upon rubies, except as regards their J appearance, size and color, the best ' an? being that known as pigeon's blood, ire^ which is a pure, deep, rich red, quite a?d free from blue or yellow. He Speaking of the value of the ruby, JJ-6* Mr. Emanuel observes that the rare oo*?6' ourrence of the desired vivid pigeon's ' ["ar blood color in a ruby of any size causes . m a the price to increase in an even greater proportion than the diamond. For l0"? stones of the highest quality he supplies nen the following valuations : One carat is 7 worth $70 to $100 ; one and a half, $125 two ^ a17R. two. ft350 to 8400: three, f 0 to I $1,000 to $1,250four, $2,000 to 32,250'. j Under one carat, the price ranges from . $10 to $40 per carat; and over four carats what is called a fancy price is . commanded. After all, perhaps", it may em? be traly said of rubies in general that ? when they exceed one carat in weight . 1 no definite pri^e can be given as a guide ? >Pn to the purchaser. J ' k? Mr. Streeter states that when a per- P last fect raby of five carats is brought into the market, a sum several times as great ^ ? as that offered for a diamond of the same ,, iei" weight will be bid for it; if it reaches g, 'fJ seven carats it is almost invaluable. ?tea yet mbies of a muoh greater size are ? ^ in existence. An Indian prince had one 31ve of nearly twenty-four carate, and it was ? bought for 156 pounds' weight of gold, r" Catharine of Russia had in her crown a ?. to ruby as large as a pigeon's egg; and z, 3?r? there is said to have been one in Paris , which weighed 106} carats. That of Catharine appears to be still in the Rus- | ? "ls ! sian treasury. Others might bo men- | j tioned, especially that among the f* ) so j preuch crown jewels, which is cut in rj , 60 ! the form of a dragon with outspread ^ a?* wings. Tlie first specimens, of course, r off" are the monopoly of princes and persons , ni* with princely fortunes. Even these may, 0Qt nevertheless, be sometimes deceived, ?l ?n" | for we are told that two large stones J t"? [ shown as rubies among her majesty's ,, ere | jewels at the exhibition of 1862 are ^ irs" I simply spinelp, and therefore neither (vas rare nor precious. B! ?P" Rubies may be faulty, in other words, r! may have flaws, specks, a silky or milky f" ; . | appearance, or a tint which is too dark j-*1' j or too light. But fashion goes for ^ j something, and violet and pale colored ? ; rubies may sometimes rise very muoh w *?*" | in value. The least liable to fluctuation J* j are those of the renowned pigeon's blood hue.?London Court Journal. m me | or? j New Orleans Since the Plague. P u j New Orleans once more feels some- ol ur" i f.Viino nf t.Tio inv of lite. Since the n. ,, plague left her, " trade," says a recent ^ issue of a local paper, " has multiplied y to a remarkable degree.." From the j0 , head of Ninth street down to the loweBt in i limit of the river front, the activity w, seen is "almostunprecedented." In the ( upper portion of the water front there g d *8 "literally a forest of masts," The -g | number of sea-going vessels is larger 8j. , ; than has been seen there for many a day, jt ' if the like has ever been seen before. A tr j steamer from Rio has just discharged a ^ : cargo of 21,750 sacks of coffee, and is fe i now taking in cotton and grain. One fr 0,j i vessel is discharging English bricksand gj on^ j tiles, and another, bound for Bordeaux, n( jV is taking on staves. A German Lloyds 0rn j ship and two Italian vessels are loading ga ^aB j with cotton, grain and tobacco. At the ck j head of one street lies " a vast quantity to > a I of cotton," which is destined for Havana, mi ln(j j Six large steamships are lying close by, ai? eB_ j and two barks, which are taking on cot ical i ^?n* ^ ^arSe lading oeveral boats th ted j are being unloaded of " immense qunn- co ! titles of western produce." All over m jjjs J the landing are quantities of corn, oata ,en_ j and flour, so that in some places locomovej \ tion is difficult. One river steamboat, 101 Q j j on her last trip, brought down 7,500 n(,A j bales of cotton. At Canal street the pc 3ok *evee 18 -* jaramea ana irnereu uy uur- m yj. rels of flour, hogsheads of sugar and 5*0 ^ tales of cotton." At the sugar sheds ^ " scarcely any available space is unoc- ^ c upied." In other parts of the city re- tip turning life and activity are no less pr the aPParenk Business streets are " filled ** jm with vehicles laden with merchandise " kr ^ jq going toward the depots, so that the din jfe of the heavy chariots and the hue and ta Jm* i cry of the drivers endeavoring to dc p6j I thread the maze of trading wagons is lo and perfo^ly deafening." In one day a firm n?8 sold for cash to country merchants more Je goods than for an entire month preimljvious. * l*xa I A Four Legged Fish. [J 0f J A correspondent writing from Hutch- oi ! inson, over in Kansas, says : " This ave place i8 considerably excited over the Jjj finding of a fish with four legs and a fr frill or sort of ruffle about its neck, in w; not a well forty feet deep. This little cn- W the riosity is the same as that discovered by *? mm Prof. 0. ^J. Marshy in 1868, at Lake ^ )ad. ' Como, in Wyoming Territory, to wmcn m lost 1 &ave name of Siredon liehnoides v< [ons ! Out in that Territory they are known as ? lS 0f ! the ' Fish with Legs,' and are from five |je{r ; to ten inches in length. The one fonnd ^ and place is abont three inches in at 3va. :length. A siredon enjoys the external at spu- bronchial appendages or gills, making 01 avel a Partial frill to the neck, and mem- b( vith brane along the back and tail, reBem- i bling that of the tadpole. The head is hi like that of the yellow catfish, the body cc om- j of a dark, olive color and nearly trans- 111 the parent. According to Prof. Marsh's ex- li ill," | perience with the siredons, this little m >tes- j creature will undergo a change HKe tne tc d it j tadpole, and the beautiful ruffle about is its j the neck and the tadpole-like membrace a* ipts | will be absorbed by the body, various ohn other changes will follow and the little 0, ary, wonder of Hutchinson will be trans- ft vute formed into a completed animal, for- tc med merly ki own as the amblyatoma ma- 40 roh- vorlium, and the dootrine will be prov- ^ ; for en that all siredons are merely larval n( 3 it salamanders. Your correspondent s< i, in found the above described little won & ody der at the drug store of Winslow & Al- ^ was bright, where it can be seen by any one tl do- who may wish to look at their large i0 anal cabinet of curioBifciea." ? <St, Joseph {Mo.) Herald, 1< HE CONVICT AND HIS MOTHER. I i 'he Ntorv of an Ex?Thlef Who Starred Rather Than Steal Afnln-A Student In Germany and a Common Kocae In New York?nia Mother's Affecting Letters. Late in the evening, Officer Cunningam arrested John Fisher at Broadway Qd Third atreet, in New York. Fisher, 'ho is a joung man of nineteen, had eliberately shattered a street lamp ith a stone. He seemed content at eing arrested, and at the police staon told a pitiful story. He had been thief, he said, and was sent to Sing ing. While there he promised his lother, who, of nil his family and :iendB, alone, had not cast him off, lat he would never steal again. Be>rehis time was ont his mother died. Then he got out of prison he could get r\ nrnrt anrl hni7m? Vw lllR nrnmifiA not H ^teal, he broke the street-lamp ? 'cSipe starvation by arrest and roim- c riBonment. 1 ] Justice Otterbourg sent him to the j 1 jmmipsioners of charities and correc- } on. The judge waB struck with the i aung man's story, and especially with i 10 tenderness of his love for his dead r lother. She, Fisher said, had written * ) him when he was in prison, and he i ad letters from his brothers and sisters so, and one from his father, all of I hich he had preserved. Justice Otter- t Durg sent him on parole for the letters 1 > his last lodgings, and gave him some 1 ioney also, partly to see if the yonng a :an was honest enough to return. He c id return, and brought the letters. ' hey were quite a little package, and j t pon reading them the judge was more isposod than ever to help the lad, who ;emed intelligent and honest. Fisher's story was this: He was born j i Germany in 1859. His family was ispectable, and not poorly off. Their * ame is not Fisher. At five years of j jo he was sent to a public school, and f jmained there for three years. At # ght, his father instructed him in the " idiments of Latin, and then he was >nt to a Latin school. For the four 3ars of his stay in this school, he aarded in a Franciscan convent, where 76iy afternoon ale was served to the j. ays, some sixty in all. Fisher became ry issipated. In 1870 he was examined ^ ?r an advanced class, but got drunk te night before and failed to pass. His ither was disgusted, took him away id sent him to a commercial school, ^ here were many wealthy young for- *, gners. He was allowed a certain v nonnt of pocket-money every week, ,j at it was not enough to keep him up a > the expenses of his comrades. He iys that, while visiting his grandfather, f physician who lived two miles from ie school, and with wbom he spent his ondavs, he robbed him, contriving j. rery Monday morning to carrv back to 8 )hool five or six dollars which he had olen. For a year and a half he was adetected, but finally was caught and g >nt home to his father, who flogged t im and locked him up fo^ several eeks. He was then about twelve years t d, and was an excellent penman. A erkship in a drug store was obtained j x <r him. He robbed the firm's mail. , !is father, deeming him incorrigible pon the discovery of these thefty, de- . rmined to fend him to the United tates. His mother begged hard, but was no use, and the next day the boy . ' fourteen was sailiDg out of Bremen 1 a ship bound for America, alone, at with 8250 in his pocket. In New ork he made b;-. abode forthwith with ^ lieves, and gradually became expert. ? e ceased to call himself by bis own ime, and adopted the alias of "John ^ isher." On the 11th of April, 1874, a 3 was sentenced,in tbe general sessions, 6 > the house of refuge for eighteen onths. He says Judge Gildersleeve a intenced him. Colonel Gildersleeve f as not a judge till 1876. While Fisher ^ oa aorm'nfr liic f.itno A Mr. Nfillffir. who ! ? id received $150 for him from his ! other, succeeded in getting him out j id finding him work in a paper factory, e worked ten days, and took to thiev- tl g again. He complains that the house e 1 refuge is calculated to conCrm a n lief in his thieving by reason of the t; isociations there contracted, and it is h !s opinion thpt the officers of the house n se their tempers too easily in punish- ti g prisoners. On October 9, 1876, he 1 as sentenced to Sing Sing for two 1< jars and a half for a grand larceny in il arlem to which he pleaded guilty, ti e was put in the hat shop, and worked a eadily at the trade from October II, r: S76, until June 5 last, when the hat n ade was moved to Clinton, and as his b me was so short, he was not trans- ti rred with it. The letters he received o om his mother while he was at Sing d ng are written in German, in a fine, c jat hand, and speak for themselves as o the writer of them. The first of them o ys: o Yonr letter with the news of your sentence u State prison hurt me sadly, yet it comforted p 3, for at least I know that yon were alive ? d well. I cannot describe how I suffered : th suspense because yon had not written to * 9 in fifteen months. Yon say in yonr letter 8 at you long for me. My dear Bon, take c urage! A man who loves his mother, no fl liter how low he has fallen, is not lost. Later she wrote : n Mt Dear 8on: I am not able to write you a tig letter. My strength is failing more and ore every day. I may get botter again, but P at lies with God. My only wish is to see my f: or deserted son once more and press him to v y heart. My dear boy, I hxve always loved n u under all circumstances, and you shall .vo my fall blessing and forgiveness. If I 13 onld die before you come home I beseech of m to lead a better life and become an honest, >right man. If I should die I made father omise to tako you home and lot you learn a ade. I beseech you, my dear son, on your D tees, to be ;ome honest and industrious, and h it to difgrace your dead mother ia her crave. r >ur brothers and sisters are very mucn atched to yon; love them in return. After my F iath I have loft you my watch. Wear it for 13 vo of your Mother. \ April 15,1877. A month later she wrote : I Mr Dead Son: I may live a few months, L it I do not believe that I can live until you s e released from prison. I have something ^ eu to say to yon which I hope you will tako hi art. Through your father's extravagance 1 tr circumstances are very mncn ajuireu ior ? le worse; and it seems to me that he will not c i satisfied until tho little he has left us has >ne too. At tho aame time he is treating mo 6 id his children brutaLy. For me, 1 rejoice j hen death releases me from so much miecry. ? hen you have recovered your liberty wiite li your father for moDey to come home. If r 3 does not keep hiB promise to me, then write 1 \ i your grandfather. I will give him a smn of ! _ oney for you, whioh I havo saved by the ec- |, jre economies of us all. Yon must not, nor j c tn you, rely upon your father. Ho has no t -mpathy or pity for you. All tho money you ! iceive * from home came from me. I would i ^ )t desert or forget my boy. My dear child, j e you worthy of this love yet V Have you : ly feeling forme left? I beg you, my pod, | n l'my death bed, to. becomo an horeBt and | C Dnorable man. If you will not do it for the ' e >ko of your mother, do so for your own sako. j, ftcr the expiration of your sentence yon will ive your future in your own handH. With [' mrage and perseverance yon can become an t inest man; but if you have not these virtues t m will fall lowor "step by step, and though 10 sou of respectable parent*, will reach a ; isorablo end. Make it the object of yonr life j iw> nnrifrht.. Thorn is vet time. Your heart ! yonDg and not quite hardened. Try to learn a ) ranch as yon can, and try to remember as r uch of your former studies as you can. I * ust tell you plainly that you and your broth- " s will have to build your own futures. Grand- " it her will take care that you have something n > start will). Have you always money enough r i pay your po3tago? Do you earn it by yonr ^ ork? I rejoiced when f received your last . iter. I would have liked it a little longer and c Dt quite so gloomy. Take good care of your- I ?lf. I droam whole nights about you. I t reamed that you were punished, and I cried ? 1 night long about you afterward. Try to oprove from day to day. A thousand kisses . om your brothers, sisters, and your ever 1 iving Mother. I Just before Fisher's release came this 1 stfcer from his father.: I Deae Son?I have & hard duty to p form in announcing to you the death of y< mother. Yoa were her only sorrow and tron n her laBt illness, and that is why I will k< By promise made to her to take yon ho 7hen your time has expired. But let me < rou plainly that I cannot afford any longer ipend money on yon. I spend one how reek thinking now mucn sorrow and disgri ron have caused your family. I will take y wme if I see it Is your earnest desire to I some a useful member of society. Only ihort time ago I met one of your former scho 'ellows riding in an elegant carriage. Y :onld have been just as wel! off if you b ibeyed the commands of your father. Fisher -was released. His brothers ai listers looked coldly on his propos eturn, and wrote that his father did d rant him. He resolved to find emplo nent here, and went to the jrrison ase iiation in the Bible house. He cou lot get work enough to support hii elf, although up to the time of 1: irrest he lived oh $2 a week?seven lents for lodging and the rest for foo lis old friends met him and laughed iim, calling him " Charlie the pauper 3e was offered a position as barkiep n a thieves' den in Chatham street, b efused it. When arrested he had h: lothing to eat for over sixty hours, b pould not break his promise to 1 nother. ThiB is Fisher's story. Justice Otte )ourg said that he thought the lad to he truth, and that he would try to g lim employment ont of the city, whe te could take his old name and sta ifresh. '' I've got several contributio: >f money for him," added the judg ' and I think the case deserves symp hy.''?New York World. How Ojsters are Fattened. Very few persons who feast on tl arge and toothsome oysters whioh a erved up at the raw boxes of many he oyster houses in this city, says t] Baltimore News, have the remotest id rom what source the luscious bivalv ire obtained, or in what manner thi re fattened. The oysters obtained from Tangi ound, Lynnhaven, and what is knov s the seaside oyster, are a rather smi yster inclosed in an immense shell heir native element being salt wate ?hese oysters, when dredged ai irought to the Baltimore market, a old to the packers and others at tl ate of about about sixty cents a bush< Recently a plan has been discovert >y which these oysters can bo not on attened in a very short time, bnt the alue enhanced at leant 150 per cen .Vo of the larger oyster-paoking flrr re now engaged in this business, ai he manner of procednre is described ollows by one who has watched tl perafcion: When the oysters are unloaded fro lie pungies they are transferred cows, over which a deck is built, a] n which the oysters are plaoed. Ea< ?f these scows will carry a load of abo 00 bushels of oysters. The scows a hen towed to a point in the Patap& iver near the Ferry Bar bridge, whei he water is qnite shallo w. The vacant space in the scow, b ween the deck and the bottom, is fill* rith water by means of a valve and tl cow is sunk. There she is left*durii wo flood tides, when the water is pum d from her by means of a small m hine provided for the purpose, ai he scows are then towed up to the ci gain. The change from the salt to the fref rater, and the immersion of the oyst uring these flood-tides, it is said, fa jns them until what was first a cod mratively insignificant oyster, becomi plump and luscions bivalve, filling i ctirs immense shell. After this operation the oysters,whicl s stated, cost originally about sixl ents a bushel, arc placed on the ma et, and readily command from $1.50 1 1.60 a bushel. A New Way to Print. A recent letter from Washington I tie Boston Herald contains this inte sting item : A West Virginia me amed Moore, who spent years over ppe-setting machine, and gave it ui as invented a very remarkable set < lachinery as a substitute for type-se ing, which is attracting attention hen 'his machinery is in successful use by jading stenographer in town, who usi k for printing briefs and reports of tei imony taken in shorthand. The wore re spelled out by a key-board, and apidly-revolviug cylinder, turned b laohinery, prints them upon an endlei and of paper. This band of paper iken to another machine by a secoc perator and " justified " into the for: esired. From this page lithograph opies are then taken. The stenograp] r dictates from his notes, and the fir perator spells out the report at the ra f fifty or sixty words a minute. Tl aechanism by which this is accoc ilished is a remarkable invention. Tl aventor believes that he can imprei he words upon a soft paper matrix h Lead of printing them, that the matr an then be justified into forms,and th stereotype plate can then be made i he whole. He is now building a set < lachinery to accomplish this. It seen wholly impossible that a matrix for age of a newspaper can be made v rom one-line slips, but the inventor ery confident. That the strips < aatrix can be struck off at the rate < ifty or sixty words a minute is certaii Horniam nf n China Woman. At about ten o'clock on a recei light, the steamer Santa Cruz, whic tad left San Diego, Gal., in the evenini eturned to port, having on boari ticked up at sea, a Chinaman by tl lame of Ah Sing, dead, and his livir rife, calling herself Pat. It appears that Ah Sing and his wii 'at went to sea on a Thursday mon Dg, at about two or three o'clock, in mall junk, and that during the day tl >oat was capsized and both throw nto the kelp; but Ab Sing receivt uch injury on the head by the coi ussiou as to stun him. The heroic wife, clinging to the ve el, which righted, also clung to tl lead husband, and, by herculean effo asbed him to it, and in this conditic emained for a day and a night. Tl coman says she saw and hailed tl teamer as it came in in the mornini mtwasnot fortunate enough to mal hem bear at that time. Tho Santa Cruz came into poi lischarged her cargo, and left in tl vening, and when well outside, bout half-past six o'clock, heard tl ry for aid, which was promptly rende d. The vessel went alongside, ar ook both on board, and brought the uto port. There was no one exce] he dead man and the living woman r. loard the junk. Incombustible Writing Paper. Two Spaniards have lately taken 01 patent in Spain for making writir aper incombustible. The experimen re said to have been very satisfactor ""ho naner will not burn, no matter wh; ? ? , aay be the intensity of the heat a] (lied. A single sheet submitted to tl lircct action of a flame will carboniz >ut does not take fire. If a roll of pr tared paper ;b placed in the hottest fir he outside leaves will carbonize tl idges for a short depth., but the interii emains unaltered, the writings or prir ng being perfectly legible. The chea less of the preparation makes it accesi >le to every purpose in whioh paper lied. .. , Sv ?- TIMELY TOPICS. >ur jgp Three hundred men and women me me in a hall in Indianapolis, Ind., and or tell ganized the Indiana Oremation society to a Socialism in Berlin has increased a ,0q the following rate, the figures repre be- senting the municipal vote: 1867, 69 a 1871, 1,961; 1874,11,971; 1877; 31,522 ?1- 1878,56,836. ou iad There are in Moore county, N. C., a twenty-eight gold mines, six silvei ^ mines, eight copper mines, nine or tei . iron mines, and a general assortment o: _ other mineral "finds." >y The National Penny bank has been ii operation in London a little over three j" years. In that time, at its seventy-five branches, there have been more than 7 a million deposits; 127,000 persons have opened accounts, and nearly $2,000,00C ? are at present in the hands of the bank. ef In the forty-second Congress there were nine negroes; in the forty-third, seven; in the forty-fourth, four; ii j? the forty-fifth, three; in the forty, forty-sixth there will be none, unlesf O'Hara, of North Carolina, gets a cer1.^ tiflcate, which is doubtful.? Indianapo ej. lis Journal. Germany is rapidly completing an ex_ cellent system of subterranean telegraph lines. From Berlin these lines radiate ' to Cologne, Frankfort and Strasburg, The longest line is from Kiel to Stras burg. A company in New York has alsc I received permission from the oity authorities to construct an underground lie telegraph line. re People who think of going to the Isle of Pines, where the Cuban, fisher ea men catch sharks with Spanish blood' es hounds, to find Walker's buried treasure 07 of $289,000, are invited by an origins: filibuster in Indianapolis to reflect tha er Walker was alwavs as poor as a churcl "i mouse, and begged and borrowed to fl *11 out hia expeditions, whioh never cap ? tured any treasure, r. id Forty acres of pigeons roost nightly re in the Indian Territory about fifty milei tie southwest of Joplin, Mo. The hunter* il- spend the night in the wood and kil sd with shot-guns and clubs till morning \y when they load wagons with the birdi >ir and drive away to sell the pigeons a it. from ten to twenty-five cents a dozen as Scores of wagonloads have thus bees id disposed of, still there is no apparen &s diminution in the number of the birds, lie nor do they fail to return nightly t< their roost. m to An alligator at Chandbally, India, id finding a native asleep with his feei 3h hanging over the side of his boat, grabat bed the luckless Hindoo and carried re him off, A police inspector tracked and co killed the man-eater, and found in his re stomaoh twenty-six pairs of brast I bangles and anklets, two sets of gold e- earrings and a number of toe-rings. h1 This alligator, judging from the size ol ie the ornaments, had devoured at leasl ig four women and five ohildren, not tc p- take account of people that wore nc a- jewelry. id fcy The hsliograph was used for the firsl time in war by the British troops whioh )h operated against the Afridis on the er Peahawur frontier, India. This inatrut ment oonaists of a circular mirror, movl ing upon a universal joint and supported es on a tripod. Wishing to send messages, ta the operator, by a quick elevation or | depression of the glass, so as to catch i, i the full glare of the sun, is able to throw ly flashes a distance of twenty-five miles, r- The length of the flashes corresponds to with that of the dashes in the Morse alphabet, by which the messages are translated. Thia method of field telegraphy doea away entirely with the dan 0 gera of wire tapping and cutting by the enemy, and, after a thorough teat, has Ktt fKo flnoniflli mill. JUDU UCDU nuuyn/u mj vuv ?... a tary anthorities. Iff The St. Bernard Coal company, at Earlington, Ky., have of late begun to e> use a small quantity of nitro-glycerine ^ with powder for blasting purposes. as They have had a large quantity of the new material stored in the upper mines I * for several weeks, in charge of the mine a boss. An old colorcd man was sent to fetch some nitro glycerine. He went to the magazine, and, after getting a supjfl ply, left a can of it beside the car-track [(j till he could deliver the charge. While m gone, a team of empty cars came by, jc drawn by two mules. One of the mules lm kicked the can, which instantly explodI ed, blbwing mules, cars and the colored L? driver into atoms, and filling the passage with rubbish of all kinds from the roof. Two seconds afterward the blasting " powdor stored in the adjoining room ss also exploded with terriflo force. a- ' ix Balzac and the Don. at In a recent number of tlie Temple Bar oj there is a story about Balzac, the French of novelist, which is probably new to many is readers. He was, like Dumas, always a in debt, and dreadfully worried by duns, ip Once, when he had gone to bed, one of is these unpleasant personages pretented rf himself and insisted on seeing his debtof or. In vain was he told that M. de a. Balzac was ill, that he was out, that he was in bed?he refused to budge. At last the servant, in despair, told Balzac jt who was down stairs, and to his great omoMmnnl; rAflAlVftd nrdfiTH to flllOW the g importunate visitor up. The tradea3* man, already a little mollified, is usherie ed into the sleeping apartment. M. de ,g Bazlac sits up courteously in bed, makes his creditor a charming bow, and infe quires to what circumstance he may-atj. tribute the pleasure of his early visit. a Flattered by the warmth of his recepie tion, the man murmurs something in n which the word " money " is only audi5(j ble. "Money, my dear fellow?" cries a. the man of letters, with his broad smile full of Rood nature, "money do yon 8_ want ? Look in the right-hand drawer ie of the dressing-table !" Becoming inrt Btantly supple as a glove, the other runs m to the drawer, opens it, examines it, ie puts ho hand to tho back?there is ie nothing there. "Ah," says monsieur g from the bed, "perhaps the left-hand je drawer." Same scrutiny, same result. "Or the middle one." Still nothing, t "I must trouble you to look under the je dressing-table" (M. de Balzao is so at polite it is a pleasure to listen to him). ie The creditor puts his head down?no 1 r. In this way the whole furniture of the 1(j room was examined, and even the chimm ney. " Now," said the author, turning pi sternly upon tho crestfallen tradesman, ;n i in all tho majesty of a tasseled nightcap, " if there iB no money in the leftI I J .1 L1UUU UlttWOI U1 LUC UIC>DOiU^*tt?UlD| IJUi the right-hand drawer, nor the middle . drawer, nor under it, nor under the bed, nor on the wardrobe, nor up the chimJ? ney, how the deuce do you suppose I am to give you any?" With that he lies down flat upon his back, and the creditor departs anathematizing tho poet. le ' e 1' Ah, by George," groaned young Mr, e- Lethered, sinking wearily into an office e, chair, "ah, by George, my head achee le fearfully." " Possible ?" asked his emor ployer, old Mr. Hardfax, with a look it- of curious interest and sympathy. 4' Posp Bible? Something must have got into ii- it" And then for a long time nobody is said anything, and the room seemed to grow about fifteen degrees colder. The Opening Year. Orphan hours, the year is dead, t Come and sigh, come and weep, .< Merry hoars smile Instead, For the year is bnt asleep; Bee, it smiles as it is sleeping, .'^9 Mocking your untimely weeping. J AS an earuiquMtj iwu a w* poo ; In its coffin in the clay, So white winter, that rough norse, Books the dead-cold year to-day; , > Solemn hoars! wail aloud, For yoor mother in her shroud. | As the wild air stirs and sways vjjfl The tree-swung cradle of a child, So the breath of these rude days * if i Itocks the year; be calm and mild 1 Trembling hours; she will arise 2s ! With new lore within her eye*. 1 January gray Is here , Like a sexton by her grare ; February bears the bier; .y'? March with grief doth howl and rare, \ j And April weeps?but, ob, ye hours ; . Follow with May's fairest flowers. 1 ?Percy Bytthe Shelley. jfflk ) Items of Interest, Masked bawl?A smothered cry. Only a matter of form-r-Tight lacing. ':Wi The auctioneer's occupation's "gone!" Bored of education?A lazy school> Cold doesn't travel very fast; anybody r . can catch it. The German empire has a population J of [ of 75,000,000. There are two hundred and eight bones . 2? in the human body. The weak-kneed pedestrians who fall ';:^j ( behind should drink ketchup. A little machine is made that actually . measures the distance walked. i It takes one-third of Bussia'a revenue L to pay the interest on her national debtr '^g! b No matter how little you ovet work -ft 'l&fM * horse, his sufferings are "unspeak The camel is the paragrapner ok raa jrm animal kingdom ; he has such a fanny I column, yon know. , A Marseilles almanac predicts for 3 1879 the death of Bismarck, Gortscha- ^ [ koff and Beacon afield. , The next territory that will ask to bo ] admitted to thp Union is Dakota, which V; t claims 126,000 population. Since Washington's time no President 1 has ended his administration with the same cabinet as he had at the start. ' Miss Mand Grubb is a Cincinnati prima donna, who soon goes abroad to- ; " change her nams to Mile. Grnbbelini. Women bloah. we've heard it said. J|JB ' When they had and hadn't onghter; ?, J Bat men, like lobsters, don't get red Till they're tumbled in hot waUr. I Scientists think the; have discovered evidence that horses existed upon this >|2g i continent before its discovery by Colnm- v: ^ The silver and the golden pheasant . . ; both originally came from China. So k also did gold and silver fish, now bo ( common. , The number of physicians in Prussia < -vjga in 1878, was 8,223 ; of surgeons, 149 : and of dentists, 251. The number of , inhabitants was 25,724,404. i Skin cleanliness has a great effect Ott-^|l i the assimilation of food. It has been proved that pigs that are washed put on a fifth more flesh than pigs that are un- H washed.. As to a cabinet, Prince JBismarc* S' deems it " most tiresome that I have to discnss every plan with five or six persons who sometimes know very little - : upon the subject" The stenographers' bills bo far in the ^ Vanderbilt will case have reached the snm of ten thousand dollars. The - v-i lawyers' bills are not expected to exceed the Halifax fisheries award. A New York belle besought her father for a new sealskin sacque. ** Mjr dear," he responded fondly, but seriously, " we have just paid over $6,600,- -'/-M 000 to the British'government, and I can't afford it." THE HOXET BEE. Come here, my eon, look on this little bee, The master workman of hia humble sphere; A winged focna of wiae industry And worthy teacher for the serf or peer, ""ja Of all the lifo on land, in sky or tea. 4* ' Tho bee?ouch! catch him, squash hia? ,-4 hang a bee! Judge Wendell went fishing near Truckee, Oal. The stream was almost* ? dry, and he could walk over its rocky * bed between the pools. He sat down->on a bowlder and dropped his line into pool. Suddenly he heard a tremendous,,.- . ,v roar. Looking up stream, he saw a vast body of water, eight feet high, rusun^r * down upon him. A dam had broken* ^ away. He ran as fast as he oould, yet "* not very swiftly, being fat and shortlegged. The water quiokly overtook him and carried him nearly a quarter of % ? a mile, finally throwing him on the ' \ bank so nearly drowned that he was: thought to be dead. , ? A student at the University of Vir- * .? ginia thus describes the present oondition of Jefferson's homestead at Mon- . :y ticello : "The house is in good condi- ?? tion, and in its entrance hall, as a cen- :j:~. terpiece in the ceiling, still flaps his .* j wings that great bird symbolical of American liberty, the eagle. In thia^ ' \ J] hall also is a ladder old Tom daily * cended in order to wind up a clook whose". "5 ' weather-beaten face is seen as the kou&* is approached ; it was made by his own ? hands, and is a very [ingenious thing, '> looking, when shut, like a square rod. " < The room and bed he died in, the jail wherein he confined his slaves, andnis ' ? numerous wine cellars are well preserved; but the tunnel, by means of which he - v escaped the British in 1812, is now noth- ' ing more than a hole in the ground, \':s with a few bushes growing around as. if , % to hide and keep it in remembrance. * There is an interesting anecdote of boy, in one of the rudest parts of the county of Glare, in Ireland, who, in or- , : der to destroy some eaglets lodged in m *fhole one hundred feet from the summit of a rock, whioh rose four hundred feet ? . perpendicular from the sea, caused him*, " _ self to be suspended by a rope, with a scimiter in his hand for his defease, . should he meet with an attack from the old ones, which precaution was found z \ necessary, for no sooner had his coin- * . panions lowered him to the nest than one of the old eagles made at him with great fury, at which he struck, but, un- : A fortunately missing his aim, nearly cut* * "V through the rope that supported hizs^ Describing his horrible situation to hif comrades, they cautiously an l'iifcy I drew him up, when it was found thafc^ria. * y. hair, which a quarter of an hour before was a dark auburn, was changed to gray. -M = A Moslem's Oath. The Mohammedan who had his owe ' 4 adjourned, in order to allow him to 1 swear in the nsnal Eastern custom, va* ; acoommodated to-day with the needfal ., ** book by Professor Herschfelder, of To ronto and Trinity universities, who produced one and swore to its being an original copy of tho Koran. Jaoobson, ' i the prosecutor, then swore as follows: ' ? i He took the Koran in his right hand and held it in front of him, then with his left hand pressed over his heart, bo bent down until his forehead touched * the book, and remained in that positioa a moment or two, after whioh he said' J but one word, "Sworn," which oom* pie ted the form, Montreal Pott, j|