HOW TO MAKE MATCHES. dot the KnUBiBUI bat the Ralphartnt Kind —An Interesting Proceaa Ilr aarlbad* There are only seven match manufac turers in the State, and hut twenty-five in the United States. Within the paat three months the manufacturers have formed an association, and are practi cally united. There are three factories in New York city, one at Frankfort, one nt Utica and two at Syracuse. Tlie de tail of match-making is nn interesting one. The Utica firm employ Bixty hands, and in the busy season turn out 400 gross of matches every twenty-four hours The first process is the sawing Tf the blocks. Good clear pine is se lected, of an average thickness. The blocks when sawed are sent down an inclined plane, being " fed " by an opera tor into a machine that cuts them cleanly into the shape required. The working of this machine is interesting. The cutter is ot finely-tempered steel, and every movement tells. It cuts out sixty-four matches at each stroke, ami makes '2*o strokes a minute, or 17,020 matches a minute. The matches are of double length. The machine drops the matches into a trough which mechani cally feeds them up an inclined plane, from which they are removed by a boy and taken to tne coiling room. The machines which cut up the blocks vary in certain details, some of them cutting a square match—known as the old fashioned "telegraph match." From this room the matches arc taken to the coiling department. The process of " coiling " is also a me chanical one, and the mechanism is re markable for ingenuity. The matches when straightened are put into a hop per and " fed out" by the machine pass ing at regular intervals between a thick belt and a thin one. From a small roll the matches are picked up separately and "coiled" with perfect exactness until the roll is as large as a good-sized cheese. Each match is held securely in place. When coiled the mass is ready for " dipping." There are ten coiling machines now in operation in this fac tory. Each machine is capable of coil ing fifty gross per day. The coils are evened, heated and then dipped in a boiling vat of sulphur. The process of j dipping requires experience. After be- j ing dipped in sulphur they are further | headed by being dipped in a preparation j of phosphorus, glue, etc.—the exact na- ' ture of the compound being a secret known only to the manufacturer. One of the objections to matches has been the fact that they mar the wall and de face wall paper when "struck." This objection has at last been removed. Alter a series of experiments extending through years, the Utica firm have at length discovered a process which not ■ only leaves the head of the match per fectly white, but also makes it impossi ble for anyone to mar the wall paper, | or.'a delicate surface while in the act of \ striking. As may be supposed, the call j for this match is very great; the firm has | been unable to meet the demand. When i the writer visited the factory, men were employed in dipping the white or j " tiger"match. The great coils, when j didped, were dried for a few minutes and then passed on to the cutting ma chines. Up to this point the matches have been of double length, being dipped on both ends. They are now cut in two with great exactness and rapidity nnd passed through to the filling room. Here twenty-live girls are employed in sorting j and filling. They work with a rapidity i of movement that is wonderful. Prac-' tire enables them to take up just the 1 number of matches required to fill n j box. One of the girls employed has filled 4,330 boxes of matches in a day, I handling 132,000 matches. The Utica firm make the boxes re quired, buying the straw board and ottier paper needed and cutting and working it up. The straw board is cut, •cored (or creased)in one department and then passed into the box-making department. Here fifteen girls are em ployed in making boxes, fn another : room may be seen one of the latest tri-1 umphs of mechanical art in the shape of a box-making machine. The machine seen in operation yesterday drops 104 boxes a minute, and the machine that makes the covers also turns out the j same r.umber per minute. The paten-1 tees expect to receive their patent some time during the present month. As socn as the patent is issued we shall a!- I iude to the machine at greater length. ! The covers of the large boxes are now made by a machine that cuts off the forncrs of the straw board and puts on the glue required. The hoard then passes to a machine that perfects the form. The Utica factory is at present making six varieties of matches. The 1 parlor match is made ronnd and square. The red-headed match is made square form. It is sold largely in Vermont. The round whito, or "tiger" match, circulates everywhere. The blue-headed match sells largely in Pennsylvania and the South; the head large and glaringly b,ue—a regular chrotno oa a large scale, which the darkies of the South take de light in. It is square in form and quite bulky. The black-hcaded match is rounded in form and is in demand in all reetions of the country. The largest match manufactory in the country