xot ftnfxr, strx CCJtiova.
An old newspapp toys if the deaths of
2,880 persons hod occurred indiffer
ently at ny hour daring the twenty
four, one hundred and twenty would
have occurred at each hour. But this
was by no means the case. There are
two hours in which the proportion was
remarkably below this two minima, in
fact, namely, from midnight to 1 o clock,
when the deaths were fifty-three per
cent, below the average, and from noon
to 1 o'clock, when they were twenty and
three-fourths per cent, below. From 3
to 6 o'clock a. m., inclusive, and from 3
to 7 o'clock a. m. there is a general in
crease ; in the former of 23 per cent.
above the average, in the latter of 5 per
cent. The matimiiin of deaths is from
5 to 6 o'clock a. m. when it is 49 per
cent, above the average ; the next, dur
ing the hour before midnight, when it is
25 per cent, in excess ; a third hour of
excess is that from 9 to 10 o'clock in the
morning, being 27 per cent, above the
average. From 10 a, m. to 3 p. m. the
deaths are less numerous, being 16 per
cent, below the average, the hour before
noon being the most fatal. - From 8
o'clock p. m. to 7 a. m. the deaths rise
to 5 per cent, above the average, and
then fall from that hour to 11 p. m.,
averaging 6 per cent, below the mean.
During the hours from 9 to 11 in the
evening there is a minimum of 6 per
cent, below the average. Thus, the
least mortality is during the mid-day
hours, mainly, from 10 to 3 o'clock.
About one-third or the total deaths noted
were children under five years of age,
and they show the influence of the latter
still more strikingly. At all the hours
from 10 in the morning until midnight
the deaths are at or below the mean ;
the hours from 10 to 11 a. m., 4 to 5 and
6 to 10 p. m., being minima, but the
hour after midnight being the lowest
maximum ; at all the hours from 2 to 10
a. m., the deaths are above the mean,
attaining their maximum at from 5 to 6
p. m. , when it is 45 per cent, above.
S LBfEISIXG KPT TR VB.
The St. Louis Democrat gives as the
reason why the business of accident in
surance for railway travel has greatly
declined, that people have discovered
that they are actually safer while travel
ing by railway than at any other time.
This sounds a little like an absurdity ;
but let us look at the facts. Human be
ings die from all causes, on the average,
in less than forty years. But human
beings may travel, every day, 500 miles
a day, for 153 years on the railroads of
Illinois, for 208 years on the railroads of
Ohio, and for 212 years on the railroads
of Massachusetts, without meeting death
by accident. ' . ' In Illinois, during the
year ending Nov. 30, 1874, only twenty-
seven passengers were killed, and 15.
725,036 Tassengers traveled 758,217,410
miles. That is about one death for 28.-
000,000 miles of travel, or, at 600 miles
a day, one death in over 153 years of
travel. In Ohio, during year 1873 the
4&tept for which reports are at hand 16
passengers were miiea, was oi j.ij,eo,oea
who traveled 605,614,937 miles. That is
-less than one death in 88,000,000 miles
of travel, or 208 years, night and day.; In
Massachusetts, daring 1874, only 17 per
sons were killed out of 42,398,000 who
traveled 658,000,000 miles. That is less
than one death for 38,700,000 miles, or
212 vears of travel, night and day. v The
world has made a deal of progress since
the old stage-coach days. - Only by the
aid of statistics ' can we realize how
greatly the safety of travel has increased.
It appears from French statistics that
stage-coach traveling was at least fifty
times as dangerous as traveling by raiL
Mr. Adams, the Massachusetts Railway
Commissioner, shows that as many per
sons were killed in Boston alone by
tumbling down stairs and falling out
of windows as were killed on all the
xoads bf Massachasetts while traveling
as passengers. '
CEZ,JSBXA-TEM XOBBXBXBS.
