(iI,KSOlVBBKS. FJIOM " THE MTSTRKKB Of THE MXKSK." I,nve:y childrei of the libt, , Draped in radiant looks and pinions lied and purole, blue and white In their beautiful dominion. On the earth and in the spheres Pwt-11 the little glendoveers. And the red can know no change, And the blue are blue forever. And the yellow wings may range Toward the white or purple never ; Bnt they mingle free from strife, yfcr their color is their life. When their color dies they die Rlend with1 earth or ether owly Iieaking where their spirits lie Not a stain, so pure and holy Is the ewence and the thought Which their fading brings to naught ! Each contented with the hue Which indues his wings with beauty. Red or yellow, white or blue. Sings the measure of his duty Through the summer clouds in peace, And delights that never cease. Not with envy love they more Locks and pinions purple-tinted, Nor with jealousy adore Those whose pleasures are unstinted, And whose purple hair and wings Give them place with queens and kings. When a purple glendoveer Klits-aloug the mute expanses. They surround him, far and near. With their glancing wings and dances, An-1 do honor to the hue Ijoved by all and worn by few. In the dsys lone gone, alas ! Two u;on a c.oud, low-seated, Saw their pinions in the glass Of a'silver lake repeated. One was blue and one was red. And the'lovely pair were wed. nrrp'e winps are very fine," Spofce the voice of Buby, gently ; M Ay,' said Sapphire, ' they're divine ! - k at his blue intently. Birt we're blest," said Ruby, then, j " And we'll not complain like men." Sapphire stretched his loving arm?. And !ie nestled in his bosom. White bra heart inhaled her charms i Ah tbe sense inhales a blossom ; 1'ratik her wholly, tint and tone. Blent her being with his own. liaptnre passed, they raised their eyes, Bnt were startled into clamor Oi & marvelous surprise 1 Was it color ! was it glamour ! Purple-tinted, sweet and warm. Wis each wing and folded form. Who had wrought it how it came Thteo were what the twain disputed. How were mingled smoke and flame Into royal hue transmuted T Earn was right, the othor wrong : Baa their quarrel was not long; For the moment that their speech Differed o'er their little story, Swiftly faded off from each Every trace of purple glory : Blue was bluer than before. And the red was red once more. Then they knew that both were wrong. And intgympathy of sorrow Learned that each was only strong In the power to lend and borrow That the prtrp.e never mrew But by grace of red to blue. So, embracing in content. Hearts and wings again united lied Mud blue in purple bleat, Ant-1 their holy troth re-plighted. Both, as happy as the day. Kissed and rose aud flew away. And for twice athouaand years. Foaling through the radiant ether. Lived the happy glendoveere. Of the other jealous neither Savphire naught without the red. Baby still by blue bestead. Bnt when weary of their life. They came down to earth at even Fnrple husband, purple wife From the upper deeps of heaven. And reclined upon the grass. That their little lives might pass. Wing to wing and arms enwreathed, Bank they from their life's long dreaming Into earth their souls they breathed : But when morning's light was streaming. All their joys and sweet regrets Btoomed m banks of violets! Dr. .. O. Holland, in ScrUmer'n for Kmxmber. THE STOLEN HEIRESS. When we read that graceless scamp Mr. Barry Lyndon's account of the in genious manner in which he and his cou sin, Mr. Ulick Brady, carried off the Irish heiress and married her to the lat ter gentleman, we praise the admirable manner in which Thackeray tells the story, but are unwilling to believe that similar occurrences have taken place in real life. Indeed, the record of such cases are meager five or six of them on ly are reported but their very rarity gives an increased spice to theirdetails. The following sample is certainly as in teresting as romance, and more true than most histories. Miss Ellen Turner was the only daughter land heiress of William Tur ner, Esq., a gentleman of large landed property, residing at Shrigiey Park, Cheshire, and at one time Sheriff of that county. She had attained the age of fifteen in February, 1826, and was at a boarding-school, kept by the Misses Daulby, at Liverpool. Her fortune and expectations had been made known to a certain Mr. Gibbon Wakefield, during a visit to some friends of his who resided near Shrigiey Park. Wakefield was a widower, with one child, and involved at the time in pecuniary embarrass ments. He thought that marriage with an heiress would be the easiest way out of his difficulties, and a plot was formed to lure the young lady from school, that she might become Mr. Wakefield's bride. A French servant, one Thevenot, was sent with an empty carriage and a letter to the school-mistress, announcing the dangerous illness of Mrs. Turner, and that the private carriage of the physi cian had been procured to convey her daughter home. The valet had.been well tutored in names and dates, and the device succeded. Miss Daulby entertained no suspicion, and resigned her charge to the adroit stranger, who conveyed her in safety to the Albion Hotel, Manchester. There, Mr. Gib bon Wakefield, " a gentleman from Par is," of fashionable exterior and address, .introduced himself to the schoolgirl, and explained that the illness of her mother was a mere pretext the real reaso: of her being summoned from scho being her fattier 's pecuniary dif ficulties, and that he was sent to escort her to him, as he could not venture to appear in person. Mr. William Wake field here joined his brother, and their familiar acquaintance with