Image provided by: St. Helens Public Library; St. Helens, OR
About The Columbian. (St. Helens, Columbia County, Or.) 1880-1886 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 26, 1884)
...l THE COLUMBIAN. . - ;; . '- C;' " ; . '"--- :--;,:: : ,. h-; -, . THE COLUMBIAN. i Published Evkrv Fbidat, at . ST. HELENS, COLUMBIA CO., OB-. ' I!Y IE. G. ADAMS, Editor and Proprietor SCBStBIFTIOW One year, ia advaace Six months, " . . . . Time months. " Advertising Rates: One square (10 lines) first Insertion. . $2 CO - ST. HELENS, COLUMBIA .COUNTY, OREGON, DECEMBER 26, 1 1884. NO. 21. Each subsequent insertion PUBLISHED Evbrt Fhidat, V I Ml U U , i v - 1 SI W ... I ' I YJ X A I TV II , K T ' ; w rr ) FT ay-- ST. HELENS, COLUMBIA CO.. OR, . i 1 J -! -:-'; 1 I "J" ' A E. O. ADAMS. Editor and Proprietor. '. : .::;. " " -"XA;v-.'; . .V "';;V; - .. ; ' I ' - f? to : : . :::::: VOL. V.: 1 PERSONAL AND LITERARY. Liioouoro Iilton is sojourning in Paris, where he is ensrairod in writinjr book. X. V. Sun. An old publisher says that not one book in fivr) hundred reaches a second edition. X. V. Herald, Alvan Clark, the telescope-maker of Massachusetts.,. though eighty years old. is still at work. He and his sons aro the leading telescope manufacturers of the world. notion Journal. --Mrs. Bolva A. Lockwood Is tbo second woman who has formally run ior ine i resiucney ot me united States, -Mrs. ictona C oodhull beino- Ber ii'jioriou.-i, h not illustrious, predeces sor. Chicago Jo inuil. Mrs. Garfield, the mother of the late President, can be seen almost any aav waiKinr aooiu the g-rouuds or sit ting in her arm-chair on the shaded veranda at Mentor. On Sundays she is generally at church with other mem hers of the familv, and is able to take a seat in, or alight from, the family carnage with little assistance- She has passed her eighty-third birthday, and seems to be in the enjoyment of her usual uood health. Cleveland Leader. Mr. W. W. Corcoran, the Wash ington philanthropist, is now upward of eightv-:our years of age, and is yet strong ana vigorous, lie has grown somewhat pec iliar, however, about his ealinsr. never touching anything not prepared by his own cook, or coming lroru his own house. If he expects to l e absent from home at lunch time he carries a hearty luncheon with him. which he takes out and eats at the proper time with srreat relish. H ash ing ton Fo t. Joe Jefferson, the actor, who ought to know the eii'ect of the constant repe . tition ot one part upon the actor, says that after playing one part for a great length of time an actor is apt to forjret his lines and take up wronr ones. An English actor who forgot his liues in this way' was blamed by the manager. It's very strange that you are not per fect in that part by this time. You have been playing it two hundred nights." "Do you expect me to re member it forever?" aid the actor. .V. Y. Graphic. Cyrus W. Field is the youngest son of a clergyman of Stock bridge, Mass. His brothers, Dudley, Henry and Ste phen, were sent to collegebut Cyrus, at an early age, received twenty-five dollars and. the paternal blessing." He became a clerk in A. T. Stewart's store at a salary of two dollars a week, and on entering into business for himself as a dealer in paper, his fellow-clerks pre sented him with a diamond pin. It took him twelve years to make a fort une. Since then he has been a capi talist and has made several fortunes say $'20, 000, 'X. JS". Y. Times. HCHOROCS. In the Empire of Moi'occo there is only one subscriber to a newspaper. He is the Emperor. As soon as there are two or three more it is likely some Yankee will happen along and start a paper. - -lioslon Tra nscript. "I laughed," he said to his wife, 'I laughed until my mouth fairly stretched from ear to ear." "You don't have to laugh very elaborately to accomplish that distance," replied the lady, With a yawn. Ha! He! Very good, 'tuy "dear, very good: czrtn-Ale mouth, eh" "Xo, l;;r2r"e ear'.'' she said, with anoth er jawu. y. Y. Diaf. A much-vexed question is now set Ved. For a long-time it, has been won d?red why women turn around to look at each other on the street. A wife re torted when reproved by her husband: "Didn't the woman look at me?" "Yes." replied the husband. "All right then: one good turn deserves an other." PiLlxburqh Diiput-ch. A short time ago Jones and Rob inson were din'ng out together, Jones being one of the most absent-niinded individuals in existence. Q:ioth Rob inson lo Jones: "I say old fellow, what do you think? A man asked me the other day whether your name was Smith!" "Really," answered the absent-nrnded one; '"and was it?"--U'hitcha'l Rcvi'.tc. "Remus, how fur am de sun f om de ear?" "Well. Clem, idees differs 'bout dat. Some tinks hit's furder anil ud der tinks 'taint so fur." "I'm! jesso. But what's yo' idee 'bout dem spots on de solaruin dat ' folks talks 'bout?" Why, t lem, dem spots am nuflia mo" dan de heads of du nails dot hoi's tie s-iii onto de sky." Atlanta ('onUt't tion. "I wants you to bay me pack dot I loaned you last spring. Money is worth twice as much now as it vash den," said Mose Schaunibur to Gil houlr. "Is that so?" in-iuired Gilhoo Jy, pVusively. "Is it really worth, twice as mii-'h now as it was when I got that .!'?" "Shertainly it was." "Well, then, here is $1. That makes us even, I believe. Ttx'is Sif tings. I Old Mos ,u:lo 'I here, now, vou j must have been disobeying me. W hat made you so sick? Young Musquito Dunno, ma; I don't do nothin'. Old Mosquito Yes. you did. Have you been eating anything I told you to avoid this weather? 