. - Jehan Valter, a French journalist, re
lates, apropos of the robbery of the Dud
lev -diamonds, several anecdotes about
jewel robberies. . He tells how a. specu
lator presented report to Che directory,
.nC out that the celebrated church of
Loretto contained 10,000,000 worth in
diamonds, etc. : Barraa and Csrnot ka
formed Bonaparte of the fact; tout ; the
General refused to march on the
place, because he would have to expose
a corps of 10,003, and would probably
find nothing- when be got there. Im time
he did manage to seise on tike .rimrch,
and found that all the diamonds had bean
replaced fey glass. MValter also tells
bow the mother of the late French Em
peror, the Queen Hortense, when tfhe
was leaving France after the invasion by
the Allies, was stopped, on the fcighroad
by- the 32kurquia a Maubreafl, who
searched her carriage, and took away
JE20.000 worth of oamonds, 'whicb.'liave
never since been heard of.V This story
ia all the saore remarkable as there was a
reat fuss jade aboot this Marquis de
MaubreuS toward the lose of the' eee
ond empire. ; He had , lawsuit with his
wife,' and .aa outcry was "raised against
the Marquis continuing a member of the
Legion of Honor. It then came out that
he was one of the Boyalists who had
aided the Prussians to pafl down tie
staftae to Napoleon from tfee top of the
column of Vendome, and - ha while en
gaged in tins act he had tied an order of
the Legion of Honor to the tail of his
hone and dragged it is the ' mud. : Yet
toward the end of the reign of the Third
Napoleon, he wore a red ribbon and was
in receipt of government pension. ;
, habit. t j
"I trust everything under God," said
Iord Bawugham, "to habit, upon which,
in all agros, the lawgiver, as well as the
schoplmaster, has mainly placed his re
liance;. liabiVyhich makes everything
easy, and caets'all diScnliaes npoa. the
4evi&Uoa from a woe ted course, - links-
ftobriety a habit, and intemperance will
be hateful ; make prudence a habit, and
reckless profligacy will be as contrary to
the nature of the child, grown or adult,
as the most atrocious crimes are to any
of vonr lordships. Give a child the
habit of sacredly regarding the truth, of
carefully respecting the property of
others, of scrupulously abstaining from
all acts of improvidence which can in
volve him in distress, and he will just as
likely think of rushing into an element
in which he cannot breathe, as of lying,
or cheating, or swearing."
THE BO UK OF IXDEPEXHEZiCE.
A few weeks ago the New York Evening
Post asked " for information as to the
exact hour when tha Declaration of In
dependence was adopted. A correspond
ent, in answer to the question, refers to
Richard Frothingham's " Rise of the Re
public of tne United States. It appears
from this work that the Declaration was
adopted in the evening. Congress, as is
well known, began its direct consideration
of the question of independence on the
first day of July, 1776, in Independence
Hall, in Philadelphia, by voting to re
solve itself into a committee of the whole
to take into consideration the resolution
respecting independency, and to refer
the draft of the declaration to this com
mittee. Benjamin Harrison was called
to the chair, and a debate followed which
occupied the greater part of the day.
This debate resulted in the adoption of
the resolution. The committee then
rose, the President resumed the chair,
and Harrison reported the decision of
the committee. The vote on the adop
tion of the report was postponed until
the next morning. The next day, the
2d of July, the report was adopted, and
then Congress went at once into committee-
of the whole "to consider the
draft of a Declaration of Independence,
or the form of announcing the fact to
the world." This discussion lasted
through that day and the session of the
the 3d and 4th of July. . Frothingham's
account continues : " On the evening of
the 4th the committee rose, when Harri
Bon reported the declaration as having
been agreed upon. It was then adopted."
Congress, on the 19th of July, ordered
that the " Declaration passed on the 4th
be fairly engrossed," eta, and on the
second day of August, according to the
same authority, the instrument, having
been engrossed, was signed. The ac
count does not fix the exact hour, but -it
eliminates day-light from the problem,
making'it appear that, in a certain sense,
Independence Day is a misnomer.
tbe sottkcb of Mir.
The sea depends on the disintegration
of rocks on land for salt. ( Rains wash it
and hold it in solution as particles are
liberated by violence, decomposition and
gradual action of many natural forces.
All streamlets and rivers, therefore, are
constantly transporting salt to the sea.
If there is more than can be held in solu
tion, then it accumulates in masses at
very deep paints. Thus the salt mines
of Portland and the vast horizontal beds
of pure salt in Texas, as well as that
mountain of rock salt in St. Domingo,
were collected at the bottom of ancient
seas, which are now dry land remote
from water. There are places in Africa
where the process of disintegration of
salt from rock is regularly going on, but
there is not water power enough to force
it onward to the sea. Hence the parti
cles are spread abroad and mixed with
the soil. The negroes of Northern
Africa having discovered its distribution
where there is no water to dissolve in
the ground, leach it. In that way they
separate the salt. Salt . pervades the
earth. It exists in the grasses and most
vegetable products on which" Mimala
feed. In that way they derive enough
in most countries to meet the demands
of their natures. They require as much
as civilized humanity. With them salt
is necessary, as with , ourselves, - for
keeping the organs of vision in good
condition. Stop the supply and blind
ness would ensue.
- SXJBXXG STABS, v-
If a man falls so as to strike his head
violently on the ice or on the pavement,
or if he gets a blow over his eye, lie is
said to " see stars." The cause of this
curious phenomenon is found 'ia. a pe
culiarity of the" optic nerve. The func
tion of that nerve is to convey to the
brain the impression of light. It recog
nizes nothing ia the world but light. Zt
is susceptible to no other impression.
