University of South Carolina Libraries
: _ : ^ lewis m. grist, Proprietor. | .Independent Jamily Ijtacspapfr: |or the promotion of the political, Social, g^rialtaral and Commercial Interests of the $outh. J TERMS?$2.00 A YEAR IN ADVANCE. ~V()L. 35. YORKVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1889. NO 17. ?,? ???.?????? 3 f erial ftorg. % tat War Syndicate, I ' it:! ? V? " . By ETLAM_R_STOOXTOK. ii ii? i ' ' i Author at "Rudder Grange," "Amos Kilbright," "The Bee Man of Orn," "The . Cbriituu Wreck," "The Lady or the Tiger," "The Late Mrs. Nnll," "The Hundredth Man," "The Casting Away of Mr-. Leeks and Mrs. Alesblne," "The Duaiuitea," etc. [Copjrrigtoted by P. F. Collier, of Collier's Once a Week, and published by special arrangement with him through the American Press Association. All rights reserved. | j . Just seven minutes afterward the first shot came from the Scarabeeus, It passed over Repeiler No. 1, and that vessel, instead of replying, immediately steamed nearer her adversary. The director-in-chief desired to determine the effect of an active cannonade upon the new armor, and therefore ordered * the Teasel placed "in such a 'position that the Englishman might have the best opportunity ior using it as a target. The Scarubnaus lost no time in availing herself of the facilities offered. She was a large and powerful ship, with a heavy armament; and, soon getting the range of the syndicate's vessel, she hurled boll after ball upon her striped side. Repellor No. 1 made no reply, but quietly submitted to the terrible bombardment Some of the great shot jarred her from bow to stern, but not one of them broke a steel spring, nor penetrated the heavy inside plates. After half an hour of this work the director-in-chief becume satisfied that the new armor had well acquitted itself in the severe trial to which it had lieon subjected. Some of the air buffers had been disabled, probably on account of fuults fn their construction, but (' se could readily be replaced, and no fui er injury had been done the vessel, n was not necessary, therefore, to continue the experiment any longer, and besides there was danger that the Englishman perceiving tliat his antagonist did not appear to bo affected by liis fire, would approach closer and endeavor to ram her. This was to be avoided, for the Scaralaeus was a much larger vessel than Repeiler No. 1, and able to run into the latter and sink her by mere preponderance of weight. It was, therefore, decided to now test the powers of the crabs. Signals were i made from Repeiler No. 1 to Crab A, which had been lying with the larger vessel between it .and the enemy. These signals were made by jets of dense black smoke, which were ejected from a small pipe on the repeiler. These slender columns of smoke preserved their cylindrical forms for 6omo moments, and were visible at a great distance by day or night, being illuminated in the latter case by electric light. The length and frequency of these jets were regulated by an instrument in the director's room. Thus, by means of long and short puffs, with the proper use of* intervals, a message could be projected into the air as a telegraphic instrument would mark it upon paper. In this manner Crab A was ordered to immediately proceed to the attack of the Scarabseus. The almost submerged vessel steamed rapidly from behind her consort, ana made xor tne tsritisn manof-war. When the latter vessel perceived the &pproael*-c6*4Us turtle-hocked object,squirting little jets of black smoke as she replied to the orders from the repeller, there was great amazement on board. The crab had not been seen . before, but as it came rapidly on there was* no time for curiosity or discussion, and several heavy guns were brought to bear upon it. It was difficult to hit a rapidly moving flat object scarcely above the surface of the water; and although several shot struck the crab, they glanced off without in tho least interfering with its progress. Crab A soon came so near the Scarabaeus that it was imjx>ssible to depress the guns of tho latter so as to strike her. The great vessel was, therefore headed toward its assailant, and under a full head of steam dashed directly at it to run it down. But the crab could turn as upon a pivot,, and shooting to one 6ide allowed the surging man-of-war to pass it. Perceiving instantly that it would be difficult to strike this nimble and almost submerged adversary, the commander of tho Scarabfeus thought it well to let it alone for the present, and to bear down with all speed upon the repeller. But it was easier to bit the crab than to leave it behind. It was capable of great speed, and, following the British vessel, it quickly came up with her. Tho course of the Scarabajus was instantly changed, and every effort was made to get the vessel into a i>osition to rim down the crab. But this was not oocr fni* CA 1 o vrm o c1iii\ nml /"Vol* A v/twj *w* ov iui^o u ujiu viau x* seemed to have no difficulty in keeping close to her stern. Several machine guns especially adapted for firing at torpedo boats, or any hostile craft which might be discovered close to a vessel, wero now brought to bear upon the crab, and ball after ball was hurled at her. Some of these struck, but glanced off, without penetrating her tough armor. These maneuvers had not continued long when the crew of the crab was readyto bring into action the peculiar apparatus of that peculiar craft. An enormous pair of iron forceps, each massive lihsb of which measured twelve feet or more in length, was run out in front of the crab at a depth of six or eight feet below the surface. These forceps were acted upon by an electric engine of immense power, by which they could be shut, opened, projected, withdrawn or turned and twisted. The crab darted forward, and in the next instant the great teeth of her pincers were fastened with a tremendous grip upon the rudder and rudder post of the Scarabseus. Then followed a sudden twist, which sent a thrill through both vessels, a crash, a backward jerk, the snapping of a chain, and in a moment the great rudder, with half of the rudder port attached, was torn from the vessel, and as tho forceps opened it dropped to leeward and hung dangling by one chain. Again the forceps opened wide; again there was a rush, and this time the huge jaws closed upon the rapidly revolving 6crew propeller. There was a tremendous crash, and the small but massive crab turned over so far thut for an instant one of its sides was plainly visible above the water. The blades of the propeller were crushed and shivered; those # parts of the steamer's engines connecting with the propeller shaft were snapped and rent apart, while the propeller shaft itself was broken by the violent stoppage. The crab, which had quickly righted, now backed, still holding the crushed propeller in its iron grasp, and as it moved away from the Scarabseus, it extracted about forty feet of its propeller shaft; then, opening its massive jaws, 'it allowed the useless mass of iron to drop to the bottom of the sea. Every man on board the Scarabseus was wild with amazement and excitement. Few could comprehend what had happened, but this very quickly became evident. So far as motive power was concerned, the Scarabseus was totally disabled. She could not direct her course, for her rudder was gone; her propeller was gone; her engines wero useless, and she could do no more than float as wind or tide might move her. Moreover, there was a jagged hole in her stern where the shaft had been, and through this the water was pouring into the vessel. As a man-of-war tho Scarabteus was worthless. Orders now came fast from Repeller No. 1, which had moved nearer to the scene of conflict It was to be supposed that the disabled ship was properly furnished with bulkheads, so that the water would penetrate no farther than the stem compartment, and that therefore, she was in no danger of sinking. Crab A was ordered to make fast to the bow of the Scarabmrus, and tow her toward two men-of-war who were rapidly approaching from the harbor. A MCCnON OP CRAB A, SHOWING NIPPERS. A, bomb proof roof; B, water line; 0, interior ofcmb; D, joint of nippers; E, arms of nippers; FF, rods of nippers connecting with electric engine; Q. teak lining to crab. This