household matters at Shrigiey Park laid at rest all suspicion, which, of course, was not likely to arise in the mind of a young girl fresh from sohooL They posted in a carriage and four, by a circuitous rout, through Yorkshire, to Kendal, and thence to Carlisle. The two brothers had exerted all their ad Arac on the wav to work upon her fears. They told her the people around rtarriaire were liailiffa : that her father was lying snug in a back room, h- vtnlrl not stir for fear of arrest ; fi.ot.hnth the Macclesfield and Black- k v,ank where he kept accounts, haA atonned navment : but an uncle of ka Wafeofif-lds. srenerous and wealthy, UmA umnd. on the persuasion of Gib- lvin Wakefield, to advance the modest little sum of 60,000, and as a grand .i;m to this loner story, that Mr Grimsditch, the family solicitor, had written a Itetter, which the clever suitor nrfitended to read. van rt VWtaiTA Ketwpen himself and Turner as the only device which could save the family from ruin. The fertile Renins of Richardson or Fielding never r more notable expedient. Vovat was Clarissa Harlowe or Miss Allwnrthv in a more pecular position ownAr was startled and con- THE 1. ini.K JU1ITO ' fused, and wished to see her father, but he could not be seen at Carlisle, and contented himself with sending his blessing, and a meseage that she should not lose a moment, but hasten across the border and liberate him from his difficulties. The natural love of the child prevailed. She yielded a timid consent, was hurried over the border, and married at Gretna Green in the presence of a drunken blacksmith, the landlord of a public house, and a post boy. Dread of a certain penal statute, of the repeal of which Wakefield was ignorant, fortunately prevented the con summation of the marriage. He was also unaware that the marriage beyond the border had interposed a technical aimculty to any prosecution ior ieiony. Being, tnereiore, in constant iear oi pursuit and recapture, Wakefield did not let the grass grow under his feet. The wondering bride was hurried away bv forced marches to London, and thence to Calais. An announcement of the marriage, with all due pomp and cermony, in the Morning Post, and a modest paragraph announcing among the .departures from London Mr. and Mrs. Edward Gibbon Wakefield for Paris, first communicated the astonish ing intelligence to the family, They lost no time in seeking to re cover their young relative. Armed with a warrant, and attended by a Bow street officer, the uncle of Miss Turner and Mr. Grimsditch hurried to Calais, where the deluded girl threw herself with de light into the arms of her kinsmen, and turned from her betrayer with horror when the whole scene of fraud and cruel falsehood was exposed. A French mag istrate authorized the grieved relatives to take her home forthwith. They did so, and at once commenced criminal proceedings for a conspiracy against the two Wakefields, their French ser vant Thevenot, and their stepmother Frances Wakefield. The case came for trial before Baron Hallock, at Lancas ter, March 23, 1827, and, though the early hour of 7 a. m. was fixed upon for the opening, the spacious shire hall was crowded to excess. Of the eight eminent counsel who figured in the case, five subsequently rose to the bench and one to the woolsack. It may, therefore, be reasonably believed that the forensic battle was well planned and ably fought. Mr. Turner and Miss Daulby first testified as to the facts within their knowledge ; the carriage was shown to have been purchased from a dealer in Manchester ; postboys and innkeepers testified to the route followed from Liv erpool to Gretna Green. Mr. Grims ditch gave an account of the interview at Quillaj's Hotel, Calais, where the defendant exhibited a coolness and " cheek" approaching the sublime. He said that Miss Turner, he supposed, was his wife, and he would take care of her, but did not wish to make her rela tives angry with her, so would allow them to see her. He acknowledged that he believed he would send a bullet through the head of any one who should carry off his daughter in the same way, bet said he was going to make Ellen an excellent husband. As to the threat of arrest, he said he had more interest with the police than his opponents, and they were on the wrong side of the water for such performances. He then called Miss Turner down to see her relatives. She clasped her uncle around the neck, and on Mr. Grimsditch re marking that it was an illegal marriage, she exclaimed : " I am not your wife ; you have de ceived me." Wakefield said : " You must acknowledge I have be haved to you like a gentleman." "Yes, I do acknowledge that; but you have deceived me, and I will never more go near you again." With the termination of Mr. Grims ditch's evidence the forensic drama had reached its most interesting point, for the heroine herself, wisely kept for the last by the prosecution, was now called to the stand. She told her story in a manner at once so artless and so clear as to win the sympathy of the jury and spectators. She described the first ap pearance of Gibbon Wakefield at Man chester, his ingenious stories about her father's pecuniary difficulties, and his introduction of his yonnger brother. She had then entered the carriage, sup posing she was going t meet her father. Gibbon Wakefield said if there was no letter at Halifax, and if they did not see Mr. Turner there, they must proceed as far as Kendal, where they would be sure to rind him. At Kendal, William Wakefield read a letter at the chaise window and his brother looked over him, but Miss Turner did not see it. Had she been older, it might have excited