Or; if acted upon by any ether agent it
communicates to the brain the intelli
gence of the presence of that agent by
sending along its fibers,' flashes of light
only. Irritate this nerve' with a probe
or other instrument, and it conveys ato
sensation of pain,- but simply - that f
luminous sparks. i; - The pain of the blow
on the eye, or the fall on the head, 2s
realized through the nerves of general
sensation; but, unsusceptible to pain -ex
any other feeling, the optic serve sends
to the. brain'its report'of lfee shock toy
flashes, sparks and "stars.' TEhe young
doctor who died recently afier .lalling
upon his umbrella and pnnetaring his
eye and brain with one of its steel iribs,,
complained of intense light in the eye
forever darkened. IlaWs Jommatr Of
Health.
"Is your name Jones I" inqaired a
stramrer resterdav. as be pulled tie bell
of a Second street house and got the man
to the door. : " Does it say Jones on the
door-plate F" angrily inquired the man,
pointing to his name on the plate. Do
those letters spell Jones f " ; "xwm
no. remied the stranger as he got his
nose down to the plate, " I'm no judge
of spelling and I know Jones lives m
this ward somewheres." Detroit Free
Ilia esld that Digger Indians are never
known to fliaila. -They are. grave Dig-
PVTTIXG TO JtlGHTS.
It is not the moving so much as the
" putting to rights," .which is so exhaus
tive to the nervous forces of the entire
family. This is due, in. a great measure,
to the carelessness in moving. When a
man has a great deal to do, and little
time to do it in, he takes no thought for
the future. He throws a half-dozen
screwti into a barrel with an idea that
they will tarn up all right when he
wants them. The majn object is to get
them in some place now. So when he
cornea to put up the curtain fixtures in
the new house, and finds the ingredients
in a mass of confusion, it is simply
because he took . them down that
way, and cared only for present ease,
without any regard to future conven
ience. In putting up the pictures, the
nails are found in the bottom of a bureau
drawer, under a pile of towels, and the
hammer is at the bottom of a barrel of
stovepipe in the cellar. Sometimes an
hour is consumed in searching for a sin
gle stove leg. The bread is found rolled
up in a carpet in an upper bedroom, the
coffee-pot tied up in the bedding, the
sugar in a barrel of carpet rags, the tea
canister in the scuttle . under the fiat
irons, the spoons in with a basket of
empty medicines, and the table-cloth tied
up with a half bushel of tinware. The
man does about all the work. The
woman goes round- with a broom and
sweeps up the soot, and feels of the
molding, to see if they have been dam
aged, and examines the paint to see if it
is marred. She has been up the day be
fore with a hired woman and cleaned the
house, and she is very particular about
its condition. If she sees a lump of dirt
in the hall from the heel of the wrw,
she carefully hoists it upon the dust-pan,;
and says that all she is fit for is to slave
her life but cleaning without doing a bit
good, and then goes half way down the
garden to throw the debris away. She is
ten minutes doing it, and a man would
give it one kick, and send it out of doors
in an instant. When she ain't tumbling
over the wrong articles, or misplacing
the right ones, she is close at his heels
giving advice, and asking him if he thinta
a woman is made of cast iron. When he
puts down the carpet she stands on the
breadth he is trying to stretch, and tells
him she believes she will drop dead in
her tracks if she dont get a chance
to sit down pretty soon. Sometimes she
is gone from sight for nearly half an
hour, and the distant sounds of a ham
mer are heard. When she returns she
has another finger in a rag, and smells
stronger than ever of arnica. Then,
when the bureau is being moved, and
her husband is struggling under his
share, till every muscle in his body is as
stiff as steel, and his face like a beet, and
his eyes protruding, and the ends of his
fingers aching most acutely, she is around
again. They are going over the best
carpet, and she hastens back of him be
cause his boots are muddy, and with a
show of dexterity tries to get a length of
old rag carpet over the new in the way
he is backing, and his feet catch in it,
and he yells, and then he stumbles and
yells again, and catches himself only to
stumble once more, and come down with
the bureau on top of him, and the car
man on top of the ; bureau. Then he
jumps up and makes the most extraor
dinary statement at the top of his voice,
and the carman limps, around with his
countenance full of reproach, and she
says he has always lived in a hog-pen
and always expects to; and then goes
into the next house to have a good cry
ing spell and a cup bf tea.Danbury
Newe. ..;
a. j'RE.woivzTiojr of nrxz.. ,
, A case of premonition with a bloody
sequel occurred lately an Sevier county,
Arkansas, if the Liittle Rock newspapers
have not been misinformed. A certain
farmer in that county Lad sold his farm
and resolved to move to Texas; The fact
that he had sold ttie ' place and had a
large sum of money in his possession
seems ' to . have become known. , ' One
night he went out alone to visit a friend,
a Texan, and in the course of the even
ing was overcome by a certain presenti
ment of evil , aad a feeling that his
presence at home was demanded, i He
prevailed upon the Texan to accompany
him and they ' started out each armed
with a double-barrelled shot-gun. Reach
ing the farmer's house the two men ob
served a light burning, and creeping up
cautiously to the window and peering in
they saw four men engaged in counting
the money the farmer had received for
his land, Armed as they were, and with
no opportunity of escape for the men in
side,, the farmer and .Texan had the
advantage and at once opened fire, kill
ing all four of t ie robbers. Then the
house was entered and the farmer dis
covered his. wife aad two children dead,
murdered by the ruffians, who lay dead
beside them. ' The premonition had not
come in time. . , '
TBS OX.D-FAMME01TMI MOTBEIt.
