University of South Carolina Libraries
N * TRI-WEEKLY EDITION~ WN __anib._2Ie9 IbE ~1 LEDTO.WINNSBORO, S. C., JUNE 26, 1880. VOL. IV.-N.7 L THE OLD HOME. .1 h1ave gone-I cannot always go, you know e BO'tis so Homn.across the dltant ridges of the years, . With my teara ; And the old house, standing'still on the old iground Thor I found. In the parlor,- in my fancy, I could traoo Father's face ; And 'afmothdr, with her old acoustomed air, Bitting there; While besido them, brothers, sistors, true and good, Silent Vtood. Through the stillness swarms the sun of sum mer b:rd, And there stirred On the wall the leaf-fleoked sunshine ; and its glo* Faded slow; But from all the loving lips I watched around N.t a sound. Then I went up stairs, slow entering 'mid their glooms. All the rooms; And I trod with softening step a!ong the floor; Opened eoors; But I never heard a voice or met a soul In the whole. Of the broath that stirred the draperies to and fro Long ago; Of the eyes that through the casement used to peep Out of sleep; Of the foot in these chambera uaed to run Now are none. Of the suushino pouring downward from the sky, Blue and high Of the loafago and tho ancient gardon plot, l3rown and hot; Of the sroamlet and the shingle, and the tide Thoso ab-do. But beyond its azures vaulting overhead Are my dead ; Though their gr.ves were dug apart in many lands. Joining hands, They have gathered and are waiting till I Com6. This is home. The Phantom Rider. It was on a cold, blustering, December night, that my Uncle Jolly Longshore and I were seated before a blazing wood fire, in the best room of his most comfortable farn-iouse, in the valley of the Wissahic kon. The snow witliout was falling fast, and anon drifted in masses against the window panes, while the wind sighed and noaned through the trees, and the old oaks shorn of their foliage, bent their gnarled limbs, and creaked and groaned belore the power of the wintry blast. "It Is on just such a night as this," my uncle began, "that the Phantom Horseman rides." "The Phantom Horseman?" rejoined 1, my curiosity becoming excited, for I knew that my uncle, who was gifted in ghostly lore, could give me some wild tale or legendary story. "Yes," lie replied, "and if you would like to hear the legend, I shall be pleased to give you an account of it." "It would afford me much pleasure." Aly Uncle Jolly put Ils pipe on the ta ble, drew his chair closer to the fire, but toned his coat over his fine form, cougliLd slightly once or twice, as though to collect his thoughts, and began: "You may remember, that shortly after the Battle of Germantown, a portion of the American army retreated into the adjoin ing county of Montgomery, and encamped near the site of the farm of 'The Cedars.' On the march they had taken one prisoner, whom, overcome by fatigue an(l the loss of blood (for he had been wounded In the notion), they found in an insensible condi tioni along the toadeide. lie was treated with great attention during the march, and when the troops hialted1, lhe was coniveyedl to 'Dryburn,' .vhose noble and patriotic Inmates were widely known, as well for their horpitahity as for their devotion to the cause of American liberty. 'Treated with great kindness, and re ceiving the particular care of Miss Alice Wayland, the lovely dlaughter of his host, need I say that in a short, time lie recovered entirely from fie wound(s. But, perhaps, you would like for ime to give you a more exteinded dleseription of Miss Alice, as she Is destinedi to be a prominent character In my story." "I suppose she wvas an-'' began I. "An angel," he replied, with enithusi asm. "Ay, an angel; fair as a lily; her beautiful, light brown hair culed in soft ringlets aroundl her cherub face, while be neath her penciled browvs lurked eyes of oxqusite beauty-eyes of the dleepest and( loveliest liue- eyes that beamed upon you with a holy, pure radlIance, which I never saw surpassedh." '"My dlear uncle," said I, "one would have supposedl you'hoved her yourself." ''No, no," lie replied, '"but the dies cription 1 have given Is of one whom I once knew andi loved- ol so wvell. God bless hern Tlhourgh no matter now--it is over, it is over." A large tear gathered in the old man's eye, and trickled slowly down his furrowed check; he wiped aside tis symptom of weakness, but it was some moments before lie began again. '"Marston Trevore was a Hessian of no ble birth, whlo had .enlisted in the Bitish army a short time before, from a mistaken Idea of the cause lie was about to war against. Ills first engagement, you have scen, was disastrous to imm, and now, having recovered from its effects, he re solved to enter the ranks of the American army, in common with many others of hris countrymen; and after this resolutiorn, lie entered thre camp), explaining hris situation and feelings, andi was rewarded by reely. lng a commission of lieuteifancy. "At the request of Major Wayhand, the proprietor of 'D)ryburun,' lie coinsentedl to take up his quarters with' 'hrim, while thre party encamped in the neighborhood. It Was not ldng before the artless simplicity -and lovely manners of his host's daughter were evidently making a great limpr'essioni upon hris heart. Th'le charms of Alice Wayhand could not fall to create feelings of admiiration and love in a heart much less /susceptible to fomale attrarctiorrs than that of Marston Trevore. But lie soon found