some surprise that she should not ask to look at the letter herself, but suspicion did not line the countenance nor distrust overshadow the mind of a school-girl of fifteen. Upon reading the letter they said her father was not there, but had gone forward. The party pushed on. On the way Gibbon said he had received a letter from Mr. Turner, authorizing him to disclose the state of his affairs, and then gave the account of bank failures and his uncle's loan, alluded to above. The uncle had demanded security for the sum which had been lent the estate at Shrigiey. Wakefield then approached the jrist of the matter, which we will let Miss Tur ner in her own words : " Papa might (he said) be turned out of doors any day. It had been suggest ed oy Mr. (jrimsditch that he (JVlr. Wakefield) should be my husband ; that then the property would be mine, and it would be in my power to turn papa out of doors, if I liked ; but, of course, I should not think of doing it. He al luded to the subject several times, and said he was desirous to know what con clusion I had come to. He first said I should see papa ; then he said I should give my answer to him." Gibbon also informed Miss Turner that her father was " chassez-ing " up and down the border, waiting a chance to dodge the sherifl's officers and waltz over. As they rolled into Carlisle, Will' am Wakefield again appeared. pulled up the carriage windows, and, in a mysterious whisper, said he had some thing of importance to communicate. He had seen Mr. Turner at Carlisle, and Mr. Grimsditch was with him ; he had made two attempts that day to cross the border, and could not. He said the inn-yard was full of bailiffs : that Grimsditch had entreated that he would not stop in the rorsa, or they would be discovered, and that he had taken him by the shoulder and turned him out of the room. " lie said, papa requested, u i ever loved him, that 1 would not hesitate to accept Mr. Wakefield as a husband " What did you say to this ?" " I consented." What induced you to consent ?" The fear that it 1 did not papa would be ruined. This ended her evidence. Counsel for the defense wisely refrained from cross-examination, and confined them selves to showing that a marriage had actually taken place valid by the laws of Scotland, and that after she left Manchester Miss Turner was a willing victim. To establish this latter prop osition a most motley assemblage of witnesses landlords, post-boys and chamber maids were produced to show the liveliness of the young lady. She actually shook hands, according to one witness, on first meeting Mr. Wakefield. They were in such spirits in the car riage that the hostler asked the voluble driver whether he bad got players with him. They played draughts at Carlisle, and at Settle they had gingerbread, and she laughed loud enough for two. The countenance of Mr. Sergeant Cross, who led for the prosecution, lost its cynical expression, and his iron feat ures relaxed at this long rigmarole. He cross-examined the several witnesses with rough contempt. " Well, they didnot quarrelor fight?" "No." " My friend has asked you every question but whether the gingerbread was good was it good ?" " very good. " She appeared to be in as good spirits as a young lady ing from school to see she ?" would be in go her parents, did "She was in very good spirits; I thought they were brother and sister. " " And you actually saw her smile, did you ?" "Yes." " Indeed ! wonderful!" The celebrated David Laing, the blacksmith, who for ferty-eicrht years had officiated at Gretna Green in all cases of runaway matches, was then called on the stand. He appeared to be very old, very deaf, and very illiterate. In the course of his examination in re gard to the marriage, he said it "was done in the old ordinary form of the Church of Scotland." This roused the ire of Mr. Brougham, who, on the cross examination, gave a brilliant exhibition of those powers which led Mr. Trollope to dub him "isoanerges. Me rode rough-shod over this vulgar and illiter ate trafficker in clandestine marriages, and made him disclose the history of a long and decidedly ill-spent life. He gave a description of the cere mony which he had stated to be the ordinary form of the Church of Scot land, which was at once chaste and sim ple. I ask them if they take one an other for husband and wife, and so and so," aud no amount of badgering could extract from him what meaning, if any, he attached to these words. It was cus tomary, he said, for the groom to stand a bottle of " shumpine (champagne), which David disposed of before com mencing operations. The defense, though ably fought, could not, of course, save the criminals in the face of the clear case made out by the prosecution. The two brothers Wakefield were sentenced to three years imprisonment each, anil a verdict was also found against Mrs. Wakefield, but mdgment against her was not moved for. Miss Turner was afterward married to a Mr. Leigh, of Lyme, but died young, Gibbon Wakefield, on his release from prison, took an active part in col onizing New Zealand, and appears to have sought by the labors of mature manhood to redeem the sin of his youth. A Terrible Snake Story. Messrs. D. S.' Perkins, Joseph Straley and John F. Steinrack, a party of Chi cago tourists, who returned yesterday from a three months' trip through Park, Summit and Grande counties, relate a terrible snake story. They were en camped in Elk Head Mountains, in the North Park, on the 10th of last Septem ber, when they met with a misfortune which cost one of the party his life. The party arrived in camp late one night from a day's hunt and ramble over the hills. After