Thank God, some of us have an old
fashioned mother, not a woman of the
period, enameled and painted, with ? her
great chignon, her curls, and bustle,
whose white jeweled hands never felt the
clasp of baby fingers ; but a dear, old
fashioned, sweet-voieed mother, with
eyes in whose clear depth the love ligh
shone, and brown hair just threaded with
silver lying smooth upon her faded cheek.
Those dear hands, worn with toil, gently
guided our tottering steps ia childhood,
and smoothed our pillow in sickness, ever
reaching out to ua in yearning tanderness.
Blessed is the memory of an old-fashioned
mother. It floats to us now, like the
beautaTnl perfume from some" wooded
blossoms. . The musio- oi other voices
may be lost, but the entrancing memory
of ; her will echo in our souls forever.
Other faces may , fade away and be for
gotten, but ber's will ahiae on. When
in the fitful pauses of. busy life our feet
wander back to the bid homestead, and;
crossing tJie . we2-wora' CireeholdV eiacd
I fig
once mora m the room so hallowed by
her presence,- and dependence comes over
us, and we kneel down in the molten
Bunsnine, streaming through tne open
window just where long years ago we
knelt by our mother's knee, lisping,
" Our Father." How many times, when
the tempter lured us on, has the memory
of those hours, that mother's words, her
faith and prayers, saved us from plung
ing into the deep abyss of sin. . Years
have filled great drifts between her and
us, but they have not hidden from our
Bight the glory of her pure, unselfish
love. . '
JV8TICE IS ItLZtfD.
Fair play is said by Englishmen to be
a virtue peculiarly "English." British
justice is quoted by Britons as the per
fection of judicial science; and there are
British writers who take especial pleasure
in contrasting it with the meager securi
ties with which ill-fated Americans have
to content themselves. Yet, if we are to
believe the story of a certain Mr. Thomas
ityam, British justice does, now and
then, falter with something like human
fallibility. This gentleman, who is from
the rural districts, was recently on a visit
to London. He had occasion to cross
the metropolis, with two friends, at
late nour oi tne nignt. jnaon was
wrapt in slumber that is, all of London,
so far as Mr. Thomas Hyam could judge
excepting a man and woman; whom he
and his friend observed talking on the
corner of a by-street. . The woman pres
ently hurried away; the man,' after a few
futile attempts to maintain an upright
attitude, tumbled into the gutter. , Com
passion was awakened in the ' breast of
the three companions. They lifted the
man, and offered to take him to a tavern.
But he refused, and they went on their
way. Before they had gone a square,
a couple of detectives, to their infinite
surprise, arrested them, and marched
them off to the lock-up. The next
morning they were brought up in the
police court, charged with robbing the
drunken man. The latter appeared as a
witness, but had forgotten all about the
events of the night before; : whereupon
the magistrate, seemingly p revoked at
this failure of valuable evidence, fined
him 5 and told him to go. The sole
evidence remaining was that of the
policemen, who could only swear that
they had seen the three friends lift the
man, and brush the mud from his cloth
ing. Mr. Thomas Hyam, being from
the country, could not at once prove his
identity and respectability; and the mag
istrate, apparently on the ground that
the prisoner was to be considered guilty
until he proved himself innocent, re
manded him for a week. Mr. Hyam was
conducted to jail, put in a solitary cell,
arrayed in a prison garb, carefully
searched, and fed on bread and water ;
when he remarked that he was not proved
a criminal, the warden laughed him to
scorn, and bade him go. to work scrub
bing the prison floors. This he did, and
suffered for a week, at the end of which
time he easily cleared himself, and was
discharged, with the comforting assur
ance from the magistrate that he had
" nothing but his own folly to blame."