that, In his case, love's course was not d.estinedl to run smooth, as a rival was ushered upon the scene, in the shape c one whose only reputation consisted ii being a professed duelist, and possessin great wealth, suing for the hand of the fai Alice, who was entreated, almost . coin mauded, by her parents to accept his pro posals, and who represented to her the Trevore was a stranger, of whom she knev nothing; whereas her present lover stoo lkigh in the ranks of the American army and who had never made any serious over tures for her hand-he was accepted, bu with she assurance'that her heart neve could be his. The parents appointcd ai early day for the marriage, as, in thoa stormy times, It was linpossile to knov when a regiment might be ordered to soni distant post. "The tidings of the betrothal fell like death-blow upon the hopes of Marsto Trevore. He left Dryburn with scarcely moment's notice; and repairlng instantly t caip. entered the tent of Colonel Boyd ton, lils commander and successful rival and deslred a commission for his regi ment, as it was his wish to join the mai aimy. "'What is your hurry,' Trevore ' sa1 the Colonel, in a sneering tone, for lie wa aware that he was addressing a disal pointed suitor; you probably know that am to be married in a few (lays, and I cN pect, of course, to see ny gallant lieutennit at the wedding." "This was too much for human forbear ance. Trevore seized a wine glass frov the table, and hurled it full in the face o his commander, who, bending his hea in time to avoid the blow, drew his sword and rushed upon Trevorc, who stood pre pared to meet him. The clash of the weapons, as they came together, wr heard without; and several soldierk entered the tent, disarmned the combatants When he recovered his breath, Boydto shouted: "Trevore, you shall suffer for this! Gc I will comnuunicate with you in a shor time." "Trevorc retired to his own tent, an( it was not long before he received a note signed by Colonel Boydton, requceting secret meeting on that day week, 'mni wed(T.ig day,' ne he said. The weapon were to be pistols. I need not say an more than that the challenge was accepi ed. "The days rolled on. The appointe time, 5 o'clock in the noraing, found th adversaries at the place of meeting.. was a calm lovely swinier's norning,- seenm iady little fitted for deeds of blood. Bu little time was spent in measuring the d tance; and, in a few ino.ents, the rivi stood face to face. "'M1ake your peace with God, Trevorc, said Boydton; for you will not live beyon another hour. Look aboVe. " A crow was flying along, high ove head; Boydton raised his pistol, and fired the bird fell directly between them. "See you that!" said lie; "now, can yo doubt the correctnese of my aim ?" 'The dying bird lapped its wing agains the foot of Trevore, as I o replied: 'Foo [doubt it not-life or dea:h is of little mc ment to me.' " "They raised their pistols, and fired r the same moment. When the smok cleared away, Boydton was standing ur hurt, while Trevore had fallen, shot throug the heald. As Boydton approached him he roused himself; his eyes slowly opened and, recognizing his enemy, lie uttered th words: 'Bewarel beware! Dcath shal form no barrier to my rcvenge!' Th rattle'sounded in his throat, and lie fel back, dead! Boydton drew his sword and, with fiendish barbarism, severed hi head from its body, and, tossing it asui hurriedly left the place. "In Dryburn, pleasure ran high; for i was night wlhien Alice, the favorite daugh ter of the proprietor, was to be wed. Thi designated time had come round; th, visitors had assembled, the piiest we there; but still the groom conme not. Th wvindi without had increased to a gale, an. was now raging fearfuLlly. Peal on peal1 o thunder reverberated along the distant hille while lurid Ilashes of lightning revealed scene of wild (desolation. T'he hours wor: slowly on, till the large clock in the hai tolled the hour of midmight, when a horse' hoofs wvere hieardl clattering along the road until the sound ceasedl in front of the man sion. Tihe door was o)penied. Assiste' by the servants, the rider, (who could b no (other than the groom) alighted fror his horse and entered the house, iIe tool notice of nonie, but walking straight up t1 the bride, threw off the covering whic! lhad enveloped and( conicealedl his whiol form, and caught her in his arms. Sb screamed willdly, and fell back fainting The guests shrunk back aghast, for thei saw that lie was headless? A hiollow% epulchiral voice was heard, as thoug from the horse without, and the fury o the storm seemed to be stayedl whilei su)oke: "'I have conmc to claim my bride-separ atedl on earth, we shall live together in tin gravel" "le paused iiot; but, bearing the sense less bride in lis arms, dlashed( over tli door-way, sprang en his horse, and( rodl furiously away. It only remains f or mi to say, that the next tuorning Colone Boydtn was found (lead in his tent, wit] i,wo purple marks upon his throat. ".AIy story is over now. Popular Ira diioii has it, that to tIs present time, 01 wild stormy nights, at, 11h hour of twelve a headless horseman, carrying his head lie fore him on his saddle bow, may be thiun (derinig through the camp woods; wvhile with the clatter of his horse's hoofs, woman's shriek is hecardl, mingling witu the sighing of the gale." SponL.e Underclothing. A Berlin inventor has p)atented a nov kind of cloth, which