proceeding astonished the commander and officers of the Scarab?us almost as much as the extraordinary attack which had been made upon their ship. They had expected a demand to surrender and haul down their flag, but the director-in-chief on board Repeller No. 1 was of the opinion that with her propeller extracted it mattej^d little what flag she -flew. His work with the ScarabffiU8 was over; for it had been ordered by the syndicate that its vessels should not encumber themselves with j prizes. Towed by the powerful crab, which apparently had no fear that its disabled adversary might fire upon it, the Scarabseus moved toward the harbor, and when it lind come within a quarter of a mile of the foremost British vessel, Crab A cast off and steamed back to Repeller No. 1. The other English vessels soon came up, and each lay to and sent a boat to the Scarabaeus. After half an hour's consultation, in which the amazement of those on board the damaged vessel was comiuunicuted to the officers and crews of her two consorts, it was determined ! that the smaller of these should tow the disabled ship into port, while the other one, in company with a man-of-war just coming out of the harbor, should make i attack upon Repeller No. 1. It had been plainly proved that ordinary shot and shell had no effect upon this craft, but it had not been proved that sho could withstand the rams of powerful ironclads. If this vessel, that apparently carried no guns, or at least, had used none, could be crushed, capsized. sunk, or in any way put out of the fight, it was probable that the dangerous submerged nautical machine would not care to remain in these waters. If it remained it must be destroyed by torpedoes. Signals were exchanged between the 'two English vessels, and in a very short time they were steaming toward the repeller. It was a dangerous thing for two vessels of their size to come close enough together for both to ram an enemy at the same time; but it was determined to take the risks and do this, if possible; for the destruction of tho repeller was obviously the first duty in hand. As the two men-of-war rapidly approached Repeller No. 1, they kept up a steady fire upon her, for if in this way they could damage her, the easier would be their task. With a firm reliance upon the efficacy of the steel spring armor, the director-in-chief felt no fear of tho enemy's shot and shell, but he was not at all willing that his vessel should be ' Vattnmed,' for' the consequences would probably be disastrous. Accordingly lu? did not wait for tho approach of the two vessels, but steering seaward, he signaled for tho other crab. When Crab B mado its appearance, puffing its little black jets of smoke as it answered the signals of the director-inchief, the commanders of the two British vessels were surprised. They had imagined that there was only one of these strange and terrible enemies, and had supposed that she would be afraid to make her peculiar attack upon one of them, because while doing so she would expose herself to the danger of being run down by the other. But the presence of two of these almost submerged engines of destruction entirely changed the situation. But the commanders of the British ships were brave men. They had started to run down the strangely armored American craft, and run her down they would, if they could. They put on more steam and went ahead at greater speed. In such a furious onslaught the crabs might not dare to attack tnem. But they did not understand the na- i ture nor the powers of these enemies. In less than twenty minutes Crab A had laid hold of one of the men-of-war. and Crab B of the other. The rudders of both were shattered and torn away.; and while thu blades of one prn|M*Ilfi' were erushii I to pieces, the oihei. with nearly half it* shaft, was drawn out and dropped into tlio ocean. Helplessly the two menof-war rose and fell upon the waves. In obedience to orders from the repeller, each crab took hold of one of the disabled vessels and towed it near the mouth of the harbor, where it was left. The city was now in a state of feverish excitement, which was intensified by the fact that a majority of the people did not understand what had happened, while those to whom this had been made plain could not comprehend why sucli a thing should have been allowed to happen. Three of her majesty's ships of war, equipped and ready for action, had sailed out of the harbor, and an apparently insignificant enemy, without firing a gun, had put them into such a condition that they were utterly unfit for service and must be towed into a dry dock. How could the government, the municipality, the army, or the navy, explain this? The anxiety, the excitement, the nervous desire to know what had happened, and what might be expected next, spread that evening to every part of the Dominion reached by telegraph. The military authorities in charge of the defenses of the city were as much disturbed and amazed by what had happened as any civilian could possibly be, but they had no fears for the safety of the place, for the enemy's vessels could not possibly enter, nor even approach, the harbor. The fortifications on the heights mounted guns much heavier than those on the men-of-war, and 6hots from these fired from an elevation might sink even those "under water devils." But, more than- oil the forts, they relied upon their admirable system of torpedoes and submarine batteries. With these in position and ready for action, us they now were, it was impossible for an enemy's vessel, floating on the water, or under it, to enter the harbor without certain destruction. Bulletins to this effect were posted In tlio city, and somewhat allayed the popular anxiety, although many people who were fearful of what might happen next, left by the evening trains for the interior. Thut night the news of this extraordinary affair was cabled to Europe, and thence back to the United States, and all over the world. In many quarters the account was disbelieved, and in no quarter was it thoroughly understood, for it must be borne in mincl that the methods of operation employed by the crabs wero not evident even to those on board tho disabled vessels. But everywhere there was tho greatest desire to know what would bo done next. It was the general opinion that the two armored vessels were merely tenders to the submerged machines, which had done the miscliief. Having fired no guns, nor taken any active part in the combat, there was every reason to believe that they were intended merely as bomb proof store ships for their formidable consorts. As these submerged vessels could not attack a town, nor reduce fortifications, but could exercise their power only j against vessels afloat, it was plain enough to sec that the object of the American syndicate was to blockade the port. That they would be able to maintain the blockade when the full power of the British navy should be brought to bear upon them was generally doubted, though it was conceded in the most wrathful circles that until the situation should be altered, it would be unwise to risk valuable war vessels in encounters with the diabolical sea monsters now lying off the port. In the New York office of the syndicate there was great satisfaction. The news received was incorrect and imperfect, but it was evident that, 60 far, everything had gone well. About 9 o'clock the next morning Repeller No. 1, with her consort half a mile astern, and preceded by the two crabs, one on either bow, approached to within two miles of the harbor mouth. The crabs, a quarter of a mile ahead of the repeller, moved slowly, for between them ,jf./ MAP OF CANADIAN CITY AND HARBOR. A, H. M. 8. Scaratweus; B, Crab A; C, Repeller Na 1; D, new fort; E, old fort; F, city; Q, Island; H. island. they bore an immense net, three or four hundred feet long and thirty feet deep, composed of jointed steel rods. Along the upper edge of this net was a series of air floats, which were so graduated that they were sunk by the weight of the net a few feet below the surface of' the water, from which position they held the net suspended vertically. This net, which was Intended to protect the repeller against the approach of submarino torpedoes which might be directed from the shore, was anchored