Mr. Hyam thinks otherwise, and so does
the London press; and, at all events, the
denizen of the rural districts declares
that it is the last time that he will at
tempt, in London at least, the role" of
" the good Samaritan."
Cases where men and women' are bur
ied alive occur more frequently than the
majority of people are apt to imagine.
We are reminded of this subject by the
case which has just come to light in
Paris, where a young and very lovely
girl was supposed to have died of fever.
and, after the customary delay and cere
monies, was buried at Pere Ia Chaise, in
a tomb owned: in common with another
family. A second death soon after caused
the tomb to be Opened, when it was dis
covered that the girl must have revived
and come to life, as she had turned over
in her coffin, and gave other evidences of
a struggle to free herself from; her im
prisonment. ! The feelings of' Surviving
friends can better be imagined than des
cribed under such circumstances, while
the general public received a warning
which should not go unheeded. Some
certain test should be applied to the body
of, every person - before interment, so as
to decide beyond the cavil' of a doubt
that death has really taken place. ' These
terrible events are no new experience.
Pliny mentions the case of a young man
of high rank, who, having been dead
some time, as it was thought,-was placed
upon the funeral pile in order to reduce
the body to ashes. The heat of the James
revived him, but it was too late. He per
ished before his friends could rescue him
from his awful situation. This time he
was indeed dead. We are also informed
by history that the great anatomist, Ve
salius, once had the unspeakable misfor
tune to commence the dissection of a
Uying body, apparently dead, but which
revived under the stroke of the knife.
Fatal situation 1 - Here again it was too
late to save lif e. ' It is said that Yesalius
was so affected by this experience thatb.e
was unfitted fpr : professional duty for a
long period following. ' ..
. ! " rJ , -...r
.. ;t TBX!saMA.I.I,EST ZOG. ' v t
. It is believed that the smallest adult
specimen of v the canine race is that re
ferred to by Blyth in a foot-note to
Cuvier's Carnivora." The animal
in question, which attained two years of
age, and is preserved in the Museum of
Dresden, measured only five and a half
inches in length, being the exact length,
it is stated, from the corner of the eye to
the tip of the nose of a Saxon boarhound,
measured ,; by Col. HaniatonlSmith.
Compared with an ordinary English pug,
one of the shortest-faced of toy-dogs, we
find that the whole body of the specimen
at Dresden would be scarcely more than
half an inch longer, than,the face f , the
former, measured fron ihe peak of the
head to the point of the nose. ;
a. yjenr cljeab cajsjb.
" Well, my lord judge, sure it was last
election day; and 'faith 'twas a dark,
cloudy, wet sort of a drizzling day, and
says I to my old woman, I believe I
will go down and 'posit my vote.' - And
says my old woman to me, 'Buck, as it
is a sort of dark, cloudy, wet sort of
drizzly day,' says she, ' hadn't you better
take the umbrill?' Says I to the old
woman, ' I 'spect I had better take the
umbrill.' So I took the umbrill, and I
advanced on toward town, yer see, and
be me 'faith when I got down thar Mr.
Cole corned, and said he, Buck, have
you seed anything of neighbor Harris?'
Says I to Mr. Cole, 'Sure, and for why?'
Says he, He has got my umbrilL' "
The witness was here interrupted by
the court, and told to confine himself to
the actual fray between the prisoner and
Cole, the prosecutor. In answer to this
the witness remarked, in a tone of indig
nant remonstrance, "Well, now, my lord
judge, and sure and sartin it is I am
sworn to tell the truth, and I'm gwine to
tell it my own way; so it aint't worth
while for you to say nothin' about it.
' Well, I was goin' to say it was on
last election day for our glorious Parlia
ment of Lord and Commons, and says I
to my old woman, I believe I'll go down
town and give my vote, for the Home
Ruling gintleman. Says my old woman
to me, says she, 'Buck, as it is a sort of
a dark, rainy, drizzly sort of a day,
hadn't you better take your umbrill?'
says 'she. Says I to my old woman,
' Sure and I had better take my umbrill;'
so I took the umbrill and advanced on
toward town until I arriv' thar. Well,
the first thing I did when I got thar was
to take a drink of rale Dublin whisky,
which was monstrous good, and says I
to myself , 4 Buck, my auld fellow, you
feel better now, don't you?' And while
I was advancing around, Mr. Cole he
came to me; says he, ' Buck, have you
seen anything of our neighbor Harris ?'
Says I, 'And what is it ye ax me ?' Says
he, ' The old man has got my umbrilL '
After a while I gave my vote for the
Home Ruling gentleman, a rale old Irish
gintleman; and then Mr. Cole and me i
had a drap more of Dublin whisky and
advanced back toward home, and Mr.