consists principally o entirely of sponge. The sponge sara firs thoroughly beaten with a heavy iiammor in ordler to crush all the mineral and veget ab)le Impurities so that they can be easil~ washed out. They are then dried ani IlaredI, like a potato, with a sharp knife, th J)arings being sewedl together. The fabri, t.hus obtaIned is free from all the dange which somnethnea arIses from the absorptIi of poisonous (dyes into the system ; it ab sorbs withlout checking the perspiration, st as to diminish the dlanger of taking cold ; I :s a bad conduiictor, and(, therefore, helps te :nainitain a uniform surface temperature it can be more readIly cleansed than th ordihnary woolen garments, and its flexibil ity diminishes the lIabIlity of chaning. -The Pennsylvania RIailroad west o 'Conteavllle is being stralghftened. Fooling the Peddler. k t Father, mother and Sarah Jane started I r for the city, leaving mne to keep house - along with Jake, the hired man. But they - hadn't more then gotten out of the gate t t before Jake bribed mne with candy and a f peanuts not to tell if he went down to the I Corners to a horse race. "I'll be back long before night," says lie: "Bill Jenkins - can conic over and stay with you, an' I t you'll have a jolly good timel" I said. "I t r wouldn't think of telling," and persuaded i him he ought to go, for I quite enjoyed I u the prospect of having things to myself; so < r lie got ready and went for Bill. 3 Oh, what a time we had that dayl We I got saucers and spoons, went down collar . % and cleared out half of mother's peach a perserves. We tried on Sarah Jane's best a clothes and tore the rufile half off her new lawn dress. We pleyed horse in the nar - lor; tipped over the lanp, and the oil ran out on the carpet and made a great grease spot, This rather frightened me at first, a but I soon formed a plan of escape by shutting the olo cat in the room and do. I claring solemnly, when they got back, I s "that I hadn't been near that room all I (lay; and that Tom must have followed I I Sarah Jane in when she went to get her 1 hat." (I never owned a hatchet.) But I t about three o'clock Bill and 1 began to get I tired. We went and hung on the big gate 4 and looked down the road to see if the I i f,Iks were coming. No folks; but instead I ,f we could see way down by Deacon Spic I lers', a peddler's cart. "There conies a peddler," shouted Bill; - "hain't there nothing we can sell and git r the money and buy fish lines, and tops an' a lots of other things with ?" , "I dunno," said I, quito struck with the idea. aI "Well, I know sonethin', "---Bill low ered his voice considerably-"it's eggs!" "We hamn't got none, narm has sot all t the iens." "Can't we take then, what's under the i hens?" "Then we won't have no chickens." a "What you care for that?" says Bill, r "May be they would'nt live if they were s hatched. 1 was a readin' somewhere they 'spected a deniky among chickens this year. "But Bill, " says 1, "they won't be good, I they've bin sot oi too long." 3 "Oh pshawl that don't make no differ t once; you can fool a peddler as easy as - you can a boot jack. Oome les get 'em?' - I procured a basket and we started for I the barn. Bill pulled the liens off by the tail, while I robbed the nests. They didn't oseem to enjoy it much, but we left one egg I and they went back contented. We got six dozen, robbed every lien. r Soine of them looked soiled a trille, so Bill proposed "we wash them in the hog trough." I made a tour to the house, secured the dishcloth and wiping towel. We proceeded t to do things up in style. After we had got them all washed and wiped and packed - in the basaet, they looked real nice. We put the poorest ones to the bottom. I car t ried the dishcloth and towel back, laid one on the chair and hung the other on the peg just as I had found them, (they never mis trusted whore those articles had bcen,) then we wet down by the gate and waited until the peddler came along." "Yern mar got anything to sell ?" he t injuired. 0 "She's gone away," said Bill, "but she 1 telled us, if one of you camie along, to sell you these, " holding up the basket, ''if you'd 8 give us a good price for 'em. They'refresh laid yesterday." "I'll give you ten cents a dozen," said hie, "Wal," said Bill, meditatively, "you can have'em for that, basket an' all." H He paid out sixty cents and drove on. 6 "What insde you let him% have the baa e kot, Bill?" I asked. "'Because I was afeaired if he took 'em -out they'd pop); sonie on 'cm looked as it they was jest a gwinc to." "~'Marm will want to know where it's 1 gone to." I'-Oh tell her," said Bill, "'that you just a sot it dlowni, when a boy runned out from behind the smoke-house and grab~bed It, and that you run after him, but couiln't catchl him. She won't know the differ-ence." " 'Sarah Jane will be whopping mad about her lawn dress we tored, Bill." ' S "r'oll her you 80e(d Sanm Fordl step on it the day of the picnic, wsth your own eyes. I guess thsat'll lix her." (Sam Ford wase Sarah Jane's beau.) "'But what about the preserves ?" "Say you.hain't never beeni near the jarn didn't know where 'twas.. "dupplosin' they should look uder the henics?" "Say you saw rats a suckmng the eggs." These stories werne all swallowed, for only a few (lays afterwards I overhleardl "m-rm" tellin.r Mrs. Slivcr "lie- Jimi was a very truthitul boy." P. 5.