a hearty supper the party laid down in their blankets around the fire, which had been built in the' cleft of some large size quartz rocks, and all were soon fast asleep. Mr. Straley was awakened in the night by a heavy weight upon his chest. At first he supposed it was his brother's hand, but, as it did not move, and be coming nervous and alarmed, he raised his head, and was horrified to find a large mountain rattlesnake coiled upon his chest, with his head nestled down in the center of the coil. It was nearly daylight, but Mr. Straley was so par alyzed with fear that he could not make a noise and dared not m ved. He re covered his presence of xuind so far as to be able to draw the blankets over his face. This movement startled the reptile, which glided from him to his brother, who was sleeping with him. The snake passed from his breast to his brother's face, when, in a fatal moment, Henry Straley raised his hand to tear it awav. TherB was a hercs rattle and a loud cry from the half-awakened boy, and the monster buried its fangs in his right hand and a second time in his cheek. There was a loud scream from Henry aa the poor boy jumped to his feet, while the snake glided from the blankets to a large hat rock near the embers of the fire. Mr. Jenkins fired his revolver-at it, and the second shot brought it down. Poor young Straley was soon sutter- ing the most intense agony. His broth er, at his request, cut out a large portion of the cheek in hopes that the poison had not penetrated very deep, and a tight ligature was bound around the wrist of the bitten hand, which was bathed in cold water. Bat nothing the horrified young men could do availed to save the poor boy. He died in less than two hours in the most terrible agony. Denver Col.) World. Exports of 'Musical Instruments. Official records of Custom House re turns at Washington show that the total value of musical instruments ex ported from the United States during the year ending June 30, 1874, was 8550,327. Of this, 8258,176 was for pianos and $292,151 for parlor or reed organs. Of this latter amount, glb-.,- lb9, or more than one-half of the whole. was of the cabinet organs made by the Mason & Hamlin Organ Co.. which bid fair to become as famous in Europe as they have long been in America. This company certainly have reason to be proud of the fact that the European demand for their organs is larger than that for all others combined. Boston Traveller. A Great Sneezer. The only thing that Earl Bussell ever did greatly was to sneeze. His achieve ment in that line was thus decribed by a biographer : " This remarkable man seemed to concentrate himself for a gi gantic effort, would be bent nearly double by the force of the explosion, and would then dive down into the flaming banner of red silk, from which, after several minutes' obscuration, he emerged with a cc tenance as vivid as the back of a scalded lobster. The late Lord Clarendon said, "When Lord John takes snuff the consequence brings down the House." England has women. a surplus of 800,000 Current Paragraphs. New York has 2,300 policemen. Aubtjbn Prison contains 1,198 con- victs. The average car horse endures four years. Forest villr, Conn., turns out 1,000 clocks daily. The school population of Kansas has doubled in five years. In 1873 the population of Austria ex clusive of Hungary, was 20,970,000.' In St. Peter, Minn., is a pig only six months old and weighing 270 pounds. iNBCBrpnoN on a fence in HarrlwioV, Mo.: "Nobuddy hich hossea 2 this fens." A wonderful chicken in RnwU-rr Green, Ky., has a coat of red hair in stead of feathers. There is a musician in Cincinnati who plays simultaneously (or nearly so) upon sixteen drums. A seven-YEAR-onr boy is awaitinc trial at New York for stabbing a rlav- mate of 10, who called him names. The drought has been unDrecedenterl along the Bio Grande the past year. In many places it has not rained for over a year. Patti receives higher pay in London than Nilsson ; the former getting two hundred guineas a night and the latter two hundred pounds. The King of the Friendlv Islands is a licensed Methodist preacher, and his wife, Qneen Charlotte, a class-leader of the same denomination. Each thing lives according to its kind ; the heart by love, the intellect by truth, the higher nature of man by intimate communion with xod. Bendigo, formerly a notec3 pugilist, is now a Methodist preacher , devoting his time to the spiritual interests of the lower classes of Great Britain. The "Army of the James," at its re cent reunion, refused to ioin in the movement to secure the re-openine of trie case or lien, iritzionn Sorter. Chicago has figured up her fruit trade and finds that it amounts to a uany total oi about $62,'J00, or over SI 1,000, 000 for the six months' season. Prof. Goujwin Smith has introduced at Cornell University one of Oxford's genial customs, that of inviting the senior class to dine with him at the close of his lectures. A little girl in Paris who was play ing with a toy balloon drew in her breath while inflating it, and the col lapsed balloon went down her throat and choked her to death. The explosive force o. the ' ' fire oarnp, wnich is the cause of so many accidents in coal mines, has been calcu lated to be equal to 146.6 atmospheres or more than 2,000 pounds to the inch. According to an official report, there were no less than fc5.)o cases of chol era in Hungary last year. Of this number 237,718 recovered, 182,549 died, and the remainder were under treat ment. The deaths were therefore about 42 per cent. The statistical editor of the Times, Grand Island, Neb., says : 90,000,000, 