Is located m t Wilmington, Delaware • lira Ofcjertwr. The Ualted States Cengres*. The Senate of the United States con sists of seventy-six mem Iters, and of this number fifty-nine are practicing lawyers. Of the 393 members of the House of Representatives 319 are lawyers. The President and Vice' President of the Lnited States are lawyers, and nearly *ll the government departments nre loaded and directed by tne same profes sion. In the Senate there is only one pbysiebta. and in the ilonse there are but six. There are among the Senators eight business men or merchants, one doctor, one editor, two planters, two farmers, one banker, one mine owner nd operator, and one of no profession or business. lb-sides tho 810 lawyers in the House there are twenty-five merchants, five banker*, three capitalists, two inventors, hve manufacturer*, two teachers, twelve farmers, six physicians, one architect and builder, four editors, two ministers, one stone-cutter, one insurance agent, two millers and three owners and oper ators of transportation lines. The oldest member of the House is Mr. Walt, of Connecticut, who is sixty-nine years sf age, and the youngest member is Mr. Frost, of St. Louis, who is twenty-eight years of age. Fernando Wood lias been longer a member of the House than any of his associates, and next in point of long service is Judge Kelly, of Pennsyl vania. Mr. Stephens, of Georgia, is generally spoken of as being older than any other member ol the present House, but Mr. Wait lias about one year the advantage of him in that respect. FOB THE FAIB Six. A HIM I A pout, anil parting ol lips as they touch— That's a kiss in the abstraot. It does not seem much; But whore is the language can rightly express it T What letters can sound it to help you to guess it? What Bimlle suggest, or what lanoy reveal The mysterious bliss it can cause one to lecl T Here nature assuredly won a diploma For liagrance ol flavor and perfect aroma. A kiss is eleolriCal—comes with a start That tingles u delicate shock to the heart, And sets the eyee twinkling with rapturous dolight, Like stars in tho sky ot a clear frosty night. When 'tis over tho ccstacy clings to you yet; Tis a joy to remember and never forgot. All pleasure condensed in an instant of bliss Can but partly describe what's contained in n kiss. George Birdteye. Fashion Fancies. Shell trimming is much used to head flounces. Flowers reappear as trimming for dress bonnets. Corduroy is the fashionable material for a child's dress. Tho magnolia has found its way into the brocade patterns. Ostrich hands nre tho only feather trimmings that wear well. Turbans matching their ulsters make pretty school hats for little girls. A yard and a quarter of satin is all that is needed to trim a cashmere gown. Bracelets of flswer buds are the new est thing for fastening the long glove wrists. A sickle in which a lour-leaved clover is caught is the design of eno of the new lace pins. lacc pins, looking like hranehes of holly with bright berries, are pretty and reasonable. Cashmere colors are more sparingly used, and chiefly as relief to plain vel vets and cloths. The New York girls Lave adopted the Parisian fashion of wearing India scarfs for extra wraps. Caps and jackets of colored velvet. ! trimmed with gold or silver braid, are j worn by young girls. Twilled French sateen, which is used to line dresses of cream barege, is almost | as light and firm as silk. Coat basques are made gay at a very i small expense, by adding skirts, cuffs, I and a collar of cashmere. A new sty le of bonnet, gradually com ing into use in New York, is small and close, and almost like a coil. Aatreat deal of figured and stamped velveteen is used inexpensively with j satin and silk in street.costumes. The birds used for dress trimmings j nre very natural looking, even the beaks and claws being perfectly imitated. Madam Sin-Fu-Gen, the wife of the ' Chinese minister at Berlin, is tho first Chinese lady who has ever been in Prussia. The latest boots for Indies have a broad projecting sole, ami button on tho out side of the foot instead of over the instep, as formerly. Evening dresses which have their i skirts made up in wide box-plaits have ] masses of roses set on each plait byway of trimmiDg. Plush turbans, with deep bands of fur sewed around the edge, and having chenille tassels falling nt the back, are ; pretty and tasteful. , _ Silk tassels of cream, or blue, or red | silk, are used as ornaments for cliil- i dren's caps, and sometimes constitute ! their sole trimming. Some turban bonnets are covered | with folds of soft silk with raveled edges, and have bands of white velvet placed around the edge. Little yellow chrysanthemums and clusters of rose geranium leaves have taken the place of the daisy bouquet that was worn in summer. Bronze turkey feathers are used in some of the new feather bonnets, as well as the more aristocratic plumage of the golden and purple pheasant. Sapphires of many colors are com bined in one ring by New York jewel ers. They arc cut In the same way as diamonds and mounted high. Wide ribbons witii dark