-Bill and I went to the corners the next week and bought a kite, some llsh-lines, andl lots of candy. Miley Manin's Hear Story, "One day," remarked Miley, "a long time ago, about the timic when Jackson s-an for President theo first time, p)erhaps, I was one day hsunting up eon thse ridge between Meadow 1Run and Cucumber Run, whsichi tumiblos off the rocks just there. I had known for some time by the signs thsat there wvas a nest of cub beairs somewhere in the neighsborhoodi, so on that day I con cluded thsat I would pu1t in smy time finding them, as a pai-ty usp in Uniontown wanmed a pair to send o)ver In Baltimore to a firienid who was fond of outlandish pets. You see It was along abtout the first of Septem ber, and pret,ty warra at that, and after walking up and d.own thc s avines I began to feel pretty tired. I was not so heavy thsen as I am now, and (11d not weigh more than a couple hiundted pour2ds. As I said, 1 was a little tired, and so up oo top of thse ridge I sat dlown by the side ot a smo1roth chestnut stumip about twelve or fourteen4 -feet hIgh. I hadn't sat there more than a minuste tIl I heard something InsIde the stump, and soon made out thsat It was a I couple of cub bears playing with one another. I looked on all side of the stump to find an opening, but none was to - be seen. Then 1 happened to notice thei marks of claws up the side of the stump, and I understood it. The hole went mn at 1 the top. I sat my gun against a bush, up ended the branch of a tree, and was soon on the top (of the stump looking in at the two cubs, which were about the size0 of 1 full-grown rat. dogs. I was exited at, juibed down into the stump and grabbed lie cubs. They first began to squeal, and hen turned on me for fight. But they vero small enough to handle, and in a min Ito or two I had their mouths tied so that hey could not bite, and their feet fastened o that they could not scratch. I know hat the old bear would be along pretty oon and make It hot for me if she found ne in the nest, so I swung the youngters nto my buckskin belt preparatory to get ing out. "Cet out?" Did I get out ? Land of ove, It makes me shiver to think of It. I :ould no more get out of that stump than I :ould fly. The hollow was bell shaped, arger at the bottom than at the top-so arge in fact, that I could not put my back igainst one side and my feet and hands gainst the other And crawl up as rabbits ind other animals climb up inside of hollow rees. In no way could 1 get u) a foot. rhere were no sticks Inside to help me i) Lnd I made up my mind I had to (lie cer aln. About the time I came to this con ,lusion, I heard the old bear climbing up he out side of the stump. With only my iunting knife as a means of defense, and u such close quarters, you may possibly magine the state of my feelings. The old ear was not more that half a minute, at he outside, climbing up the stump, but it ieemed like a month at least. I thought f all my sins a dozen times at least. At ast she reached the top, but she didn't icon to suspect my presence at all, as she Jeliberately turned around and began slow y descending tail foreisot. i telt as hough my last hour had come, and began wriously to think about lying down and-let 'ing the bear kill me, so as to get out of my niscry as quickly as possible. Suddenly in idea struck me, and despair gave way ;e hope. I drew my hunting-knife and tood on tip-toe. When the bear was about ieven feet from the bottom of the hollow I rastened on her tail with my left hand with i vice-like grasp, and with my right drove iny hunting-knife to the hilt into her [launch, at the same time yelling like a whole tribe of Indians." "What did she du ?" chorused the whole crowd, who had been holding their breath. "What did she Jo? Well you should have seen the per formance. She didn't stop to reflect a mo inent, but shot out at the top of the stump like a bullet out of a gtn. A keg of pow ler wouldn't have hurried her a hair's breadth to the minute. I held on until we itruck the ground, some thirty feet from the itump. Then the old bear went like hght ,ing into the brush, and was out, of sight n half a second. I was a little bruised by he fall, but that was all. I took the cubs o Uniontown the next day, and on account >f the adventure I got five dollars apiece 'or them, and in those times five dollars was as good as fifty dollars ncw.' Temperature of the soil 1uring Winter. The French physicists, Edmond and [enry Becquerrel, took advantage of the ntense cold prevailing at Paris last Decem ber, to study the changes in temperature below the surface of the soil under various ,onditions. It is a widely spread belief inong farmers, that when protected by a ayer of snow, crops sown in the autumn tre effectually guarded against freezing. rhis opinion, however, must lose much of ts weight in view of these late observa ions, which we will briefly summarize. [he observations were made by metians of Becquerel's electric thermometer, which .onsists smnply of two wires isolated by a ,oating of gutta perhia, and soldered to tether at their extremities. Differences in emperature between the two places of unction cause electric currents varying in ntensity with the greatness of the dif ference. t magnetic needle, brought under the in luence of the current. registers on a dial hese differences. The wires were inserted n the Jardlin des Plantes at various deths, rarying.from five to sixty centimeters, and >bservations wvere made from November wenty-sixth to the close of December. rost first appeared in thme tarden Novem )er twenty-sixth. December third snow eli in abundance, and thme temperature of he air sank-eleven dleg. C. The layer of now was twenty-five centimeters deep). December tenth, the temperature had sunk 0-twenity-one dleg, and comnmoecd then radually to rise. December 15, the snow vas nineteen centinmeters in depth. Coim ng now to tile observations made below the murface of time ground undler the above cir 3umfstances, we find at once a striking differ nce between the results obtained in soil 3overedl with grass and( those obtained b)e ow a bare surface of the ground. in soil >rotected by grass, before as wvell as alter ho snowvfall, at all depths below that of lye centimeters, thme temperature never des :ended below 0 dier. 0. Registering 3-5 leg. at the depth of five centimeters on Novemuber 20, It slowly sank to 0-18 (leg. mn December 14. T1hme presence of grass s'ould appear, then, to effectually protect he earth beneath It from freezing at thme owest temperatures attained in our clinate. Julte different results, however, are yIeld d In the absence of grass. In this case, at idepth of five centimeters, tho thermome or sank below zero on November 27. Two lays later it registered--2* clog. On Dec ember 8, Just, before the snowfall, It roach 3d its minimlum of--3-17 dog. After beinig )overed with sno0w it registered -0-8 (leg. mnd later -1-4 clog. TIhie snow hero ap ears to act in a certain measure as a screenm sgaint changes In temperature, but its con fiuctive properties arc still too marked to prevent these changes from being felt seni uibly at a certain depth in the earth. In he c'aso of time agriculturist, this slow con luction, whien united to the still shower oenductive properties of a tolerably thick ayer of dead shoots of cereal crops sown n autumm, may frequently ineruro immnun my from freezmng to thme roots below tihe mrface. Tirft. A farmer in Connecticut married three vives. It is said lhe ordered off his farm a ister of No. 1 because sihe ate too many eggs. No. 2 had beon his servant girl, and -efused to work longer at low wages. On he way to the depot he said: "Will you itay if I will marry you ?" "Yes," was the answer ; and lie is said to have chuckled wer his bargain, as she was a hard wvorker. No. 3, who was wooed when No. 2 died, was a widow and dressnmaker. who owed tonsidorable money. By a state]law a hus >and is responsible for his wife's debts con racted before marriage; so, to avoid pay ng these, our friend, as soon as ho was onz ~aged, kept the 'news quiet until he had ought up all the claims agasat his Intend d at twent.y ents on than dollar The "Dosseh.9 The annual ceremony of the " I)osselh," closes the festivities indulged in by the Mussclnian pilgrims after returning from their long visit to Mahomet's shrine at Mecca, Arabia. Every good Alussulinan Is expected once during his lifetime to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. The per formance of this sacred duty confers the title of " ladji," secures indulgences for sins, acts-to use a legal expression-as a "rul nsi" to finally enter Paradise. A Musselmian who has made his pilgrimage is sure when he dius to enter Heaven unless some very weighty reason for his not going there should be clearly established. Recently, the Egyptian pihlrrims formally entered the city of Carlo upon their return from Mecca. Tihe caravan, consisting of about 1,500 Hadis, proceeded to the mosque at the citadel, where they deposited the sacred carpet I Aliahimel," which during the past year rested upon the prophet's tomb. This carpet, brought back by the present caravan, has been replaced at Mecca by the new one carried thither by this caravan, which left Carlo last fall. The ceremony ot placing the carpet, in its final resting place at the citadel took place in the presence of the khedive, the sheik-ullslam, the shelik-el-bekri, the multi and all the high functionaries. The cermony of the " Dosseh" winds up the festivities for the return of the pilgrims. 'I he principal feature of this religious ceremony consti tutes one of the rare public manifestations of fanaticism in Egypt. Some thirty or forty pilgrims. whose religious feelings have been wrought up to a climax by con tinued festivities of a week's duration, and by means of "hasheesh," lie upon the ground with their faces downward. They lie close together, and are so placed as to form a sort of "cordury" road. A sheik mounted upon an Arab stallion of the purest breed then rides over their prostrate bodie. It was only after repeated efforts that the horse could be made to tread upon these human forms. The united efforts of five men were required to overcome the noble animal's aversion to this terrible task. Al hen the horse felt his feet cutting deeply .nto the flesh of the half-naked fanatics beneath him, lie trembled, then, becoming frightened or maddened at the scene of reckless frenzy about him, the animal commenced plunging. The killed and wounded were quickly and silently removed from sight, and the horse with his rider having reached the end of this terrible lane, seemed greatly relieved to stand at last upon firm ground. Hlis pure white feet were, however, deeply stained with the blood and gore of his victims. The fanatics submit themselves to this ordeal with the belief that Allah