Cole was tighter than ever I seed him.
And so "we advanced until we. got whar
the road and path forked, and we took
the path, as any other gintleman would,
and arter advancing backward a while
we arriv' to old neighbor Harris, sitting
on a millstone with the umbrill on his
arm, and about that time the prisoner
corned up; we advanced until we arriv'
at John's house. John is my nephew
and likewise my son-in-law. He married
my darter Jane, which is next to Sally.
After we had advanced to John's house,'
we stood in the yard talking, and, pres
ently Mr. Cole got to cussing about pol
itix, and I advanced into the house whar
was John's wife, which is my darter
Jane. Well, after talking a while with
'em, my nephew says he, ' Uncle, let's
go home. ' Says I, Good, you darling. '
So we trotted. ' And there's all I know
about the assault, for I warnt there." '
cvKiova itraAtriTY.
In the theaters, hotels, and other pub
lic places of Boston a man ia often seen
whose odd demeanor is the subject of
much comment. He wean good clothes,
has an intelligent appearance, and the
speech of an intelligent man; but his
eyes have the unmistakable gleam of in
sanity. He is always in a harry, and
always mquiring for Charles' Garner.
This man is Frank A. Smith, and his
rniinin, is strangely developed. About
five years ago he was in Kansas. In the
bar-room of a tavern in which he was
staying for a few days he got into a quar
rel with a bullying frontiersman, and
was finally struck by his aggressive op
Donent Believing that his life was in
danger he drew a revolver, at which the
scared desperado ran out of the room.
Smith followed and fired; but the bullet
probably did no damage as the man was
not seen that night, nor , antxwara xn
that neighborhood. It is supposed that
he dared not ' return to the tavern at
once. The excitement of the encounter
seriously affected Smith, who was not in
good -heal tli, and his morbid fancy made
him think ' that he had killed his assail
ant, He returned to his home in Bos
ton, firmly impressed that he was a mur
derer. Sis friends have sought for the
missing man in vain, only learning that
his name was Charles Garner, and that
he was a dissolute vagabond. - Smith re
fuses to- be convinced that his delusion
is not fact, yet is always looking foa
Garner, whom he says he is certain he
must have "shot entirely out of exist
ence." In all oher respects he is sane.
1 jut jlpxil root,' mo ax.'
Upon All Fools' Day the numerous
doctors, surgeons and dentists of South-
port, England, , were made the victims of
an 1 amusing hoax. ! On : that morning
each practitioner received by post a let
ter requesting ' his ' attendance at ten
o'clock at a certain residence, where a
gentleman, whose name was- mentioned,
desired to consult him. about the state of
his health, bt, as in the case of, the dent
ists, to extract a troublesome tooth.' In
one or two instances the : letter took the
form of an invitation from one medical
gentleman requesting the presence of a
brother professional to consult with him
over a difficult case at the house in ques
tion. About a score of doctor's carriages
drove to the house indicated, The sur
prise and disgust of the medical gentle
men may be more easily imagined than
described.
Ween a man hands an editor an ar
ticle for publication and asks him to
"fix it up" because he ''wrote in a
harry " and "hadn't ' time to revise it,"
yon may know that he commenced the
article directly after, supper, and wres
tled with it unl after midnight rewrit
ing it fourteen times, destroyed a quire
of (.foolscap, . and. .'blessed' ioa pes:
every two minutes. That's the way they
generally write aa article when they are
"in a hurry" and have "no time to re-
vise it."-'- -- J..
SIXBAD'S STOB1ES.
All of us, as children, were delighted
and absorbed by the stories of Sinbad
the Sailor, but as we grew older we only
accorded to them the character of ro
mance. Yet modern developments go
far to show that these well-written tales
were founded in many instances upon
facts, . and the revelations made by the
early navigators. For instance, the val
ley of diamonds actually exists in Cey
lon, and the great rutch once built its
nest in Madagascar, and flapped its
wings to and fro between the islands and
the mainland. Now it appears that the
story of the great burial place of the
elephants has been discovered to be a
reality on the table lands of Central
Africa. : - . ; --r. " :
In the original story it will be remem
bered that Sinbad, who pretended death,
was carried by the elephants and thrown
into their burial place. -- Here, after they
left him, he built a raft, and loading it
with a cargo of the richest tusks, made
his way with them to Bagdad, and so
finds himself a rich man. From the
very region described in Sinbad's story,
there is now found an almost exhaust
less deposit, believed to be the burial
place of elephants, and affording ivory
as plentifully as the fossil beds of Si
beria, from whence are dug up the huge
mammoth tusks which have so long sup
plied the ivory turners of England and
this country. Talk about history . re
peating itself 1 Why seeming fiction is
repeating itself in the literal form of
facts.
