- The Mexican Presidency. ‘The Constitution of the Mexican Re- public was adopted in 1857, during the Presidency of Comonfort. In most respects it is copied from that of the United States. The President is elected for a term of four years by the Congress. The Congress has its Senate and House of Representatives, The Senate is com- posed of two members from each State, elected, not like the Representatives, by popular vote, but by the State Legisla- ture, as ours are. The Representatives must be 25 years, the Senators 30 years of age. Every Senator and Representa- tive gets a salary of $2000 a year, The Congress must meet every year. In the vacations of Congress a Council of Government sits permanently. It con- sists of the President of the Senate and one-half of the Senators. The Constitution of 1857 provided that the Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court should become President of the republic in case of the death, removal or disabil- ity of the President elected by the Con- gress before the expiration of his term, It was by this plan of succession thag Juarez became President. He was the Chief-Justice when Comonfort was as- sassinated by the church party ; and at the expiration of the term for which Comonfort had been elected, Juarez was re-elected to the Presidency. His sec- ond term expiring in 1865, when the French had possession of the country, he was again re-elected. Twenty years of experience has convinced the Mexi- can Congress that the plan of succession from the head of the Judiciary to the head of the Executive Department does not work well. It involves the Judici- ary in politics more than is consistent with a proper regard for the sanctity of the Suprewne Court. And now a change of the Constitution is announced, pro viding for a simpler, surer and better mode of succession. It is this: If the President dies or is removed, his suc- cessor shall be that Senator who presid- ed over the Senate during the month next preceding such death er removal And when the Senate is not in session the President of the permanent Senator- ial Committee is to be the President of the Republic for the remainder of the unexpired term. This amendment, pro- posed by Congress, takes effect after ratification by the people at a special election. In Russia, Wallachia and many other districts straw is so abundant, corn being so largely grown, that it is a perfect drug in the market, and has to be burnt in large stacks, merely to get rid of it. There are now engines made, more particularly the portable steam- engines used largely for farming pur- poses, which are so arranged that straw can be used as fuel for generating steam, without the employment of either wood or coal. The arrangement that is found most favorable is the engine on Head and Schemioth’s patent—econstructed by Messrs. Ransomes Head & Jefferies, Ipswich—in which the straw is auto- matically fed into the furnace by means of toothed rollers, very similar in action to a chaffcutting machine. Toenable our readers to further understand the advan- tages of such an invention, we should add that in addition to straw almost evesy other description of vegetable refuse may be burnt ; for instance, cot ton and maize stalks, gorse, jungle grass, etc., and by simply removing the patent feeding apparatus the furnace can also be fired with coal and wood in the ordinary manner. It is hardly necessary to point out that by means of this invention steam-power can now be introduced into distant countries, which, on account of the absence of coal or other suitable fuel, have hitherto been debarred from its many advantages, Bs —— Cat Stories. In the house of a clergyman in this city the ‘‘harmless, necessary cat’ is a great family pet, the good domine fol- lowing the example of Montague in beguiling many an idle hour with the graceful gambols of puss, and surrep- titiously conveying dainty morsels to her from his own dish, On geing to breakfast the other day, what was the parson’s surprise to see in the very centre of his plate a young rat, placed there with almost mathematical pre- cision by the cat, as if to express her gratitude for the many favors received from her master by returning the best gift in her power to make, denying her- self a tidbit to prove her affection. It is needless to say that puss’ breach of decorum was condoned in view of the spirit which seemed to prompt it.