will prevent then front receiving any harm from the horse bearing the holy sheik: There are many other incidents to this fete, such as eating live snakes, swallowing glass. etc.; but the great event of the day took place In the presence of the khedive, the sheik ul-islam, multi, and all the princes, minis ters and functionaries, both native and European. as well as many hundreds of women of the princely and other hiarems. International Fipha,ry Eimlailon. The great International Fishery Exhibi tion was opened at'Berlin, Prussia, on t,he 21lth of April. It is wonderful both as re gards the interesting collection of fish and fishing tackle which has been gathered from all parts of the world, and the great variety of smoked, preserve(, and tinned fIsh. China, Japan, Holland, Germany, Anieri ca, England, Russia, Italy, Deniark, Nor way, Sweden, and Austro-lungary are all represented. It is, in fact, as the Commis sioner of the United States remarked, "A union of all nations of the earth in a compar ative and competitive display of the wealth of their rivers, lakes, and seas, and the in genuity with which thme inhabitants of the waters are laid under contribution to fur nishi food and clothing, ain ornament for mankmnd." Tlhis country contributes over one humnred anid thirt,y tonms of articles im bracing casts of fish, fIshing tackle, canoes, boats, oysters, saltedl herrings, specilmens of smoked salmon, and tinned fish of all kinds. [hina andl .JapanII send some inter eating and( exceedingly curions specimalens of st.uffed and dried fish. Jap)an particu larly has marine monsters of the most un couith shape, and on the walls of this sec tion may be seen ptictuires representing mid1( night, fishing expeditions, such as catching fish by torchlight &c. These are very (quaint and curicus. IHolland, Italy, and Switzerland send an Interesti ng collection of nmets and apl))iances for catching fish. We must lhere remark that the greater part of the nets exhibited by IIolland are really of English or Scotch manufacture. Russia exhibits, amongst other things, some clev erly designed ice sailing boats and( sledges for transporting fish. In the large grotto are some line living specimens of the well knownm "Proteus" or blindI fish of Adhesburg Caves, near Trrieste. A mbe,r. Nearly 2,000 yeiars ago, Pliny, the natur alist, wrote that amber was the fossil resini of an extinct cone-bearing tree, and muodern sciene can say of it but little more. 'Tho original amnber-produci ng forest probably reaced from Hlollandi over the German coast, through Siberia andl Kainschatka, ever to North Amierica. One of the most, celebrated dleposits is on the peninsula of Samlandl, a p)ortmon of Prussia, nearly suir rounided by the Baltic Sea. Thle nothern p)art of this region, constituting the pro montory of Brusterort, Is hilly, and the coast banks are often 150 feet to 300 feet high. At one time all the amber found here, cven by the peasants in ploughing, belongedl to the German Government, thme finder, however, receiving one-tenth of its value. For a piece in the Berlin Museum, weighing 18 pounds, the findler is saidi to have received a thousand dollars. D)urlng stormy weather, when the wind and waves beat, violently against the coast, a great quantity of amber is wvashed up. Thme total yearly p)rodluct, is, however, applarently on the decrease, andi so the p)rice of amber as on the increase. Professor '4addach, of Konigsberg, conichuides that tihe trees yleldl ing the amber resin must have grown upon time green-sand beds of the cretaceous form. ation, which at thme time formed the shores of estuaries where the lower division of tho terrlary accumulatedl. hImmhediately over the amber-producing strata rest thie brown coal beds, the fossil plants found in which differ entirely from the amber-bed flora. Many insects and p)lants are found omnbalm ed In the amber. Over 800 species of the former have been named, and over 100 of t.he lat ter. A Freneh Lower-Close Wedding. Did you ever witness a wedding at mainrie in ParisI If not, go some Saturday, for that Is the day which, though never chosen by fashionable people, seems to be set apart specially for the class who labor, exist by the fruits of their labor, and have no time to lose. They have Sunday to faire Ia noce, and on Monday they put theinsesives once more at work. About 11 A. M., generally, the finances, their relatives, and their witnesses all meet to getner. Sone of the company have brougth with thei their children dressed in new clothes for the grand occasion, frizzed, pom inaded, and " got up regardless" in honor of the festive event. The garcons de nooe are blooming in appearance, the intended husband and wife are critically Inspected by all the company. They try, therefore, to put on an air of modest indifference, and,, naturally enough, do not inake much of a success of it. M le maire, or his idjoint, has arrived. lie puts on the tri-colored scarf across his breast diagonally, which glorious scarf,,jn the eyes of the people, confers on him alone the power of pro nouncing the magic words whose effects no human power can ever break. He takes in his hands a little book bound in red morocco, gives a glance at the mirror in order to assure hiiself that lie cravat is correctly tied, and walks forward to the pre toire, where a low platform supporting a mahogany stand represents the tribunal of Indissoluble