at each end, two very small buoys indicating its position. The crabs then falling astem, Repeller No. 1 lay to. with the sunken net between her and the show, und prepared to project the first instantaneous motor bomb ever used in warfare. The great gun in the bow of the vessel was loaded with one of the largest and most powerful motor bombs; and the spot to bo aimed at was selected. This was a point in the water just inside of the mouth of the harbor, and nearly a mile from the land on either side. The distance of this point from the vessel being calculated, the cannon wa3 adjusted at the angle called for by the scale of distances and levels, and the instrument indicating rise, fall and direction was then put in connection with it. Now the director-in-chief stepped forward to the button, by pressing winch the power of the motor was developed. The chief of the scientific corps then showed him the exact point upon the scale, which would be indicated when the gun was in its proper position, and the piece was then moved upon its bearings so ar to approximate us nearly as possible this direction. The bow of*the vessel now rose upon the swell of the sea, and the instant that the index upon the scale reached the desired point, the director-in-chief touched the button. There was no report, no smoke, no visible sign that the motor had left the cannon; but at that instant there appeared, to those who were on the lookout, from a fort about a mile away, a vast aperture in tne waters 01 uie oay, which whs variously described us from 100 yards to 500 yards in diaiuct?r. At that name instant, in the neighboring headlands und islands far up the shores of the bay, and in every street and building of tho city, there was felt a sharp shpck as if the underlying rocks had been struck by a gigantic trip hammer. At tho same instant the sky above the 6pot where the motor had descended was darkened by a wide spreading cloud. This was formed of that portion of the water of the bay which had been instantaneous raised to the height of about a thousand feet. The 6udden appearance of this cloud was even more terrible than tho yawning chasm in the waters of tho bay, or tho startling shock, but it did not remain long in view. It had no sooner reached its highest elevation than it began to descend. There was a strong 6ea breeze blowing, and in its descent this vast mass of water was impelled toward the land. It came down, not as rain, lyjt as the waters of a vast cataract, as though a mountain lake, by an earthquake shock, had been precipitated in a body upon a valley. Only one edge of it reached the land, and hero the seething flood tore away earth, trees and rocks, leaving behind it great chasms and gullies as it descended to the sea. The bay itself, into which this vast body of the water fell, became a scene of surging madness. The towering walls of water which had stood up all around the suddenly created aperture hurled themselves back into the abyss, und down into the great chasm at the Ixjttom of the bay, which had been made when the motor sent its shock along the great rock beda Down upon, and into, this roaring, boiling tumult fell the tremendous cataract from above, and the harbor became one wild expanse of leaping, maddened waves, hissing their whirling spray high into the air. During these few terrific moments other things happened which passed unnoticed in the general consternation. All along the shores of the bay and in front of the city the waters seemed to be sucked away, slowly returning as the sea forced them to their level, mid at many points up and down tho harbor there were submarine detonations and upheavals of the water. These were caused by the explosion, by concussion of every torpedo and submarine battery in the harbor; and it was with this object in view that tho instantaneous motor bomb had been 6hot into the mouth of tho bay. Tho effects of the discharge of tho motor bomb astonished and oven startled those on l)oard tho repellers and the the crabs. At tho instant of touching the button a hydraulic shock was felt on Repeller No. 1. This was supposed to bo occasioned by the discharge of tho motor, but it was also felt on tho other vessels. It was the same shock that had been felt on 6hore, but less in degree. A few moments after there was a great heaving swell of the sea, which tossed and rolled the four vessels and lifted tho steel protecting net 60 high that for an instant parts of it showed themselves above tho surface like glistening sea ghosts. Experiments with motor bombs had been mado in unsettled mountainous districts, but this was the first one which had ever exerted its power under water. On shore, in the forts, and in the city, no one for an instant supposed that the terrific phenomenon which had just occurred was in any way due to tho vessels of tho syndicate. Tho repellers wero in plain view, and it was evident that neither of them had fired a gun. Besides, the firing of cannon did not produce such elTects. It was the general opinion that there had been un earthquake shock accompanied by a cloud burst, and extraordinary convulsions of the sea. Such a combination of elementary disturbances had never been known in these parts, and a great many persons were much inoro frightened than if they had understood what had really happened. In about half 1111 hour after the discharge of the motor bomb, when the sea hail resumed its usual quiet, a boat carrying a white flag left Repeller No. 1, rowed directly over the submerged net and made for the harlior. When the approach of this Hag of truce was perceived from the fort nearest tho mouth of the. harlior, it occasioned much surmise. Had the earthquake brought these syndicate knaves to their senses? Or were they about to make further absurd and outrageous demands? Some irate officers were of tho opinion that enemies like these should bo considered no better than pirates, and that their flag of truce should be fired upon. But the commandant of tho foit paid no attention to such counsels, and sent a detachment with a white flag down to the beach to [ meet the approaching boat and learn its errand. i The men in the boat had nothing to do but to deliver a letter from the directorin-chief to the commandant of the fort and then row back again. No answer was required. When tho commandant read tho brief note he made no remark. In fact, he could think of no appropriate remark to make. The missive simply informed him that at ten o'clock and eighteen minutes a. m? of that day, the first boom from the marine forces of the synhe /] Unnti ffYrtrl mfn fU Ult'UU' I (?>.U uvuij uiov/uiu^cu latv buu waters of the harbor. At, or about two o'clock p. in., the second bomb would be discharged at Fort Pilcher. That was alL What this extraordinary message meant could not bo imagined by any ofllcor of the garrison. If the people on board tin* ships were taking advantage of the ?.arlh(|uake, and supposed that they could induce British soldiers to believe that it had l>een caused by one of their bombs, then were they idiots indeed. They would fire their second shot at Fort Pilcherl This was impossible, for they had not yet fired their first shot These syndicate people were evidently very tricky, and the defenders of the port must therefore be very cautious. Fort Pilcher was a very large and unfinished fortification, on a bluff on the opposite side of the harbor. Work had been discontinued on it as soon as the syndicate's vessels had appeared off the port, for it was not desired to expose the builders and workmen to a possible bombardment The place was now, therefore, almost deserted; but after the receipt of the syndicate's message, the commandant feared that the enemy might throw an ordinary shell into the unfinished works, and he sent a boat across the bay to order away any workmen or others who might be lingering about the place. A little after 2 o'clock p. m. an instan; taneous motor bomb was discharged from Repeller No. 1 into Fort Pilclier. It was set to act five seconds after impact with the object aimed at It struck in a central portion of the unfinished fort, and having described a high curve in the air, descended not only with its own motive power, but with the force of gravitation, and penetrated deep into the