TJUEZZ.AW of rax tides.
The reports of the coast survey show
that the tides of the United States are
divisible into three distinct classes. :
Those on the Atlantic coast are of the I
ordinary type, ebbing and flowing twice
in twenty-four hours, and having but
moderate differences in height between
two successive high or low waters, one j
occurring before and the other after
noon. Those on the Pacific coast also
ebb and flow twice in twenty-four hours,
but the morning and the evening tides
vary considerably in height. The in
tervals,' also, between Successive high
and ' low waters, may be very unequal.
The irregularities are due to the moon's
declination, as, when the moon travels
to the north of the equator, the vortex
of the tide wave follows her, giving the
highest point of one tide in the north
ern, and the highest point of the oppo
site tide in the southern hemisphere.
Hence, when the moon is in northern
declination, the tide at any place in
the northern hemisphere caused by her
upper transit will be higher than that
caused by her lower transit.
s -AJT ImIHU. OBOST STORY.
A supernatural incident is said to have
occurred in the wilds of Kerry a short
time since. It seems that a woman re
siding in Glenflesk received a call from
the spirit of her hwBhand, a " man of the
fanning class, dressed in h shroud and
white stockings and gloves." The far
mer in white gloves stated that since his
death, some months' back, although he
ought to be ia heaven, he was detained
elsewhere on account of owing 15 to
friends of his and begged of his wife to
give him the money. . , The woman ia full
faith, handed him 10, and promised to
give him the rest in a few days if he
came for it. Meanwhile she went and
told the priest the circumstances of the
ease, : and this . gentleman, ' seeing the
fraud, . made proper; arrangements for
dealing with the poacher of the eccle
siastical ' manor. When the ghost, in
complete burial costume, arrived for the
banknote, he was at once received by a
couple of police, and proved, ' as ghosts
do in our day, to be a mere pretender.
He win now have to answer for his mis
conduct before a Magistrate. ......
. TBE C-l nil IE It FIGEOlf.
This is not always a pretty one. In
deed, it is sometimes ungainly' in form
and is never handsome in color. But it
is fond of its nest and that nest's sur
roundings, and this fact 'renders it valu
able to those who avail themselves of its
indisposition to absent itself from the,
domestic locality. ; The carrier pigeon
when traveling never feeds. If the dis
tanae be long, it flies on without stopping
to take nutriment, and at last arrives,'
thin, exhausted, almost dying. If corn
be presented to it, it refuses, contenting
itself - with drinking a little water and
then sleeping. Two hours later it begins
to eat with great moderation, and sleeps
again immediately, afterward. If its,
flight : has ; been very prolonged, V the
pigeon will proceed in this manner for
forty-eight hours before recovering its
normal mode of feeding. f After restora
tion it is again ready for service.'-- These
birds constitute a very interesting study
for a mind of leisurec' i1 .,.' . ..
A French naval periodical gives some
facts concerning the 'mercantile rank ta
ken by different nations;. by reason of
their marine. England and the United
States come first ; then Norway, with a
tonnage of 1349,138; next, Italy, Svith
vessels, carrying "L227.816 . tons;
liermany ... has ,,3,843 , vessels, carrying
85,789 tons,' while France- has 3,780 ves
sels, carrying 786,326 tons; Spain comes
next, then Greece, Holland, Sweden,
JKussia and Austria, in the order
which they are mentioned.
in
Tan Washington Republican printas
facsimile of the signature of Mr. New.
the recently appointed United I States
Treasurer, and rnnafka that it looks like
a combination of tea che at hieroglyphio
struck by lightning and twisted in to inters
mingling- :and confased circles, braided
together and twisted up Hke the ringlets
of i curly-headed school . girl who has
wioeeeded ' fa. - accomplishing! an-inccm-parabls
fria, -.--fj. , -5 ;
.l -r. s--t;"r ts ',: '.--i i: i -- -'-;
jM'irj!a-;t iJ3i:-Es5'fci2.s i.
cxntitxxT ITEMS. ,
Thb scale of good breeding -B nat
ural. Cuban currency is worth six cents era
the dollar.
Kauucatja Rex has expressed a desire
to be present at the Centennial.
It will soon be time for farmers to
plant their bean poles and sow their dried,
apples.
A Pbubsiak lady ia said to hokl $16,
000,000 worth of United States govern
ment securitiee. " ;
Anothkb centenarian gone Mrs. Dolly
a sweet Kfe of 110 years.
Thkbb is one beer saloon to every 10O
feet -on the principal street in Chicago
for the distance of one mile.