union. A servant playing the role of huissier announces M le maire. le enters. All rise up. IIe seats himself. Everybody does the same. Whatever be the season, however cold it may be, the doors always stand ,wide open, for the act of marriage isessentially public. Agreffiler (or recorder) is seated before a pulpit-like desk with a register before him, which big book resembles a huge ledger in a counting room. A name is called. Then advance to the little platfoi in the flancee, the rela. tives, the witnesses; they arrange them solves im front of the imaire in some red velvet arm-chairs, which remind one of the orchestra stalls In our theaters. The greiler reads the commencement of the marriage act. Then the inaire, eftiling the candidates for matrimony by name asks of them each individually if they consent to take the other as spouse. Their response must be made clearly and loudly in such a manner as to be distinctly heard by all present. If there are present the progent tors of the couple, the maire asks them if they give their consent to the marriage of their children. Then if granted, he opens the little red book, reads article 212, 218, 214 of the Code Civil, relative to the rights and duties of the spouses, terminating with article 620. which says: "' Tie wife may make a will without the authorization of her husband." The ones who most often accept this permission are, so it is said He0brews. The maire then declares the couple "united in imarriage." The greffier resuming his rending, finishes it; the temoins, the relatives, and the married couple are invited to sign the record of the cormony written down upon the great register of the Etat Civil. The garcon d burcan brawls out; "Don't forget the poor, s'l vous plait," and each one in passing out drops a small coin in the poor-box on the table. A Captive Note. Not long ago, a well known collector of curiosities in Paris, who had devoted con siderable sums of money to the gathering together of bank notes of all countries and all values, became the possessor of a Bank of England five pound note to which an unusually strange story was attached. This note was paid into a Liverpool merchant's ofilee in the way of business sixty-one years ago, and Its recipient, the cashier of the firm, while holding it up to test its genuine - ness, noticed seine red marks upon it, which proved on closer examination to be semi effaced words, scrawled ia blood between the p)rinted lines and upon the blank mar gin of t,he bill. Extraordhinary pains were taken to (deciphter these partly obliterated characters, and eventually the following sentence was madbe out: "If this note should fall into the hands of John Dean, of Long 11111, near Carlisle, he will hereby learn th.at his brother is languishing a prisoner in Algiers.' Mr. Dean was prompt ly communicatedi with by the holder of the note, and lie appealed to the government of the (lay for assistance in his endeavor to ob tain lisa brother's release fronm captivity. The p)risoner, who, as it subsequently ap peared, had traced the above sentence upon the note with a splinter of wood dipped in his old blood, had been a slave to the Boy of Algiers for eleven years, when lis strange missive first attracted attention in a Liverpool counting-house. ils family andi acquaintances had long believed him dead. Eventually his brother, with the aid of the British authorities in the Mcedi terranean, succeeded in ransoming him from the Bey and brought him home to England, where he did not long survive his release, his conastitution having been irre pafrably injutred by exposure, privations, andl forced labor In the Boy's galleys. H olding His Own Wake, One Johmann Kruger, a well-known poacher and woodsteaher, of Neuendorf, mnear Potsdam, met his decath recently uin der circumstances of a very unusual and surprising character. It appears that the royal keepers and gendarmerie were on the lookout for imin by reason of some sylvan dereliction he had recently committed, and that lie had therefore taken to the woods in the so-called Klefernhaide. Being hard tip for food andi liquor, he contrived to steal a large dog and a quart bottle of corn brandy, which stores lie conveyed to his hidIng pla1ce and there proceeded to make prepar ation for an al-fresco feast and carouse which wouild.havo been more appropriate to an Indian scout than a Prussian poacher. A fter lie had built up and lighted a hutge wood fire he slaughtered the dog, skinned it, andI roasted one of its legs, upon which lie made a copious meal, washing dlown the "friend of man" with deep draughts of fliry spirit. Having finished this strange repast--the relics of which, clean-picked canine leg-bones and an empty bottle, were subsequently found near the ashes of the extinguished fire-he must have stumbled, all but senseless from in toxication, over the pile of burning wood aad fallen into the flames, for hile charred remains were discovered by the royal for esters next morning literally burnt to cin ders, with the sole exception of the head, by which he was recognized. In surfeiting himself with roost dog and raw brandy Kruger had unconschoushy celebrated his own death-foet. BRIEFS. -The total product ot precious mnet als on the Pacific coast since 1848 Is stated at 2,130,001,186. -!Ihe German Empire has 21 unt versities, with 1,250 professors, and more than 17,000 students. -Moody and Sankey are