Ma; Basket*. Open tho window, Margin, And drow tho screen awn;; M; lite Un dull December, But iny heart's IUI young *H May. listen ' The laugh of children ' Tin a foolish thought, 1 know, But it tuimU tneol one May morning Seventy ynnrn ago, When a tnerry troop ol children Wukcmsl the quiet street Willi babble ol talk ami laughter, And swinging, like censers sweet. The dear old-time May-baskets, ltihlouied, and pink and white With the blessed bloom that gladdened The gloom of the l'llgnma' night. And I know by the robin'* carol, Ami the tender green I see In the top* of the dear old willowa, That the May will come to me. Margie, the went ol May-flowers ' 1 anrely, Burely know Thkt one *wect breath! Could lite south wind Bring It HO tar ? They grow A mile away on the hillaide. But thcre'a a knock at the door; t>h lor an hour of quiet, l'o live my May-dnya o'er ' What'* tlu* ? " From Karl and Carrie. Oh, let my chair lie rolled Just there—into the sunshine— And give me them to hold ' I knew their breath, dear Margie ; Forgive these foolish team, But God lias ent these May-rtowef* Across the seventy your* ' —Alary A. t.nthhury. k Man Without Enthusiasms. >. I think that neither of us could have ■nalyand or aalisfaetorily explained our mutual attraction, hut ft is certain that my old claw-niate Man.son and I were hist friends, lie was a most lovable fellow, hut had begun, long before our college course eatne to an end, to show that apparent lack of interest in life that distinguishes what we tall a hhuc man; and this at times to a degree at once amusing and exasperating. Not long ago a party of us. in the pleasant smoking-room of a Pacific steamer, were talking aliout one of our fellow-passenger*—rather a tmor speci men of this class—then of the class it self; and the oldi st member of the little group, who had l>een lighting his cigar very deliberately with the little wire which one dips in spirits of wine, re sumed his seat with the remark, delivered with gfi-atemphasis: " M ell, gentlemen. it's a dreadful thing for a young man to have no enthusiasm. 'I ho expression brought Man son to my mitul. Ido not know why I had not thought ofhit. '- fore, hut retniniseenee* ■ow crowded in rapidly upon mo and 1 sat for some moments looking cut at the blue waves of the Pacific, and oblivious of the nice points of the discussion. Finally it scented opportune to me to narrate to the party some of the circum stance* under which my friend and T had bis'n thrown together. He was, as our old schoolmaster once said. " fortunate in his choice of a father," and 1 feared that the tendency which I have mentioned would lie developed by a life of virtual idleness; and when we had parted, and I only knew of his do ing* through his letters, and those of mutual Acquaintances, tjiere was every reason to believe that my foreboding* wen' correct, lie made a short trip to Europe, a region which he described as "slow." and tlmn nominally entered on a business life. Hi* abilities were ex cellent. and his perceptions quick, but after he had been for some time partner in a firm, a friend wrote me that wlmn he met him in the street, and asked him where his office was. lie received the reply; " I don't know. They've moved since I've heen there." 1 was traveling some years later from India to Europe. We had a fine steamer from Calcutta, and some most agreeable people on lsmrd. It was just i.hout the time that some of the offirent who had served in the mutiny were getting their furlough, and fine fellow* they were My room-mate, a stout, jolly-looking man with red side-whiskers, was in the Residency at Eueknow, and was suffer ing from a wasting disease, hut lie was a good shot and tin y could not spare him ; and lie used to tell me how, when tiiey had loaded Ids rifle, they would prop him up on his mattress until lie could sight a sepoy and then sink back again. All these men had Is-cn through terrible CXperi enei-s, but they were delighted at going home, and were generally- in the highest spirits. I remember that they would not " turn in" at all the night that we ran up the Gulf of Sue/, and they were eager to get ashore in the morning. We went up to the hotel built around a courtyard, and found a French woman singing "II Baclo" in the shrill'-st of voices to the aceompani ment of sundry instruments played by eompatriots in fez raps. Even the aqunlid bazaar seemed preferable to this, and we were turning to go thither, when I saw, leaning against a pillar mv old friend Minson; and hut that he had a "puggery"on his hat, lie looked for all the world just as lie had looked manv times at a performance of "Trovatore" or " Favorita" in the old days at Boston when the supernumeraries were all from •or class, i was delighted to meet him, presented him at once to my party, and insisted on his going to Cairo with us. Fie assented with the remark that he sou I<l not he more bored there than lie had lieen at Sue*. My