earth. Five seconds later a vast brown cloud appeared on the Fort Pilcher promontory. This cloud was nearly spherical in form, with an apparent diameter of about a thousand yards. At the same instant a shock similar to that aecom? K mnn P f\ I in P?lliyjLII? L1JU 111 DU lliUWJl UULUU HOO iVlb 1U tho city and surrounding country, but this was not so severe as the other, for the second bomb did not exert its force upon the underlying rocks of the region, as the first one had done. The great brown cloud quickly began to loso its spherical form, part of it descending heavily to the earth and part floating away in vast dust clouds borne inland by tho breeze, settling downward as they moved, and depositing on land, water, ships, houses, domes and trees an almost impalpable powder. . WJ>en Jbe. cloud, had cleared away there were no fortifications, and tho bluff 011 which they had stood had disappeared. Part of this blulf had floated away on tho wind and part of it lay piled in great heaps of sand on the spot where its rocks were to have upheld a fort. Tho effect of the motor bomb was fully observed with glasses from the various fortifications of the port and from many points of tho city and harbor; and those familiar with tho effects of explosives were not long in making up their minds what had happened. They felt sure that a mine had been sprung beneath Port Pilcher, and they were now equally confident that in the morning a torpedo of novel and terrible power had been exploded in tho harbor. They now disbelieved in tho earthquako and treated with contempt the pretense that shots had been fired from tho syndicate's vessel. This was merely a trick of the enemy. It was not even likely that the mine or tho torpedo had been operated from the ship. These were in all probability under tho control of confederates on shore, and had been exploded at times agreed upon beforehand. All this was perfectly plain to the military authorities. But tho peoplo of tho city derived no comfort from the announcement of these conclusions. For all that anybody knew the whole city might be undermined, and at any moment might ascend in a cloud of m inute particles. They felt that they were in-a region of hidden traitors and bombs, and in consequence of this belief thousands of citizens left their homes. That afternoon a truce boat again went out from Repellor No. 1 and rowed to the fort, where a letter to the commandant was delivered. This, like the other, demanded no answer, and the boat returned. Later in the afternoon the two repellers, accompanied by the crabs and leaving the steel net still anchored in its place, retired a few miles seaward, where they prepared to lay to for the night. The letter brought by tho truce boat was read by the commandant, surrounded by his officers. It stated that in twentyfour hours from timoof writing it, which would bo at or about 4 o'clock on the next afternoon, a bomb would bo thrown into the garrisoned fort under the command of tho officer addressed. As this would result in tho entire destruction of tho fortification, the commandant was earnestly counseled to evacuate the fort before the hour specified. Ordinarily tho commandant of the fort was of a calm and unexcitablo temperament. During the astounding events of that day and tho day before ho had kept his head cool; his judgment, if not pnriwt tvntul'hn result of snlvr nntl enrn est consideration. But now he lost his temper. The unparalleled effrontery and impertinence of this demand of tho American syndicate was too much for his self possession. He stormed in anger. Here was the culmination of tho knavish trickery of these conscienceless pirates who had attacked the port. A torpedo had been exploded in the harbor, i an unfinished fort had been mined and j blown up, and all this had been dono to I frighten him?a British soldier?in com| mand of a strong fort, well garrisoned : and fully supplied with all the muni| tions of war. In the fear that his fort j would be destroyed by a mystical bomb ho was expected to march to a place of safety with all his forces. If this should be dono it would not bo long before these crafty fellows would occupy the fort, and with its great guns turned inland, would hold tho city at their mercy, j There could bo no greater insult to a soldier than to sup;>oso that he could be gulled by a trick like this. Pro UK OONTINt.'KO XKXT WKKK.1 j tgr Samoa, which is attracting so j much attention now, is generally j regarded as a savage island, but a ! large proportion of the people are | Christians. A missionary says: "I would guarantee to take the first twenty men, women and children that I should meet with in Samoa, aud I would back them in Bible knowledge against any twenty I should meet in this country." JoT A lady refers to the time she spends in front of her looking-glass as "moments of reflection." ^liorellaitfouo THE TOWNSHIP BONDS. DECISIONS Oil' THE SUPREME COURT IN SEVERAL CASES. The Act of 1883 wan Ineffective Because it Attempted to Authorize the Levying of a Tax by Townships for a Purpose not Corporate?'The Act of 1888 is Effective Because it Levies the Tax Directly by the Power of the Legislature Itself. Below are given in full the several opinions by the judges of the supreme j court, having reference to the consti' tutionnlity of the recent Act passed 1 by the legislature relating to the powers of townships to issue railroad 1 bonds, etc., etc. ' 'Die State of South Carolina, ex-relatione ! the Charleston. Cincinnati and Chica- | go Railroad company, the Massachusetts and Southern Construction company and the Boston Safe Deposit and Trust company,; petitioners, against Robert W. Wuitesides, chairman of county commissioners for York county, and James B. Allison, clerk of said hoard. . A JUDGMENT.?SIMPSON, C. J. The inhabitants of Broad River I township in York county, under the : provisions of the amended charter of the Georgetown and North Carolina Narrow Gauge Railroad company?1883?which company after! wards became the Charleston, Cinj cinati and Chicago Railroad com, pany, voted a subscription of #24,000 | to said road, payable in 7 per cent, j coupon bonds, upon the authority of which the county commissioners of : said qounty executed the necessary bonds for the payment of said subscription. V' These bonds, by an arrangement between the parties, were placed in possession of the relator, the "Boston Safe Deposit and Trust company," to be held until the road was completed, as follows, to wit: Five miles from the township line, between Cherokee and Broad River, when upon a certificate of that fact by the engineer of the Massachusetts and Southern Construction company, endorsed by the chairman of the county commissioners, his signature, attested by the clerk of the board, being presented to said trust.company, $12,000 of said bonds were to be delivered to the Massachusetts and Southern Construction company, and upon a similar certificate.that the road had been completed through said township, the remaining $12,000 were to be delivered to said construction company. This arrangement was reduced to writing and signed by a majority of I the county commissioners, and in aei cordance therewith the $24,000 of bonds were placed in the hands of the trust company. Upon the completion of the road through the township the engineer executed the re| quired certificate,. as above, but : the respondent, Wh Resides, county ! chairman aforesaid, declined to en! dorse it, for other reasons, however, than that suid road had not been completed. And the clerk of the board also declared that he would not in any event attest the signature of the chairman. Under these circumstances the relators commenced the proceedings now before us in the original jurisdiction of this court, praying that a mandamus do issue commanding said chairman to endorse the certificates of the engineer, and said clerk fA nttp<a. h la flipnatura to said endorse England was supposed to issue at trie instance of the crown, to meet and remedy otherwise remediless cases at his discretion. But in this country it has lost its prerogative character, and though issued in the name of the State, yet it belongs to the courts, and has become a form of aetion, governed by established rules and applied for and issued under established forms. Upon application for this writ against a public cffiicer the questions to be considered are: 1st. Is the duty claimed a ministerial duty ? 