to pay for the education of twelve Creek Indian girls at the Northfield Seminary. -Edward S. Stokes and the widow of James Fisk, Jr., chanced to sit at the same table in an Atlantic City hotel. -The rails used by companies within a radius of six mniles from Charing Cross, London, would form a single line of 750 miles. -In Lord Liverpool's cabinet, in 1819, eight of the eleven members sat in the House oi ",ords, and all but two bad the title of juord. -A. G. Burgess, of East New Yorl: has produced a new seedling which lie calls Witarea GigaMted. It bears much doWers than the ola sort. The task 6f transfornink Rome into a modern city has provod a very costly affair, and the undertaking is now at a halt from lack of further lunds. -California's production of gold for the month of July, 1879, was$ 078,100. In Nevada the production was, for the same month, gold $311,100, silver $426,. B00. -The Edison Company has obtaineQ from the French Government permls, slon to establish telephone conimunicd Lion between the various quarters of Paris. -The trustees of the Rev. J. H. Hlartley's church, in Cincinnati, have asked him to resign, on account of his habit of borrowing money and never paying. -During the last ten y'ears 233 miles of street car rails have been laid in Eng land and Wales, at a cost of nearly $15, 000,000, exclusive of the outllay on horseL, engines and rars.' s, -About ton cents' worth of damage was done to a fence by a boy with it knife, at Galosourg, Ill. The ownek maimed the boy for life by kicking him, and had to pay $12,000. -The increase ot specie in the Ifa tional banks from October -1, 1878 -th return next proceeding spe6le pJAY ments-to Febiuary 21, 1880, the la4t full report, was $07,750,00Q. -The Governor-General, Prinicess and suite will leave Ottawa efor QkPr bee. They will spend some time 11s)x. Ing on the Sagusney, but the sum'nier prograinne Is yet to be decided upon. -A shirt contains about sixty yards of machine stitching and thirty yards of basting, and for this work 13d, -is paid. A lady worked for a wuk for 3d., working on an average live hours a day. -A recent ofilcial ret--rn of the na tional debt qf Great Britain puts the exact figures on the 1st of April last at ?778,078,850 ($3,890,3194,200), In 1878-9, Z803,120, was 'paid oil and X6,588,123 added. -Since February thie sale of one cent stamps at the city post-office in Wash ington has increasee from 90,000 a mnonth to 300,000 a month-showing that much printed matter is being mal led. -Othnial Gager has been clerk of Norwici, Conn., for forty years. He has filled eighty-eight volumes of 731 pages each, or 04 328 pages In all and a neater set of- books, it is said, has been seldom seen. -It is calculated that 30,00Wipassen gers will sall.for Europe thiq season. Allowing ara expenditure of only $500 to each person, which is very low, wo tiavea total of $15,030,000 that will be tent out of tehe country. -Dr. Peek of Indianapolis has ampu tated the legs of a young girl on aic aount of decay in the bones, prod'uced by excessive rope jumping. H[e ad v ises parents and teachers to lii'Ohiibit this play under all circumstances. -Five generations are living under ne roof in Rehresburg, Berks county ; Qeorge Staudt, aged 87 years; his sona George, over 00 years; George's daugh ter. Mrs. Susanna immelhlerger, and hear daughter, Mrs. Alice Brobst and1( ahxild. -T1rain agents on the Chicago and Northwvestern Railroad are required by a new set of regul ations to keel) alean, act decently, talk in a 1,ow toule, not work the cars- more than once ini hrymiles, and never throw books in apsegra lap. -Of all tihe nations living undler trie scepiter of the Czar the Jews are the best educated. The'' propoMiion of' Jews in Russia istohe Jaw to every twenty Russians; while in the colleges the proportion of students is one .Jew sih scholar to every six Russians. -Thue electric light will be again. used at the French Salon this season, although the jury of p)ainting protest strongly against thuis mode of lighting as too unequal and glaring, injuring almost invariably the effect of painting and not improving that of sculpture. -Three large personalities have re eeontly paid probate duty in England- ' the Dean of York's personal property,. $2,500,000; Mr. Julius Beer's, $2,000, 100, and the late Duke of P'ortland's, 17,500,000, in addition to his vast land Bd estates In and out of the metroDolis. --Naturalists who have been explor ing Borneo assert that in the stems of certain plants fo.und theye are galleries tunnelled by a specie of ant, and that the presence of the alit is essential to existence oi the plants, for unless"tat taked by the Insects when -young the plants soon die. -"The Temple of Glory of Russla" is the naije of the building whichi t is proposed to erect in St. Petersburg on Vasi lievsky lsland, just obposite the Winter ?aiace. The form of-the bitild ing will be similar to tiatof.tito rn~wn of Vlpdigpir Monomiaol,t dl r rlnee of the elevozgth entury an Ier nal arrangemients ard"t$ reigf t he history of Russia. ,, : )f r't, -The Comptroller -of"the C'uri-Knoy reports the total number of.-igional banks organized since Novemq #79, at forty, with a capital of $581 70. rotal number of banks gone in 1-Vo tantary liquidsation in the same jriod, nine, with a capital of $1,800,00 4 banks have failed during the. at nine months. Cuironoy outatmitth $802, i7754.8,