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'V HIDDEN. Afar on the pathless prairies The rarest of flowers abound. And in the dark caves of the valleys There is wealth that will never be found. So there are sweet songs in the silence That never will melt into sound. The twilight illumines her banners With colors no artist can teach, And aloft in the clouds there are sermons Too mighty for mortals to preach. So life has its lovely ideals Too lofty for language to reach. Afar on the sea there's a music That the shore never knows in its rest, And in the green depths of the forest There are choirs that carol unblest. So deep in the heart there's a cadence And a music that's never expressed. ?Larry Chittenden, m Mail ana uxjiress. . SAVED BY A STEER. Several years ago, if oue had been traveling through Lake Towhship, in a county of Eastern Dakota, and had inquired who was its best known and most reputable citizen, the answer in almost every case would have been Emmet Carlen, and almost any settler could have pointed out on the level prairie, from his own door, the house and buildings of the "young Norwegian upon the crest of "TipTop Knoll," at the head of Rush Lake. Emmet began life in Lake Township as many other Norsemen in many other regions of our new "West have done, with no possessions save a change of clothing, buj, at the end of a few years, he had, by his thrift and industry, secured and improved a new farm and placed himself on the sure road to comfort and plenty. At the time of which I write, however, it was not so much his thrift that made him a marked man, but certain daring cool-headedness which he had always displayed when courage and intrepidity were demanded. Once, at his own great peril, he had carried food and extra clothing to a school-teacher and a half-dozen small children who were confined in a little ichool-house, nearly a mile from any habitation, by one of the fiercest blizzards ever known in that region. This happened during the first year of his stay there, and while he was working for his board and attending school with the little ones whose lives he had saved. Strangely enough, he was again to figure as the rescuer of two of these same children from another sweeping storm, one even more terrible than the dreaded blizzard, a storm of fire, as it swept over the tall, diy grass of the unbroken prairie. To this exploit, however, there was another party, Emmet's big 6teer, 'Comet," without whose aid,indeed, the children must have perished. This animal was quite as noteworthy as his master. "Comet" was a huge, longlegged, long-horned steer. For two years Emmet had only his help in plowing and cultivating the "Tip-Top" homeit ead, except that the breaking of sod was done by hired "breakers." The young Norseman hitched his steer to a heavy cart, and drove him to market it the small but ambitious town of Boomerang, eight miles distant. In winter, when snow fell and the roads were good, a light sled took the place of the cart. Before the sled Comet soon gained a local reputation for speed upon the road, fclis gait was a steady, long-stepped trot, like that of an elk, and nearly as swift. A.t any rate, it was soon an admitted fact that there were no horses in the neighborhood that could pass Comet in a trotting match. This was abundantly proved by many races along the road to town and back, where the drivers of the teams or single horses had tried and failed to "go by" the fleet steer. One day in Octobcr Emmet was plowing. The day was one of- those common to that season in new prairie regions, smoky, with a strong northwest wind smelling of burned grass, a fine dust of cinders sifting down, and the sun shining through smoke and dust with a dull red glare. But as Emmett had tim<? hpfnrfi hnrnprl a broad "fire break" around his shanty, grain and haystacks, he noted these cvidcnces of ragiug fire without uneasiness. They cauie at some time every autumn. It -was about the middle of the afternoon that little Jako and Lib "Walker i-ame into his field, bringing some grainbags which Emmet had lent their father to use during his threshing the week before. Walker lived at the foot of Rush Lake, about a mile from the school-house, where the young Norwegian had takeu lessons in English, and these little fellows, Jake and Lib, had been his schoolmates when the "big blizzard*' came, cutting them off suddenly from home and imperilling their lives. "Hallo, Yakie; hallo, Libbie! You a koot fays fom home, ain't it?" was Emmet's greeting as the lads came up, each staggering under a back-load of sacks. "We've been a good deal furthcr'n this more'n once," said Jake, "and -? weve got to go clear rouna tne laise u drive the cowb home yit to-night. They're away over yonder," pointing across the lake, "where the wild rice grows 'long the edge, and pa's gone to town." ;Sit you ride town on t'em packs t'cre," said Emmet, "unt rest yo' leeks, unt I feel let Comet rest, too. I did tink meppe as I coot feenish tot plowin' py night-time, put I ton't know off I ken to ut." And then, seated on the plow-beam be talked pleasantly with the boys for a few minutes, then, telling them that he would carry the sacks to the house when he turned out, bade them "look out unt not ket lost een t'em tall krasses"?tall grass?as they trudged sturdily away toward the upper end of the lake. The" lads had been gone froiu the field about half an hour when Emmet noted with alarm that the smoke which had pervaded the air all day had thickened, uutil now the sua was almost clouded over, showing only a dull red disk. The smell of burning grass had grown more pungCnt. His fears were aroused wholly on acrount of the two boys who had gone to the other side of the lake. The field in which he was at work lay upon the south side of the hill upon which his shanty stood, shutting off the view to north and west, from whence the wind wa3 blowing. He unhitched Comet at once, and drove him at a trot to the top of the hill. No sooner had he reached the crest than he saw cause enough for alarm. Not two miles away to the northwest dense volumes of smoke were rising and rolling forward over a broad stretch of prairie. A big prairie fire was sweeping down at a tremendous rate of speed, the "head fire" lining out directly toward the head of the lake. "What could he do to save those two boys? was the young Norwegian's first thought. They must be even at that moment, he thought, well round the head of the lake, wading through the tall grass of the flat. There whs no bank to the lake upon that side; wild rice and tall rushes grew far out into the water, and this swamp growth would burn to its very edge. He could not race with the fire on foot, and he doubted if even a 1 - '?1-1- i- u v.,,* v.? horse wouia oc uoiu iu uubsi-u^xi/, wu* instantly resolved to make the trial with Comet. He had frequently ridden the big fellow, who had become as docile and obedient as a dog, to and from the field, hawing and geeing him about at will. Now, if possible, he would ride the fleetfooted steed to some purpose. To throw off the yoke and harness, tic a rope around the animal's body to cling to, aud another to either horn to serve lis reins, was the work of a minute; then, whip in hand, Emmet mounted and was off. Comet, feeling a*few stinging blows of the whip, broke away at his swiftest trot. Although his gait had more than once defied the best trotters of the settlement, the big steer could hold it with ease for a length of time that seemed incredible. In fact, as had been proved when Comet ran wild among the settlement herds, the animal was as nearly tireless as flesh and blood could be. But it was a rough ride, aud Emmet was obliged to cling tighly with one hand to the girth-rope, while managing reins and whip with the other. The whip, however, was not needed, and the rider had only to yell "Hi! Hi!" to keep the steer flying at his best gait. With head up and tail streaming, Comet rounded the point of the lake, some nan mile from the knoll cabin, just as the "head fire" reached the upper end of the flat which lay to west and north of the lake. That "head fire" was now a mile distant, and was coming directly down the flat, which followed the southeast trend of the lake. The smoke had grown so thick that Emmet could only sec a few hundred feet ahead, but he kept well within sight of the lake shore, knowing that the boys could not have gone far down as yet, and that they were not likely to wander far from the lake's edge, for fear of getting lost. Their cattle, too, would be found along shore, feeding upon the rice-heads. "Hi! Hi! Hi!" Away they tore through the high grass, across ditches, over rough, boggy spots, rifW orettin?r a terrible pounding, the 0 c steer possessed of but one instinct, it seemed?to respond to the sharp yelk ith the utmost possible strides of his long, fleet legs. The fire meanwhile was gaining every moment, in spite of his tremendous exertion. Emmet could see that the smoke closed in thicker, and feel that the air was growing hot and oppressive. But suddenly two little dark objects appeared a few yards ahead, bobbing above the waving grass. Emmet gave a shout of delight; it was the black heads of Jake and Lib,nodding as they ran. Their hats were off, and they were running as fast as the wilderness of grass would let them. In an instant Comet was alongside, and, with a few sharp whoas and a hard pull at the reins, Emmet managed to stop him but a few yards in front of the boys. They ran to him with eager shouts, their fright turned to joy at the sight of him. But without waiting to answer them he leaped forward, caught Lib by the arm, and swung him up in front,then helped Jake to scramble on behind. "Hank tight to me, Yake," he said; then, throwing an arm around Lib and j '1 infn I grasping me rope, nv uw Comet's ribs, and, with a shrill <;Hi! Hi!" set the steer off again at a swinging pace. [ The crackle and roar of the fire could plainly be hearft as they started, and 1 Comet, either objecting to his additional; burden or uneasy at the smell and the roar of the fire, began snorting and throwing bis head on either side ominously. Emmet feared that the steer would become unmanageable, and, as a last resort, determined to run him into the lake and make him swim for it. Somewhere not far below he knew there was an arm of the lake