000,000,000,000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 0i 0 grasshoppers, at least, passed over here yesterday. There might have been a few more or less, 'as we did not count them very closely. A French writfir declares that Tur key is in a muchttbetter financial con dition than France. The expenditures are less per head than those of France, tbe taxes 26 francs per head, against 85 in France, and the debt 174 francs per capita, against 570 in France. Even as the New York Tribune is to honor its founder by a full-figured colossal statue at the doorway of its new building, so the Louisville Journal is to honor the man who made it famous with a statue of George D. Prentice at the portals of its recon structed domicile. A wonderful clock has been in vented by a German jeweler living in Norwich, Conn. The whole discern ible mechanism is a transparent dial plate and a pair of black walnut hands. The latter turn loosely on a pivot, and if whirled in different directions will immediately readjust themselves to the exact time. Our English visitor. Mr. Forster. finds himself surprised at the early start our democracy takes, as shown in the public schools. He can't yet com prehend it nor conceive it practicable that a son of his could sit beside a son of a coachman, and both graduate to gether through all the etages, from the primary school to the university. An interesting statement is made of the number of Protestant divinitv students in old Prussia the past twenty-three-years. In 1851 there were 604, which number had increased to 1,18 in 1862. From this time forward the num ber has steadily diminished till it is now represented by the same figures as in 1851, namely, 604. The total for the twenty-three years is 31,130. The " Horseshoe Calculation. The results of some arthmetical problems are simply incredible till the process by which they are reached is followed step by step. It is, therefore, not surprising that in spite of the noto riety of the famous "horse-shoe" cal culation, two persons accepted the offer of a well-known farmer in the Brechin district, who lately proposed to pay the expenses of a picnic to thirty farmers, provided one of them would bring to him in the market on Tuesday one grain of oats, doubling the number of grains every Tuesday for twelve months. Upon the offer being taken, one of the parties accepting it having, according to a local journal, offered to carry all the oats on his back at the end of the year, a calculation was made, which re sulted as follows : The grains of oats would amount at the end of twelve months to 1,034,834,468 quarters, two bushels ; and the value at thirty shil lings per quarter, was found to be 1, 552,251,702, 7s 6d. The picnic was not paid for, but the gentleman who thonorht that he could carry the accumulation of oats "stood a round of champagne." 1hb Missouri, Kansas and Texas railway is a deservedly popular route to the Southwest. Those who desire to reach points in Missouri, Kansas, the xnaian xerrnory, or xexas, situated on or adjacent to its lines, will find that there are very few transfers, that they will make quick time, and can have ail the conveniences and comforts of mod ern railway travel. The genial general passenger agent oi cne roaa, Mr. Thos. uorwin, at aedaiia, Mo., will cheerful ly furnish information in reference to general or excursion rates oyer this road THE TRANSIT OF YENUS. Very much has been said and written during the last two years about the transit of Venus, which is to occur Dec. 8. 1874. The interest which is so gen erally felt in regard to it has doubtless reached many of our readers, and they very naturally begin to ask, " What is a transit of Venus, ana wuy w " " much importance ?" This is what I will try to explain. . . You perhaps all know that Venus, the brightest of the planets, is not as far from the sun as the earth, and that it revolves round the sun in an orbit sim ilar to the earth's orbit. In each revo lution, therefore, Venus passes between the earth and sun, ana is men m su FIGURE I. he iii inferior conjunction. When it is on the opposite side of the sun from the earth it is in superior conjunction. Thus, in fig. 1, suppose e f c represents the orbit of the earth,-a b v mat oi Venus, and s the sun. If Venus is at v when the earth is at e, it is in inferior conjunction. But the orbit of Venus, as you see by the ngure, is nox in ine same plane with that of the earth. Now, if it were extended until it met the earth's orbit, it would be repre sented by the dotted line cue, and it would cross the earth's orbit at the points e and c. These points, or the corresponding places a and v, in the real orbit of Venus, are called its nodes. Now, because of this inclination of the two orbits, the sun, Venus and the earth will be in the same line only when Venus is at, or near, one of its nodes at the time of conjunction. For, if Venus is at f when the earth is at f, it would be in inferior conjunction, because it is in that part of its orbit which is most directly between the earth and sun ; but we should see it in the direction of c. If, however, it is at its node, v, at the time of conjunction, or when the earth is at e, we see it in the same line as the sun, and it then appears to pass directly across the sun's disc. This is what is called a transit of Venus. Venus is opaque, like the earth, shining by the reflected light of the sun ; therefore the bright side is toward the sun, and at the time of a transit it appears to us like a dark spot upon the sun's bright surface. The transits of Venus happen only at rare intervals, because it is seldom that the three bodies are thus situated in reference to each