2d. Has the petitioner a legal right, for the enjoyment, protection or redress of which the discharge of said duty is necessary? ltd. Has he no other adequate and sufficien t remedy ? High, section 10. And these are the questions before us. The petitioners ask that thechairman of the county commissioners of York county shall be required to endorse the certificate of the engineer, supra, and that the clerk of the board shall attest his signature. Can the performanceof these acts he ordered as ministerial duties? What is a ministerial duty on the part of a public officer? We think it may be defined briefly, yet fullv, to be some duty imposed expressly by law, not by contract, (High, section 2f>) or arising necessarily as an incident to the office, involving no discretion in its exercise, but raandantoryand imperative. High, section 42. Now is the duty claimed here by the petitioners, at the hands of the | respondents, adutyofthatcharacter? I There is certainly no Act or law of force, expressly imposiug this duty upon them. Nor is it a duty necessarily arising as an incident to the offices which they hold. Nor was itcontracted in futherance of any legal ! duty attempted by them, and which cannot be now completed without the performance of this. Possibly it might be, if the Act of assembly under which Broad River township I subscribed to the railroad had been j constitutional and valid in such case, i The county commissioners having I hppn dpplared the comorate agents of the township, charged with the duty of issuing the subscription bouds, and of otherwise seeing to the proper protection of said township in the delivery of said bonds, a contract of tiie kind mentioned above, to be performed upon the completion of the road, could be urged as a ministerial duty. But such is not the state of facts in the case. On the contrary, under the recent case of Floyd and Perriu, MSS., Broad River township had no power to vote the subscription in question. Nor had the county commissioners any power to issue j the bonds mentioned, nor to make j officially the contract relied upon. . The whole transaction, from beginning to end, was ultra vires, a nul' lity, because not in pursuance of any j duty imposed by law upon said commissioners. If there be any duty at all, it is one arising out of individual contract. This being so, we do not see how any ministerial duty, in | the sense as defined above, could attach. It is said, however, that the recent Act, supru, has validated these bonds, and has legalized all the proceedings under which they were executed, and to conditionsupon which they were to be delivered to the railroad, including the contract to have the certificate of the engineer endorsed by the chairman, and attested by the clerk. We think this is a mistake. We do not understand that the Actofl888, supra, has had that effect; nor was such its intention, in so far as the proceedings of the different townships wore concerned. That Act, as we suppose, was intended to authorize the levying of a tax in aid of certain railroad bonds which certain townships in the State, by the action of their inhabitants, had substantially expressed a desire should be aided, and it was enacted nat. fa vntirinfn nrpvinus illegal lecis iation, and acts done under such legislation, but as an independent Act for a public purpose, and within, as was supposed, the unquestioned power of the general assembly, to wit, to authorize taxation for a public purpose. And the amount proposed to be subscribed by the townships in furtherance of this purpose, represented by the bonds issued, was taken as a basis of the aid to be given, and was declared as a debt upon said townships, as indicative of the source from which the tax was to come, affording the aid granted. It is urged, however, that this Act is unconstitutional, and the argument on both sides has been mainly addressed to this question. In fact, it is obvious that the principal object of this proceeding is to obtain a deliverance from this court upon that precise question. From - our view of the purpose of the Act, as stated above, we do not think that this question, whether decided the one way or the other, would determine the issue whether or not the writ prayed for should be granted, and, therefore, we do not regard the adjudication of this question as absolutely essential to the surface object o/"this proceeding. It is, however, raised in the case, and under the constitution it is perhaps our duty to adjudicate it, and especially we have so felt in consideration of its imf)ortance to our people, and of the arge interests involved. We have, therefore, declined to pass it by and have carefully considered it, reaching the conclusion that it is constitutional and valid. Not, however, ou the ground urged and contested so elaborately and ably by counsel, towit: that it was a validating act; but upon another ground, which we will now state. We think that there can be no doubt that thegeneral assembly has the power to authorize taxation for T! 1 iL.i ! ^ raent, as stipulated, so that the said trust company might he authorized to deliver the bonds mentioned to the said construction company. There is no serious dispute as to the main facts of the case, and these are sufficiently stated above. The difficulty, however, grows out of the legal questions raised, and these involve primarily a discussion of the law of mandamus, and its application to these conceded facts; and secondly, the constitutionality of the recent Act of the legislature, known as "An Act to provide for the payment of township bonds, issued in aid of railroads in this1 State. Approved December, 1888." These questions will be considered in their order. The principles which govern in mandamus cases, especially where the proceeding is against a public officer, are very plain and simple, and are within a very narrow compass. ' 1 ~ ? ^ 1 - ? ? /? rtin i S nn no II1UUI1 MO UW IU Iltrou UU cmiiuiaumi here nor the citation of authorities. They may be briefly stated thus: Where a party has a legal right, to theenjoymentof which the discharge of a ministerial duty on the part of a public oftleer is necessary, and he has no other adequate remedy. Incase i the officer refuses to discharge this I duty, mandamus is the proper proceeding. Iligh's Ex. Legal Remedies, section 34, ct. seq. This writ was once a prerogative writ, and iu anypuoncpurpo.se. i n ihcl, umi m the absence of a constitutional inhibition, this power is inherent and unlimited, with no check except the intelligence of the representative, and the ballot-box of the elector. Cooley on Con, Lim. and the#caseh there cited. Feldman vs. City, 23 S. C. Now was the Act in questiou passed to premote a public purpose, and within the domain of legislative action? Was this the object the tax authorized ? The object of the Act was to aid the building of certain railroads in the State, which certain townships had without authority of law contracted to aid. Now railroads have been declared by the courts in most of the States, ourown included,and by thesupreme court of the United Statesas improved highways, and therefore as iquvb entitled to be aided by the taxing power as ordinary highways. Dillon, Vol. 1 3d Ed., Sec 158 ; Cooley, 2d Ed., Chapter 4. This may have been doubted once, and if it was an open question might stilfbe doubted, but decisions in that direction have been numerous and so uniform that to use the language of Judge Dillon : "If they have not terminated doubt, they have at least ended judicial discussion." The subject matter then of this Act was within the range of a public purpose, and so far legitimate ; but it may be urged that the purpose here being confined Jo mere townships, limited localities, and not extending to the public at large, could not fall within the doctrine above. What is the meaning of the term "public?" This terra is opposed to the term private, and, according to the best lexicographers, means "pertaining to, or belonging to the people, relating to a nation, State or community." But to make a matter a public matter it need not pertain to the whole nation or State. It is sufficient if it pertains t'o any separate or distinct portion thereof or community. For instance, the State is divided into counties and there may be matters affecting one county and not others, as the building of a jail, a court house and such other matters, yet it could not be said that for this reason they were not public matters. Ho the counties have been divided into townships, which at one time were municipal corporations for certain purposes. These corporations, it is true, have been vacated, but the territorial divisions, with names and defined boundaries have been retained, thus separating the counties into distinct communities, which have been frequently recognized as such in legislativeenactments. Now the inhabitants of many of these townships having voted as distinct communities subscriptions to railroads proposed to be constructed through or near them, not for the private interest of particular individuals, but for the general good, we think the general assembly was warranted in assuming that here was a public purpose, which in accordance with the expressed wish of these communities, could be sustained by its taxing power ; and even without this expressed desire. There is high authority for saying that such legislation would be. valid with or without the consent of the people, the only check to an unwise exercise thereof, as we have said above, being not the courts, but the intelligence of the general assembly and the ballot-box. But here the people of the townships had given their consent, and bad declared by their votes, that a public purpose was present that deserved support. This, it seems to us, was a sufficient foundation for the passage of the Act. For these reasons we think the Act in question is constitutional and valid. But conceding this, we do not see how it warrants the mandamus prayed for. There is certainly nothmgin this Actexpressly commanding the respondents to perform the stipulations of the contract upon which this proceeding is based, nor is there any duty imposed thereby upon the respondents to which the suggested acts are necessary incidents, and, therefore, there is no ministerial duty in this regard attaching to them to be enforced by the writ prayed for. We have not found it necessary to discuss fully the question whether the recent Act could be sustained as a validating Act, as contended by the petitioners, but wo have considered it under the light of the argument and the numerous cases cited, and we think the position is untenable. The pivotai point in a healing or validating statute is that it must be confined to acts which the legislature could previously have authorized. This is wanting here. The legislature can, under no circumstances, authorize the violation of the constitution or validate an unconstitutional act. Duke vs. Williamsburg county, 21 S. (,\, 114. Cooley's Constitutional Limitations, :182. The petition must, therefore, be dismissed, and it is so adjudged and decreed. Mclver, A. J., and McGowan, A. J., concur. I concur. The meaning of the opiu ion of the court, being that there is no necessity for the issue of any new bonds; but "the debt" fixed upon the several townships by the Act of 1888, shall be represented by the bonds heretofore issued, to be paid according to the provisions of the Act; and I am authorized to say that such is the view of the other members of the court. S. MCGOWAN, A. J. The State of South Carolina, ex rel. P. P. Dickinson, petitioner, vs. H. A. D. Neely, county treasurer of York county, and Kobert W. Whitesides, James B. Allison and E. It. Mills, county commissioners of tlio same county, respondents. OPINION?M'lVER, A. J. This is an application addressed to this court In its original jurisdiction for a writof mandamus to compel the respondents to apply funds alleged to be in the hands of the respondent,-Neely, county treasurer, to the payment of a coupon which matured on 1st of January, 1889, on" a bond held by the relator, purporting to have been issued by the county commissioners of York county, as the corporate agents of Cherokee township, under the Drovisionsof an Act of the general assembly of this State, approved 21st December, 1883, as well as under the provision of an Act approved 22nd December, 1888, entitled "An Act to provide for the payment of township bonds issued in aid of railroads in this State." There are other appropriate allegations in the petition which it is not deemed necessary to repeat here, as we think it would be well for the reporter, in preparing the report in this case, to set out the petition as well as the return, of which we shall make only u brief statement. The term of office of. the persons named as county-commissioners in the title of this case having expired, the returu is made by their successors in office, to wit: T. G. Gulp, Robert VV. Whitesides and Wm. Ross, together with the respondent, Neely. The return sets forth, amongst other things, as reasons for declining to comply with the demand of the relator, that Cherokee township has never been constituted a township in accordance with law, inasmuch as certain provisions of the Act defining the powers and duties of county commissioners have never been complied with, to wit: That the lines and boundaries of the townships in York county have never been established "by the erection of permanent monuments of stone, brick or iron to designate the respective boundary lines of said townships 4at every angle thereof;' nor have the county commissioners of York county in any other way definitely established the territory and boundary lines of any of the townships in said countythat the circuit court never made "any order or directed any measures looking to the division of said county into townships" as provided for by law; nor did the county commissioners ever report their acts and doings to the general assembly for confirmation. It is also alleged that the Act of 1883, above referred, to has been adjudged unconstitutional by this court, and respondents say that they have been advised that the attempt of the legislature, by the recent Act of 22d December, 1888, to validate the bonds issued under the Act of 1883, and to provide for the levy of a tax to pay the same, is likewise unconstitutional and void. It is further alleged that the Charleston, Cincinnati and , Chicago railroad, in aid of \vhich the bonds in question purport to have been issued, was not completed through Cherokee township and accepted by the railroad commissioners until the 21st of December, 1888, and that even under the provisions of the Act of 22d of December, 1888, no taxes in the hands of the respondent Neely, as county treasurer can be applied to the payment of the coupon held by the relator, though it is admitted that there are certain sums, the amounts of which are stated in the return, in the hands of Neely, as county treasurer, arising from taxes levied and collected prior to the completion of the road through Cherokee township, which for the reasons state>tI in t.hft pptnrn eannnt hp annlied to the coupon held by the relator. This brief and condensed statement of the allegations in the petition and return is deemed sufficient, under the view which we take of the case, to present the real questions involved, though there are several other matters mentioned which we do not think it material to notice, as we shall confine ourselves to what we regard the real questions in the case. The material questions raised by the pleadings in this case are : First, whether Cherdkee township has ever been created a township according to law. .Second, whether the Act of December 22, 1888, entitled 'An Act to provide for the payment of township bonds issued in aid of railroads in this State,' is constitutional. Third, if so, whether the respondent, Neely, has in his hands as county treasurer of York county, any funds applicable to the payment of the coupon held by the relator. As to the first question, in view of the repeated instances in which the legislature has recognized the division of counties into townships, and especially in view of the legislation in which the particular township of Cherokee has been recognized as un/.li If unpmc tn ii<d Inn lnfp nnw tn inquire whether the regulations in