— Lowell ( Mass.) Bladl, A Baltimore cat who has been kept ina cage with monkeys has become indespensable in the monkeys’ social point of view. Once when she was taken out of the cage she, too, became inconsolable. For two days she moped around, grew thin and refused to eat, and the keeper was forced to put her pack. Her delight was unbounded. She licked all the little monkeys and hugged all the big ones, and since then has refused to leave the cage. Highbred Theatricals Recently 500 ladies and gentlemen, forming the best society in Vienna, assembled in the palace of the German Ambassador, Prince Reuss, to witness the performance of a comic operetta, which had been a topic of interest for some time among those concerned in it. The operetta is called **Ten Girls and No Husband.” Both words and music are by Viennese authors. A father has ten girls, who are all pretty, and whose talents have been carefully developed in need be. The part of the father was played by Prince Lichtenstein. The daughters were impersonated by the Princesses Awersperg and Kinsky, the young Princess Metternich, the Baro- ness Rothschild, and six more young ladies of equal rank. The Princess Pauline Metternich had undertaken the part of a pert chambermaid, who mimics the drolleries of her master and mistress, There was a round of en- thusiastic applause when the ten high-born ladies appeared in the uni- form of an old Vienna crack regiment and performed military evolutionsat the command of their droll father, while the chambermaid was beating the drum, There is a scene in which each girl shews her special talent, which is differ- ent in each of the ten, Thus the Baro- ness Rothschlid recited a comic mono- logue, the Countess Wilzeh sang a comic air, and the young Princess Metterinech danced a cazardas, the national dance of the Hungarians, t—— or A ——— Agricultural. Charcoal is highly recommended as a preventive of disease among sheep, and in an English pamphlet the following recipe for its use appears: The char- coal should be given mixed with the food, except in urgent cases, when it may be mixed in water or thin gruel, and given as a drench. The dose is 1 pint to every 25 head of sheep orlambs. One- quarter pint per head for full-grown cattle, horses or pigs ; half the quantity for young cattle, and two teaspoonfuls to one dessertspoonful for young calves, It has been discovered that potash for potatoes does little good unless applied early and thoroughly mixed with the soil. This may indicate either that the plant needs the potash in its earlier stages of growth or that the alkali serves other purposes in developing plant food in the seil, which requires a longer time, It is probable that crude potash is rarely or never used as plant food, As it ab- sorbe notrogen aud becomes a nitrate of potash its virtues become available for plant nutrition. Fattening horses is well understood by jockeys, and may well be studied by farmers who have horses to sell. A horse well fed and kept steadily at work will gain slowly and his flesh will be solid and enduring. This is best for the buyer, and has the advantage for the seller that the horse earns his keeping while being put into condition. The jockey method is to feed oil-meal, exer- cise little or not at all, and make a glossy coat, which will soon become rough and staring when the horse is put at hard work. All kinds of fowisare natives of warm or semi-tropical climates. However long they have been domesticated, they retain their liking for warm weather, or at least warm quarters in cold weather, In the winter season they will do better in close houses, even with little ventila- tion, rather than exposed to severe weather. When a young chick will rest under its mother’s wing in a summer's night at a temperature of 100, or more, there is little danger of smothering an old fowl in winter in a tight house, Economizing Labor and Space. There are few people who are more generally economical than the Germans, and an instance of their ability to make much out of a little has recently come under my notice which seems worthy of attention. One of my friends has her garden worked on shares by a German, Early in the spring he put out a quantity of cabbage plants, giving a little more space between the roots than is usually allowed. The cabbages were easily worked with a horse, Later, when the time for setting celery plants had come he planted double rows of celery bet ween the cabbage. The celery rows are not over eight inches apart, and in the same trench, 80 that when banked not more than half the work will be required to prepare them for bleaching that would be necessary if the plants wereset in the usual way, The cabbages are nearly ready for use, and will soon leave the celery in full possession of the soil, Every part of this garden is ultilized. When the early potatoes were ripe they were dug aud turnips were sown on the land, Vacant spaces in other parts of the garden have been filled with super. fluous plants from the beet bed. Where space is somewhat limited it richly repays the labor to fill the ground and | aud keep soiething glowing overy where, lization when it is cropped so preslstent- ly ; and when one does not keep a pig to eat up the refuse from vegetables dishwater, ete,, it is a good plan to have a compost heap where such ar- ticles may be turned to account. All the weeds (which should never be al- owed to riped seed) from the garden, fine chips, if wood is used, roots and fine brush, leaves and clippings from the lawn should go into the compost heap. These, with an occasional sprink- ling of dry earth to prevent unpleasant odors, will absorb the slops from the house, and prove a valuable fertilizer at The compost heap during the season to insure decomposi- tion, and it should not be placed too near the house. Bones, old boots and shoes, broken utensils and the like should be burned, and their ashes spread around the peach trees, Should there be a clay spot in the garden, that is the place for the fire, ©oal ashes seem to be of mo use except for garden walks and carriage drives ; but wood ashes benefit almost any kind of vegetation. Recent Legal Decisions, RATLROADS—CARRYING FREIGHT— CONTRACTS FOR THROUGH FREIGHT, —Melons were shipped at Galveston to Chicago in refrigerating cars under an agreement that they should be carried to Chicago in the same cars, but at the end of the first line the cars were broken open, shipper having retained the keys, and the melons were put in the cars of the connecting line which were less adapted to their safe transportation. For the loss of the goods, which rotted, the owner sued the first line, and recov: ered a judgment. The company carri«d the case in error—Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad Company vs, Allison—to the Supreme Court of Texas, where the judgment was af- firmed. The Chief Justice, Willier in the vpinion, said : “There is a conflict in the testimeny as to whether or not the plaintiff agreed with the company that it should be held liable for any damage and the Court charged the jury that if they believe that the company was not to be liable beyond its own route it would not be responsible for any damage beyond its terminus unless it agreed that the melons should be carried in the same car. It has been generally held that where there is no express statute forbidding it a carrier may contract not to be liable for damages which do not occur from the negligence of himself or his servants or agents, But when he undertakes to carry goods not only over his own route but over connecting lines as well he cannot contract that his re- sponsibility may terminate at the end of his own line. He will be responsible for the negligence not only of himself and his servants but for the connecting lines, they being considered his agents for carrying out the particular contract, An exemption from liability, except for negligence, is, however, available when the carrier forwards the goods consigned to him in the manner and by the route with reference to which the contract is made. If he deviates from his route, or forwards the goods by dif- ferent conveyances from these contem- plated by his agreement, he becomes an insurer of the goods, and cannot avail himself of any exceptions made in his behalf in the contract, The contract to forward the melons in this case through from Galveston and Chieago on the cars in which they were loaded was an entire contract, By changing the cars after they left the appellant's road the risk of the sale transportation of the melons was assumed by its agents, the connecting line where the change occured, for the company, and it becomes liable not with- standing the stipulation against beyond its own terminus,” Maviciovs PROSECUTION — Pron- ABLE CAUSE. —A nmilroad officer and his company were sued in an action for malicious prosecution in causing the arrest and trial of a dealer in railroad tickets, whom they charged with utter- ing, altering and forging one limited excursion ticket, The prosecution had failed, In this case the plaintiff re. covered a judgment and the defendants carried the case in error-—Thelin vs, Dorsey-—40 the Court of Appeals of Maryland, where the judgment was reversed, Judge Irving, in the opinion, said : “The defendant knew the busi- ness of the plaintiff, and it was natural for him to suppose that he could not have sold the ticket without seeing what was in the respect to the limita- tion. And, besides, the ticket bore discernible marks of the erusure of the limitation. He therefore had reason. able ground “for suspicion and belief, upon which he could act in prosecuting the plaintiff. He cannot be held ac- countable for his prosecution, though the plainitiff was innocent of the charge. The test of want of probable cause is that the defendant must act in bad faith. The evidence that the plaintiff had been engaged in den! ing in fraudulent tickets before, to the knowledge of the defendant, was competent, because the defendent might have been influenced by such ne Economy of the Household, BrEAD STEAKS. —Add a little milk, pepper, salt and spice to an egg and beat well together. Cut some slices of bread of even size and shape and fry a light brown in butter or oil. Drain on paper, pile on a aish, and serve with tomato sauce, Rice Crick ex Pie, —Cover the bot- tom of a pudding-dish with slices of broiled ham ; cut up a boiled chicken and nearly fill the dish ; add chopped onions, if you like, or a little curry powder, which is better. Then add boiled rice to fill all interstices and to cover the top thick. Bake it for one- half or three-quarters of an hour, Mock CreAM Toast,—Melt in one quart of morning’s milk about two ounces of butter, a large teaspoonful of flour freed from lumps and the yolks of three eggs beaten light, Beat these in gredients together for several minutes strain the cream through a fine hair sieve, and when wanted beat in con- stantly with a brisk movement, Riz A LA ToMATE.—Boil half a pound of rice with one very small onion chop- ped fined ; when done and nearly dry stir in two tablespoonfuls of grated cheese, three of nice tomato sauce, one teaspoonful of chopped parsley, a tea- spoonful of sweet herbs, a little cayenne pepper and salt and a large tablespoonful of the best fresh butter. Form into a mound and serve very hot. FRENCH BEANS A LA POULETTE.— Choose some young and tender French beans and remove all fibres by breaking off the ends ; wash, and boil in boiling water ; when done {oss them in melted butter seasoned with chopped chives and parsley ; stir in a little flour, a pinch of salt and some stock ; reduce the sauce, thicken with yolks of flavor with a few drops of lemon, and Serve, egEs, SARDINE Toast. Divide some sar- dines lengthwise, removing skin, bones, and tails ; add a little of the oil from the tin and put into the oven between two plates, letting them get quite hot. Take some thin strips of bread, the exunct lentgh of the sardines, fry them in butter, put half a sardine on cach slice, sprinkle on cayenne pepper and saltand a squeeze of lemon juice, and serve very hot. VEAL CuTLETS.—Put a piece of but- ter into a stewpan with a small sprig of chopped parsley; stir over the fire until very hot; then pour over a cupful of white sauce-—the yolks of three or four eggs well beaten. Stir constantly until as thick as cream, but do not let it boil. Dip each cutlet into it covering it thickly with the sauce and again set away to cool. Then , egg and breadcrumb them, Fry lightly. Swiss MEAT OMELETS. —A good way to use cold meat is to chop it fine with raisins, nutmeg, salt, lemon and juice ; and add one egg, one tablespoonful of sugar, cloves, The above mixture is the middie of the omelets, ' Three eggs, one pint of milk, two teacups of flour; make the batter thin, Fry it in a litte lard, put a spoonful of chopped meat in the centre, and fold the fried batter around it once, MARMALADE FRITTERS, Spread two lines thick of peach marmalade on two- inch round cuts of wafer bread, lay other cuts of the same size over, press gently with the hand and smooth the edges ; dip in a flour batter (first adding to the batter some whites of eggs, beaten to a froth), fry slightly brown in hot lard, drain on a cloth, besprinkle with powdered sugar, dish up on a folded napkin and serve, Beer STEW.—To make an appetizing beef stew take out the bone and bind the pieces of beef tighly, putting a lemon, pared and cut in two, and some herbs in before binding. Place it in as small a stewpan or kettle as will allow of its being covered with water, Let it cook slowly and gently ; donot add any water unless absolutely necessary. Slice a large onion and fry it brown, and add to the water also any sliced vegetables you choose, or cook the vegetables in a kettle by themselves and serve on the platter with the beef, 1f you do not add any water you will have a very rich gravy, and a portion of it may be reserved for soup stock. a» The Farmer's Lawn. Most farmers appreciate the beauty of a large, level, clean-shaven lawn. It is one of the most attractive features to any estate. The pure, vivid green of the even sward cannot be imitated by any artifice. There are few farmers, however, who have the time or means to ornament extensively, A good lawn can be made at very little expense, and ean be kept in good order even without the wid of a lawn mower, In the lest place, one should learn that it is poor taste to plant flower beds directly in front of the house, They give a much better effect if planted st one side and a little in the rear. Have the yard in front of the residence a smooth plane of grass, with a few neat shrubs or trees scattered regularly upon it. Make no pretentions to geometrical forms in walks or flower-beds, Trees look best in the yard if not set in regular rows, If thus set one vacancy or one ill-look- ing tree will spoil the effect of the whole row. The simpler and more natural the arrangement the more pleasant the effect. 