other. They occur in pairs, eight years apart, and between the pairs are one hundred and five, or else one hundred and twenty-two years. The fact that they so rarely happen occasions an interest in the transits ; but this is by no means the only reason why thev are so carefully watched. Their chief importance lies in this : By observing the path which the planet makes across the sun we obtain data from which the distance of the earth from the sun can be calculated. The relative distances of all the planets from the sun is known ; therefore, when the earth's distance, expressed in miles, is obtained, we have, as it were, a yard stick by which the distances of the other planets can be measured. To find the exact length of- this yard-stick has long been considered the astronomer's grandest problem, and a transit of Venus gives the most accurate means of doing this. The last two transits were in 1761 and 1769. Previous to these the estimates which had been made of the sun's dis tance from the earth were very incor rect. The earliest estimates on record made it about one-twentieth of its true distance ; and even at the time of these transits it was too small by several million miles. These transits were, however, watched with great interest, the observations made of them carefully compared, and the distance computed to be abont ninety-five million miles. Since then astronomers have calculated the sub's distance by several other methods, applying principles which were not then known, and, although these methods are inferior to that fur nished by a transit, yet, as the different calculations very nearly agree, it is supposed they are not far from correct. They show the sun's distance to be a little over ninety-one million miles. The instruments which we now have for measuring small angles, and the means for determining the latitude and longitude of places are much superior to those used a hundred years ago, hence the observations of the coming transit will be much more exact, and will furnish a means of testing the ac curacy of previous calculations, I will now tell you something of how the observations are taken, and of the preparations which have been made for this purpose. The direct object is to obtain what is called the sun's parallax. The parallax of an object is its apparent displacement as seen from two different stations, An fie. 2. let the circle a b e represent a section of the earth. Two persons, one FIGUBE n. stationed at a, and another at b, are looking at the snn, s. The heavenly bodies, thongh at. dinerent distances from the earth, appear to us as if they -were all situated m the same vaulted surface, represented by the curved line moo. The person at a sees the sun as if it were at o, -wliile the person at b sees it at d. Now, in making tables which shall give the position of the heavenly bodies, it is obvious that their places, as seen from any one station upon the earth, cannot be taken, for this would not be correct for any other station. The place given them, there fore, is that which they would appear to occupy if seen from the center of the earth, for this always remains the same. The true place of the sun, s, then, is at f, and its angular displacement, meas ured by the angle, b s c, or the arc, f d, is its parallax at the station b ; the angle, a s c, or f a, its parallax at the station a. The distance of a body affects its parallax ; for it is plain that if the sun were at the more distant point h, its parallax, f n, as seen from a, is much less than if the sun is at the point s. Hence, when the sun's true parallax is obtained, it gives an accurate means of calculating the sun's distance. Now Venus is the planet nearest the earth, hence its parallax is larger than any other, and can be more easily meas ured. Moreover, Venus is much nearer the earth than the sun, and its parallax, of course, much greater. Because of this difference between the displace ment of the two bodies, observers at different stations upon the earth will refer the planet to different points upon FIGURE HI. the sun's disc. Thus in fig. 3 let E. v and s represent the earth, Venus and the sun at the time of a transit. An observer at a would see the planet cross the sun in the line r c, while an ob server on the other side of the earth, at b, would see it cross the sun in the line f a. These two lines are of unequal length, and the transit, to the observ ers, would be accomplished in unequal periods of time. By noting the exact time and duration of the transit at these two stations and alterwarcl comparing them, the difference between the paral lax of the sun and that of Venus can be obtained, and from this the parallax of the sun, and then the sun's distance from the earth. It is, of course, impos sible to obtain stations on directly op posite sides of the earth, to watch the transit, yet places are selected as far apart as possible, and the necessary al lowance made in the calculations. It may at first seem a very easy thing to take these observatiens ; but in real ity it ia very difficult to make them ac curate. The instruments may not be exact in every particular, and a small error, in measuring an angle at so great a distance as the sun, will make a great difference in the result. Clocks may differ by one or two seconds, and the state of our atmosphere will affect tbe distinctness with which the planet is seen. Then it is extremely difficult to tell the second when the edges of Venus and the sun meet, for, as they approach, tne dark edge ot tbe planet appears drawn out toward the sun before it really touches it ; and the difference between the real and apparent contact