respect to the marking the corners of the townships, reporting to the court and to the legislature the action of the county commissioners, have all been complied with. Indeed the counsel for the respondents have laid so little stress upon this point that we do not deem it necessary to consider it further. The real question in the case is the second, as to the constitutionality of the Act of 1888. This question having just been considered and determined in the recent case oftheState vs. VVhitesides, MSS decision, tiled 15th April, 1K89, we do not propose to go into any extended discussion of it. Indeed but for the importance of the question and the large inteiests involved, we would not undertake to add anything to what is there so well said. We do not regard the Act in question, which for convenience will he designated as the Act of 1888, as in any sensea validating Act, and hence any discussion of it in that aspect would be out of place. It has none of the features of such an Act. It does not purport to declare any previous legislation valid, which had been decided by the tribunal invested with jurisdiction for that purpose to be unconstitutional and void, nor does it purport to legalize any Acts done under such unconstitutional legislation. On the contrary, it is an exerciseof original legislative power, and the real question is whether there is anything in the constitution of the State forbidding the exerciseof such a power. As we understand it, the legislature has been invested by the people with unlimited power of taxation, except as restrained by some constitutional provisions; and it has also been authorized by Section 8, Article 9, to delegate this high power of taxation to certain specified subordinate agencies, for certain specified purposes. It may then be said that, in respect to taxation, the legislature has been invested with two distinct classes of powers: one which it exercises at its own sovereign will, the other which it delegates to some subordinate agency, to be exercised by such agency at its will, within the prescribed limits. Now while there are limitations to both of these classes of powers the limitations are not the same. In the former the only limitation is some constitutional provision, while in the latter there may be, and usually are, additional limitations prescribed in the Aetdetermining the power. But the more material distinction between these two classes of powers is (so far as concerns the present discussion) that in the former the only limitation imposed by the constitution, so far as the purpose for which the tax is imposed is concerned, is that it shall be a public purpose^ hile in the latter the limitation is that it shall also be for a corporate purpose. Bearing these distinctions in mind it must be obvious that when this court decided in Floyd vs. Perrin, 8 S. C. Itep, 14, that the Act purporting to delegate power to a township to levy a tax for a purpose other than a corporate purpose was unconstitutional, it did not touch the question whether the legislature might not, by the exercise of its own power, impose a tax for the same purpose, for which it had, without constitu' tional authority, attempted to delenini/N iU? A ^ A guip me power u? certain luwuships. That decision rested on the ground that as the purpose for which the legislature attempted to delegate to the townships the power of taxation was not a corporate purpose, the Act purporting to delegate such power was without constitutional authority. No such question is presented or can arise in this case. . The only question here is whether the legislature can, by the original exercise of its own power of taxation, impose a tax on the property within the boundaries of Cherokee township for the purpose of contributing to the construction of a railroad which passes through said township. The proposition that the construction of a railroad is such a public purpose as to warrant the levy of taxes to aid in building it is too well settled by the very decided weight of authority to admit of further discussion, although if the question wero an open one its correctness might well be disputed. So, too, it seems tobesettled oy the weight of authority that the legislature may not only delegate this power of levying taxes to aid in the construction of a railroad to municipal corporations, but may also, by the exercise of its original power of taxation, directly impose such tax upon any territorial division of the State, to aid in the construction of a railroad supposed to be of special advantage to the people residing within such territorial division, provided a majority of those people have signilied their assent to the imposition of such a tax. Indeed, some of the authorities hold that the tax may be imEosed without the consent of the inabitants of the territorial division upon which the tax is imposed. But we are not prepared to go to that extent. What is said in the opinion 01 me cniei justice in tne case of the State vs. Whitesides, supra, is not to be regarded as a decision that such a tax may be imposed directly by the legislature without the consent of the people of the particular locality to be affected thereby, but simply as a statement of the fact that some of the authorities go to that extent. Except for governmental purposes proper we do not think that the legislature has the power to impose a tax upon the people of any particular locality or'territorial subdivision of the State without their consent. In thiscase, however, such consent wasgiven,and that is the avowed basis upon which the Act of 1888 rests. It is urged, however, that such consent has only been manifested by an election held without authority of law and hence should not be regarded. It seems to us that it is not at all material how the assent of the people has been given. All that was necessary was that the legislature should be satisfied that consent had been given and that the terms of the Act, especially the preamble, show plainly that they were satisfied of that fact. The only remaining inquiry is whether the respondent, Neely, had in his hands, as county treasurer, any mnus appncaoie 10 me payment 01 the coupon held by the relator. By the 2d section of the Act of 1888 it is provided "That no tax shall be levied under the provisions of this Act to pay the interest on any township bond until the railroad in aid of which they were subscribed shall be completed through such township and accepted by the railroad commissioners and the section goes on to provide that it shall not be construed to authorize the levy or collection of any tax to pay any interest which had accrued prior to the completion of the road, through any township and its acceptance by the railroad commissioners, and if any such tax had been collected it should be refunded to the taxpayers. In the return it is stated, and this fact is not traversed, that the road was uot completed through Cherokee township and accepted by the railroad commissioners until the 21st day of December, 1888 ; and as it is uot alleged and does not appear that any tax has been levied or collected since that date, we do not see how it is possible for any funds to be in the hands of the respondent applicable to the coupon held by the relator, under the terms of the Act. Any taxes that may have been collected by the county treasurer under the provisions of the Act of 1883 were illegally collected, as that Act has been declared unconstitutional; and this is plainly recognized by the legislature in passing the Act of 1888, as it is therein required that the taxes thus illegally collected shall be refunded to the taxpayers. ^ ineHftOI isse does not purport, m validate the previous illegal action of the corporate authorities of the townships, but the legislature then, by the exercise of its own legislative power, fixed upon the township a debt, merely referring to the bonds previously issued without authority as a convenient means of designating the amount of such debt, with the time when it should become payable, the rate of interest and the times when such interest should become payable, and provided then for the levy and collections of taxes to pay the same, with the express provision that no such tax should be levied until after the. completion of the road, as above stated. It is quite clear, therefore, that when these proceedings were instituted, the respondent had uo funds in his hands which, under the provisions of the Act of 1888, could be applied to the payment of the coupon held by the relator, and upon this ground the application for the writ of mandammtis must be refused. The judgment of this court is that the rule to show cause be discharged and the petition be dismissed. Simpson, C. J., and McGowan, A. J., concur. I coucur. The meaning of the opinion of the court being that there is no necessity for the issue of any new bonds; but "the debt" fixed upon the several townships by the I Act of 1888 shall be represented by j the bonds heretofore issued, to be paid according to the provisions of the Act; and I am authorized to say that such is the yiew of the other members of the court. S. McGowan, A. J. j rI*he origin of"wirufrkUJ' in the ' sense of "good luck," dates from the | time of William the Conqueror. It i was then a criminal offense to cut j timber in the forests. Only such | could be gathered as the wind had 1 blown down ; heuce a heavy windstorm was hailed by the peasants as ' so much good luck, and from this j comes its modern application.?