'Young Mosquito No'm. Old Mosquito Yes, you have, or you wouldn't be sick. Now, mind I will give you a regular thrashing if you ever again touch veal or dudes in the sum mer tin:e. Philadelphia Ca". - Wouldn't Take Him. "Will this road take me to Atlanta?"' asked a traveler of a "cracker." "No, sir-ree," replied tbo country man. -n:rry a time " "Thai's strange," speaker. "A man told mused the first me a few hours ago that it would." "He lied, stranger; I've been hyar twentvy'ars, and I hain't seed it tuck nobody' anuyw bar it: and I don't s'poscdjc ever will long as folks kin ride an' walk. ' "Well, if I follow the road I'll get there, won't I?'; Kmilinrlv asked the traveler Not much; fer ye ka'nt foller it, k use she don't move, an' ye kaint toi ler nothin' wh-.it don't movo along in frou'tofye." "But if I travel this route I'll soon reach the city, I reckon." "'I hen ye struck it, niitter; jes' keep a monn the wav yer git thar after awhile. Atlanta Constitution. o n an ye Wornin' to ye. n "t od, ' 1 1 e rri ng an d Mackerel. J" One of the most important of the fisheries, wnelhc-r-we regara the num ber takeu, the size of tho'iish,xir the commercial value of. the product. Is the codj fishery. " The cod. ,. is deep-eea dsn. ne'er met with -in fresh waters. and leaving the deepest" Dsrts'ol the sea for the shallow banks only in spawning: time, and return in grafter, the season i over,- l he cod is found on the Engltsh and Irish ci:ists,-ln most', northern seas, arid lastbut Inot least, onthe banks of;. Newfoundland, -which -seems to be. t its great V spawning or - breed ing 1 rrounds.'V- . The- number of fish actually caught 'ont the banks "of Newfoundland is;-. ? almost' past calculation. It was estimated last year at 1 57,000, 000, and v the catohin. the rest of the world was perhaps quite as large, making the total-Almost beyond belief.". The cod is relished by, all na tions living in the tropical , parts of the worm, ami is cwnseqccnuy in nign uo ruand for food, -and the supply has never boen equal to the demand. .From the cod come several uroducts the roe. each of about 2,00' egrs, the sound, as it is called, or air-bladder, composed of almost pure oxdatine, the oil and sev eral others. , Perhaps next iu importance to the- cod is the herring lisliery, the common herring being found on nearly every coa?t of Europe, and America. The number of men employed m the herrmir fishery isabout 1" 0;0X, and other na tions of Europe combined have perhaps as many more. lhe abundance of herrings in the sea is wonderful; in the season, the shoals where they go show the water for many feet deep actually thick with them." The schools are often ten miles long by live miles broad and of unknown depth, the track of the school being indicated to the fishers in the daytime by the presence of vast swarms of birds and voracious fish whieh prev upon them, and at nisrht. by the phosphorescence of the water. The abundance of the herrings on the fishinc grounds is not always the same. In they appeared in such profusion that at a single c:ist of the nets as many as 50,000 were often secured, while last year the fishermen of Lowe stoft caught in two davs :.'-2,000,000 fish. so jrreat a catch beinir far beyond f.'ie curing power of all the people of the town, and hundreds of tons had to be sold for manure. The herrings are caught with nets, and it is not usually practicable to use steam power to anv great extent in the fisheries, though it may be applied to the purpose of haul ingin the nets, drying the fish and in some few other ways. At present many of the fishing boats take out car rier pigeons with them to bring back intelligence of the catch, so that the people who work on shore shall be able to make arrangements for caring for the fish as soon as the boats arrive. The herring: fisheries of North Caro lina are very importaut accessories to the wealth of that State, the catch bo ing generally very large. The seines used are sometimes as much as a mile and a half long, and are drawn in by ?team power, as many as ..00,000 fish being often taken by one seine in a single dav. The mackerel fisheries are of steadily growing importance, the value ot the fish for food and its delicacy rendering it every year in greater demand. Mackerel are found in the localities usually frequented by cod and herring, and are caucjht by means of hook and line. Like berrinjr. they move in schools, but not in the same numbers. The method of detecting their presence is very curious. The mackerel is a greedy fi.-h, and when it finds its favorite food rushes upon it without delay; and the style it has of seizing the small fish' causes a number of circular rip ples in the water exactly resembling the fall of hailstones. The lookouts are on the watch for this appearance of the water, and as the small fry always make for the shore when- attacked by the mackerel, the boats are made ready and put off to meet the fish as they come in. In lUhing for the mackerel the fishermen first throw overboard great quantities of chopped fish very ;!r.e!y cut to attract the mackerel, and tliey soon find tl.-hin abundance if there are any in the neighborhood, the mack erel biting with great eagerness, and coming quite close to the surface, so that they are not hard to catch. Each fisherman can therefore easily manage two lines, and sometimes more. tit. .on is Ulof e-Don o--rit. Sights in Central Amerh-. At eight o'clock in the morning we started on the Terro Curril Railroad for Hio Sucio. We rode until four in the afternoon through a wondrous country. On' either side for miles were hundreds of banana plantations in different stages of growth. One can form some idea of the vast number of bauanas consumed when they see these plantations and hun dreds of thousands of bunches ready for shipment. As we whizzed through the woods fresh beauties would greet the eye. The tallest trees 1 ever saw, with apparently no bark, loomed up against the sky; then a forest of cocoa palm, cactus and may other beautiful trees, and below a perfect jungle of shrub and undergrowth. In these very tall trees are the orchids, or air plants, so choice and expensive in the North. Their scarlet blossoms are very conspicuous in the midst of so much green. From Kio Socio we started for San Jose on horseback and immediately began the ascent of the mountain. There was something about our situation so awe inspiring that for a time we rode on in si'ence. The dizzy heights above, the high wall on one side and gulf or val ley on the other revealed bv the dim light of the lantern which light our pathway. The scene was grand beyon'd description. As wc asc ended we could see the mountains high, high above us, and looking down, the valley far, far beneat1!. Now and then we crossed a mountain stream rushing and tumbling, down the precipice-. The foliage on the mountain side is dense and beautiful, f inally we began the descent, and lor (we've miles thi- was a most trying time. I inallv we were met by Father I v howiez eilit miles from San Jose, with car. iages. a u a few miles over rt)i:gh roads t.-;ig!it us to the little city? Narrow streets and buildings verv compact greet you on favery s'de. tr. C et eUtml Herald. A FIREMAN'S tTCK. hxgx neer Crocfcetf Draws $15,000 Iu the XoiiIslattaXotteryy : v. ' T 1 rv- ' f lw7?atk it- " VA a . flirt vanlir engineer Frank Crockett of steamer 12,of ice nre aeparcmeni oi iiug city, waen ne was aroused from his sleep the othernight Dva brother fireman wha breathlesslv injormed "iim tbat he had won $15,000 in t o a a t .a . , f me livueuiua oinui ojoitery in uie ur aw ing of the' llth inst. what's more J. won't believe it until I have had positive proof.". - yv;:. . - -,' ?' Supposing I should advance yon $100 on the strength of your cnances. would you believe it then ?" asked. his comrade. " -Jtes, I might." , f,. v v" The fireman went but and procured the $100 and handed it to Crockett, who for the first time began to realize bds" 'ereat good luck. Thenf"in the" language, of .at mend. he eot up. dressed himself and tried to stand on his head in the corner." "Crockett never had $300 at ope time - - " - before ' this ' lucky strike' said'anoth'er fireman to the reporter. - " To be sure he gets $140 a onth as engineer, but he isn't much woi a hand at saving. The ticket that Won the monev was rso. fS, 980, and it captured one-fifth of the first capital prize of $75,000. Has Crockett received his monev vet?" . ' Yes; but, strange to sav, he still sticks to his job. We all thought it would paralvze him when he heard the news, but it didn't. He isn't a man who drinks or gambles to any great extent lie is auout oo years ot aj;e ana married I heard that he intends to go back to New Jersey, where he came from, and buy a farm and settle down. ' - Crockett was mtr iewea, but no amount of quest ionig could make him sav anvtnmg turner man tnat ne "didn't care for notoriety," and that he "didn't want anything published about the matter." No. 6S.980 was the first ticket Crockett ever bought :n any lottory and - his for tunate expedience aoas anotner scrap to the history' of luckv lottery players in this city. San J'raucisco (Cal.) Chron icle, Sfc zo. Railways in China. " Th'e Imperial Government has come to a decision of ereat importance t hat. namely, of sanctioning in principle the introduction of railways into the coun try. The Empress called upon the great functionaries of state to submit plans for the construction and manage ment of strategical and commercial lines. Proposals were accordingly made by the Viceroy Li Hung Chang and other representatives of the pro gi essive school, to be carried out on the conclusion of a definitive treaty with France. Li Hung Chang is now convinced by experience that no public work requir ing organization and financial accuracy can be undertaken by the Chinese themselves. Consequently the rail ways must be constructed and man aged by skilled foreigners. But the Government has a natural dread of the inroads of foreigners, and is unwilling to assign them rights over the soil of China. There will, there fore, be a strong disinclination to grant concessions, whether for making rail ways or for mining, except to natives. But since the Chinese people lack the requisite intelligence, the railway prob lem will probably be solved by the Gov ernment itself assuming the responsi bility of making State lines. This can only be done by the creation of a new department, to be managed by foreign ers in the Chinese service, this depart ment to have complete control over the construction, working, and financing of the railways. Fortunately the Government, which does everything by precedent, possesses proof of ihe efficiency of such service in the admirable organization of his own maritime customs. Like all re forms in China, the customs system was forced on the Government by the pressure of necessity. The principal seaport, Shanghai, having fallen into the hands of the Taiping rebels in 18"8, the functions of Government were sus- ended, and Sir Rutherford Alcock, then British Consul at Shanghai, in conjunc tion with the Consuls of France and the United States, collected the duties by means of inspectors appointed by themselves; Sir Thomas Wade, then English Vice Consul, being the first ex ecutive officer in the service, lent for the emergency by the British Govern ment. This system has spread under new treaties until its ramifications now ex tend to twenty seaports. I may, with out flattery, describe it as probably the model of a customs service for the whole world; the most efficient, the most accommodating to merchants, ah solutely incorruptible, yet extremely popular. It furnishes the Government with the only portion of its revenue which can be relied on to come in. '1 he system has been matured by its chief, Sir Kobert Hart, who has been Inspec tor General for twenty years, and hasJ exercised absolute control, the high Chinese functionaries never interfering with him. The service contains able men. Mr. Detring, for example, who suggested the Franco-Chinese negotiations, would be well qualified to establish a new State Department of Public Works, having the same status as that of the maritime customs. Should the con struction of railways be undertaken in China it will probably bo upon some such basis. Cor. London TYmcv. Scotland's Sea Harvest. The "harvest of the sea," so far as It is gathered in Scottish waters, has just been made the subject of an official valuation by the officers of the Fishery Board, by whom it is estimated as amounting in money to a total sum of 3,286,242. The larger portion, a little over two millions sterling, is derived from the herring fishery, which has for a long period been the most important fishing industry of the country. The haddock is taken in vast quantities by the Scotch fishing boats; o43,56S cwt. were caught during the last twelve months, the estimated value of the catch being 340,693. The Scottish oyster beds, like those of other local ities, have largely fallen off in produc tiveness, only 6,456 hundreds of oysters (of 120 each) having been gathered from the once productive "scalps" of Scotland. The total value of the shell fish taken is set down as amounting t 82,945. AT. Y. Evening Post. The Pampas TW yoang animal selected tijundeigo the ordeal is lassoed, and ' tC headstall 1 having been put upon; him he is ticd up to a strong post-firtoljf secured in the gronjjKl, and there ieft without food and watertttl he is well nigh exhausted. Then anatite saddle; jor, rather, a series of pads ahd rdgs, ia put upon him and so cured by a. surcingle; -next comes a strongijridle provided with a bit of the most owerfurkin,d: having a ring at Vtcljed to it passing through the mouth and under the lower jaw, and acting a3 a puro worked with great leverage. . The horse is then freed from the stake, and led, about if he; will erd" aiiietlv: Tho trainer, after "a turn . or two. springs onto his back, with great agility. I An attendant mountejj upon a steady horse riae-np alongside, and tries by the inducement- of comnanionship - to coax hhn to go quietly along, which as a rulei czj rn I he seldom does just at first; nd then th&real struggle'beins. Fair means not succeeding, the jockey drives the huge rowels of his" massive spurs into the horses flank and is answered by "buck" that is terrific to behold, fol lowed by a succession of similar desper ate efforts of the frightened and infuri ated animal to free himself from his un welcome rider. Every time that he stops the attendant pushes up against him and bumps him along till at last he starts off in a gallop, madly at first, "bucking" as he goes; but soon he gets blown and finds the pace to fast to last- His merciless tormentor, however, has no notion of relaxing speed, and fleers and spurs him- to increased exertions till he is almost readv to fall down. There are no fences or obstacles in thf way, and by a skillful use of tho whip always on one side of the head, the horse is irraduallv worked round until he faces towards home, and back h comes after a couple of hours, jaded and blown, scarcely able to stagger along, his head down to the ground. with nostrils dilated, heaving flank, and quivering in every muscle, up to the post to be tied to it again, but not so close this time as before, and with a little grass thrown to him, as if in mock ery of his misery. Exhausted nature can stand it no lonjrer, and in a few minutes he sinks down upon the ground and stretches himself out as if about to die, lving in that position sometimes as Ionjr as twenty-four hours without mov ing. . When he is nt'e to stand up the process is repeated, but with very much Jess spirit on the horse's part, and after half a dozen lessons of the kind his ed ucation is finished. "Across tiie Pam pas and the Andes," by Robert Craw ford, M. A, Acorn Bread. The Indians scattered along the foot hills of the Sierra are a quiet, inoffensive people. They do not appear to be gov erned by any tribal laws, yet adhere to many oi their old traditions, une or two men of Superior ability and indus try form a nucleus around which others less ambitious gather. Here they fence with brush and logs a tract sufficient for their requirements of haymaking, pasturing, etc. AlthoHgh they often indulge in the food of civilized nations. the acorn is still a favorite article of diet in every well-regulated wi The process of converting: this bitter nut into bread is curious. Under the branches of a grand old pine I found them at work. They had shucked and ground in the usual manner . a large mass of the acorn meats. A number of circular vats had beon hollowed out of the black soil, much in the shape of a punch bowl. Into this vat was put the acorn pulp. At hand stood several large clothes baskets filled with water, and into these they dropped hot stones, thus heating the water to the required tem- Cerature. Upon the mass of crushed itterness they carefully ladeled the hot water, making it about the color and consistency of cream. Not a speck ap- 1eared to mix. A buxom muhala stood v each vat, and with a small fir bough stirred the mass, skilfully removing any npeck that floated upon the surface. The soil gradually' absorbed the bitter waters, leaving a firm, white substance, of which they made bread. I asked to taste it. at which thev said something in their language, and all laughed. , 1 tisked again, and after more laughteV I was handed a small particle on a fig leaf, and found it sweet and palatable. They began to remove it, and so adroit ly was this done that but a small por tion adhered to the soil. They spread it upon the rocks, and in a short time it was tit for use. This, I am told, they mix with water, put it into tl in cakes and bake before the fire. San Fran cisco Chronicle. Microphones. It is through the help of the micro phone that telephony has become so practical and so extensively adopted. The Blake transmitter, the Ader, and many others by which music and speech are now conveyed so many miles, are all varieties of the carbon microphone. In some churches, microphone trans mitters are now applied to the pulpit, so that the sermon can be transmitted "by. telephone to invalid members who cannot leave home. At the Electrical Exhibitions of Paris, Vienna, ami the Crystal Palace, the music of an entire opera was transmitted from the stage by wire to other buildings where great great numbers of persons sat and listened to it. The transport of music and other sounds iu no way directly connected with the wire, is frequently effected by what is termed induction or leading-in. Over and over again per sons listening into telephones for the purpose of hearing what a friend is saying have heard the strains of this music aside, communicated by induc tion from some neighboring line to theirs. Not long ago a telegraph clerk in Chicago was listening in a telephone early one morning, and to his surprise heard the croaking of frogs and the whistling of birds. The explanation of the phenomenon is, that a loose joint in the telephone wire where it passed through a wood, acted as a microphone, and transmitted the woodland chorus to his ears. Messages in process of trans mission are sometimes drowned by the rumbling noise of street traffic induced by the wire. Chamber's Journal. m The longest flight in this country of a homing pigeon yet recorded has re cently been flown from Atlanta, Ga., to Keyport, N. J. --725 miles. .V. F. Sun. Creaking In Horses off The Rain Tree, The attention of the Hon. J. B. Ab bott, Minister for Mines, has been drawn to a notice in Land and Water respec tag ine "itam iree. wnicn grows ?n South Australia, and, according to this notice, is so remarkable that travelers when traversing an arid and desolate tract of country, have been struck with the strange contrast-of seeing op ;one hand a barren desert and on the other a rich and luxurious 1 vegetation. '. The tree. tlnV notice states. - crows to ! tlie iieityht of !xt,v feet.' with a diameter of three feet at its base, and it possesses the power" c-ttractn---lri -J4 condensing lhe humidity of the atmos phere so strongly that water is always to be seen dripping from its trunK , ?n such auantitv as to convert me sur rounding soil into 'a vegetable marsh Mr. Abbott has called for a report on the sub ict from the Inspector of ror ests. Mr. J. Duff, who has written tho following: ' "Forest Conservatoky Branch Depart mum ok Minks. Sydney. June l'.L Sir In accordance wiLli vnur instructions on Mr Godbard's memo., numbered as per margin. I have the honor to in tor m you that I nave ou tained the following information respecting the hatiitats and uses of the rain tree or jruan bo. Albizzia suman Von Mueller. .or Pithe colabium tuman of Uentham; Uarou Mueller states in his work on 'Extra Tropical Plants published in 1H81. that the 'rain tree or cuan jro is a lofty tree, particularly valuable for wet Haliue country, and it extends from Mex ico to Brazil and Peru. It attaint a heijrht of seventy feet, trunk six feet in diameter, tho colossal branches extendijr one hundred aru thirv feet, and it is of Quick n-rowth. in outline not unlike an oak. It forms a innjrnitH-ent feature in a landscape. It thrives in the dry nalt-pond districts of the West Indies, and likes the vicinity of the sea. ltain and dew fall through its leaves.-xhieta are phut niirht. thus allowlHt ..a8 to irrow I ueath. It thrives best where the rain-fall fluctuates between thirty and sixty inches year one of the best trees in mild climt-s for road or shade lines. The wood is hard and or namental, but the principal utility of the tree lies in its DUlpy nous, wnicn are iroo.uceu in irreat abundance, and constitute a very fat tenninjr fodder for all kinds of pastoral ani mals which eat them with relish.' Mr. John Smith. A. I S.. Ex-Curator of the Koyal Bo tanic Gardens. Kew. London in his 'I)ictlon ary of Economical Plants," published in 18JC. states that 'the ainancr is the Spanish name of thu tree, and it is a native cf Venezuela He quotes Humboldt's description of the tree. which is as follows: 'We saw in the eveninir at a leajrue distant an object whieh appeared in the horizon like a round hillock Covered with trees. It was neither a hill nor a proup of trees close to each other, but one Mntru tree the famous Zamanir-del Gunyre.' e markable for the enormous extent of its branches, which form a hemispheric head five, hundred and seventv-six feet in circumfer ence, the diameter of the stem bcinjf nine f et uear the irround. It belongs to the inimosa section of the order of I.eguiuinas:e, and is , Fuecics of the a-enus Pithebolium (P. Summit Seeds taiien from the tree were raiseU in the botanic wardens, Trinidad, in ls-j). It ap pears to be fast growing when young, a tiee fortv vears old measuring fifteen feeti in cir cumt'ereuc-e near the ground. It has thicK, flatish. curved pods, about eight inches i in lenirth and one inch in width, containing sweetish pulp. They are in common use for feeding cattle, and for that purpose the tree is now cultivatel in different countries. It is also known as the rain tree. 1 may jfurlher add that a few years ugo a number of seeding pi aiits of the rain tree were received in the Sydney llotanic Gardens from the Botanic Uardens.Ceylon.on receipt of which they were placed ia a bush-house.where they grew well during the summer months: but the whole (of the plants perished in the winter; which would indicate that the climate of Sydney; is not sufficiently warm for the cultivation i of this tree. The rain tree evidently requires moist climate near the sea, and it might suc ceed in some of the northern coast districts. but it is doubtful if it would grow in the inte rior, or .in the districts subject to droughts and frosts, the latter beingthe localities where such a tree would be most required for shade and stock feed- The statements made by travelers in South America iti Zxinrt ana ua Ur, attached hereto, that 'water is constantly dripping- from the trunk of tho tree in such quantity as to convert the soil into a verit able marsh.' is. 1 think exaggerated, and re quires further reliable confirmation. I Should steps be taken to ascertain if the rain tree can be procured in the colonies, and if fo, to procure plants and test its suitarunty jror va rious districts of New South Wales" J I have, etc. John iUFr. Mr. Abbott has directed that steps be taken to procm-e some of the trees with a view to their introduction into the colony. Sydney Herald. ProTerbs About Life. lhe comparison ot num an lire to a flood has ever been a favorite figure iin everv literature, and the proverbs which deal with life and expound its problems under this figure are past numbering. In Japan, the significance of mantis forcibly put- in the proverb, "s the stars, so man is little in the distance," while the rersian says, "lhe world, is like an old building on the banks of j a stream is carried awa'v piece by piece: in vain vou stop it with a handful of earth." The passage of life isTike the growth and decay of a flower, and this fact forms the burden of man v proverbs lhe lurk asks, "llave vou ever 'seen a day which ends not in evening?" and the Arab answers, "Every dav in thy life is a leaf in thv history." The Af ghan philosophically remarks, "Laic is not such a mouthful that a man should gulp it down whole." The changing slate of man is beautifully set fortrt-m the Syrian proverb, "IIappinessAof : Jife is like crystal when it shines most It goon cracks," and a Japanese proverb pronounces life, "Like a moth ! falling on a jignteu camiie an image to ue- V at com pared only with that of Job, who pronounces life "a light before tho wind." . .. ! The friendships of life are a fertile source ot nroverbs. lhe Urdu says. "The frie :- of the base is ajwall of br relieves his mind sand," in the s by observing, "A smith, who, if he h lire, will injure e Oriental origfn but a! single 'the Turkish soul in two bad f does ne y ou with s. U "Two so thought," ' provt.ru, , bodies," and "tin eci ares, w man without a friend is a left' hand with out the right. lhe folly of forming friendships with some people is illus trated by the Afghan proverb "The ass' friendship is kicking," while tho Chinese affirm, "Without Pa. mirror a woman cannot see her fore; without a friend a man can not se his actions," but the Japanese con-ectly appreciate the situation when they sav, "A friend at.hand is better than all your relatives at a distance. St Louis (i 'lobe,-Dei no- ocrat. : . . A lady living in the suburbs was pestered by a patent churn agent who was anxious to aemonstraie mat me machine would make butter in ten min utes. Upon his third or fourth call the other afternoon, she filled the churn and the agent worked it f r ten minutes, then very briskly ,for ten more. He confessed that he was at a loss to know what was the matter un til the lady remarked: guess ! I churned all the butter out.of thajV milk this morning. The agent "fiew. Exchange. Mexican Habits. Wonxm with heavy ' burdens on he.hT baci. unmindful of either dust or sun lieat, slip every now and then alug the paseo. They are all bound :Jr th same place the'eity market--with their loads of green produce. 1 hey are bare headed, moy of tbehj are barefooted, barele aQd bareafmed. Now and thn one, with a fifty pound weight on her back, has a fifteen pound baby in her arms. Or, if the burden is smaller and the child larger, the former is , car ried in the arms and the latter on the back, sitting in a sort of cradle or pouch of cloth attached to the mother s snout ders. its bare legs bestriding, her -side aod its brown armes clasping her shoul- , ,,.,? il T 1 aers or vamiy ciutcning me air. ivtoor ing women in variably carry their infants thus upon their backs, revealing their Indian descent and character '-at- glance. The garment used for this im provised cradle is generally the familiar zebozo, the only outer ejothmg worn Dy girls and women of tho lower order in this country. It is a plain strip of some dark material doubtless cotton two or three yards long and not over one yard wide. The zebozo is worn much as a Northern woman throws a shawl over her head and shoulders for a mo ment's run out doors. It is both head dress and outer garment? for the upper part of the person, lhrown back from the head, but retained by the ends in front, rt may be a couch for a child or a sack for considerable bundle. On the street and the plaza, in the market and at church, zebozos may be counted at any hour of the day by scores and even by hundreds. Mauv travelers do not admire their appearance, but they sesem to me graceful and attractive. Women of , the Indian race are seldem seen without them, and for aught I know. thev sleep and are buried in them. For the rest, one cotton upper garment and a cotton skirt or two complete the feminine outfit. The men wear only cotton shirts and cotton pantaloons Isare feel- are vaMly more numerous than those clad with sandals or shoes. The men wear a similar, but heavier. warmer and often gaudv wrap, the serapc, or szarape. This is a sort of blauket, often cost 1 v. It is worn much like a shawl, the outer ends being brought from behind over the right shoulder, carried in front of the inrreon and thrown over the left shoulder, where it hangs fast as if glued. How the serape is prevailed on to stay in place is one of the great Mexican mvsteries. It is not fastened, at- least ordinarily, but somehow or other it stays m place. The serape is worn more in the colder orth than here. It is one of the .most striking objects in the field of vision at ( hihuahua. A dozen; men digging for a horse railroad track, with red and white blankets thrown loosely over their shoulders, as if they I had just crawled out of bed and forgotten to leave the covering behind them, is a comica sight. I witnessed such a spectacle in a rural city- the "other-moruing. The hright, inconvenient trapping appears less out oi place in the afternoon sun at a gay bull light, lhe serape, zebozo and leather sandal distinguish Mexican low life. The sandal is simply a piece of leather, cut to imitate roughly the shape of the foot, and held in place by coarse thongs which pass over the foot and around the instep. Mexicans of the upper class, of both sexes, wear clothing which rivals in richness and taste the best efforts of the tailors of St. Louis, London or Paris. The world contains po gentlemen and ladies more faultlessly dressed or better bred than they. Cor. St, Iouis Globe-Democrat. t ... Curiosities. of Definition. There was -a fiction that crocodiles wept over their prey: hence the tears of a hypocrite were named. Bullokar, ia 161b, made an English dictionary in which under the word he says: "A croc odile will- weepe over a man's head when he hath devoured the bodv, and then will eate up the head too. I saw one f these beasts in London, brought thither dead, but in perfect forme, ot about two yards long. Uullokar was followed bv Minsheu. who issued in 1617, second edition 1626, a polyglot, but yet true Lnglish diction ary, remarkable as the first effort at K.no-licli ptvmnliioT iii tho f?rt Hsirklr giving a printed list of subscribers to it. and giving an amusing account of the origin of the word Cockney: "A Cockney or Cockny, applied only to one born within the sound of Bow- bell, that is, within the citv of London, which tearme came hrst out of this tale: That a citizen s son no riding with his father out of Ixmdon into the country, and being a novice and meere ly ignorant how cornc or cattel in creased, asked when he heard a horse neigh, what the horse did; his father answered, the horse doth neiirh: riding farther he heard a coek crow, and said loth the cocke neigh , too? and there fore Cockney or Cocknie, by inversion thus: incock o. incoetus, i. e., raw or unripe in countrey-mens affaires." liut the dictionary of . this period Is what its author Ilenrv Cockeraro, when publishing it in 1623, was pleased to call lhe lnglish Uictionarie; or an Inter preter of hard English words. Enabling as well Ladies and (teutlewomen, young schoolers, clarkes, merchants; as also strangers of any nation, to the under standing of the more difficult authors :i I ready printed in our Language, and he more speedy attaining of an elegant perfection of the English tongue, both n. reading, speaking and writing." "Is this Tork in six or eight folio vol umes, does the reader ask; f iNo, it is uirdly if at all, larger than the Primer of English Literature. It is, moreover, divided into books, the first giving choice," the second, "vulgar" words, and the third, a singular jumble of natural historv. mythology, and biog raphy. Amongthe "choice" words is ound "bubulcitate, with the meaning. to cry like a cow-boy." The word 'actress is defined, since this book was published before the practice of women appearing on the stage sprang up, as a woman-doer. in the third part it is stated of a little beast called the "igna- tus," whatever that may be, that "in the night it smgeth six kinds of notes one after anotherj asjla-sol-fa-mi-re-ut,' '1 he parble," lienry Cockeram assures us, "is a hsn tnat win not meddle with the baite until with her taile shee have unhooked it from the hooke.' British Quarterly. - Sugar In Mexico. ugar-cane was unknown to the An cient Mexicans, who made syrup from honey and maguey juice, and sugar from cornstalks much after the man ner so extensively experimented upon of late in the United States. Sugar-cano was introduced by the Spaniards from the Canary Islands first to Santa Do-, minigo, thence to Cuba, and soon after, by natural sequence, to Mexico. The first sugar-canes were planted in this country in 1520 by Don Pedro de Atienza. The first cylinders were con structed by Gonzalo de Velosa. The first sugar-mills, used at that time by the Spaniards, were worked by hy draulic wheels, and not as now, by horses. Baron Humboldt, who exam ined the will of CorCez, tells us that the conqueror left several flourishing sugar plantations near Cuyoacan, in the valley of Mexico, where now (owing, it is sup posed, to the cutting down or the trees) th cola is too great wr one.o gmmn The hacienda of Atacamulc6, like many others, in Mexico, is a little king dom within itself, quite independent of all the world. Its fort-like walls are strong enough to stand sieges, and within them are buildings enough to form a respectable village. Beside the usual number, the hacienda adds a house for boiling sugar, whose furnace blaze night and day; a house with ma chinery for extracting the juice of the cane, refining rooms, drying sheds, etc., all on the largest and most generous scale. This, being also a coffee planta tion, there is a great mill for separating the beans from the chaff, sheds in which the coffee is dried and assorted, and a distillery where aguardiente (rum) is made from the refuse of Ihe sugar mills. Men, peons and horses are counted by the hundreds here, and the owner is ab solute monarch of all he surveys. Be sides fields of sugar-cane stretching away as far as the eve can reach, are coffee groves containing fifty thousand young and vigorous plants; plains upon which -unnumbered horses and cattle range, beside miles'of uncultivated land where deer, quail and other small game find a "happy hunting ground." About eighteen miles from Cuernavala are the temple and fortress of Xoehlcalco, one of the most remarkable runs in Mexico. They lie upon a rocky erhinence almost a league in circumference, -which is cut into regular terraces fac d with stone. The temple on its summit is seventy-five by sixty-three feet in Jf.rea, of hewn granite," beautifully sculptured, and was constructed in the usual pyramidal-terraced form. But, sad to say, this tem ple of unknown gods, where pagan Eriests performed their sacrifices, has een desecrated by modern vandals, and ;U used as a sugar factory. In this fa tored region everybody's thoughts turn to. sugar-making, as naturally as spooks Hy upward. It is asserted that here crops may be reaped within a year after the cuttings are '. planted. Cor. L Paul Pioneer-Press. - y-l)ust and Busting. Dusfing is one of those domestic in-. elicities which every, housekeeper shares. It is a thankless task at best; nobody thinks of remarking that a room is carefully dusted, but who fails, to inveigh against the untidiness of hcr. whose furniture shows the faintest touch of the insidious foe, , which in summer every wind conspires to lodge in the erannics of the house, behind the books in the library shelves, in the vases, or wherever it is most inaccessible and un handy? . I perches on the chandelier. hides in the photograph album, powders the piano keys and the visiting cards. Iu winter the furnace and open fire fur nish us with the uncoveted article, and, wrestle with it as we may, we never hare the pleasure of fairly routing ft. It is only an old-fashioned superstition that dusting is ot any service; we believe it wasfThorcau who emancipated himself from this fetich of the duster, and threw his specimens of minerals out the win dow because thev demanded .daily at tention. What housekeeper will evcr have the courage of her convictions, and follow his example? It almost seems, instead, as if wo collected bric-a-brac on purpose to accommodate tnis ancient dust, and provide it a tenement" Bridget' flings her feather broom hither and yon in desperation, flirts the dust into the atmosphere, where we may conveniently inhale it, instead of allowing it to remain innocently shelved, in spite of Florence Nightin gale's injunction to use only a damp cloth; and who shall estiniate the costly bits that have fallen a sacrifice to the slippery fingers of the house-maid? In deed, we suspect that dusting is an art that should be taught as well as cook ing, that should have its Prof. Blot and its Miss Corson. It requires patience, eyesight and determination, but we are apt to believe that anybody is equal to it, even a green girl who has never con tended with dust, and does not knowjts ambushes, its force and strategy. The sincere duster, however, like the poet, is born; she loves her vocation; she would be miserable in a world where there is no dust to dispute with, if such a place exists; even gold-dust would seem a little discreditable to have about her. She "scorns delight and lives la- borous days" in its service, and is jeal ous of the servants' interference with her prerogatives. In the meantime there arc other people who are obliged to dust their dwellings, as there are thoso who feel obliged to write poetrv. without any special talent for the work. because others do, because it is expected of them, but who do not pursue it as a mission which no one could so thor oughly accomplish as themselves, which if unfulfilled, would throw society into chaos people who aro not specialists n the craft, but only general practi tioners. Harper's Bazar. At Lake Butler, in Louisiana, the other day lightning struck a tree on which was perched a yellow hammer. The flash stripped tho bird of every feather from its- wings and bak and singed its wings so that it could not fly, while its skin was not broken in a single place nor tho bird killed. X. 0. Times. Prince Bismarck means to establish German colonies for emigrants to go to. He does not like to have so many come to America to be "absorbed" by the Anglo-Saxons. Where he will plant hij colony is not suggested, but proba bly in Africa. That is vast field for colonial enterprise. r; - X i -tl