companions ap preciated his fine qualities, and, as they grew better acquainted, were disposed to " chaff" him a little about his eccen tricities. Some time before we renched aur destination he had been telling us experiences on arrival in Egypt. He had intended to go to Bombay, hut had 1 changed his mind nt Suez the day before we arrived. "Fellows talked to me aliout grand i Cairo." said he, "called it nn epitome of j the "Arabian Nights," "I'ortal of the Orient," and all that sort ol thing. I kagan to think that 1 might nmusc my self for a day there, Our steamer was ' ale; we were sent through by express. | remaining ten minutes in the Cairo sta tion ; and all that 1 saw of the " I'ortal of the Orient." looking with sleepy eyes througli the win<l>\T of the mil WHY carriage, was an Englishman in a tweed suit and a sun-hat, standing before a re freshment bar and calling out; 'Two ami sixpence for a bottle of soda water? Gracious!'" Soon nfter that lie went to sleep, and just as we rolled info (he station I re member that one of the party awakened him by shouting ill his ear: " t'aasen gcrs for Sodom and Gomorrah will change ears!" \\ e had hardly time to see the mosque of Mclicmct All and buy some attar oft roses, when we were hurried oil' to Alex andria, so that our only sight of the Pyramids was from the train. None of us wen> " griffins," but those miriest ic structures command Interest at all times, and then we had borrowed that won derful book, "Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid," front the captain of the steamer, and read it carefully, so that we were as eager as schoolboys. 1 shall never forget the scene which ensued. We were craning our necks to get the first sight, and two or three of us cried out. "There they are!" Mansoii had been leaning back in his seat with an c\- liression of weariness on his countenance, le raised himself slightly with his , hands, took one look, and sunk hack in his old place with the remark: "One more sensation gone!" it. The summer of fsft was an unusually j hot one in China. Residents of Sliang j lial passed their time in an artificial tem perature produced by " punkahs" hung j over desks, dining-taliles and beds—in j deed, in every practical situation. The ! despotic, implacable sun rose each morn | ing as if invigorated for a new career of persecution, and mocked at bamboo | shades, blinds and even filed roofs. 1 Crews of vessels coming up the river ! were driven from aloft, and strong men, | like tliCSliunainiteboy in Scripture, cried I out, "My head! my head!" In the lat j t r part of September came the lir-t re. lief—cool nights; t hen, at last, refreshing days. I was dressing one morning, with a serene satisfaction in the thought that I might put on a flannel instead of a linen coat, when my " boy" Announced, I "One pieci-e gentleman hah got down 'side; wnntchiv *• you." Stretched out on an cxtcnsion-chair on the veranda I I found, on descending, my friend Mansoti. Kcs(snoing tomv delighted and surprised ' greetings, lie told me that lie had sud denly made up his mind to visit the far • East, and had started without reflecting that lie would reach India and Southern ■ China at just the wrong time. He bad ■ been nearly dead with heat, narrowly • escapist a sunstroke at Canton, and wa eaught in a typhoon between Manilla and Hong Kong. 1 bad a room made ready for him, found him a gi*nl Canton *>T vant and introduced hint at the dub. 11" w jut unanimously voted a success. • To people as busy AN we all were with the new season's teas, a pi rfcctly lazy ■ man was a refreshing spvtaele; and his languid indifference and dry conversa tion were declared extremely "good .form." In a few week* I made up tin mind to . take a two or three days' holiday and carry out a cherished plan of a I mat- I trip on tlie Vangtsze. anil Manson agr>s*d to accompany me. We had a large . " house-boat" of < liitlese model rig ' —a fair sailer and very comfortable; and our boys—Ah Wing and Ah I loW—ei mk were *urc to give i u* good I was oliligisl. on lu - ! count of tldVlim** of my " luwdah." or captain, to engage a new one at short , notice. I did not know mueli about him, anil did not iike his look*, but I never ,! dreamed of any trouble with him or Hie crew which lie engaged. There wae a I gun-rm k in tin- cnbiti. and 1 had put in a couple of Enfield rifles Imlotiging to the vnlttnt'-ers and two Sharp's rill'* • from the hong, thinking that we might compare Heir performance at a target. Maiison, to my amusement, adtbsl to the armory an elephant rifle, carrying a heavy ball, wlth-h lie bad brought from f Ceylon, and his own old Kentucky hunt ing rifle, which lie had been "hacking." ! lie said. againt all others. I laughed at , tin* battery (little thinking what I was I to owe to it), and threw in a couple of ! j revolvers to complete our assortment. 