may oc casion a serious error. Hence the great importance that everything be prepared with the utmost care, and that so far as possible there be uniformity in the methods of observing at the different stations. Another science aids the astronomer in this work by giving him a new meth od of measuring small angles in the heavens. It is that of photographing the object, and then making the desired measurement on tne plate by an mstru ment called a micrometer. The sun has been photographed for the purpose oi studying tne solar spots, lor many years, and tne process nas been per fected and used with great success. It is thought that by this method a much more precise measurement can be ob tained than by the simple eye-observa tions. For the past two years preparations have been in progress for the coming transit, uur own government nas ap propriated for the purpose one hundred and Mty thousand dollars. Eight stations are to be occupied, three northern and five southern. The northern stations are near Pesin, Yed do, and a place in the neighborhood of the Caspian sea. The southern sta tions are upon the island of Mauritius Kerguelan's .Land ; Hobart Town, southern part of Australia ; some point in New Zealand ; and Chatham Islands, east of .New Zealand. These stations are ocenpied several months before the transit, in order that the instruments may be well mounted and tested, and the latitude and longi tude of the places determined, and every preparation thoroughly made. Other nations, especially England, Kussia and U-ermany, nave made exten sive preparations for observing the transit, choosing different stations fav orable to the purpose. Another transit of Venus will take place in 1882, which will be in some re spects more favorable than ' this. It will be visible in the Atlantic States, and more generally in the inhabited parts of the earth. The various instru ments now used will be kept for that transit, and it will be observed with the same interest and thoroughness as the present one. After these the next will be in 2004 ; so if my Atlantic readers would see a transit of Venus at all, they must travel to a point where it can be seen in 1874, or have their smoked glasses ready for the one that will oo cur December 6, 1882. Pamelia T. Smiley, in &t. Nicholas for November, uvebpaid actors. it would seem that some gentlemen of the sock and buskin are tolerably well requited for their labors. " Mr. ootnem, for in stance,' says the Boston Advertiser, has played Juord Dundreary nearly 5,000 times, and if he has received upon an average uu ior eacn performance this single character has brought him the enormous sum of 82,000,000 ! Mr. Jefferson appeared about 2,000 times as Bip Van Winkle, and if be received S500 for eacn representation ( his U rms when he plays for a certainty, are $000 and when he shares with the manage ment ne oiten lases $4,uuu for half dozen performances), he must have ao quired $1,000,000 by this single fortun ate creation. co j jTSj LU Measure ok Fourth Cake. One cup 5U"r' two of sugar, three of flour, and four esgs, with a very little car bonate of potash, dissolved in four tablespoonfuis of milk, or two of wine, and a little nutmeg. To have the oake light and fine, the eggs should be well beaten, yelks and whites separately and stirred in lightly after having rubbed the butter and sugar to a cream. Not every one can be President, but all can buy SILVER-TIPPED Shoes for their chil dren, and thereby leseen their shoe bills two thirds. For sale by all dealers. Attend to the first symptoms of Con sumption, and that disease may be checked in its incipiency. Use immediately Dr. Wia hart'a Pine Tree Tar Cordial, a safe remedy m all diseases of the lungs. THE DYING BODY SUPPLIED WITH THE VIGOR OF LIFE THROUGH DR. E AD WAY'S SAESAPAEILLIAN RESOLVENT THE GREAT Blood urifiexM ONE BOTTLE Will maks tbe Blood pure, the Skin clear, the Kye bright, the Complexion eraooth and transparent, the Hair strong, and remove all Bores, Pimples, Blotches, Pnstnlee, Tetter, Cankers, etc., from the Bead, Face, Neck, Mouth and Skin. It Is pleas ant to take and the dose Is ims.lL It Sesolrei away Diseased Deposits; It Purifies the Blood and Benorates the System. It cures with certainty aU Chronic Diseases that havs lingered In the system five or ten years, whether It be Scrofula or Syphilitic, Hereditary or Contagious, SB IT SEATED IN THE Lungs or Stomach, Skin or Bones, Flesh or Nerves, COBB0PTINO THB SOLIDS AND VITIATING THE FLUIDS. IT 18 THE ONLY POSITIVE CUBE FOE KIDNEY and BLADDER COMPLAINTS, Urinary and Womb Diseases, OraTel, Diabetes, Dropsy, Stuppaga of Water, luconttnence of Urine, Brlgut's Disease, Albuminuria, and in all cases wt.ere there are brick-dust deposits, Chronic Rheumatism, Scrcfula, Olaudalar Swelling, Hack ing Dry Cough, Cancerous Affections, Byphilitte Complaints, Bleeding of the Lungs, Dyspepsia, Water-Brasn, Tic Uoloreux. White Swellings. Tumors, Ulcers, Skin and Hip Diseaees, Mercurial Diseases. Female Complaints, Oout, Dropsy, Rick ets, Bait Raeura, Bronchitis. Consumption. Liver Complaints, Ulcere in the Throat, Mouth, Tumors, Node in the Glands and other partsof the system, Sore Eyes, Strumorous Discharges from the Rare, and the worst forms of Skin Diseases, Erup ions. Fever Sores, Scald Head, Ringworm, Salt Rheum, Kryiip-las, Acne, Black Spots, Worms In the Fleen, Cancers In the Womb, aud all weakening and painful discharges. Night Sweats, Loss of Sperm and all wastes of the life principle are within the curative range of this wonder of Mod ern Chemistry, and a few days' use will prove to any person using it, for either of these forma ot sasease, a potent power so cure uw. Sold by Druggists. 