borders and chintz or nnlms in the center, are used witii striking effect with delicately tinted muslins nnd satins for evening dress. The new fur-lined circulars nre made with a deep collar of fur instead of the hood of last winter, and all a trifle shorter, to enable them to be worn with the short costumes. Butterfly bows may be made eitiier of India muslin, edged with Languedoc. Valenciennes, or Duchess lace, or of black China crape, bordered with hand painted black lace. Gray, brown, olirs and blue French cashmere, wrought all over with polka dots of the same color, arc imported for combination with satin or velvet in pretty house dresses. Red and yellow, the Hpaniah colors, are In high favor In Paris, and so are Spanish mantillas, which are wprn in ways that would convulse the gravest of senoras with laughter. The Tallien overskirt, which opens on tlie left side almost to the waist, and lias a deep border of silk or figured goods, is worn with an underskirt of alternate plaitings of plain and figured goods. The gowns which have the skirt straight nnd full at tlie back, and the front breadth gored, or shirred, or quilted, or embroidered, or painted by hand, are intended to imitate the Queen Anne style. Visiting costumes of plain velvet havo appeared this season. They are lined with satin, and a little ivory lace is worn at the throat, and if one wishes to he showily dressed, an Ivory feather is placed on the bonnet. Garnet and pink are the leading com bination of colors for evening dress. No shade* are more inviting in assistance to the complexion. A great deal of filmy white lace or gauze de sole is in dispensable with such costumes for young ladies. It is averred by dealers that ladies who own fine diamonds purchase and wear numbers of paste stones in hand some settings, to encliance the splendor of their display. The white topaz, found It* Arizona and Idaho, is frequently set with real diamonds to make a show. The new cuffs are very deep, and reach so nearly to the elbows as to make the upper part of the sleeve seem puffed, even when it is quite plain. The leg of mutton sleeves will not seem so ugty when they come if the eye be grad ually accustomed to something like them by these cuffs. Princess dresses for evening have the front slashed in deep points from below the hips, edged with feathery fringe, falling over satin of a deeper shade. An Oriental scarf, which combines the shade of the dress with brilliant, yet subdued embroideries,in gold and colors, is draped round the hips. The broad brimmed hats of fur felt, wrongly (tailed beaver, are in request by ladies wishing a change of mulinery, who cut off part of the rim, and bend the hat into close, becoming shapes. Broad satin loops and a feather or wing are the proper trimming for such hats, which are rather more stylish abroad than the dressy turbans. Flowers are worn with evening toilets in every fashion. A bouquet is tucked in the lace at right of the low, round corsage, or on the Grecian bertha di rectly in front. In other designs, smaller knots arc worn as epaulets, and a rose heads the lacing in the back of the cuirass basque, or a dozen roseß of graduated sizes form a cordon from the left shoulder across the bosom. This is particularly rich, with black lace or* satin dresses. A festoon of roses heads the deep lace of the apron, with a trail falling at each side, or a spiral of lacc headed by flowers is carried down the back of the dress, in a new and elegant fashion. Quern ChrUtlne, The Queen of Spain's apartments at the Castle of Pardo are thus described: The rooms are eight in number. The first we enter is liung in white satin, with hand embroidered blue flowers; the furniture, of loui# XV. style, is upholstered in rich nlue satin; in a \ comer is a remarkable tine cabinet of' rosewood, ornamented witii old Sevres I pands of great beauty. This room leads into a smaller boudoir, style of i the first French empire, hung in yellow satin, witii furniture of the same. In a recess of a widow is a small equestrian statue ot the king when he was only lour j years old. The small mite, looking very ! frightened, is holding the bridle in one ' hand nnd is saluting with the other, j The third room is the queen's music ; room. The hangings are red and gold, j two grand pianos occupy two corners, and curves and knick-knacks abound. ! Tiic queen's study or workroom, comes I next. It opens upon a large terrace, which, in summer, is arranged as a garden. It is white and gold, tiic furni ture being old Dutoh, with inlaying col ored flowers. Then comes the bedroom, which is a very marvel of splendor and j luxury. It required no less than eight j hundred yards of stuff for the hangings, 1 which are of ecru Lyons silk, hrocfie, 1 alternate lines of red and blue flowers. The lurniturc is Louis XVI.; in a I corner is a table in old Sevres j in the j middle of the room is the bed, in blnck wood, with embossed black ornaments; ; at the head two reclining nude figures ! support a shield, upon which is cm- \ blazoned the queen s monogram in red upon blue ground; a canopy, in em- j bossed brass, supports the curtains, which are thick silk, of the same design ns the hnngings. Ttie bathroom, which is close by, also opens into a room i specially reserved for tlie queen's attend- i ants, and near the bedroom also is the ; dressing room, the furniture of which is silver pine, the walls being hung with ' ecru silk, with blue flowers. Ifcwi anil Intn for Wonirn. There are now fifty girls among the ' students of Cornell Lnivcrsity. A Philadelphia woman owns the largest colored diamond ever brought to ! America. The empress oi Austria has a large i riding school attached to her estate, i Slie loves to watch the training of vicious horses. Miss Kckhardt, a farmer's daughter, j of Mate Centre, Ohio, pitched "eighty acres of wheat from wagon to stack, and was married a lew hours aflerward. I A celebrated French beauty in the time of Napoleon Bonaparte, Mine, j Louise Lucerne, has just reached her 100 th year. She was the friend and rival in laauty of Mme. Rceamier. Miss Gabriel la Stiekney lias been ap pointed postmistress at Collyer. Kansas. She was a type-setter on the Chicago Legal New four years ago, but went West to grow up with the country. Miss Marv Ripley has charge of the loys' department of the high school, at Buffalo, N. Y., where there are over 200 yeung men. whose ages range ns high as twenty-five years. Few men who have preceded Iter in the work have been able to do it acceptably. Her influence is such as to make not only law-abiding, hut enthusiastic students. A pretty miss of eighteen, who be longs to a good family in Union City, IndT, and lias been well educated, has recently been released from jail, where she was awaiting trial for kleptomania. The most influential people in the county united in a appeal lor the dismissal o( the indictment, and the court gladly acquiesced in a nolle prosequi. Steam Power of the World. The aggregate steam power oi the world is at present 3,500,000 horse power employed in stationary engines, and 10,000,000 horse power in locomotive engines. This force is maintained with out the consumption of animal food, ex cept by the miners who dig the coal, and the force maintained in their mus cles is to the force generated by the pro duct of their labor, about one to I,°Bo - steam power is equal to the work i ing force of 515,000.000 horses, and one horse consumes three times as much tood as one man. The steam power, knerefore, is equal to the saving of 7ft,- 000.000 human beings. Boon after building a magnificent home in Han Francisco a few years ago Senator Sharon sold it to the late mil lionaire, W. 8. O'Brien. The appraisers of the O'Brien estate have just been making estimates of the vnlue of the furniture. Senator Sharon paid 9195.- 0110 lor it, and, though many of the rooms have not been used a single day, the appraisers value the whole at 996,- 000. l>or instance, the furniture of the library, which cost f 17,000, is valued at 99,700; that of the "pink room," cost ing 97,600, is valued at 91,106; that of the "drab room," costing $5,000, at 91,173; and that of the "green room," ousting $4,000, at SOOO. The Mexican and Hie Ijuwo, A South Texas correspondent writes as follows: An accomplishment of the cowboy, and one in which, to be suc cessful lie must invariably he an adept, is "roping" cattle, or horses'for that with a lasso. It is an ordinary half inch hempen rope, usually sixty feet long, and provided with what farm ers call a •'slip-knot." The Mexicans often use a " lariat," which is even stronger, and by hand made of rawhide thongs, The cowboy, when aiiout to use ins lasso, secures one end to the strong and substantial horn of his saddle, which i itself hcc urc d to the aniniul lie rides by two strong broad girths of hair lrom the cow's tall. With the bridle reins in his left hand and the rope coiled up in liis right, the cowboy gallops off into the prairies and directs his course toward some horse or cow he desires to catch. At sight of him they likewise set off at a gallop, and the race continues until the pursurer has gained sufficiently upon them to use his rope. The coil is at length suddenly thrown into the air, and so accurately has the rider calcu lated time and distance that, although his own animal and the one !ip is pur suing are dashing along like a locomo tive, the noose descends on the head or around the horns of the fleeing cow. So well trained is the cowboy's horse that the latter instantly stops in hia career and pulls back. The cow has also been halted and secured, the rider and his horse experiencing a profound jolt to whieli, however, they are not by any means strangers. A horse is caught in the same manner ns a cow, only that the cowboy throws the rope around the neck instead of the horns, as in the case of the cow. But cattle and horses are not the only subjects oi the lasso, which is and has long been used by Mexican bandits and highwaymen in assaulting and killing or robbing unwary tfltvelers on the Rio Grande. For this purjose the stealthy *hpg generally conceals himself in a thicket of ehapparel or behind a grove of cactus (prickly pear, which here grows higher than a man's head) near by the roadside. _ In this position, lie, panther-like, awaits the approach of his victim, who comes riding along totally unapprehensive of danger. All at once away goes the lasso high irr the air, nor does the wayfarer have time to recover lrom his surprise before the fatal noose hns been so tightly drawn around his throat that his breathing is suddenly stopped, he is dragged from his horse in the death agonies and soon all is over. The thug first secures the horse, if val uable enough, then waits till the last struggles are past, thoy was not so sick, and niter having the madstone miplied lie never experi enced any ill effects from the bite. These arc only a few of the cases I have heard of where persons were thus cured by the madstone. Joseph Pointer' died not long ago, and his effects were sold on December 17. 1879, and I suppose the madstone was sold. If it was not, it is likely to be sold next court, which will Ik* iu March or April. Imprisoned by Hnow. There WM it thrilling adventure in Berk's county, Pa., recently, in which I one of tlie Hungarian emigrants who ' not long ago landed at Castle Garden, I New York, came near dying in a hor- j rible manner. Ninety of the Hunga- | riana were sent into the Blue mountains, 1 near I/cnhartsrille, Berks county, to ; chop wood. Among them was a tall, i black-bearded man. named Adolpli Hintr.ky, very strong and of admirable physique—a circumstance to which he owes his life. The party lire in rude shanties in the woods, but Hintsky, who was anxious to learn the Knglish language, left his companions and took boarding in the hot of a charcoal burner named Marks. On a Thursday morning ho shouldered his axe, and went to liis work alone, takirg his din ner with him. He did not return at night, nor was anything seen of him for several days. But neither his com panions nor Marks seemed to have troubled themselves about him, and no searrh was made for him. Three days afterward a hunter who was chasing a rabbit found Hintsky pinned to the ground under a tree which he had been chopping and which had fallen before he expected it and caught him. A pro jecting rock by his side received the weight of the tree and saved him from being crushed to death, but he was held so fast that he could move only one arm and could do nothing to extrL cate himself. The hunter was oblige* to leave him there and go to Marks' cabin, two miles distant, to summon help, before Hintzky could be released; which was only done at last by chop ping away the tree. Hintsky, when found, was dumb and speechless and nearly dead. His ears, noee and one hand were frozen, and he was covered with snow. He was taken to Marks' place, where vigorous treatment soon brought him round, and he was able to tell lits story. Hesaid a sudden gust of wind had blown the tree over on him and the fall knocked him senseless. W lien he came to, he was wet and cold and bis limbs were numb. It began to snow, and with his free hand he man aged to cover his ears, and then put that hand in his pocket. He lay in that position from some time on Tuesday until Thursday afternoon, with nothing to eat or drink, and with the hope of succor growing fainter every hour. He was found just in time, for in Ma en feebled oondition the intense of Thursday night would havs certainly frozen him to death. Whm Capt. Godfrey, of Nevada City, walks in an ordinary manner over ground to be prospected, he Is seised with a strange sensation accompanied by disninees and sickness whenever he reaches a point beneath which rests quarts or gravel gold; and his Indica tions are said to be reliable. An K/eWUness' Account of the Tay Bridge Horror. 8° little In known about the terrible railroad disaster in Scotland that the following account of an eye-witness pub lished in the Jy>ndoa TtUyrnph, whl be read with more than usual interest: Enjoying the cosy comforts of my own parlor fireside on Sunday night, I lis tened to the fierce clamor of the storm without and felt a deep sense of grati tude for the security I possessed, min gled with a feeling of compassion for the poor sailors on the sea battling with the storm. The children had gathered round me for their usnai Bible stories, and with an instinctive sense of fear they nestled close to my side as they heard the wild efforts of the blast to bat ter in the casement of the window. I chesc the story of St. Paul's shipwreck on the island of Melita, thinking that the storm without might help me to im press upon their young minds the ter rible nature of the dangers to which the A pout's was exposed as the ship lay rid ing helplessly upon the waves with four anchors'between it and certain destruc tion. While thus engaged a blast of wind, more furious than before, had caught the chimney-tops of a house almost opposite my parlor wiudows, and brought them down to the ground with a thundering crash that startled every one of uh to our feet. Stepping over the casement I gazed out upon the street, and just then a blaze of moonlight lighted up the broad expanse of the Tay down below, and the long, white sinuous line of the Tay bridge came into view. I looked at my watch and saw that it was exactly seven o'cleck. " The Edinburg train will be due immediately," I exclaimed to my wile; •• come and let us watch to see if it will attempt to cross on such a night." So saying we turned down the gas in the parlor and prepared to await the coming of the train. The light by this time had become most fit ful. Great masses of clouds were sweep ing across the expanse of the heavens, at timeg totally obscuring the light of the full moon There she comes, cried oneof the children, and, at that moment, the slowly moving lights of the Edin burg train could be distinctly seen round ing the curve at Wormit. and passing the signal box at the south side, enter ing upon the lonp straight line of that portion of the bridge. The train once on the bridge seemed to move along witli greater swiftness, and when the engine entered the tunnel-like cloisters of the great girders my little girl exactly described the effect of the lights as seen through the lattice-work wlien she ex claimed, " Ixiok, papa, in't that like lightning?" All this takes some time to write down, hut to the eye it seemed as if almost simultaneous with the en trance of the train upon the bridge. A comet-like burst of fiery sparks sprang out as if forcibly ejected into the dark ness from the engine. In a long visible train the streak of fire was seen till quenched in the water below. Then there was absolute darkness on the bridge. A silence fell upon our eager group at the window. Then, with stun ning force the idea broke upon my mind. " lfeavens!" I cried. " I fear the train is over the bridge!" With agrowing hor ror I watched the curve at the north side to try if I could see the train pass at that goint. but as several minutes pased and no moving object brake the continuity of the bridge at that point J snatched up my hat and hurried devn and nEioss the Magdalen Green, to meet several individuals all bent upon the same errand as myself. 'I he taloe of Worn Hold Coins. Inquiries are daily made at the United States mint as to the least cur rent weight at which the government will receive gold coins at their nom inal value. Under the fourteenth sec tion of the coinage act of 1873, it is pro vided " that gold coins reduced in weight by natural abrasion not more than one half of one per centum below the standard weight, after a period of circu lation of twenty years, and a propor tionate rate for a leas period, shall be receives] at their nominal value at the ; United Slates treasury and its offices." The following statement exhibits the standard weight and least current weight of gold coins after a circulation of twenty years, and at which least current weight they are receivable in payment < of debts to the United States: Slnndatd Ltasl Cur tf'ngkj rent WngAt in Grains. in Grains. ; Double-eagle 616 613.42 Kngle 268 256.71 | Hall-eagle 12* 128.36 > Hires dollar 77.4 77.02 ! Qnarter-eagle '64.6 64.16 I Dollar 25 8 26.67 j The legal deviation from the standard j weight ol the goli dollar being one quarter of a grain, it will continue cur rent until reduced in weight below 26 j 55-100 grains. All double eagles which > have not been artificially reduced in weight will be found with hi the limit of j natural abrasion allowed by law. The same rule will apply to eagles coined ' since 1845. half-eagles coined since 1865, and quarter-eagles coined since 1860. The double eagle should continue cur rent for fifty years from the dateot coin : age; the eagle for thirty-five years; the half-eagle for twenty" years; and the three-dollar piece and quarter-eagle at least fifteen years. The deviation from standard weight of one-quarter of a I grain allowdl bylaw in the coinage of ! the gold dollar exceeds the legal limit I of wear by nearly one-eighth of a grain. I All pieces of this denomination roined since 1860 will be found within Hie legal tolerance. If not fraudulently re duced in weight* These periods are estimated for coins when they constitute a part of the cir- I dilating medium, or are frequently I transferred in treasury and customs | transactions. In this country, as in | England, there is no " least current weight"/or silver coins fixed by law or treasury regulations. The natural abrasion of silver coin is not so great as generally supposed. It in expected that fully fifty years will elapse before the coins issued under laws passed within the lest five years will need renovation. Careful observation and experiments in this country show the average loos from natural abrasion of the whole body of silver currency, when in actual circula tion. to be about one per cent, in twelve years, the smallest coins, quarier-dol- Isrs and dime# showing a greater per centage of loss than half-dollars or dol lars. The Cunard steamers carry small tin pases the size of an cram(*,ftill ola chemical preparation which ignites the moment It touches the water. When a man falls overboard in the night they throw one over, and the man is supposed to swim to it, enabling the boats to pick him op.