about one hundred yards wide, extending out a considerable distance into the flat, and this arm, or bayou, he had hoped to rcach. He knew that Comet would not hesitate an instant to plunge into it and swim ?the steer had been known to swim > f nr?1 ? nnrl nnon ciear across mu iwvu? upon the other side he could soon make his little party safe. Suddenly the smoke lifted, and he ventured a glanco backward. The sight was appalling! The smoke, driven upward by the rush of heated air, was flying above their heads, leaving the jumping flames in plain view. The head fire was not a quarter-mile distant, Emmet judged, aud was bearing down on them with terrible speed, the flames shooting higher than he had ever seen them rise before. Little Jake and Lib clung to him without a word, while Comet threw his head about and snorted more violently than before. But suddenly there was a strip of water before them; the arm of the lake had beeu reached. A moment more, and they were into it with a splash, and Commet wus swimming with his heavy I Kiiwlr.ii onrl />nrrvinrr ifc mom PJlsilv than "WIWV" vw"j O lie had been able to bear it upon land; but his body sank until the water came up to Jake's waist, and nothing but the nose and horns of the steer could be seen. But swimming was much slower work than running had been, and by the time the opposite shore was reached the fire was already roaring at the other edge. Emmet leaped off into the edge of the water, aud pulled Jake and Lib with him. "Here!" he shouted, giving them the rope*. "Hank tight to 'im, ton't let'm loose oil you can holt to 'in. You yust so safe as to home now." They obeyed manfully, and Emmet, drawing a match-box from his vest pocket, dropped upon his knees at the nearest dry place, and, lighting a match, held his hat over it until the flame had touched the blades of grass which he bent toward; then he stepped back into the water and took charge of the steer again. The flames on the other side had now reached the very water's edge, and i bunches of burning grass were blown to- ; woard them. For an instant the heat was intense, almost scorching. Great tongues of angry flame lapped over among the water3 and reached out toward them. Then, with a final crackling whis'n! they died out, leaving a black smoking surface beyond. The fire swept on around the bayou, but meanwhile Emmet's* small blaze sprang up and stretched away, gathering forcc and speed as it swept a wider space. Comet took things quietly after his swim, which had cooled his skin, and hid dripping coat of hair served to protect him from the violent heat which reigned for a moment. "VpII " snirl Emmet, when the coast was clear; "Veil, little poys, vc ken ko to you' house now." Walker's house was only a mile distant, but they reached it after the firo had passed, and found that Mrs. Walker had been nearly wild about her boys until she saw them coming. "I might have known you'd save 'em," she said to Emmet, while grateful tears ran down her face, as she listened to tho story of their escape. Their cattle had taken flight and came home about an hour before. ? Youth's Companion. What Canses Thunder 1 Ask this question to twenty persons chosen at random, and probably no two answers will be alike in any important particular. The general idea on the subject will be found to be vague and uncertain. One of the most terse and concise descriptions of the natural phenomenon is that given by Mr. Hirn. He says: The sound which is known as thunder is due simply to the fact that the air traversed by an electric spark?that is, a flash of lightning?is suddenly raised to a very high temperature, and has its volume considerably increased. The col c Tioatnrl and ULL1LI LU yU3 luuo expanded is sometimes several miles long, and as the duration of the flash is not even a millionth of a second, it follows that the noise bursts forth at once from the whole column, though, for an observer in any one place, it commences where the lightning is at the least distance. In precise terms, according to M. Hirn, the beginning of the thunder clap gives us the minimum distance of the lightning, and the length of the thunder clap gives us the length of the column. He also remarks that when a flash of lightning strikes the ground, it is not necessarily from the place struck that the first noise is heard. Again, he points out that a bullet whistles in traversing the air, so that we can, to a certain extent, follow its flight, the same thing also happening with a falling meteorite just, before striking the earth. The noise actually heard has been compared to the sound produced when one tears linen. It is due really to the fact that the air rapidly pushed on one side in front of the projectile, whether bullet or meteorite, quickly rushes back to fill the gap lcit in +V?n roor bUV M. VU4 The Dealer Came Out Ahead. A gentleman who rode down the street with a South Side feed and commission dealer the other day was surprised to hear him utter a low, chuckling laugh as ho paused to let a pedestrian have a chance for life on the crossing, says the St. Paul Olobe: "See that man?" he asked; "the one with the light suit?" "Yes; what about it?" "Nothing only he thinks he owes me $4 or $5, and he don't owe me a cent. "How is that?" "He used to trade with me, and on every order for food or oats he gave me he would be twenty or thirty cents short. Of course that was nothing, and he 'would pay me the next order.' But the next order he was short again, and so on. It was his little game to beat me. I sat up nights, studied hard in the rules and finally beat the game." "How?" "Why, hrfore delivering his order I opened the sacks and took enough oats to cover his shortage and squared his account. Now he | has quit trading with me and goes around the block for fear I will ask him to pay up. But he don't owe mc a cent, and he | is just as wclcome to trade with me as 1 ever." A Boy's Diet. The food of growing boys, aud especially of those who are students, demands careful attention. While they should noti be allowed to cram themselves wilth all sorts of sweets and rich things, neither is a meagre fare at all advisable. The following is the dietary of one of our better boarding schools: Breakfast?Oatmeal, with an abundance of pure milk, bread and butter, a little meat or eggs, but not both. Lunch?Fruit, rolls, buns, Albert biscuits, milk, panned oysters, in season or sardines. Dinner?This meal should be served after study hours, and should consist of at least four courses: A light soup, two kinds of meat, potatoes and another vegetable, a salad with crackers and cheese, and a plain nourishing pudding. If the dinner is served earlier than 5 o'clock, we would suggest a wafer with a tumblerful of milk at 8. As all boys reouire fat, and universally dislike fat meaflpieaving it on their plates, it is well to give them light suet puddings or similar dishes, with fats nicely blended throughout.?New York Dispatch. A Sea Mouster. The Cape Sable (Newfoundland) Advertiser reports that the crew of a fishing schooner a short time since, while a few miles from Cape Sable, saw what at first sight they took to be a genuiue sea serpent come up to the surface for an airing. They could see that the immense black mass was propelling itself slowly away from them, and they resolved on giving chase and having a closer view. The Captain and another man sprang into a boat and were soon alongside, when they discovered it was a turtle of lather vast dimensions, being fully fourteen feet long, eight feet broad, and between five and six feet in thickness. Then a wicked looking head protruded from under tne shell to the length of four feet or more. After vain efforts to capture the creature with a gaff, a harpoon was tried, but the iron rebounded from the solid shell and the attempt had to be abandoned. During the struggle the monster made the spray fly on all sides, and it was not safe to get near him. French Politicians. According to a French arithmetician, 178 members of the last French chamber were thin, while only 97 were fat, and the remainder were betwixt and between; 184 deputies were tall, 121 small and the rest of middle size. As to hair and whiskers, 131 wore beards, while 85 were shaven; 173 sported the manly mustache, while 68 favored "mutton chop" whiskers a la M. Jules Ferry. Finally, 438 were smokers, and 139 abstained from the usa of tobacco. . A GREAT "FAIR. THE BIG RUSSIAN MART AT NIJNII-NOVGOROD. Tt is Attended by Two Hundred Thousand People Annually?Goods That Are Chiefly Dealt in? Caravans of Boats. Nijnii-Novgorod, situated at the confluence of the rivers Oka and the Volga, 276 miles by rail east of Moscow, the ancicnt capital of Russia, is composed of three parts, the upper city or Kremlin, built on three rising hills, rising to a . height of some 400 feet; the lower town, j along the right bank of the Oka and j I Volga; and the Fair and Kunavino sub- , urb, on a flat, sandy tongue of land be- J I frrornn the Oka and Vol era. connected with the town by a bridge of boats 900 metres long and 25 broad. The position j of the town is most picturesque. In the [ upper portion is an alley of trees, the Atkos, or tcrrace, from which maybe ob- j taincd a magnificent view of the mighty Volga and the plains through which it flows. This is the Mother Volga, of which you hear so much in Russia; and indeed when we follow its coursc on the map, aud when we examine the products that it concentrates at Nijnii-Novgorod, we can understand why the Russians speak of it so affectionately, and why the annual fair at this point has become so important in Russian commerce. From its source to its mouth in the Caspian Sea the Volga runs a course of 2300 miles, and by various systems of canals it is ' connected with Moscow and St. Petersj burg. Above Nijnii-Novgorod the river i3 navigated by some 14,000 boats, em| ploying 300,000 men; below Nijuii it is j navigated by 8000 ships, manned by ' 225,000 hands; while on the lower Volga immense fishipg and fish-curing enter, prises are carried on. Although it numbers only 60,000 inhabitants, Nijnii-Novgorod boasts more than fifty churches and chapels. From time immemorial Russian merchants were wont to meet in the summer ftf the East at various points on the Volga between the confluences of the Oka and the Kama. In 1624 the greatest fair was located on the ground of the monastery of Jeltovodski, near Makarieff, where it remained until 1817, when it was transferred fifty-five miles higher up the stream to NijniiNovgorod. In order that we may relieve our minds of too serious thoughts before venturing to explore this famous fair, let us plunge once for all into the most recent statistics, and sum up briefly its commercial importance. First of all, the reader must bear in mind that the Jahrmarka, as it is called, which takes place annually from August 5th to September 15th, is a wholesale fair. The goods chiefly dealt in arc cotton, woolen, linen and silk stuffs, which constitute about forty per cent, of the whole; next in importance come iron, corn, tea, furs, salt, wine, fish, pottery and manufactured goods. About four-fifths of the whole goods brought to the fair are of Russian . origin. The basin of the Oka River sends agricultural and manufactured pro ducts; tue Dasin 01 me nauia senus meim I wares; corn and salt arc produced in the | southeast provinces; fish comes up from i the lower Volga and the Caspian; Siberia, j the Caucasus,Central Asia and Persia send j a variety of wares; and about ten per cent, of the total amount of goods are imported from Asia, namely, tea, via Kiachta, Canton and Suez, raw cotton and silk, leather wares, madder and other manufactured goods. The chief ; article of trade is cotton, of which the j price is fixed at this fair; the prices of ! raw wool and t;ilk are also fixed here. I Economists will also readily demonstate that the whole iron production of the , Ural depends on the fair of Nijnii-NovI gorod. The caravans of boats laden with iron start from the Ural works in . the spring, stay at the fair of Laishev, | which supplies the lower Volga, and then i proceed up to Novgorod in August. The j purchases of iron made at this fair for" consumption in Asia and middle Russia | determine the amount of credit that will | be granted for the next year's business I to the owners of the iron-works, who are largely dependent on this credit. The corn and salt trade, and still more the | whole trade of Siberia and Turkistan, j are influenced by this fair, their success depending entirely on the conditions of credit which the merchants are able to obtain at Nijnii-Novgorod. It thus appears that the fair exercises a direct influence on all the leading branches of Russian manufacture. During the six weeks that it lasts it attracts daily some 200,000 people from Russian and Asia! the river is literally laden with thousands of boats; the quays, extending over a length of ten miles, are covered with merchandise; on the fair ground proper and around it 6000 shops are occupied; and although no exact and absolutely trustworthy statistics can be obtained, it J is safe to reckon the total business transacted at the fair at the sum of four hundred millions of rubles, or forty million pounds sterling.?Harper's Magazine. Japanese Land System. By a law lately promulgated in Japan, title-deeds of land are abolished throughout the empire, and their place taken by a system of land registration. The details contained in the deeds are henceforth to be entered in a land register, to be kept at the head offices of the various administrative districts. By this measure all questions relating to taxation and to the transfer of property are rendered even more simple than they were before. Formerly title-deeds showed the dimensions of the land, its locality, the name of its owner, and its supposed market value. The last item was recorded for I purposes or taxation, anu. large uuurucs were then taken with respect to it, owners being generally careful that only a fraction of the sum actually paid or obtainable for their property should, be shown oa the face of the title-deeds. In the case of transfer there were no trouble- : some formalities or heavy expense insep- i amble from such transactions in Western I countries. All that was necessary was J that the old and new owners, or their ; authorized representatives, should attend at the proper office, and on payment of a small fee obtain official registration of the change of proprietorship. The new system still further simplifies the matter, as all records will be kept in one book, and an official entry there will satisfy every purpose. It will also be recognized that | the values recorded in the register are taxable values, <Juite independent of i sales or purchases effected in the market. Tho saf 3 custody of the registers will be a matter of moment in a country where j fires are so frequent and so destructive. ] j ICELAND. A FAR-OFF LAND OF MANY NATURAL WONDERS. Antiquity of Its People?Peculiarities of Icelandic Domestic Life and Scenery?A Treeless Land of Volcanic Origin. Apart from the interest that lies in the proposed wholesale transfer of the Icelandic nation to Alaska, the people of the Denmark island dominion have other claims upon the attention of Americans. To Icelanders the honor of being the discoverers of America is claimed by them to be due. Shortly after the first colonization of Iceland (a. d. 874) a mariner named Gunnbjorn was driven by a temnest to the shores of Greenland, some 300 miles distant, and from that time on settlements were founded and a regular intercourse established. In | 1001, one Bjarnj Herjulfssonur?it is well | that school children should remember this name?while on a voyage from Iceland to Greenland was driven by a storm out into the Atlantic. After sailing for some days he discovered a beautiful wooded country where plains and rising grounds alternated with each other along the coast, but as he could not prevail on AX ICELAND WOMAN. his crew to land, he returned to Green land. His glowing descriptions of the country implanted a desire for further investigation in his countrymen, one of whom named Leifr soon after set oat for it in a vessel manned by thirtyfive men. To the southwest of Greenland he discovered land, i which, according to the description given, is supposed to have beens knf fnrfl-ipr tn t.hp smith he UOWiauwij I/UW <ut v?-v? I found the same wooded land which i Bjarnj had discovered. Thereupon he j determined to explore its coast for some j distance, and two days afterward he ! came with a northwesterly wind to an island that was separated from the main| land by a strait. After sailing through j this strait he came to a beautiful inland ! sea, on the shores of which he erected a dwelling. The sea teemed with splendid salmon, and the grass retained its fresh appearance throughout the winter. The days here were not so short as in GreenI land and Iceland; for on the shortest j day the sun was nine hours above the horizon. One of the crew, who was a German, discovered that grapes grew wild there. Leifr named the island Vineland. Subsequently it was visited I by Leifr's brother, who was killed by the natives, but a settlement which after a little took root in the country continued to trade with them for 200 years. It is,, perhaps, as well to add that Yineland is supposed to have becu Massachusetts in the vicinity of Boston, the other parts of this country in which the Northmen are supposed to have settled being near Mount Hope Bay, Rhode Island, and as far south as Cape May. In the next place the counl ry possesses a history of almost unequaled antiquity among modern European nations and a rich and unique literature. As has been ! said above Iceland was settled in S74, : but many years before that it had been 1 visited by Norwegian vikings. The pro| ductiveness of the islands first attracted ; the visitors, but what chicBy promoted j colonization was the oppressive rule : of Harold, the fair-haireel King of LSorwa;. At first a patriar chal government prevailed, but ; toward tnc year 928 the colonists established a free republic, which remained in ! cxisten< 300 rears. The Norwegian I monare-ia naci * long looked covetously j upon this sturdy community, however, 1 ' and a? lasL in 1262 KingHaken succceded I iir bringing it under his sway, though with the express reservation that Iceland ' should retaiu its independence and be ' governed by its own laws. That eugngci ment has not been repealed, and is still the basis of union with Denmark as it was with Norway. At present the feeling between the two countries (Iceland :ind Denmark) is not as friendly as it \ -tilt OFF THE ICELANDIC COAST. might be, Denmark's attitude, however, being largely one of indifference. To this sentiment is added the idea that the Icelanders are antiquated iu their ideas and still imbued with an exclusivelv national tendency. Iu 1387 Iceland became part of the Dano-Norwegian kingdom, and so remained uutil the partition of the two countries iu the beginning of the present century, when Iceland was incorporated with Denmark. The cxa$t relations between the two countries docs not seem to be understood by the principal parties, for even in official language Iceland is sometimes called a colony. sometimes a province and sometimes a dependency. The Icelanders, however, use none of these terms, but dimply call their country "the Land/' The Icelandic tongue is the old Scandinavian, or original Xorst\ beiug the oldest living language of the Teutonic family. The stationary character of the language is partly explained by its secluded position in an island and partly by the zealous study of the Icelanders of the ancient songs and sages. The first characters in which Icelandic was written were the Runics, which are supposed to be adaotations from the Phoenician alphabet. At the time of the introduction of Christianity these were superseded by the Roman alphabet in the form then used by the Anglo-Saxons and Germans. The alphabet consisted of thirty-six tetters. thirty-four of which j?re still used. * The language has a great faciKty for forming new words,but it does not adopt the common foreign names of science and new inventions. Thus a telegraph is called "frettafleygir," bearer of news, and a telegram "hradfrett," quick news. The Icelandic literature, which, with the exception or a tew unimportant isorwegian productions, has been written wholly in Iceland, consists generally of songs of victory or of praise, elegies, epigrams and sagas and skalds, or fictitious or historical romances. These works really belong to the ancient period of Icelandic literature, the second, or modern, period datinc from a revival of the seventeenth century. History, homilies, jurisprudence, poetry were all taKen up, and with such spirit and fruit that during the last hundred ' ears no other nation' can show so large a proportion of literary men. Iceland is in shape a good deal lik? that of the heart, the greatest length being 325 miles and greatest breadth 200 miles. Its area, including the adjacent islets, is 39,758 square miles, of which 1 ? OlO 1 ^nnlotinn J>v??iu uic aiauiuiuic* xuc |ji;|/uiai>iuu | in its most flourishing period exceeded 100,000, recent censuses giving the fig- | gures as follows: 1864, 68,084; 1869, 69,506; 1870, 69,763. At present it is in the neighborhood of 70,000, but i9 agaia on the decline, due to the gradual exhaustion of the fertility of the island and the increasing severity of its wiuters. The present project of moving the nation is not the first. In 1785 starvation and disease had brought the population down to something like 30,000, and the proposition was seriously entertained of removing the remnant of the people from the country. Prosperity, however, slowly returned to the Icelander, and the project was abandoned. The coast line of Iceland is deeply indented with bays, fiords?inlets extending far inland between lofty terraced mountains?and jutting promontories. The western fiords are studded with rocky inlets, and open, like those or tne northeast, to enormous ice drifts. Iceland is of volcanic origin, the center being an elevated band of tufa, from 1500 to 2000 feet above the sea and forming a wilderness covered with vast lava beds, barren heights, tracks of black volcanic sand, hot springs and bog. The mountains lie about the coast, chiefly in the south, among which are a number of fertile valleys extending along the water courses. Some of the loftiest mountains have an alti tude ranging from 2000 to 4000 feet, while some few volcanic peaks attain to a greater height. Snaefell, for instpce, reaches 5290 feet; Hecla, 4961 feet; Eyafjalla, 5432 feet, and Oraefe, 6241. These volcanoes form solitary and barren crests, rising from the plains, without any connection with a mountain ridge or plateau. Hundreds of erup' 'I JM? ICELANDIC FUNERAL. tions Lave been recorded from these and other craters, tho last being in 1862, all being more or lesu vblent and destructive. Iceland has several lakes, though all have been partly filled up by lava flows. The Midge Lake is in the north and the Thingvallavata in the south, and each is ten miles long by four wide. The rivers of Iceland arc numerous and of good size, but unfitted for navigation because of her torrential and broken character. Perhaps the most celebrated feature of Iceland scenery is the great number of intermittent hot springs, which have given the name of geysers to similar springs elsewhere. The principal towu w Reyjavk, a small and nther picturesque town of 1*00, modeled after Copenhagen. It has three principal streets and an irregularly built Kiihiirh. nnd ns the ranitul. does a fair amount of business. A bishop resides here, it publishes two weekly papers, and is the centre of the national educational facilities, which are confined to elementary instruction. The only mode of traveling in Iceland is on horseback. Roads do not exist,and the bridle paths, though certainly good, are at the same time rcmirkably simple in their construction. Bridges arc a rarity, aud the general methods of crossing a stream are by ferry or swimming. The houses arc partly of earth and partly of stone and have a turf roof, which in summer time is so green that it can scarcely be distinguished from the surrounding fields. Timber work is seldom to be fouud, Iceland being a woodless country and the cost of transportation from the seaports being great. Wooden houses arc only found in the two principal towns. The Icelandic house, however, is no hut, but possesses intricate interiors, and is sometimes quite artistically arranged. Sometimes, too, the house is little more than an earthen burrow, low. smoke-stained and filthy. A good deal of the interior dirt is due to^ the fact that the house' hp- mostly-built without fireplaces. Fog the acurfnmodatiou of their sheep and cattle the farmers have small tui? - windowless houses, erected a--'short distance from the residence. The stables have no stalls, and the horses move about as they like. Generally speaking the farm houses are built close together, each farmer requiring a large gross walk for his flocks, which sometimes arc very numerous, and for hay for the winter store. The Icelandic agriculturist cares nothing fnr oriiv cnl/wi unfl liis TlOllSP is alwaVS painted of a somber gray or a dark red. Cereals cannot be grown with any success iu this country, the only native grain being a wild sand-oat. from which an eatable kind of bread can be made. Ill addition to grass, which is the principal vegetable produce of the country, little else is grown beside potatoes and turnips. The every-day costume of the women consists of a tight-titting woolen Knitted bodice, of a dark color, with narrow sleeves buttoned at the wrists and a full skirt. As a set-off a striped or checked apron, usually green or red, is worn. TTie characteristic head-dress is a small 1 black cap, furnished with a long, silken tassel. When the state costume is put on the cap i* supplanted by a high white h?ad-drese, some thine in. shaoe of a ? ?1?MW? ? helmet, studded with gilt star? and enveloped in a white veil of tull$. The bodice is of black cloth, richly hemmed with gold or silver oak leaves. The skirt, also of cloth, is embroidered with ailk and silver, while a gold belt of ingenious workmanship encircles the waist. wj Over all is thrown a full cloak of blade ^ cloth, with 5 cape of green velvet trimmed with ermine. The Icelandic women have very thick and beautiful hair, which they arrange in graceful plaits. Sometimes it is dark and curling, but generally it is of "corn-golden" hue. Blue eyes ind pink and white _ ? ? J SHOE "WORN IN ICELAND. \. ' . cheeks accompany this, and the result is decidedly pleasing. I The men are veil grown, but are not $ so good looking as the women, and are remarkable for their long waists and short legs. j The churches usually consist of a little, square-shaped, tar-covered barn, either v. made out of planks or of earth, with two , small windows in the gable and a little aperture in the roof. Externally, with ^ I but very few exceptions, they are desti' tute of any kind of adornment. The K churchyards are just as unostentatious, for a tombstone is a rarity. A. cross even I is scarcely to be found upon a grave in > ' Iceland, and the green mounds are soon T w leveled to the ground. -'jJ? | The usual food with which the traveler \ is entertained is smoked- or dried mut- ! +?n urViirVi wVtpn nnt too old. is not an unpleasant dish. The common bread con- i . sists of thin, flat cakes, but even this ia not an article of daily consumption, the poorer classes eating dried fish instead, plentifully smeared ove? -with a sour butter, or even a mixture of tallow and oiL On the coast the people eat a great quan? >&? AN ICELAND HOUSE. ^ # ' .J tity of fish, principally halibut, while in some parts of the interior trout and sal- ? > ^ ion form a large Dart of the daily menu. Corn brandy and coffee are the principal drinkn, vast quantities of both being , =.. ' taken. Snuff taking and smoking are also largely indulged in. There is no ?31 deep sea fishing carried on, however, lor, strange though it may seem, the Icelanders, though they are brought up by the sea, and though they derive & great part of their sustenance from it, are not a nation of sailors. In some parts of the south coast of Iceland the people eat fl rvnh nn/1 An i 4- wa Iuwac iicau auu uiinc uu oajjug that it imparts good complexions, but the animal is too expensive and useful to be used as an article of food. Dogs are favorite animals, every Icelander keeping a prodigious quantity of them. Whaling .. is not very vigorously prosecuted, partly because of the Icelander's poor seamanship and partly because the varietv found in rnese waters is not a vaiuaDie on*. Lastly come the sea birds,which are quite an important article of diet. Iceland, as has been remarked, is a treeless country, although hqrc and there may be seen a plot containing trees, j But woods are not really missed in the I landscape. When, for instance, one , lands on some eminence, and looks toward a mountain some miles distant clad in its dark-blue summer dress, ot it one gazes over a grassy puuu, wucic uu defying fences obstruct the view, but where a river winds sinuously along, or a lake reveals its shining surface, the senses do not feel the want of forest land. Several beautiful and delicate kinds of grasses and plants, too, abound in Iceland, while the flowers arc numerous and | lovely. To resume, Iceland is a land of mountains that reach far up into the sky, ol boundless sandy plains, of swift and foamincr rivers, of deserts of lava. snow. t icc, on uu or stone, a mna aoounamg witn -* legends and myths, of volcanoes, the inexhaustible field for wonderment and for investigation.?San Francisco Chronicle. . Diviii? for Turtle. Along the North Carolina sounds men ^ and boys catch terrapin in the wiat^y?^" " with dredges. The marshes M^fttffned. and the terrapin, buried Jn the mud, feeling the warmth and thinking that the springtime has come, JTeave their beds. In the summer bojs ^jvade for them, and when the terrapin ieave the water they -arfeTiunted to their nests by dogs. The huge loggerhead and hawkbill turtles in the sound waters are caught in a curious way. Formerly they were speared or shot, but their vitality is such that even when their heads arc struck off the turtle swims away, living loug enough to get out of the reach of the fisherman. Within a few years the turtle have been captured by diving for them. The fisherman has the painter of his boat tied to his ankle f when he dives. When he sees a turtle he dives so as to come behind the creaturc and seizes it by the shell or neck back of its head. The turtle instinctively swims upward toward the surface and the fisher, men guides it toward the shallow water in shore and when he gets there he has the animal at his mercy.? WcuMngton. Stw, ? * . v. ? * V V, - r ""r-nffiihfi"