31.00 per Bottle. Rl R Rlsi EADWAFS Ready Relief. The Cheapest and Best Medicine for family use in the world! One SO-Cent Bottle WTIjIi CTTRR MORE COMPLAINTS AND PREVENT THE SYSTEM AGAINST SUDDEN ATTACK OT EPIDEMICS AND CONTAGIOUS DISEASE8 THAN DIMS HUNDRED DOLT,R8 EXPENDED FOR OTH ER MEDICINKS OR MEDICAL ATTKN DANCR. THE MOMENT RADWAY'B READY RELIEF I . B.PPLIRD EXTERNALLY OR TAKEN 1NTEB NALLY ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONB PAIN, FROM WHaTRVER CAUaE, CEASES TO EXIST. TMPOBTAKT. Miners. Farr-.ers. and others re siding in sparseiy-settled districts, where it la difficult to secure the services of a physician, RADWAY'B READY RELIEF Is invaluable. It can be used with positive assurance f aoing goo a in all cases where patu or discomfort is experienced ; or if seized with Influenza, Diputherla, 8 .r r Throat, Bad Coughs. Hoarseness, Bilious Colic, inflamma tion or tne uoweis. Btomaen, Lungs, urai.&io- or with Croup, Quinsey . Fever and Ague ; or with Neuralgia, Headache. Tic Doloreux, Tooth- eys; ache. Earache ; or with Lumbago. Pain In the Back, er Rheumatism; or with Diarrhea, Cholera Mor bus, or Dysentery; or with Burns, Scalds, or Bruises; or with Strains, Cramps, or Spasms. The application of RADWAY'B READY RELIEF will cure yon of tbe worst of these complaints ui a few hours. Twantv drovl In half a tumbler of water will In a few moments cure CHAMPS, SPASMS. SOUR STOM ACH, HKAHTHUKN, QIC K. HSJlliCBS. Uiaev RHEA, DYSENTERY, COLIC. WIND IN THE BOW- jkl, ana an imukwal rain a. Travelers should always carry a bottle of RAD WAY'B READY RELISF with them. A few drop In ier win prevent sickness or pains trots. change of waxer. It 1 e better than French Brand y or Bitters as a stimulant. Sold by Druggists. Price 50 Centa. DR. RADWAY'S Regulating" Pills, Perfectly tasteless, elegantly coated with sweat gum, purge, regulate, purify, cleanse and strength en. RADWAY'S PILLS, for the cure of all disor ders of the Stomach, Liver. Bowels, Kiuneys, Blad der. Nervous Diseases. Headacbe, imsupatio Costiveness, Indigestion, Dyspepsia. Biliousness, Bilious Fever, Inflammation of the Bowflis, files, and all Derangements of the Internal Viscera. Warranted to effect a positive cure. Purely Vega table, containing no mercury, minerals, or delete rious drug. jSsTObserve the following symptoms resulting from Disorders of the Digestive Organs: Constipation, Inward Piles, Fullness of tbe Blood In tbe Head, Acidity of the Stomach, Nausea, Heartburn, Disgust of Food Fullness or Weight la tne stomacn.sour srucianons, siqsids w wvr lng at the Pit of the Stomach, Swimming of the) Head, Hurried and Difficult Breathing, Fluttering at the Heart, Choking or Snffocatlns' Sensations when In a Lying Posture, Dimness of Vision, Dots or Webs before the Sight, Fever and Dull Fain la tne neaa, uetlcienoy or perspiration, xeuowness of the Skin and Ryes, Fain in the Side, Cheat, Limbs, and sudden Flushes of Heat, Burning Ln Vf r Lesh A few doses of RADWAY'B PILLS will free tn system from all the above-named disorders. Price 25 Cents per Box. Sold by Srnggtita. Bead "FALSE AND THTJB." and one letter -a tamo to RAD WAY A CO.. Eta. B Warren street, H ew York. Information worth. wwiw yucct, .,ww jto. thousands will be sent yon. WISHART'S PINE TREE TAB CORDIAL. it Is now fifteen veana since the H..Hnn t public was first called by Dr. L Q c. Wlshart to this wonoerrul remedy, and so well has It stood the teat of time that tnjri. It i. fl" T" fidence of the entire community, but Is more fre- hucv.j viiKinm Dy pnysictana tn Vheir practice than any other proprietary preparation In the c9un.trr: u tke vita! principle of tbe Pine Tree), .Jnti bl Pcn"ar prooeas in tbe distillation f the Tar. by Which Its hiahr.lt anlinad nmmr. ties are retained. For the following complaints, Inflammation of the Lungs, Coughs, Sore Throat anu Breast, Brononitls, Consumption, Liver Com plaint, Weak Stomach, Disease of the Kidneys, Urinary Com plaints. Nervous Di bllity , Dyspepsia. ri: ""tseaeee arising from an Impure condition of the blood, there Is no remedy in the world that baa been used so successfully or can show such a num ber of marvelous cures. The following will serve to snow the estimation in whlh this sovereign remedy is held by those who have need it. Consumption for Tern Yean Cared. D. L. Q. C. Wish art : Dear Sir I am grateful to yon from the fact that yon have made a medicine that will cure the disease of the Lungs. My wife has had the Consumption for ten years. Physicians had teld me that they could only patch her up for the time being. She waa confined to her bed and had been for some time. I heard of your Pine Tree Tar Cordial and secured one bottle ; it relieved her cough. She has now finished the fourth bottle, and Is able to do the work for her family; and may God speed yon on with your great discovery and cure you have made for Consumption. REV. R. H. HOPKINS, Jackson Centre, Shelby Co., Ohio. From St. Louis, Mo. Dr. Wish art, Philacii.phia: Dear Slr-During a visit to Philadelphia, some three years ago, I waa suffering from a severe cold, and was induced to take a bottle of your PH.e Tree Tar Cordial, which had the effect of curing me in a few days. I have used It ln my family ever since, and wof thj opinion that it saved the life of my w" was nufferinir from a severe and painful cough. If the pubHuno'T this win be of anyservice, yon are at liberty to use It. Yours respectfully, are t unsri? w -oHN HODMsjxt, St. Louis. Mo. For sale by att Druggists and Storekeepers and at DR. L. Q. C. WISHABT'S OFFIGE, No. 232 N. Second St, Philadelphia, Pa, ii4 irr-