1 shall never forget the sail down the WOBgpOO, or Shanghai river, that pk a-- ant afternoon. To appns-inte the cool ; breeze from the southwest one must J have endured the sufferings of the sum mer, and it m-emed to blow rather from sonic breezy upland "at home," than j from the low-lying, damp paddy-fields. As we left the settlement behind I felt like a hoy having a first holiday, and even fan-led that the ordinary sunset re. milldisl me of some of the gorgeous ones I had seen in more favonsl latitudes. We passed Wiewung and the dilapidated earth-works below, round is! I'aousltan I'oint, and ran a long way before wcan jchored for the night. In Hie morniug we were under way in good season, amt bore for the north shore. We ium otir coffee and toast, and were sitting aft. when Ah Wing, my favorite MT vant, as clever and "plucky " a hoy as ever wore a pigtail, came aft to speak to me. " Master," said he, "jussee now ml see two plereejunk come. Mi thinkec he no good junk. Mi fear lich'long lal lee-loon (they are indrones or pirates). Mi nskee that lowdali—lie motif no spcakeeploppn ! (his mouth doe* not answer me prop erly). He say junk b'long he lien (is his ; friend). Mi welly fear lie no good man." I ran forward and looked at the two junk*. We had changed our course and were running west, with the wind on our hentn. They were coming toward us, hut iwitli considerably to the north, and one more so tl:*n the other. Their character was-unmistakable, as was the expression on the lowdall's faee. Hespokc a few words of pidgeon English, anil on my telling him to turn, said with a grin; " No wan. nee go Imek Shanghai." There was not a moment to lose. I had not even time to explain matters to Man son. It anything can make one i think and act quickly, it is the approach of Chinese pirates, i jumped down the companion-ladder, seized a large revol ver, loaded and capped, concealed it un | der my coat, and told Ah Wing to come forward with me. A* I passed Msnson, who ww molly smoking, and asked no ! questions, I whispered: ! " Stand by the helm, and wait for the I word, in ease of pe-d." I told Ah Wing. In as mild a tone as I ; could command, to tell the lowitah that 1 he had misunderstood me, and that I wanted him to turn around. He was off ! his guard, and replied In a rapid Chinrac ] Sentence, and with a chuckle. 1 "He talkee no wantchee," said Ah ! Wing. j The man was nothing to me at that | moment but a mad dog. Why I did not ; blow hi* brains out I do not know. I had j hacked up to flic rail and could put my ] J hand on n sort of In-laying pift. I think J J I even calculated the force of the blow that laid him out on tin'deck, Ix-foro the villainous grin was off liin face. Tbere were five men in the crew. One was steering, two 1 pitched down the little hatch, which I secured. The others, thoroughly frightened, did IIH Ah Wing, not a had sailor himself, told them. Mannon put the helm hard down, and in a moment we liad come nhout, the sails wore dtawing, sad we were well to wind ward, and under full headway. 1 gave my revolver to Ah Wing, directions as to what he was to do; and no "Cau casian " could haveobeyed more prompt ly and intelligently. We dragged the to wdah aft, and pinioned hands and feet, l in anticipation of his coining to himself. Manson liad the helm, and 1 asked him to give it to one of the crow. All Wing was then told (and to this day, I re member how curiously the pidgeon Kng lish contrasted with the grim Qatiire of the eommuniention) to make it clear to the helmsman, that if the boat went one inch to leeward of Iter course, and to the two sailors that if they moved, except under orders, from the positions in which ! they were placed—covered by the revol ver—they were dead men. " You sain- due?" fyou perfectly under stand) I asked Ah Wing. lie was one of the few Chinamen who have what the plainsmen happily call land, or dogged grit, and I saw it in his eye as he cocked tin* revolver and replied: "Alia lightee (all right)! Mi can do." "At your leisure," snid a caul voice, "perhaps you will tell tne what tliis is all ahout, :.nd Manson lighted a fresh cheroot. I explained to him that we had hareiy eseajHsl destruction by trench- and were even then in a dire strait. We could not expect to sail a.s fast as the pirates, and our only hope was in their being so far to leeward, and in range of 1 our rifles. 1 was perfectly sure of my man, and there was positively none in my whole acquaintance whom I would so readily have with tic as my old friend, the tilu.ii, indifferent, dilettante Manson lie shook me by tic hand, and said in a ehis-ry voice, wholly unlike his ordinary one: "All right, old fellow, we'll Is-nt them." A more impetuous though equally brave mail Would have been far less ejlf i lent. Indeed, nothing could have been filer than his behavior. The rilh-s, six in numlH'r, were brought up and laid side by sideon the topof tic cabin. All How told nc that Ic " sals* loailts* that gun," and to my great surprise, our old fat eiMik ("Buddha," we used t (l rail him, as his eountenatiee expressed tic idea oi eternal rib-nee and P-M) volunt's-nri his serviei-s in this line AS well. Tlcn we settled down to our work.no old Paladin or Viking cv< i more collected and delib erate. and at the sane tine showing more of the tftiuiliinn cr/unii'iiM than our old used-up. I*red memltcr of the class of 186 . Could we keep those jnnlu oat of jinga! range until we reeled a place of safety? Tlcy had high stern-, and tie steersman could he plainly seen. .Man son took lii Kentin kv rille, knelt down away aft and aiuxd slowly and careful ly. Almost simultaneously I succeeded in "drawing a I*-ad" on a large man in the bow of tic junk nearer to us. .lust as the rifles nuked sic fell off visibly and bst way before the dead st., rxmaii could he p-iilaccd. nor was the large Ulan again visible. " I am afraid I can't do as well with tic elephant rifle," -.aid M uisoii, " hut I can try. 1/t us l>oth tire eoutlnuallv at tics*.. rsncn '' We did no. with vary ing suet is*. Ah How and tic took loaded rapidiy and well, hut tic rifle* were soon somewhat lented, ami the hreecji.loader* mlss'sl (Ire several tinx- Ihe iunks were hcnvilv mane d and I coiliii quickly fill the pliM< *of those whom we shot. I Icy also arranged some kind of protection for the helms men. although we id'-reeil it mor. titan once. I Ugan to p*l terribly wolliti, and so tllbsl with rag-.' nt om antago nists that 1 could only with difficulty control myself sufficiently to aim delib erately; litit my frien<l never slutw.d signs ~f an acceleration of hi* jmise. A r. gulnT as .-liK-k-w ork Ic took the gun from tic Chinaucn. and never lip.l a second before his aim was perfect. We n-*t<*l n short tine at last to take a survey of the situation, and could not , disguise from ourselves that it was ser ious, The junk* were nearer, and we were still quite a l'ng vvav from I'aou slian. Tlcre was nothing for it hut to go to work again, and we did. For ten minutisor more we k pt up an he * sant lire, and. although vv<- evidently did much damage, the <li-taice Ix-tw* n u- and tlcm bsQ hern perceptibly im seneil. We must oon exjeet t.i hear the report of jinga}*. It enmr in a moment more, and the clumsy hall fell hut little short of u*. Manson turned to me. still cheery and cool. " I lieljeve tie re is a foreigner there," -a. i Ic, " who is directing and inspiring tlcm. lie has escaped u* thus far. If 1 can get a sight < f him and can hit him. I believe we shall get rid of this junk. Since you picked that last steersman of tic hindmost one she has fallen off | decidedly. Well, that is not so liad," lie continued, a* a jingal hall struck the ina.vt. lie asked Ah How to let him load the Kentucky rifle hir self, and mvasurcd out the powder, wrapped the hall in a scrap of htiekskin and rammed it rareftilly home. Tlcn lie knelt down and watelcd his chance. All this time All Wing had kept his eyes and the re volver on tic steersman. and our Iw.at had done her Ix-st. Tlcjingnl hails were getting uneomfortahly frequent, and it was only a small satisfaction to me to have sent HII F.nfield bullet through the head of one gunner, just a* Ic wa* getting his sight. All at once 1 heard the report of Manson's rifle and the quiet remark fn.in him -. " Habet 1" I saw the junk fall off. saw manifest confusion on board, saw an owning for two or three good sliot.s, and bail seised a fn-sli gun, when I heard Ah How cry: " Master, hah got steamer. welly near," Hardly one ol us had glanced ahead for half an hour. As for the si*Tsman and tic crew, they had clearly hut one thought, and thai was—to save their heads. It was with a strange fcclingnf relief and satisfaction that 1 saw ft.M. gunboat Petulant putting along toward us. In five minufi-x sic was alongside, and I saw my friend l.ieutcnant (irn ham's lolly face over her rail. " What the deuce is the row, old fel- 1 low?" lie asked In a perplexed way. I explained as briefly as possible, and told him that I thought we had almost fin- ] Ishrd the job, hut lie was welcome to the rest of It. He could hardly wait for me to finish my story. "You won't MM with us, then? , Well, good-bye, old fellow. See you in Shanghai. Full snuri abend! Beat to quarters! Isxik rfHßp now, and clear away the how-gun • In leas than five minutes we heard its ; report, and the shot cr.i-h Into the. junk's side. We had had fighting enough for that day and concluded to push on forborne. The iunks had gone about, hut we knew that they were doomed, and the roar of the broadside soon informed us that it would he quick work. All Wing never moved, lie would have kept that revolver pointed at the ('bitumen until doomsday, had I not told him that he might put it away. Ah I low and " liundlia" took the guns below, and made everything tidy, and we had hardly rounded i'aouslian Point when Ah Wing came up and said : "That cook maker enquire what thing you llkcc chow chow " (eat). We had a jolly dinner tile next night. Lieutenant < Iridium and a coutde otitis officers eanie just in time. They had handed the survivor of tic iunks'crews over to the Chinese authorities, in whose care our I'aseiilly lowdah also was. They had made short work of their light, and had no casualties. When the eloth was removed, I tried to get Manson to make a speech, hut the only thing I could get him to say was that he was never less bored in his life than during the skirm ish. I have not seen hill) for years, lie drifts -between the Old aluf the N'cvv World, and when I last wrote to him I quoted Hawthorne's expression about I the danger of doing so until the only in heritance left him in either was the six 'feet for his final resting-place. But, as I had Itefore insisted to my group in tic j smoking-room, it is a great mistake to ! judge by appearances, and I am surer of nothing than that I shall never see a | liner fellow, on this side of Jordan, than j my friend, tiie man without enthusiasms, j — finrilmcr. Hoses. From time immemorial tic rose has 1 111-en esteemed a* tile pre-eminent flower. Tic Creek- ilcilcntcd it to Aurora, the goddess of Morning, a- an emblem of i youth, from its freshness and fragrance, aiiii to Cupid, a* an emblem of Aigaeity and danger, from its transitoiiix anil its thorns. It was given by the god of 1/ive to ilarp<M rates, the god of .silence, | as a bribe, to prevent him from Is-tray ing Venus. Alld because of this pretty 1 mythological fancy it was sometimes sculptured on the ceiling* of hnnqtu ting , rooms to remind the guests that what was said in hour- of conviviality ought not to he repented: and from tlii* cones ! the familiar "under the rose," or sttb j mmt. Cn-ian pel* -ay that the rose was originally white, and was <-hang<d to reil. eitlcr by the bliss! of Venus, who | n • rated Icr f>*-t with its thorns wlcn rustling to tin- nid of Adonis, who. in I the prine of hi- famed beauty, was kiihsj and mangled by a wild lxnr: or. accord ing to -nme, by the hiood of Adoni himself. TIM-SC 'poets say that the ex quisite perfume of tic rose j. dcrivsl from a cup of nis'tnr thrown over it by , t upid. and that ' it- thorn- are tie stings of the li* with whit it tin are of hi- I tow was strung." Tic Koiimn- a:-o r.ix *>r> si tic rose." Hx ir lianqueting-rooni- wep tin nl with it* li-nvos : tlcir <li-lcs garnished w Itll it: they wore garlands 111 it at their f< .'ist*. and tbeir ladles' favorite p< rfutne wjis ro-e water. The Persian* Ix-lieve tiiat in spring tie nightingale flutter- and eomplnfns about the ro-i till-hes. until Ic fall* to the 1 ground, charmed and narcotized. a* it wTC, by the *u lit I l *, d< liciou- ~nd most ' powerful trior. This jirettx fable < f the sweet bird singing and sighing for tie Ix-aiitiful and ambrosial flower of it o\ i- told hy t In- p<* t \ ttar. in a work railed " Bulhul Nam- li." tlx lsik of tlx nightingale, like this: "Tic world of liird* ennc before King Solomon. charg ing the nightingnlt with tli-'nrhing tlx-ir rest hy 11. hi.... .1 j.rxi plaintive warb ling that ail night long he trills in a sort ••f frenzy or intoxi<nlh>n. Tlx nmisil liinl i* summon.*!, questioned. and ne : quitted hy the wi*e man. and tlx night ingale - defence i- that he cannot sup* jir--- hi- | i--inn.il'- and pallet! laiixnl, in* aue his intense IOVI for tliequis li of flower* has distract'*! him " In France, in the middle ages, the knights at :i tournament wore emhmid '•n-d on their *!•* ros<' as an • mhleni that gentl' ii'--- should accompany cour age, alxl that Ix.'llllV is the p-wanl of valor. Alsiiit tlii- time, t.ni, in France - the flower* W'T- esteemed so privioUs that note hut tlx wealthy and influential w.-re pcrmitlisl to cultivate them, ami Safer tenant* were ta\<*l "so manv hu-lie]* of row - that were used for rose ! water not only, hut for covering the table* instead of napkin*." There are jVw ja'rsons who have not some *ad or pleasant memory conne<i*| with tlii* interesting flower. There are the ro*. * that grew in tlcir paje. wild loveliness on the gn-'-n hillside, where we played with the laughing, romping triend* of our i-hildlinoii; there are the ro*.-- that grew big and red and fragrant beside the ga(<-. or the old shine wall o| the dear old lmnie—or eliinhrsl to the very riK<f. dangling, d w v and delii ions, I * fore tic window if the little room in which we s-it jn the silvery moonlight or golden sunlight, years and years ago, wlx-n the Ix-art was young and the brow unwrinkUri, dreaming of splendid jw>s*i l.iiities n-\er to t*> realised. Tliere i* the dead rose, old and si* nth***, hidden away in some dark, locked ris-eptaele, a memento of an nftiH'tlon that has jierisli ed—of v beloved one that has passed nut of our live* forever. Then' are the white nwc* worn by the joyous bride, or lying on a coffin fid, or fdossoming on the grave of tic dentrst, the ls-*t, anil tic lost. KviTy wliere. in mirth or mourning, in sorrow or in gladness, in remembrance or in hfipe, in seines of gayetv or in haunt* of despair, the roe, tic flower of flower*, bring* to u* its henutinu* pre*, eicc or some inti-p-iting assoi-iation. The Way to l)a It, There i* nothing like t:ict to help one over tlcnmgh |dai*'sof life. In asteam- INIOI cabin the man who persistently stands before the light is around. Party •villi newspaper, after trying ionganit usnuece**fully to read in the otter's shade, finally gives his sorrow worrls: hut he diM-s it in such a ooM-grnined manner that lie gets "sasscd nai-k, lie sides Icing lauglieil at hy all present. Which is not pleasant. Now, mark the man of tact. Sweetly smiling, he says, with an alMi-quintis handing of the head: " My dear sir, I leg your pardon for men tioning it; but your silhouette as it falls athwart my paper, though eminently pleasing to contemplate, nevertheless In- : terferes just a trine with my perusal ol the content* of the sheet." Say some thing like this, or refer jmlltely to the absence of windows In Ids head, and not only will Ic not lie offended, hut lie will love you with a love surna-sing that of woman.— tto*fo it Tranvrifd. It Is the duty of gate pools to stand by each othi r. I TIM F.I. Y TOPICS. 'Hires years ago an Knglishnian named Ilehron was eonvieted of murder, and narrowly escaped Ihe scaffold The man Place, who was hung recently, confessed that he had committed the murder for whii'h Hebron was undergoing punish ment: and now the British government Is taking step* to compensate Hebron for the wrong done to him hy the law. Facts about til" city of Ismdon are always interesting, and we find a few in the ' ornhUl Mtu/azinr■. Ismdon is sprejul : over aliout 7.IKK) square miles. There is i one death there every six minutes, and j one birth i very four. The growth of the population is at tlx rat" of 75,000 a year, or 205 each day. The total lengtli of streets in Ismdon is about 7,(XKI mifi - ; there are built every year about tl.fiOO new houses, by which tlx- length of the streets is increased hy twenty-efglit miles. 111 the jails there is an average of 75.000 prisoners. The foreign-horn residents of Ismdori nurniier ahout Ktft,- <NK), hut thirty-seven per cent, of tlx whole fiopulation were born out of the , "ity- 11 is suggested in tlx- Washington /(> - JMHHR that in the event of anntlcr mine I disaster like that at Sugar Notch, Pa., where seven miners WEN imprison'*! live days hya fallen roof, the microphone could BR* used to :ul vantage, " Mr. K<ii- Son'S niieiophorie causes tlx footsteps of a fly or the growth of vegetation to sound as loud as tlx* noise nt A horse's IxMifs on the street pavi nx-nt. The idea intended to he conveyed I- that the mierophnne would discover the EXIST ENCE of life within tin- mine should tlx imprisoned miners resort to sound sig nals. A very simple code consisting of half a dozen signals might he generally taught for us'' in such ea-o* of iu* iil'-nl 1 An instrument which " causes tlx growth of vegetation to sound a: loud as the I ois* of a horse's ixsif* on the street pavement" must he something t< rrili in it- way! i _ _ Henry Smith did hi* California gold mining in a peculiar way. lie WA> A watchman in lie govrninent mint at San Frani'iseo. At the close of INI'LI day's work TLX employee- were thorough ly _ SEARCH'*! in-fore going out <<F Un building. and all of tlx- precious nx-tal on the PREMISE* WA> EARC fully lis ke.L UP. Then Smith went '>n guard for the night. In one of tlx- rooms under his charge was a strong iron tank, in which gr.l*Mll< - of gold w ere placed to B wash <*l. An iron cover was securely ]tek<*L on, hut through SI small hole r.M a ruh- LIER tube T<> carry a STREAM of wat'-r. Smith UN**'P'WlX| the tuts- every night, and. with a narrow S|>oon. removed a small quantity of gold. The 10-s waa SO small in each instance as to b* undis covered, and it waa only when tlx'thh-L WAS caught -■ iing tlx metal that LX was IQMORTM. IL<- COOFOMM that lx- ha niade F'JO.fxwi in two year* hy hi* op'-ra tion*. 'I lie IH AH of Mine. IK MAP xrt< and th* story of lx r marriagi that it naturally p-I I I <-- bring- TO mitxl tlx- F REN' h m;ir ri.tg- laws. It will )• r'inemlwp-d that tlx- N'-ap-T -h could come PI getting IXT SON legitimized waa the "fl'N ial d'VIANT tion that he W.-I* " a legitimate son of France." This was rather mop vague than satisfin tory ; and the occasion I- a fit one to I :ILI to mind the peril* of mar rying a Frenchman. No Frenchman can marry without tlx CONSENT of hi paprnts, or, if T! \ an- d< a<l, of lii* grandparents. IFLX i* over twenty-five, and they p-fi:-/-, he may SEND tlxin. through a public notary, thn* r- -pect fully-writti-n REQTV'STA two week* apart, aixl then tlx- mayor can authorizi liiin to pro-sal. If, however. In i* a I-r*"n "f POLITICAL prominence, this publhip of family dill' N n< '•* i- LA i'lv forhidd- n hy eii-tom. and tlx- SCANDAL of such pub licity iuut 1' NI "id'-d hy the nlmndon lix nt "I til" prop<"-cd marriage. That i*, the great' R loan tlx SON is, tlx' GREATER IS tlx- hold of his parent-* Tl|>on him . In a memorial tot'ongp * n-lativ t<- the coming een-u* "f the I'nitcd State*, the superint' ndent of the i* n-u* of Mr. K' nn> dv. gi\ <■* tlx- f dlowing statis tic* a* an illustration of tlx- stupendous P-suit* from a single hive of Is*-*, tnins port'sl to til" r.aiille cojist |e*,s than thirty yi-ar ago. Fmtn the single county of San Hi-go. California, in IsTfi tlx-re was shipped the astonishing figure of 1.250.000 pound*. In 1*77 tin re w IT" in that county 23.U00 eoloi ic* if bees, anal 111 one day. September 0. I*7*. there w< P sliip|M*l from that (mrt 7* barrels, 1.053 eac- and 1* tons; and that from and in eluding July 17 to November 10. I*7*, !<■** than four months, that one county cxport'sl over 1,000 barrel*, 14.544 ca-M *s and nearly 20 ton*. He wlm Wollld strike out (from the census report) Un it cm of honey, rould not have known, o great has the interest in this product lieeonie. that many i*ople in ('alifornia have from .'*xi to l.taxi hive*, nixl that over 100 people in one county have each more than 100 colonies of bee*. Accord ing to the Imnd<<n Sctrn of there arrived in NovendxT at Livi-rj'ooi *u ton* of honey, the product of the h'*-* of one individual, ana that a Mr. llodgc. iii the first W's-k of January ]a*t, laixhsj ion ton* nt a I/"ndon wliarf, theprodu.'t of California. The annual pnsiuit of honey has gn>wii to 35,000,000 pound* annually. _ No city in the republic, net even New- York, so swarms with ad ventures*'■* as Washington, which ha* for years been ■4lie chosen field of the bold, dangerous, wholly unprincipled tribe. They can lx <xunt*l hy humlp*ls; they are of every sort nnd ifegp*' They an- in t lie depart - nx-nts. at til" hotel*, at the booralog houses —every when-that a man can lx found. IMIIU'-'HI or frighten'sl. Their mission* an multifarious, and their movement* mysterious. They are seek- | ing positions; tliey are lobbyists: tiiey have, or their friends have, claims. | They need |>cr*onal, political, pcuniary aasistanee —indeed, all kinds, except the moral kind. Most of them are black mailers, They an- so crafty and treacherous that public men of reputa tion or means are afraid of. and always on the alert against, them. The late Salmon I*. Chase, we n-nd, would never, j during Id* ortVial life at the capital, we a woman lie did not know intimately, 1 except in the prewnrc „f witnesses, j Many Congressmen. Henatora and other : officeholders have, also made it a rule to receive no visits trow women alone. . The experiences of others, if not their own, ha* made them wary and appre hensive. There are, doubtless, many many men not afraid of any man. Wo ' question if there lie any man not afrahi of women. If tliere lx\ he lia* surely been in Washington. The New York tribune pays tlii* ' tribute t/> tbe memory of the late Mm Hale; " Mm. Surah J. Halo, who *1 i<-*t in Philadelphia, preached a sermon with every one of tier ninety-one y.-nrx to the prwtil <f n( ration of women. This good I-'mlv had, probably, no gr<*at genius, nor either i rentlv.- or executive ability as capital in life; *h<- never be strode any gnat idea, and with it help.*l to drag Jier age forward (or back ward). and herself into notoriety. She never fought for suflrap- or engineered any nartj reform, or feminine *<Vt or clique. Her literary work would nroimhly he '•ailed mediocrehy more lirilliant wwn>n. But it was alway*—what the work of but few women I®—- thoroughly *w<-.-t 1 healthy. Jier public work was al ways founded on (tome wholesome, clean, womanly feeling; the completion of the Bunker I (ill monument, the foundation of the Society for the Aid of Seamen, and above all the establishment of the beautiful New Kn gland festival of tbiuiksgiving a* a national holiday, are all due to her quiet, persistent cfrorte. More than this, left a widow and penni less, eiie reared and educated Iter five children and placed them honorably in the world. Her work legal, when she wae nixfi-n. and rhe only laid it down, to take a little rest," two yearn ago. at eighty-nine. How many eager, ambiti on-. overworked women of the pr<-*<-rit generation can offer a* fair a record? 'i'tc -cent lie. in tin- fact that .Mr- Hale had a thoroughly healthy ieelv. n strong will, firm control of temper, and that her life wan always a quiet and necludcd one." Through Japan. Our ne n -p. <1 on witfi their c.-wiex* chant, steering carefully among the rut* in the Handy trek, and when a plunge wan made,, i<M.king round with a merry amis-. \\ <■ rrnsxed wooden bridge*, and passed Shinto shrine* with the priest H Initio beside tliena like a man*. ; we climb'-d low hillH, where the mos*<-x and fenm were an vivid an at home; we ran hy the bank of a rapid river, then dkappeaied among narrow path* through the wcedl*-** fields, wound in and < in among tie walla and IIOUW-H of a village aa if we pro|K*>-d ti. visit.