Seth Gbbeh, the well known fish cul-
turist, has ; during the past season dis
tributed 400,000 salmon trout fry in lakes
and rivers in various parts of the coun
try. " '. ' ;' '
A Kentucky coroner has purchased a
silver ball for the purpose of presenting;
it to the base-ball nine that shall show
the highest death rate at the close of then
season. x, ;
Missouri deacons put tar in the bot
toms of their hate to facilitate the reten
eion of the currency when a church col
lection is taken up. It is said to work:
admirably. .
Col. Powzxjb, of Mississippi, left at.
note at his bedside whtehr-readr If it isn
possible for a man to commit suicide ami
be rational at the same time, that man is
John M. Powell.
Thb editor of the New York Commer
cial was inquired for by a gruff-looking;
man and a club, the other day, and ha:
naively remarks: "We happened to ha
out, and told him so."
An offer has been made by Jesn3 Col
lege, Oxford, to found and endow a pro
fessorship of the Celtic language audi
literature in that university. It is likely
that the offer will be accepted.
Thb King of Sweden has issued an
order, that in his States woman is to haves
the disposition of her property as well
before her marriage as after it, and to
be entitled to her own earnings.
" Now lets talk about your business
affairs," said a sharp Connecticut girl to
young fellow after he had proponed!
marriage to' her in a long address filled!
with expressions of passionate love.
It is not a pleasant spectacle to see an
able-bodied young man shielding a store 1
box from the sun's rays when a good',
horse can be purchased for $1.50. We-
mean a saw-horse. 2orristoivn IIera2cL
A ooBKBSPOMDMrr of the Chicago
Tribune asserts that James Gordon Ben
nett : is fitting out an Arctic expe
dition, ma partners in tne enter
prise.' are Lady Franklin and Captainv
Young.
Qoodmjm, of Kansas City, a laboring.
man who Kves comfortable by the stoms : -.
of his brow, has received the distressing ; -
intelligence that be is one of nine heirs to-
a tract of land in the heart of Columbus.
O., worth Sl.600,000.
Barnes law beneves in "propputy.
MaDv borates are rendered uninhabitable
by tne great explosion m xtegent s .rarv
last year, but the judges decide that the-?
tenants, though thus put out et doors,
must., pay the rent all the same.
A New Mbxxoo editor, in a forgetful I
moment the other day, was so imprudent ;
to venture into his sanctum without
having his revolver with him. The Cor
oner's jury returned a verdict of " delib
erate Suicide" without leaving their seated.
A Durham cow twenty-two; months t
old belonging to a farmer named Brich
in, at Faye-du-Bois, in the pariah of
Fomras,' France, recently gave birth to
four calves, two male and two female, allt
born alive and Of the usual size. ' Threei
have since died, but the fourth w iir ex-
11 ivitTk V-C':- . ;
St. Louts is nice place for a hungry
man. The directory will tell biro, where
he can find : One Oyster, one Etaw
thirteen Frys, nine Fish, - four Salmon-,
one Trout, one Shad, one Mackerel, ona
Porges, eight Pikes, two Fowles, two
Chicks, seven Hams, thirty-five. Lambs;,
four Pickles, one Pudding, twj .Pyiwr--..
two Figges, two Nutta, two Coffees, two
Segers, , ',.
A Kxntuotxaji, through whose farm s
railroad runs, is convinced that Lis rights;
are infringed. His sheep get from we.
field to another, where the track bo-Jem an.
gap in the fence. To stop this, ho hasj
put up gates across the rails,, aad de
mands that the engineer shall stop anol.
open them every time a train comes,
along. Instead, of doing that the loco
motives dash along at , full speed throw
ing the eate into the air.: The fanner-
has sued the company for the value of"
the six gates that have thus far been de
stroyed.; wti'y'-vi.v? ;;' .-vm-i
We condemn gossip -scandal's twin
sisteryet it is a fault easily coouniUecL.
We begin by a, gentle deprecatory refer
ence to somebody's infirmity of temper,,
and we find ourselves spedfying a par
ticular time and scene, which straight
way the ope who hears tells again to some
one else with additions, slight, 'per haptv
but material. Before we know it we
have stirred up a hornet's nest Thi
may be done without any more potent .
motive than a mere love of fun and
half the gossip ia the social world is ef
the nnt.hinfring kind, indulged in merely
from a spirit of drollery. Far worse i
that other rsort of , talk which ends im
slander and begins in malice, and whiclr
separates friends and sunders tho ties of
years of totercourse with its shaitp aotl
jarring discord. ' The only way to avoid? ,
this evil is to refrain from so&fciag the
affairs of our friends a staple article of
conversation ?M the househol I. Them
are' plenty c? eiit jacte at handlet Ti&
caref uZJy avoid personalities.
Kir f ia-r " rlr . h :