1t is not difficult to make a good lawn, In the first place, a good foundation should be provided for the grass, Though this is the most important, yet this is the part usually neglected. The ground should be made rich and level, even if it occupies two or three years, Plow it up, harrow and rake it over carefully, manure well and manage to Fave the whole thoroughly subdued, This done,sow a very liberal quantity of grass seed, and sow it by itself. It will do just as well or better than if sown with oats or wheat ; under such a prac- tice no stubble will remain on the ground, Bow grass seed at the rate of a bushel o1 more to the acre. The mere the better, for the sooner the sod will be grown, It does not pay to sod the yard unless one is in a hurry for the lawn. Sodding is expensive. The bor- ders of the walks may be sodded, how- ever. The sods should be cut about ten or twelve inches wide and rolled up from beneath with a spade. Ten or on the border, Sod is usually ent too thick inch and a half is thick enough, down as much as possible, good for ramming down the sod, the latter will be much more grow if well attended to in this respect. The sod borders should be lower surrounding lawn, for the loose soil back of them will be sure to settle an inch or more. If the sod is cut thinand well laid it will be sure to grow well. grass sod is the best for a lawn. June- This of Kentucky blue grass, Timothy and orchard grass are not good for lawns, as they form clumps and soon make the ground uneven. ed manure every spring is desirable, It is useless to apply manure when the ground is frozen, as it is usually washed away before the ground thaws out. The lawn once made, the grass shonld be cut frequently. Thiscan be nicely done with a sharp scythe, The oftener the grass is mowed the stiffer and more even the sod will become, and the more the grass will tiller out. A lawn pre- pared and kept in this manner is not expensive, Children soon become interested in work of adornment and will keep the yard clear of all the rub- bish, and the flowerbeds, if there be any, in good order. Such work is an educator and an element of refine- ment, A flower garden or a fountain is by no means essential to a beautiful lawn, Indeed, they often mar its best effect Too few in number of ornaments on a beautiful sod is better than too many. Two or three small, neat patches of flowers at one side contrast nicely with the sward. Too many look crowded. It is hest to raise only the well-tried and hardy garden flowers. Three or four kinds are better than twenty, The farmer should learn that simple orna- mentation is not expensive. A simple neat arrangement is cheaper and more pleasing than a cumbrous pretentious and expensive system. oc A —— Vine Grafting. The planting and grafting of grape vines this year in the northern vine- yards of California is marked by a uni- versal demand for noted and rare for- eign varieties, Many of the oldest and best vineyards in Sacramento, Napa, San Joaquin and Santa Clara counties are extensively grafting on the old stocks, using the finest and most valuable cuttings pro- curable from French, Spanish and Ger- man vineyards, Different varieties do not flourish equally in the same soil, after ascertaining whether a vineyard is best adapted to raisin or table grapes, a specialty should be made of these varie- ties, Until this subject is studied with more care and labor than it has yet re* ceived, our grape-growers cannot know the full capacities of our varied soils, The most famous European vineyards, some consisting of only a few acres having attained their world wide cele. brity through the perfect adaptability of variety of vine to soil, in some ine stances, the effect changing at a distance of a few rods. It would be wise for for vineyardists to exercise judgment in improving as far as possible the tone, flavor, quality and richness of present bearing vines before planting new ones Santa Barbara Press, ct = At a recent meeting of the Leeds and West Riding Medico-Chirurgical Socie- ty, Mr. Margeton, of Dewsberry, ex- hibited an incandescent electric lamp, designed by himself and used by himself since October last in examining the mouth and throat. The globe was about half the size of a walnut. It can be held in the mouth for two minutes without discomfort from the heat. The Latest, Uxique Brivar Ropes. — Some charming conceits are illustrated in wedding dresses, which are far more attractive than the regulation marriage garments, with their everlasting orange blossoros, Most exquisite is a dress for a lovely blonde bride in silver white satin, with the plain front perpendicularly trimmed with graduated bands of net, embroid- ered in wild roses, with crystal beads, the golden hearts being formed of am- ber beads, The drapery is in folds over the hips and forms train ; above the hem in front and about border of train at irregular intervals are placed sprays of golden-hearted wild white roses, with buds and leaves, and the loopings of the over-drapery are secured beuealis larger sprays of the same flowers, The pointed corsage, which is laced in the back, has about its lower edge a band of the crystal and amber bead em; - broidery, in smaller wild roses than those decorating the frent width of the skirt, Frills of handsome Brussels lace finish neck and sleeves, with wreaths of small artificial wild roses below the lace at the throat and above on the sleeves, A garland of roses, buds and leaves is secured on the left shoulder and is pass- ed diagonally across the corsage frontand allowed to fall in a cluster of spray over the edge of the waist, below the right hand. The Brussels net veil reaches the edge of train and is secured en the head beneath the wreath of wild roses. . The gloves are of white kid, stockings ilk and shoes of the dress ma. terial. A perfectly superb toilet had the skirt of embossed velvet in floral effects, the heart of each flower being embroidered in clear diamond- cut beads, The edge of skirt was fin- ished with fine side pleatings of satin 15: ussels lace, waist, over which was worn a jersey The effect of this robe was most brill- iant, for the prismatic beads*radiated The rich lace veil mond necklace and earrings perfected the magnificent toilet. The combina- tion costumes in brocades, velvets and plushes with rich plain silks and satins are now very fashionable for bridal purposes. These fabrics are not always in white, pale tints being in favor. PRETTY EVENING DRESSES, — A most becoming dress for a brunette can be made after a foreign model, of pink Bengaline, with its short skirt covered with alternating flounces of white lace and white gauze, embroidered with white silk. The paniers are of pink Bengaline, with a pink satin sask bow on the pufl at the back. The high bodice is laced in the back ; pink roses are worn—also pink silk stockings and pink satin shoes, An entirely novel evening toilette has the short skirt of lilac satin, pleated at the lower edge and trimmed up the entire front with puffs of a plain sheer lilac fabric, The back is formed of embroidered gauze, in large polka dots, arranged in a deep puff, with the fullness forming a deep overskirt, reaching to the skirt pleating. The waist is of purple velvet, trimmed across the front in festoons with tassel- ed ends, Square-cut neck, short sleeves, both finished with lace frills and red TO8es, Flowers are much used as evening dresses, Garlands of flowers reach from the left shoulder to the point of bodice, and often is carried round the figure, over one hip and down to the bottom of the skirt at the side. On short dresses for dancing, garlands are placed over the hems, Favored flowers are wild roses, daisies, heart’s-ease, lilies and vine leaves, such as grapes and small- leafed vines, ——— Great Mortality among Found- lings. Unhappy is the lot of the infant de- serted by its natural protector and cast upon the mercies of Chicago charite ble institutions. Of 125 foandlings admit- ted into the home for the friendless dur- ing the year 1882, no less than 97 died in the institution, and several died after being given away to private individu- als, For this reason the directors of the home have decided to accept no more babies, and, as the foundling’s home is already over crowded, the waifs of the doorsteps will bave nowhere to go. It is evident that some immediate action must be taken for the care of these unfortunate infants, and a mag- nificent chance for the exertion of prac- tical benevolence is opened to the charitable public. Lieutenant Dunwoody, U., 8, A, - Disbursing Officer of the National Board of Health, complained to the po- lice that his desk had been robbed. He accused the watchman. The latter was arrested, searched and released. He says it was a SPUapioy” on Dun Woudy’s prt,
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