[Cu- j rious Questions. ltich and nretty American girls j are in demand in London, says an ' English paper. We should think I theywouldbe. They are in demand ! here, too. Fur tbe Yorkville Enquirer, REMINISCENCES OK WESTERN YORK. Something has been said about Uncle Luke Smith in these reminiscences. Our readers remember how Aunt Nancy, Jiis good wife, broke him from drinking before they had gone any distance on Ine's road. He was a faithful husband and kind parent, whatever might be said of him by outsiders. The early part of his married life was spent in Union county. Sam Howell (Pearidge Sam as lie was called) was a distant relative of Uncle Luke's. In some transaction between them Sam thought Uncle Luke had treated him unfairly, or, perhaps, dishonestly would better prepare the mind of the reader for what we are about to say. Howell would get "tight," and during such times he took occasion to annoy Uncle Luke. He would go off to get his liquor and come back by Mr. Smith's drunk, and stop in hearing or perhaps in sight of Uncle Luke's, and talking to himself would say at the top of his voice: "Samuel Howell! Samuel Howell!" "Here." "Come into court," he answered. "Mr. Howell, please be sftorn. and take the stand." "Mr. Howell, where do you live?" "In Union district, South Carolina." "IIow long have you lived there?" "All my life, sir." "Do you know Samuel Howell, the plaintiff in this action?" "Yes, sir." "Is he an honest man ?" "Yes, sir." "Do you know Luke Smith, the defendant?" "Yes, sir." "How long have you known him ?" "All my life, sir?" "Is he an honest man?" "Can't say, sir." "What is Mr. Smith's reputation in his neighborhood for truth and honesty?" "Bad." "Knowing him a9 you have, all your life, would you believe him on his oath ?" "Not if he was interested, sir." "If he was not interested, how then ?" "Can't say, sir." Howell would keep this colloquy up in this straiu for some time, changing his voice between the questions and answers. Uncle Luke got tired of this kind of work and resolved to put a stop to it. Seeing Howell pass one day, and knowing that he would return that night to repeat his court proceedings, Uncle Luke fixed for him. Hiding himself in the corner of the fence he heard Howell coming, singing and drunk as usual. When he got within hearing of the house he began to call court and go on with the proceedings just recited. When he got conveniently near, Uncle Luke made a lunge for his bridle reins. The frightened animal wheeled around and the rider found himself confronted by the ideal man whose case he wan trvincr The ease was with him a serious one. He began to make apologies and said: "Mr. Smith, 1 haven't anything against you." "Yes, but I have something against you," sakl Mr. Smith. Iiowell saved himself by keeping at a proper distance and stopping his court proceedings, in Uncle Luke's hearing, at least. After Aunt Nancy died, and during the war, Uncle Luke pretended that he wanted to marry very badly, and perhaps he was somewhat in earnest. Anyway, scarcely a single woman escaped his attention. During the war he had two sons killed, and I have always thought that the old man tried to hide his troubles as much as possible; hence his attempts to "fly round" the girls. On one occasion he made a remark to someone that Mrs. Dinah Beard was a lady Kir fha aIHa nf Vwi VoAfn t Womrfclr Both of these ladies lost their husbands in the war. The renSark reached Mrs. Ham rice's ears and it was more than she proposed to stand, and she resolved to attack Uncle Luke the first time she saw him and ask him to explain himself. It was not long- before the golden opportunity arrived, and she carried "into effect her resolve: "Mr. Smith,"said she, "what remark was that you made about me theother day ?" "I don't know, except I said you were good looking, or something like that," said he. "No, it wasn't that; you told that Mrs. Dinah Beard was a lady by the side of me, and I want you to explain yourself." "Well, I can do thatmightyqulck," said he; "I said it, and I meant it. I said she was a lady by the side of you, and I meant that you were a lady by the side of her, u hen you were both together. I meant that both of you were ladies." Uncle Luke had so completely revamped his former assertion that what seemed to be a slur turned out to be a flattering eulogy. So much for his ready wit. J. L. a. DouHLKCoNSciou.sNES8.-In a rare old book which contains the record of early collonial days in Pennsylvania, there is a detailed report of a singular medical case which has since served as the basis of several metaphysical romances. Mary lteynolds, the daughter of an English settler in Meadville, Pa., was subject to cataleptic fits. Upon recovering from one of these attacks, she had lost all knowledge of her family and friends and all consciousness of her past life. She had been well-educated for the time, but her mind was now an utter blank. Her training was begun as though she were an infant. After three years had passed, she had another attack, which left her restored to her former self. These changes took place for eight or nine years, when her health was completely established and they ceased. While in one state she had no memory or consciousness of the other. When she awoke from the trance she took up her life where she had laid it down two, three, or even five years before. The effect was that of two distinct souls occupying the same body at different times. Another View.?It is not often that one finds a guide to imaginative as well as to natural views. A good story is told of an old resident among the Catskills who used to act as a guide for the enthusiastic tourists who came up to the mountain* from New York. He was once taking one of these gentlemen through the paths and byways of the region. The visitor was of a poetic frame of mind, and entered upon each fresh scene with delight as he traversed the glens, and followed the rocky beds of the streams through tortuous ravines. His guide bore his zeal, his exclamations, his quotations, his loudlyexpressed admiration, as long as he could, then cynically remarked, "I say, mister, you come from New York, don't you ?" Yes. the gentleman came from New York. "Wa'al, then, what would you say s'pose I went down there, an' was to go gawkin' 'round as you do here?" Enough fok Onck.?There is a world of pathos in the remark of a poor woman coming from a wretched garret in an inland town and seeing the ocean for the first time. Gazing steadily at it, in perfect silence, for some minutes, sne sighed and said, slowly, "Well, I am glad for once in my life to see something of which there is enough." Vermont is ahead of every other State in the production of butter, the annual product averaging seven hundred and eleven pounds to each farm, while New \ork produces four hundred and sixty-four pounds to each farm. j*aTlt has been observed that the man who has the fewest failings is the most tolerant of those or his neighbors. ^ ^ All men are homeless, but some men are home less than others.