-very family in turn, and. without warning, emerged on a country rosul aa w ide ;ut one of our own. There were few bird* and few flowi>. and of the latter iitlie niop than some patches of chrysnnth' - mums, the purple hell of the egg-plant, and coxcomb* that Ht.iod six f.*l I,iij, and were Jsotnetimc* broad in projK.r lion. \\'.- m-t perambulator* packed with v- get able* on t h-ir way to market, and tm ii with the liamtioo should. r-i.lc innumerable; one carried sixteen har r<l*. Jirc-umahly empty, eight on <:v h • ■rid; and another rose from a well with -j• lit. ,ii -mall keg* of water; if on" ba-ket w.i full, a liaby, an umbrella or a hat wax slung into the other. M--- H'ngcp. in< t us. a sxvift ax Mueury. and no better elotbixl: and porter- pushed their load*; and farmer* with lirmwl hats prrsmxl forward on hu-iticHH to th< nearest town; hands of pilgrim* clothed in white, long stuff in hand, and wearing huge rosaries and ' wallop shell, witiiuxually one #i it lia.) alo ll about liix neck to keep the rest from starving, would stop a*w< went j hy. I.very one wa* good humor.d. and <\ <TV one said "Good morning" ("Ohaio"l. and the lsv* from school courtenied low as tliey did this pretty pie. C of uiann. r- ( nly the yellow role*! priesu, with shaven crowns an<l slv small . y es, looked at us askance, as it some evil SJK-CCII was in their heads. And aii tiie way it seemed as if every one was Is-nt <>n doing tie- oppomte of what xve do at home. The eow- had I "'Us on tiiejr tails in-tend of their neck*; the Imr*. * are cloth, dj n winter, them, n naked ; the bullocks w. ar straw shoes, carry an extra pair, and leave the worn ones untidily aisuit tj. *tr< < ts; tin- iiorse -land* in hi* -table with !ii head from the stall, and when he i brought out the rider mount* him from the right; when a> luaintaneex meet e.v li)u-nd'Tly shake* his own hand; jw>ple w rite down the , page, and the* kneel at dinner; tiie sailor Hi-w.x from hi in ;tlwarpent'T planes I to hint; the teeth of the saw and the thread of the screw run in tiie opposite direction to ours, ami tlieir lock- turn to the 1. ft; the hlack*mith pulls the bellows wjtli his f. st; the C.KIJST holds the tub xx 'th hi* t.H-s; house contractor* Is-gin to build fnm the poof; gardens are Watered from a little pail xvith • wooden ! s|Hain; it i* not the nightingale, but the crow, and that is their bird of love; the the lanthis an emblem of stupidity ; *ui <Meis a pleasure which ha* to IK- pre ven ted bv a royal decree; and it is a com - pliiuent to IK- called a goose.—-<,VKS/ lior.fr. A Hath in the Bead Sea. \ correspondent. after bathing in the H'-el S.-a, <]<-seril>es hi* exj-erien.-ein the following words: The water, which is quite clear, and nearly the color of the Niagara river below the falls, seemed to me a little more hitter and sally than that of Salt lake, although brighter and mors attractive to the eye when s en close at hand. Its supporting power struck me aa a little greater, also, than that of Salt lake, as the body floated mop* easily, and the difficulty of swimming was greater on account of the inability to keep one's ft* t under water. So large a quantity of sal! i* held in solution that the w at. r ha* what is called, I twlieve. a "ropy" ap pearance. much like that of a plate of well-made tapioca soup. 1 observed, however, that when we came out of the water there was not so large a deposit of salt crystals on the body as after a bath in Salt lake and the feeling of the skin, int<-ad of being dry and prickly ax 1 ex pected. was rather oily and sticky. Our dinner that night was season.*] with salt made from ICIM1 Sea water by solar evaporation. It was a little lighter in color than the leat article of brown sugar. lls*crystals wore large and hard, and, t hough foreign sulxstaneea were evident ly present in considerable quantity. It wax not unpleasant to tie taste. I was told that two quarts of water will produce one quart of salt, but this is probably an exagpTation. To complete the statist it* of tlii remarkable liody of water. 1 may add. what many of my read.T* mav al ready know —that then- is no living thing of any kind in it; that even the drift wood brought down hy Uie floods in the Jordon is spoedly east ujKn its shores; that its length is about forty-five and Its greatest width about ten miles; that it is over 1.300 fiet at its deepest pojnt . that the immense quantity of fresh water poured into it daily is uiidoubt.xUy taken tip hv evaporation, as its great depth lxe lowtlie basin of the Mediterranean must preclude the Idea of a subterranean out let. The people of Petrolia.. Pa., recently witnessed the unusual Spectacle of seeing an oil train shoot through the town with the rapidity of lightning and a number of the ears on fire. With considerable difficulty the balance of the train WM saved jtm ttcyond the town.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers