Indian Summer. Oh! those days, Autumn days! Whon the languid earth lies dreaming, In a sort of golden haze; When amidst the verdant woodlands Stand the maples all ablaze; pr" ftold and crimson, brown and orange. [ How they rise, (Rowing pyramids ol color, Tot ho skies When the summer tasks are done, I And the song-bird southward's gone, [And 110 sound Stirs tiie voiceless, breathless lorest, Save whon, lar away and seldom, , The ripe acorn strikes the ground; iOr when leaves, With a melancholy rustle, And unstirred by any breeze, Circling downward Irom the ttcea, Spread around A rich carpet brighter tiutod Then the cunning Persian weaves. Oh" these days, | Autumn days' Who can pnint the g!ow and glory Of these halcyon autumn days ? ' THE ROYAL ZULU. A TALK. KOI'NDEO Ot* PACT. Beneath the shade of a grove of palm a Zulu maiden knelt in prayer on the morn ing of the fatal twenty-second of January, IK7(. lier face was pretty beyond most of her country-women, and her small hands and fret, her distinguishing orna ments and graceful form bespoke her 'lie daughter of some powerful chief. Rut strange, considering her nationality, were the words of supplication which flowed front iter lips its she raised her clasped hands to heaven. Not from witchcraft or enchantment, or from the equally powerless deities of tier nation, did she seek for help, but from Him only, the one true God, Jehovah. "Father!" shecried, "to whom all the ends of the earth look for help in trouble, hear me for the sake of Jesus. The evil spirit of war and persecution has conic down and entered my father's kraal, and Cetywayo has folded his hands and bowed his ear to listen. ID has sworn I todrink the blood of thr white men, and eat up all the Christian Zulus of his nation. Oh, Great Father! in this hour of trio,, keep Cassatonga and me faithful to thyself!" At this moment a movement beside her caused the worshiper to turn around, and she beheld a stately war rior standing near her, leaning on his black shield. His eyes were fixed with unspeakable love on the youthful form before him. "1.u01a," tie said, "your prayer for me is answered; I can tight no more for Cetywayo. Lait night the murder, indescribable in cruelty, of Sirayo's wives, for their adherence to the Christian faith, proves what little mercy the king would show toward any one, even yourself, were you to oppose his will; and though it is our duty to bear persecution when it comes, it is no doubt equally madness to provoke it. Here we can no longer stay without de claring our faith, and therefore we must fly with all haste to Ilelpmakaar. You know the good missionary there, the same who taught us the will of the Great Master, and beneath his care you will be safe from your father's wrath. This alternative is the only one |< ft to us, and 1 feel it is the right one. Will you eotue'now, Luola* My horse stands readv in the thicket." " I will." And though the hand ex tended to him trembled. the voice was steady that decided their fate. "By Rofke's Drift is our shortest road." he said, as they reached the tree where hi* horse was fastened, and plac ing the princess on its back, tie mounted behind tor. and turned Ids steed in the direction of the Buffalo. They traveled for some hours with ex'reme caution, skirting every kraal nnd open ground, till at length they arrived at u iarge thickly plan to! wood, in which they hoped to find an hour's repose. Rut they had scarcely dismounted ere tlm roar ol artillery and tire cracking of rifles, mingled with wild yells, were heard In the aistani-e, and Cassntonija hastened to conceal his royaljiliarge be tore endeavor ing to discover the cause. Hiding I.urda and his horse in the densest part of tlie grove around him, he selected a lofty tree, whose thick branches would be a shield in themselves. Gliinhing with the agility ol his nation to the topmost houghs, lie beheld the fatal field of Isan dula spread out before hint. Amaze ment at the vnex peeled sight and deep admiring pity flashed 111 his eyes as lie looked on the tiny band of white men wtio, shoulder to shoulder, received un flinchingly the masses of his country men, as they - wept down upon them. The first emotion of his heart was to fly to the aid of the devoted column, but the thought of his bride restrained ' him, and lie sank ha k among the shel tering leaves. Straining his sight over the awful plain, lie could distinguish his •vn fierce regiment, although foremost in the work of death, yet not so preoc cupied therewith as to be unconscious of the plunder which lay ground, pausing even in the butchery to collect cattle, atop-- and wagons to be driven to their distant kraals. Horror and disgust filled his now enlightened .soul. " Why do those English soldiers stand there, he asked himself, as the breath eame •uiekiy through his laboring chest, "on that plain of Africa. far away from their island lioni's, to be shot down, steady in their matchless ranks, by their swarthy foes?" His own heart gave him the reply; "Tosave helpless women from the savage butchery he beheld ieet night; to gum d the gray hairs of old age from going down to a terrible grave beneath the real or feigned imputations of witch craft and divination; and. above all. to tench the pure faith of the Gospel where reigned the degrading demonology of bis native land.' His dark eyes biased and hi.', uulses throbbed as these thoughts surged through his mind, nnd he pressed his bands ovei his aohlilg eyeballs as he bowed himself to the service of that flag which shelters freedom and truth be seath its folds, j Rut meanwhile the worg of denlli I went on. Those who were sent for help to Knrke's Drift were, alas! shot or a*e gaied; few, how few ' readied the river, r and Gassatonga beheld with dismay thpt tin Zulus were scattering toward the lb if- Gould he skiit tiie wood and reach the ford before them with his precious charge? was now his anxious ; thought. Descending quickly from Ids position, lie found the trembling f/Uola b terrified at Ids long also nee. lie <|e #rrit#ed the nwftil suene he bad just wit nessed. and told her of the immediate I necessity for endeavoring to it.its the livsr. The l>loo<l <>f the lion-like founder of her dyniuity (lowed in Euola's vein*, and though convinced of imminent danger, alio wiui not wanting in courage. "bet us BO," she said: (Sod will help UH and 1)0 our shield." Remounting, they rode on till tlmy came to the edge of the wood, when a new Uanwr menaced them, whleh tested to the almost the fleetness of theirstoed. Rarely out of range of rifle shot, some scattered parties of Zulus wi re coming toward them. Cassatonga knew well he could give no reason for not being with his troops, anil the daughter of the king was not unknown. Were alio seized and conducted hack to her father lie dared not think of her fate. I'rging his horse to a gallop, lie cleared the wood, and by carefully placing every hill and eluuip <( bushes between him and the savagi s, he sui cmlcd in making several miles undiscovered. Rut just as lie and l.uola were begin ning to hope they might escape un noticed a yell in the distance told that they were seen- Now was llie hour of trial for horse and riders. The uoblc animal seemed hardly to touch the ground as he flew over the plain, the wild yells of the Zulus ringing behind . At length the hauks of the Buffalo rose high before them, and Cassatonga real i/eii with horror that ho had not time to look tor the ford, and that lie must only trust his nearly exhausted com panion and breath less horse to the perils of a plunge from those lofty hanks. Rut it was their last hope of safety; they must do it or die. At length they reached the hank, which rose full six feet aliove the stream . Cassatonga held the princess tightly in his arms, and the horse's nostrils dilated and his eyes shot tire as he gazed 011 the torrent heneath . Rut not a second did the noble animal waver; obedient to his master's hand he hounded front the hank, and in another minute tossed Ids noble head atsive the wave as In bravely breasted the stream- In a few moments, how ever. his feet touched the Isittont; tlio ford was found, and the worst of the terrible strain was over. At length they gained the opposite hank, up which the weary horse toiled slowly; and soon, to his rider's great astonishment, the small English euiup lay before theni- Thc pair now paused to consult about tln ir next move. 1 heZulus,they justly conjectured, would make no delay in crossing the river, and their poor horse was far too • xhausted to take them that night to Ilelpmakaar; therefore they un hesitatingly felt their wisest course would l>e to place themselves ut der the protection of thr English eotntnander. i'ving a whit.- handkerekief to the end of liis spear, Cassatonga approached thr ramp; and when within ear-shot lie Culled out io aloud Voice to the sentries, informing him that they were Christian Zulus flying for safety. They were ini ni'sliately s >izvd and hrouglit before llie officer in charge, who received theui with murh suspicion, as he had only just heard of the disaster at Isandula. and was in no nmod to harbor Zulus of any kind. Their tale was soon told. Rut though the officer expressed his pity for t he suit-Tings of the royal maid, fie gave orders to have them strictly watched, at the same time commanding that their wants should be supplied. It is needless to give a description of the nif lit that followed. All the world knows how through llie darkness the tide ofimttle surged up. wave after wave, against the weak harriers of the little fort, and was again and again repulsed. All the world has ning with the names of Rromhcad and Chard, and a'l tl • other le-rocs who with strong hands and stronger hearts held the fort that night. Rut among them ail who fought beneath the red-cross flag that night there was no stronger ami, no braver heart than his, the young Zulu chief, who had re nounced friends, fortune, country, to enlist beneath the banner of a higher cross and strive henceforth for a more enduring victory. As the morning broke upon th • -eene and disclosed the dusky foe. disheartened and d-f.d. vanish ing dk'- dark clouds fi hind tiie distant hills, thegallnnt officiT, Ix-gritned with powder, ixed tiie now scarcely darker hand of the nohle Zulu, and thanked him as a British soldier for his timely niu. l.uola felt in that moment she was re. ward'-d for* il the terrors of the night. After some hours'needful rest at the fort, the young travelers prepared to re some their journey. Tliey were followed by the benedictions of iiji. lAtoia had bean untiring in her assistance to the wounded, ami tlm dying wrecheep d by lier words of eomlort. 'I bus. amidst many good wishes. tlmy bade farewell to their new friends, and accompanied by the officers biaring dispatches, they set out for Ilelpmakaar. Tiie evening shadows were lengthening as they entered and rode through the streets if that town, and soon they were received with warm welcomes beneath the roof of the good missionary. Not long afterward, before these offi cers returned to their po<ts. they were called upon to witness the union of tie ir Zulu comrade with fits royal bride The ceteniony was performed by their friend Mr. R in the words of the beautiful service of the English church. And here let us leave them. They have set themselves resolutely to the task of preparing for that labor of love which they feci certain God will in His own good time open up for tliem—a wide field of missionary work in their dear native land. Re it ours to pray for tlie success of all such noble hearts, and for the time when the swords of all the world shall lie beaten into pruning hooka, and the nations study war no more.— English Mai/nzinr. An Editor's l.ahors. Noticing the retirement of Mr. George k. Nixon, editor and publisher of the Rridgeton (N. J.) fhiily and Chronicle after twenty years of active service, the Rridgeton Dollar Weekly .VVim says: If ever the history ol the weekly pub lisher of uiany years service count lie written ' ut, none would be so much surprised at the an.ount of labor and heavy burden of responsibility borne, as tiie publisher himself. We aro not speaking now of swarming detractors; flippant cavillers,or incompetent critics, nor of place-seeki rs who choose to use the editor of a newspaper for personal aggrandisement, to be thrown aside when of no further use, nor yet of the cheeky fellows who worm through all nossible advertisements under the guise of local paragraphs; these are toon understood and properly labeled, hut mean more particularly the constant strain and worry in llie preparation of a newspaper. Everything to he rem cm tiered, nothing forgotten; everything new; no advertisements, or If so, every one's advertisement in the biggest lot lets. a joke at every one's expense but their own. nobody's church, party, or Sunday-school to le noticed but "ourn." and a multiplicity ol matter just as vex atious, are expected of the average editor. TIMELY Tories. The towing of vessels on canals l.y means of locomotives lias recently been successfully tried in France. A railroad is laid on the tow-path, near tliw side of the canal, on wliiali are run small loco motives of four or morn tons, according to tin* weight to lie pulled. One man manages the locomotive. Vessels are thus drawn at a speed of two mil.-s or more an hour—about twice tho mean rate of a horse upon the tow-path. The locomotive lias drawn an empty vessel six miles an hour, but such speed in jures tin- bonks of the canal. In Turkey, where wine and intoxi cating drinks arc forbidden by the Ko ran, tho juice of the grape is boiled down in great quantities and commonly used in the household, tnu'-li us we use lam, answering the purpose of both nutter and jam. It is considerably thicker than treacle, and in winter can lie cut with a knife like butter. It is put up in goat skins, and is a common article of trade in the market. It is called " rck iucz,"and is used as a drink when diluted with water. It tastes somewhat like n< w ci.hr. Professor Swing wisely remarks that it will lie a great misfortune if the re turn of good times shall bring hack tin old mania for property and speculation which made mortgage* among the most popu ar thingsof Uie day. " Mortgages," he adds, "arc a pi stilcnce, and debts are a regular < hob ni. Estates die under thera ; churches sicken and have to be sat up with at night; individuals pine away, wives and children )income disheartened in the mortgage season; and tie- finan cial grave-nigger is busy day and night. Swamps and dirty houses were tie black dentil of Europe; debts are the plague of America." A correspondent writes: I see the rumor is revived that the ex-Empress Eugenie proposes going into a convent. I had to contradict that statement some time u-.'o; and on the authority of Mon signor (loddard I do so again. The right reverend gentleman informed me—and no one probably knows more as to the intentions of the ex-Empress -that then* was not a word of truth in the report. Her ex-majesty x* iJI probably leave Camden place a* *oon as iter health is re stored ; but she has no thought of taking tin- vail, nor has she l. n advised so to do. By the way, the little at Cliiselhurst containing the remain of tin 1 Napoleon* father and son—iss<f:l daily xlsit.-d by large numbers of p.-o ple, a gr at many of thin American* so journing in London. The speed of carrier pigeon* appear* to depend as much on tlie clearness of tin ir sight as on tin? strength of tln-ir wing*. The Lindon SpfUtlnr relate* that in an experiment recently made with some It.-rliii pigeons, on a clear day, a distance of over 300 miles, from Cologne t" It rlin. was a< coß)t>!i*h'-d in five hour* and a half, r at the rate of sixty mile* .-in hour; while the most ex pedition of a group let loose the n> xt day—a day not oft')" *am* kind—took twelve hour* to reach Berlin. H<nie it would appear that in the latter .-as.-a good ileal of the pig<*>n*' time wo* tak< n up in cxplorir g tie- country for land mark*. as wa* some of Mr. ForlxV in ids ride from Ulundi with news of Imrd Chelmsford's \i t<>ry. It is not in*tin>'t but sight by which the carrier pigeon guides its flight. Calistoga i* a famous tnin.rai spring re<>ri. sixty-eight mile* from San Fran cisco. it was intended to !■ tii- Sara toga of the I*a< ifleeoast, th* name being an abbreviated combination oft 'alifornia and Saratoga. The waters are prin fi nally sulphur, iron, soda and magnesia. Some of them will boil an egg in two minutes. Over one is built a pr.-fty sum mer house , Jt i call's! the chick' n soup spring lb-re the guests resort, after a both, Willi pepper, salt and era. k'rs, and if you are very hungry and of an imagin ative turn ol min<l, you may. perhaps, be induced to believe that nature ha* ir.'bii prepared in her subterranean kitchen this delicate d.-.-oetion for her visitors. After people have been in California awhile tie-y learn not to lie surprised at anything that romes from the heaven* above or the earth bcn"ath. M. SeiiiHot, a French engineer, has a plan of alternate ship railway and canal tor crossing the tsthniua of Panama, the coat of which he estimates at fifl.tWO.- 000. Hi* proposed rails consist of rails tiiteen times n* heavy as tlie ordinary rail, laid about thirty-five feet apart, over whieh vemei* up to T.ooo tons bur den may lie transported in immense dock* or <-ar* supported by a thick. Friends of this scheme claim t ha' B speed of nine to eleven miles an hour .-an he attained, the whole distance from ocean to.n-.nn being traveled in five hour*. The length of the railway would be about twenty mii.s, with twenty.five mile* of ejuml. It i* stated that as long ago as 1*73 the t 'ohimhirtn government granted M. Heblliot permission to con struct a ship railway over the moun tains of the isllnnu*. The colony of New Zealand has a very extraordinary prime minister In the per son of Sir (oorge Grey. This gentle man was twice governor of the Cape, and then appointed to the government oi New Zealand. When hi* tenure of tin latter office expired he elected to remain in tlie colony, and took tip Id* abode in a remote locality, an island, where he lived almost exclusively among the Maori -, with whom lie cultivated the most intimate relations and domestic tie*, lie ha now liecn for sometime governor, hut of late serious di**en*lons. : assuming the character of violent per sonal antagonism*, have arisen in Uie cabinet, and the retirement of the premier is expected. Sir George i* a man of force and ability, but decidedly eccentric, both in character and habits*. New Zealand, whose area is estimated at 122,000 square miles—about that of the Hritisli islands—is divided into "ight province*, each of which is g >v crned much after the fashion of one of , our States, while the general govern ment consists of a cabinet of live offhx-r*. In ore of the suburbs of Ixmdon. the other day. a medical district officer called in to see the children of a man named llolley sick with an eruptive dis ease, declared that they had small-tinx and ordered the whole family to go into hospital. When tliry had been there a fm might tliey were disehargt-d with tile enrvnlatorv assurance that the doctor's diagi.isis wa*erroneous, that they never as a matter of fact had small-pox, and that what the children had caught wa* chicken-pox, nn innocuous form of in fantile disease. Thus the whole family had bepn exposed for a lengthened tini" to tiic contagion of a most mortal and loathsome malady; the bread-winner lost hi* situation and two week*' pay, anil the local authorises, byway of compensation, magnanimously offered tlie sum of five shillings in money, two shilling* worth of groceries and four loaves of bread. A family Is broken up, a house disinfected at considerable e<>*t, and no end of mischief done because an incompetent health officer could not dis tinguish between variola and varicella. Tho moral is obvious. The production of nickel in Norway has become an industry of considerable importance of late years. The first mine was opened in 18-to by an English com pany in the Valley of Espeihil, in tli mountain district of Sondre-Gudhrands dal, but this was closed in IK r 7 in con sequence of tin* difficulty of approach and the absence of communication*. StibscqU' ntly t" tliii mines were opened at Kingerike and (iambic, near Ski'-ri, and from iHfil .0 there Were eleven nickel mine* worked, averaging 3,1.' j<l ton* per annum. In the latter year the produc tion rose t<> 5 2)*) tons from fourteen mines, and it gradually increased until 1W75, when it attained its maximum at tons. The greater part of this yield is exported in the shape ol ore, Norway hung the principal source of the nickel supply and furnishing quite one-third of the yield of the world. A part of t' e ore is smelted near the mines, averaging between I*7l 5 a yearly make of no,'smi kilogramme*. About tu.'> workmen arc employed in nickel min ing, though the number ha* been dimin ish' d within the last year or two, owing to the lessened demand. The Siberian exiles, when released from prison and the mine*, have had to choose between starving or st- aling the meat,* "f üb-.ixt< nee; being deprived of all civil rights, they were not allowed to ail-jit any honest calling. Such hiu. been the < on.lilion of the Siberian ex iles for centuries. I'ml. r the ifireum stanc *, it was natural tkat during the warm seasons I he Silwriun forest* should lie fiM< d with criminal vagrants, who resorted to 1M gging, sb ding, robbing and tnurd'-r, in ord. r ti keep body and soul together. Hoth the eeononiiea! and the moral Int. i sts of Siberia suffered Irom tie H. evils; and the govertiinent lias ofi. n be.-n petitioned to i mcdy th.-m. It ha* Ims ii found til at, in order to k'-ep all throe exile* in prison it would te r>< i .-ssary to erect a large ad dilional number of prisons, costing not less than fifty iniiiion* of roubles. The government eottid not spar. - sueh a sum .if money, and so the Czar r ■ ntly promulgated an or.b r allowing the exile* to pursue different occupations, upon the recommendation and under the sur veillance of the hsal autlioriii'--. The political exiles, however, are denied this right of honeatly making a living. To.d* tireat M.-n Work With. It is not t.Hi * tfint make tlie work man. hut the trained skill and jierse yeranee of the man hims.fif. Indeed, it is proverbial that the ba<! workman never vet had a good tool. Some one askedl ftpie by what Wonderful pr.H .-*s he mixed lii color*. " I mix tie in with my lirrrins, sir." was hi* reply. It is the same with every workman who would excel. Ferguson made marvel ous things—sueh as his w.Hxlen clock, that accurately measured the hours—by mean* of a common p-nknif<.a tool in everybody's band ; but then everybody is not a Ferguson. A pan of water and two thermometer* w,re the took by whieh I>r. Black discovered latent ln-at; and a prism, a hn* nn.! *h< < t of paste boar.l enabled Newton to tinfo d tie composition of iielit and origin ot color. An eminent foreign savant once called upon Dr. \Voolla*ton, and r.qn. tol Ui be shown ov< r hi* ialmratori.-*, in whi. h science ha* b<n fnri.b.d by m> many important discoveries, wle n the doctor t.M.k liim in a study, and pointing to an old tea tray, containing a few watch gla-ses, t<"t-papers, a small balance and a blow-pipe, said: "There is all tl.e .aborntorv I have." St'ithard learned the art <>i eomhining color# by closely studying butterflies' wing*; h" would often say that no one knew 'vhat he wwl to these tiny insets. \ I, unt *li k and a barn-door s< rve 1 \\ i'kie in lieu of pencil and canvas. IW-wiek first practiced drawing on tlif cottage walls of Id* native village.whieh heeovered with lii sketch.* m el,alk. ntid Itenjnniin West made hj* first brushes out of the cat's tail. F rgtison laid himself down in tlie fields at niglit in a blanket, and mad" a map of the heavenly bodies, by mean* of a thread with small bead# en it, stretched let ween lli* eyes and the star*. Franklin rtr*t roblted the thund.r cloud of its lightning hy mean, of a kite ma.'r with two cross-*ti< k* and a siik hand kerchief. Watt mode lila lint model of the con densing steam-engine out of an old an atomit's #\ringe, used to inject the ar teries previous to dissection. Guilford worked hi* first problem in mathematics when a cobbler's apprentice, upon small scraps of leather, whieh he beat smooth for the purpn-<\ while Uittenhou*.-, the astronomer, first calculated eclipse- on hi# plow-handle. The tireat Bridge. Both ot tli'* towers of the New York and Brooklyn bridge rest on sunken cais son*. whieli were substituted for tl.e solid foundation which the engineers were unable to obtain. It was expected that when the weight of the structure came upon the tower# they would ink some. "We are surprised," *ai, Col. Paine, of the enginerr corps, to a re porter, "that the towers have sunk little. The New York tower rests upon t wont v-two feet of limber and is seventy eight feet under water. In making the timber foundation there was a gain of two and one-half inches, hy reason of the pieces not coming close together. This we allowed to stand, ex peeling tl.nl the tower, when finished, would sink more than that; but now that the tower is all completed and over four-fifth# of all the weight that it is expected to tie or is upon it, wc find that it has sunk about an inch and a half, or hut iittie more than half of the unintentional increase in Its height. That is not near so much as we expected. At a certain altitude we had iron spike# driven into the tower at every angle to it on all sides, and we took Uie level from another spike, driven a* a ben eh nuirk into the sill of a win dow in South street. Ily taking tlie differ ence in tho level of those spike* to-day we get tlie di stall CO the tower has sunk. At oilier peculiar thing is that it ha* *unk evenly all around. Tbc Brooklyn tower lias not mik so much—not over an inch, 1 think." lowa boosts of a farmer who for thir teen months pet has drank nn average of ten gallons of water adny, and cannot even then sntDfy Lis morbid appetite. The rtilled Slates Signal Service. A Washington /W reporter ha* paid a visit to Fort Whipple (on<- of the suburbsl tho notional capital), where flM* trairiiriK iM'lioolof tin; IJnitwl StaU* Signal Service j* located. The Ameri can Signal Service ha* lr*n organ I z<<l seven year* ami now covers the west ern continent like , t net-work. The officer in charge at Fort Whipple was willing to answer .juestion* and to ex plain the methods of training. "ilow do you begin?" questioned the reporter. "By putting the men at once in the Held. They drill, receive instruction* in military signaling and telegraphy; : they learn the signal service duties by aotual work in tin- field for two months when they first come here. Then they take up a regular course of study, in cluding meteorology, electricity and ail hrani lies which are necessary to fit till 11l for their work. They learn "to telegraph fifteen words a minute. With tin in.ok course tiny still continue tlie field practice." " And iiow lone are they here?" "That depends on their proficiency, w iii.-li is t'-sti-.l liy examinations. After ; leaving here they have a year of study :i* assistants at stations. iaiU-r tln-y conn- In re again for instruction in the high. r h.-an.-hes, and -ire again examined and tested by pra- tiee In-fore being in trust'.! with the management of sta tions." "Ilow many nnn are under instruc tion here nov/ ?" "Thirty. A* tlic men are constantly coming and going, the number i* always varying." " And how many in tin- entire signal service?" "Of th '-nlist'-d force, ISO sergeants, thirty corporals and 270 private*. Ily a r.-e. lit decision, two sergeants are each year appointed second lieutenants, and tin- stimulus of possible promotion have I it* usual gisid effect." " Are tin-re many applicants?" " Tin- lists ar< crowded, Andliicser vice, wit ii its yearly increasing import anc . aud it - ciiant. - for achieving dis tinction, is attracting the #t rla*# of citizens. If you want to see what you would n-e at any signal station in the I"nited Stat. *. we will go ut. intotln- in strument shelter. up on tli- roof in a little square room inclosed by blinds." Through tin- OJK n slats the air comes fr<-1 y. hut tin forc-nf tin wind is hr< k<*n. and the g:ar< . f sunshine and heat shut out. In t lie qui.-t half-light of this shelter hare tin-instruments - tin-baro meter. tin- dry and wet-bulb tliermomc ters, which three time* every day are r.-ad, and whose record* make up the telegraphic report* which nr.- trans mitted to the central office Yotl go outside and look down at Washington, whieh from this height links n very Stale, fiat and Unprofitable place. " Jlow far away do tin- signal parties i go?". .. " Various distance*; eight miles, forty miles, Y- us..- Bald mountain way out J there < n tin- horizon 5 l*ok through the glass. That is forty mile* away. We frequently go to tliat jmint. When we go ovr beyond tin- Capitol, tlie heated air rising from the dome is a gr.-at annoyance, oft<-n putting a stop to observations altogether." I pon tin roof were a weather-vane and the nnomometcr, whose r. stlcws revolutions were registered in the room bCiow. Fort Whippl. lux# an ordinance sh<>l fur the protection of Catling guns and aruis, and a bri< k magazine f.i the safe storage of ammunition, signal shells and pyrot.s hni. s, for in tlnir spare moments the nnn make experiments with shell# charged with tun-cotum and "tin r interesting explosive*. Tln-y lorn to maneuver with field telegraph trains, and thej- liav. a pracfjee telegraph line forty mile* long. t)n a fWdTne eight min* long In-twcn the Fort and the town ofib <•, diffi niit tonus of telephone are tested, "Aid what do you signal b-side# flags?" " Torches and the heliograph. We use the sun.flash"* in the sann-way that the F.nglish did, you r mem ber. in the Zulu war." And the heliograph was kindly brought out for a practical illustration. It Is an inno. ent-.ooking little affair, standing on three leg*, and with a little mirror at the ton, almut five indies in I diameter. In the enter of the mirror I i* a small h le, and thr>ugji this the in strument is "sighted" and the *un , flash tli row n wherever it is desired. Words of Wi*dom. Adversity is the balance to weigh j friend*. , To him that live* well every farm ol life is good. We mut lot look around on the uni v<r*e with aw.-, and on man with scorn. Ixvve, like fire, cannot subsist without i .s.ntinual movement; MI soon as it rem- * to hope and bar it .-eases to exist. love .and enmity, aversation and fear, are not aide w heller* and quickner* of i the spirit of life in all animals. No man is called on to ]o*o hi* own balance for Uie advancement of the j world in any particular direction. logic helps us to stripofTtlie outward disguise of thipgs, and to behold and judge of them in their own nature. ' The law of food i, that man should ( eat what is good for him. at such limes and in sucu quantities as nature re j quires. i The sweetest music is not in the ora torio, hut in the human voice, when it ' speaks from its instant life tone* of ten derness, truth and coinage. Have the courage to show your re j spect for how sty, in whatever guise it appears, or your contempt for dishonest duplicity, by whomsoever exhibited. An Interesting Enterprise, A number of prominent citizens of New York, have formed a company, with a capital stock of 98,000,000. for a conservatory and zoological garden in I that cltv. Thy have purchased a tract "f land bounded by tho Harlem river. I St. Nicholas avenue. One hundred and fifty-fifth and One hundred and Hfty ' ninth streets. There arc three plateaus upon the Und of whieh the highest i point is nearly IU feet above Eighth avenue. Tl <• land has b.*'n purchased j for 9100,000, and surveys have la* n made by nn Austrian engineer and land- I #oape artist at an expense of ftO.COO. • The plans have been prepared by Wm. Mcrtanez. who laid out the zoolocica] garden in Philadelphia and other simi lar places of resort. Arrang. menu have Jwcn made to set at work about Mm !. borers who are t< lie .ngag.d in lornt ing the topogrnpiiv of the ground to Un contemplated buildings. The proposal building will be among the Jarge-t and most elegant In the country. A WONDERFUL CLOCK. The f tirloiM Hfurhliiff thai an Alloona IHan ha* hffti Worhliii mm for Nven* fern I'm* For the post seventeen years a #r**nt)<?- rnan of this city ha* been engaged in the vonst ruction of u curioun clock which li<• expects to have completed ly tic first of January next. A representative of the (Vf accidentally <■amc across it tin* other day firi! was kindly given the following description of it ly the inventor who ex acted a promise that Ids name should not he Riven to tlie public at the present time: Ittonsist* oi sixty-live automatic fig ures and workmen. The bane represents a hill of stone upon which is a large structure. To the left is a beer garden with beer on draught wliich one figure occasionally draws and passes toanotlier near by. I wo more figures, a lady and a gentle man, are s* at* d le ne.ath a tree in the at* lit ul< of lovers. 'lie- la ly i- reading and at interval* turns her head toward her companion as if for his approval, I he next repre-entation is of an old fashioned linseed.oil mill. Here are workmen ngagi-d in the various jhirta of the husines- (trie OUT ilea a large VMM) and i rooties it into the hopper* to be rire-sed hy the stamper* On the outside is a carpenter, iiateliet in hand, who as ■ends a ladder in a perfectly natural manner, slopping when half way up, as if to iook over the miil to *<■ that all is right. Adjoining fills is a blacksmith shop, in lie- background rf wliicli are work iiien hi alirig iron, wlio cluing'- the piece after aliowingi t;o heat. A man is also engaged .n shoeing a iiorse and strikes his first blows gently; he gradually in ••p s t!i -m until tie last i a strong one, i t ulateil to drive the nail borne. An other is at the anvil and occasionally rest* when fiis wife brings him Kim'' re freshment*. A fountain play* near by and in a -mull summer liouo- where a professor is i reading and when be income* , xcited over some passage, raise* Ins hand and brings it down uin.n tbc page in an ei cited and i mpbatic iLUim r. IP-low is a workri ui engag d in splitting stone, lie strikes top'-al'd blow* upon a wedge unti the spine crai ks, fall* awav, and I then replaces itself. Above tbeblack stnifb Imp is a nw mill where a log is b ing aw< When tin- end is reached the boards an- taken away and tin-flume r< placed •still above tbin is a shoe factory win re a half do/- n men and women are engaged in tin- different duties p (iuiit<- for the lii.uiufai tut' of sin., s. One is waxing, nnoth'T 'tiffing out. another pegging, another -t-wiug and still another bev-o ing. , Ovi r tie' linseed mill is tl.e gristmill. In frnt is a miller dressing a-stone; an otlie r comes out of the room and empties a large Yes-el into the hopper. As the flour is ground and the bag. accumulate a man tarries tlem away. A large ele vator bu ket carries up the wheat and dump* it into a bin. making but one as eenl to the before m' nlionod man's two. To the left is a dwelling lmusc. in the kitchen a servant is at work, who pisses aitout inside and out to attend to her du ties. i'pon Mm top is ibtraddcaoe "f the owner of the respective mil *. Here visitors occasionally call, with whom the mistress shakes hands and talks about her neighbors. The clock proper crown* the strui ture. It is in all aitout five feet in lengtli and four f"i-t liigb. Kacb figure lias a different motion, and some liavt* two motion*, requiring very complex machinery to run the whole. Two : bucket* of water fumisli an unending supply of j*>w - r. as it i* used over and over again. Tlie saw and grist mill are run by this water falling on an over-shot wheel. Tinner tlie water fall* on an other wheel whi< h run * the linseed mill. The water and all is kept in motion by an ' iglity-nine hi f onc-iialf j ound wt ight. It i truly a k of art. and over seven - t'eti years w. -H-cupied in it*construe i lion.— AUoona (Pa.) Call. 4 ft cuubrful Georgia Parrot. Some months ago, say* a oorrespon dent of the St. Ixeii* We./knwof, I met a gentleman from Alabama who related the following parrot story, which I tieljere to Is- the iicst I ever beard Ir. .of Montgomery, Ala., ownitl a parrot during and aft r the war that was the pride and wonder of all Montgomery county. The doctor, like t ail physicians, was frequently called out at night by some one's •' halloo" at the front gate. Polly learned this, and one night when thedoctor answered a shrill "halloo" by coming to Urn door and ask- I ing what was wanted. Polly answend from a bunch of rose huahes: "He! hi! ha' I fool thedoctor that time; hi! he! ha!" 1 Polly received a sound thrashing for this trick and was quite sullen for a week or so. when onodork.rainy night the do< tor woke up to hear sonic one at the gate repeating his " halloo" fre i ciU' ntly. doing to the door he asked who was there. From the top <f a tall Ixmi hardy poplar the parrot screamed i out in fiendish glee: •• Ha! ha! ha! You j can't catch Pollv this time! You can't! you can't!! you can't 11! * All the doc . tor's persuasive arts were called into re quisition to gel the parrot down from i lier high perch, but she cor Id not be de ceived, coaxed or flattered into doing as ,he coniuiandid or . ntnatid tier. She resolutely kept her perch nil night in the rain, and waited until t e started off next morning on hi* daily icund before she ventured down. Th edoctor had a little hoy aged about two year*, for whom the parrot formed a strong attachment. Worrm was the child's name,and hy-and-bve he ' foil siek. The parrot moped around and ! appeared to be ouite melancholy. At time*, when the child was left alone for a few moments, Polly would hop up on the edge of the cradle, and. spreading : out her wings, she would vibrate them ! like fans, and ask as she had heard the I nurse ask: " Poor baby! Baby want water? Baby sick? Bahy hungry? Poor baby? Polly's so o-o sorry." Finally the ehiid Hied, and the par rot slunk away for th* two dav* preced ing the funeral, and was neither seen nor heani. On returning from the •■emetcry, thr family met it, waddling along the middle of the road, repenting to herself in the tmdenwt and most mournful manner: "Wlierc's little War ren? Poor hxby! Baby sick? Baby wantwaur? P-o-o-o-o-r baby! Pollv* so-o-o sorry." She was picked up and taken heck home, but never spoke another word un til the day of per death, when she cried out. Hawk*, hawks," and the next minute wa* whisked away in lite talon* of a monstrous chicken-hawk that had hem watching for an oppor tunity to carry hqr off for several hours Pennsylvania ha* eighty incorporated county agricultural o. h ties, thirty-one of which have representation in ita .State Bo.ird of Agriculture
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers