The Northeast Passage,
A very interesting account of the
Northeast passage by the steamer Vega,
which lias brought su h renown to Pro
fessor Nordensgjokl. is given in a recent
number of Blackwood Magazine by
Lieutenant PaUuuler, who commanded
the Vega. There is no doubt the Vega
would have made her entrance into
Bohring strait the same season in which i
she started on her voyage, but for the 1
exceptionally unfavorable condition of
the ice. Site had passed tlie real points
of difficulty and dnnger, and was within
ISO miles of Bohring strait on the
twenty-eight of September, IH7H. when
the ice closed in upon her, and she was
unable to move until the eighteenth of
th* following July. The region in
which she passed the winter is well
known to explorers and whalers, many
of whom have passed through the same
waters, encountering no ice, even as late
as the first of November.
Now that the passage has been shown
to exist, he question whether it ear be
made commercially useful is the next in
interest. If vessels can get through in
two months, as Lieutenant Palander
says they may, if no unanticipated ob
structor s intervene, considerable com
mercial use may be made of the passage
In trading with the natives along ncar.y
i.OtXt miles of habitable coast. But this
tuestion of an open passage is one that
Lieutenant Palander is not prepared to
knswer. That open water near the I
fcoast does exist during the summer and
autumn months admits of no doubt in
his mind. The difficulties to be met
with at and around the norllierniost
tape of the Siberian coast—Cape Tchel
luskin—and Taimyi island, are such as
0 make it doubtful whether ships can
et through without wintering over,
'hat a passage is to be found there once ;
r twice Lieutenant Palander does not
louht but it may occur so late that !
rinter will set in before Behring strait
1 reached. In summing up Lieutenant j
Wander says:
"The Northeast Passage can not, I
hercfore.in its entirety be made availabc |
r the purpose of commerce; butstillan
nnual traffic might easily be carried '
n from the westward to the Obi and j
Tenisei, and from the eastward to the
itna. Unquestionably the way now !
es open to Siberia's three greatest
[vers; and that land, so rich in min- I
fals, limber and grain, whose export 1
Dd import trade has hitherto been con- ;
Ucted by means of caravans, ought 1
ow to obtain a prnctical route as a con
fiding link between the old and new 1
rorid."
Vessels designed for this hazardous j
Saffic will have to be specially con- '
iruetrd to push their way through !
this of drifting and newly-formed ice, |
id coaled and provisioned for an ice I
loekade lasting from eight to nine j
ionths.
_
Laws That Are Not Enforced.
" 11. II." (Mrs. Helen Hunt Jackson)
is made a little collection of the laws (
lating to the Indians which are not I
forced, and embodies it in one of her [
Iters to the New York Tribune on ;
I'he indinn Problem." The following '
tic list as she gives it:
1. Any citizen or resilient of tt.e United
ales entering any territory secured by '
laty to the Indians for the purpose
[ hunting or grazing therein—line
Itiiin sUK)and imprisonment within
[ months.
if. Entering the territory scoured to
p Indians south of the Ohio river, for
ly purpose whatever, without a pass
(rt from the proper authority half
e above penalty.
3. Entering the Indian Territory with
■MtUfl intention and committing any
Tense i,gainst the person or property of |
ly friendly Indian which would he '
Uiishible if committed upon a citizen
ith'n our jurisdiction fine within
©■i and imprisonment wittiin one year;
property be taken or dcstroycl, re-
Bnerative in double value: and if
lirdrr be committed, death. (Suppose
Is law was carried out in regarrt to
p murderers of the chief Big Snake
it a.itumn, at Reno, in Indian Ter
ory, how many men would h tiung
tides the soldier who fire: tie first
>t?)
1. Surveying or settling upon any land
longing to Indians, or attempting to
so—fine within ¥I,OOO and impri-on
Bit wittiin one year,
i. AtteniDting to trade among the li.
Ms as a trader, without license from
i government—fine within $100; im-
Bonraent witliin thirty days and for
iure of raeretiandi.se.
. J tir liasing from Indians any ntcn
for hunting or cooking or any article
clothing, except skins or furs—fine
thin #SO, and imprisonment w thin
ny days.
. Purchasing a horse from an Indian
diout a license—fine within $100; im
unmrnt witliin thirty days and for
ure of the horse.
. An Indian agent being concerned
liny trade with Indians on his own
mint— tine within SI,OOO, and impris
on t, witliin one year.
, Treating with Indians for the pur
se of hand without authority from
government—same punishment.
I). A foreigner going into the Indian
Titory without a passport—same pun
nent.
I■ Any Indian or other person com
ting within the Indian Territory any
Use which would be punishable if
imitted within plaees of exclusive
oral jurisdiction—the same punish -
It as is there provided for.
Whence L'o.ne the Birds 1
dong in cherry-time one wonders to
so many robins in the orchard nnd
r by the hedgerows; to the thorns
riiich droop branches deeply headed
h the bits of red ripenesH. Where
•lie birds come from in FUCII flocks?
ozen in one tree, a score in another,
even a hundred cutting the nir
and like nrrows that are all throat,
sr do tiny discover the cherry trees?
1 isn't it surprising they should come
|t leagues after themr But where
w the . berries the birds do flock,
tliis remembered it is not strange,
t 13,000 emigrants, malnlv from the
ine-strickcn districts of Silesia and
ngnry, should have landed in New
k during the last three weeks. With
id scarce and bayonets plenty, the
r clas Europeans turn to the New
rid. They know there is a strong re
l in our prosperity—that America's
tries are once more ripe—and twice
nany of them are coming this year
rune last— Philadelphia Timet.
Philadelphia comni roial editor,
> was once a small boy with a
Iter who knew the value of a slipper
ases of emergency, cannot to this day
te about "a movement in leather'
hout hitching uneasily in his chair.—
tadeipM* Ntmt.
A Would-bo King-Killer's End
The execution, at Madrid, of Otero
(lonzaies, nineteen years old, for at
tempting to assassinate the King ol
Spain, is deecrilied by the New York
Ilcrahl thus: The prisoner was attired
in n black and violet robe, a round cap,
a scapulariuni on his shoulders, his fet
tered. bunds gresping an image of the
Virgin. Several of the priests and
brotherhood entered the prison van
witli Otero, while others headed the
procession, with a crucifix borne aloft.
The crowd, which was still composed
chiefly of women, pressed arouna the
escort, and when it arrived at the
Plaza, where the scaffold was erected,
it could not have numbered less than
ten thousand. In front of the gibbet,
which stood on a low platform, was
the bench upon which the convict sits.
Heath is caused by the pressure of an
iron bar, which causes instant strangu
lation. Two executioners from Valla
dolid had preceded the arrival of the
regicide. The ground was guarded by
a strong force or cavalry, infantry and
gendarmes with fixed bayonets. The
morning was beautiful and the sun
gilded the wooded mountains in the
distance. When the regicide ascended
the scaffold he was deadly pale and his
iiands trembled. The troops formed a
large square round the scaffold. The
executioners seated the regicide on the
bench and covered his head. At four
teen minutes to nine the signal was
given, and the prisoner was garroted, life |
seeming to ho almost instantaneously I
extinguished. ,
The second attempt on the life ol '
King Alfonso was made on the 30th |
of December last. The day was unusu
ally mild and the streets of Madrid were
crowded with vehicles and spectators.
The king and queen had been out since
three o'clock in a small phaeton drawn
by a pair of rather fiery horses which
Alfonso had some difficulty in manag
ing. Toward dusk the king drove back
by the Puerta del Sol and down the
Calle Mayor, to debouch by the Armory
square, at the principal entrance of the
palace. Just as he neareil the armory
his animals grew uneasy, and he pushed
on to enter by the Puerta del Principe.
Behind him were two servants in plain
royal liveries, and ahead a single out
rider. Slackening the pace of his horses,
the king wheeled them to enter un
der the portico slowl7. 011 account
of the bystanders. Just as the
horses had come abreast of the large
sentry box and while the* scniinel was
presenting arms, a man sprang
out from the narrow space between
the box and the wall of the
palace, and leaning on the carriage,
fired his first shot at the king. His
majesty stooped slightly, and, gathering
his reins firmly, dashed the carriage
under the portico as the queen uttered a
cry. clasping licr partner's arm as a
second bullet whizzed past. singeingthc
hair at the hack of the head of one of
the servants behind the queen. Then,
in his turn, as lie pulled up, King Alfonso
leaned down to see if his youthful bride
was hurt. Though shocked and alarmed
her majesty was able to alight, and in
slow ly assisted her up the great stair
case. The would-be assassin, who was
immediately seized and ironed, proved
to be a youth of nineteen named (lon- j
zales.
Grain Production at the West.
The Columbus (Ohio) Slate Journal
publishes the following interesting ex
hibit of the production of com and
wheat in the United States for the year
1879, prepared by I)r- Jairn-s Williams:
CORJf.
Rank. • Hunhtfi.
1. Illinois 309,000 000
2. lowa 185,000,000 !
3. Missouri 142,000,000 1
I.lndiana., 135,000.000
5. Oliio 105,700,000
6. Kansas 90,000,000
7. Kentucky 06,001*,000 I
8. Nehraska 62,000,000 I
9. Tennessee 51.000.000
10. Pennsylvania 44,000.000
11. Wisconsin 39,900,000
1,228,600,000
WHEAT.
Rank. Runheli. i
1. Illinois 44,900,000
2. Indiana 43,700.(Mi0
3. Ohio 36,000.000 1
4. California 35.000.000 :
5. lowa 32,787.000 I
6. Minnesota 31,887,000 1
7. Michigan 28.800,000 j
8. Missouri 25,800,000 1
9. Pennsylvania 99.300,000 1
10. Wisconsin 20,600,000 j
11. Kansas 18,100,000
3-11,474,000
The whole oountiy produced 1,545,-
000.000 bushels of corn, of which eleven
States produced 1,228,600,000, while
twenty-seven States and sight Terri
tories produced 316,400,000. Of wheat
the whole country produced 449.000,000
bushels— 341.500.000 in eleven States,
ami 107,500 in all the other States and
Territories. The eleven States enumer
ated above produced seventy-six per
centum of the entire wheat crop, and
ninety-nine pereentum of the corn crop.
Professional Rivalry.
A man who had his coat on his arm
and his hat in his hand, yesterday, en
tered a butcher shop on Woodward
11V- nne and began :
" Say, sir, one of your blamed carts
knocked me down on Park street hall
an hoar ago. and I'm going to have
satisfaction!"
"One of my carts? I guess not. Wil
liam! William!''
William made ids appearance fiom
the back room and the butcher said:
"William, this man accuses you of
running him down witli the carl this
morning on Pai k street."
" I don't think it," was the reply.
" Well, 1 know it!" shouted the man,
as lie drew down his hat.
" Whereabouts on Park?"
" At the corner of High!"
"Ah! then, it couldn't have been,"
said the driver. "Here is the route I
took: I first went up Woodward
avenue, and ran over a boy at the cor
ner of Alfred street. Then I went down
Charlotte and took a wheel off a car
riage. Down at the corner of Cass 1 run '
down a boy and a velocipede. I came
down Cass to Sproat, and out again to
Woodward, where I exptct I r#n over
two women and a horse, and then came
directly here. It couldn't have been
me, sir."
"Then who was it?"
"Indeed. I couldn't eay, sir; but a
few doore above this Is a butcher who
haa three carta. If it was liiin he'll
own up and be glad to see you, for he's
keeping a record of the killed and
wounded, to show off the rest of us.
You'd better try him, sir."— Dtiryit Pre*
Am.
A Menagerie Lion's Dinner.
One of the most attractive places out
at the Zoo is the lion house, not far
from the main entrance. One of the
most favorable moments to visit this lion
house is four o'elock in the afternoon, as
the lions, timers, cougars, panthers, leo
pards and hyenas are given their dinner
at that time ot the day. They are given
one meal a day only. "Poor fellows!"
perhapsfyou may exclaim, hut it must he
remcmhered that in their native wilds
these flesh-eating beasts go without food
for several days. It is a very interesting
sight to see this four o'clock dinner. As
early as three o'clock visitors begin to
crowd into the promenade in front of the
row of cages and by the time the keeper
brings out his buckets the house is well
filled. Of course the animals know that
dinner-time is approaching. They pace
up and down their cages with uneasy
steps, the lions roar and the tigers growl,
showing very plainly that they are hun
gry. Every now and then a little boy
will go close up to the lion's cngo, bu
will leap away again in an instant, for
the terrific roar that makes the floor
shake frightens Johnny out of his shoes.
When the keeper appears with a bucket
full of meat "Commodore Lawrence,"
the biggest of the panthers, txmnds
around the sides of his cage like a cat,
for, as his cage is nearest the provision
house door, lie gets the first food. Hav
ing received his big " hunk," as the
keeper calls it, the .commodore eats away
with great relish. The tigers are al
most wild with delight when their
cages are reached. Perhaps the most
interesting part of the sport, however,
is the feeding of the male lion. Noble
fellow that he is! Here comes the
keeper; now look close and see what the
lion is doing! There he stands, on his
haunches, with his head toward the
groat crowd. His mane stands out like
the shaggy whiskers on Uncle Sam's
chin. His eyes, fastened upon the
keener,- gleam with pleasuie. Now,
really, isn't that a smile stealing over
his face, making his beard twitch and
his ears point forward? It looks very
much like it anyhow, and if that isn't a
lion's smile, then no lion ever did smile.
He is not as impatient as the other ani
mals, though he shows that he is hun
gry. lie has a native dignity about
him that every one must admire. See,
the keeper approaches witli a piece of
beef—horse beef weighing fifteen
pounds, on the end of a pole. The
keeper holds the beef up over the lion's
head and close to the cage. Now is the
most delightful moment. ' Just look!"
"How nice!" " Dear old boy!" may be
heard on every side, and the crowd
surges up against the iron rail. Si ill the
keeper holds the Ik-cI up above the linn's
head. The lion looks up at it with a
"please-do-drop-in-my-rooutb " expres
sion. His paws are crossed and ids
bend devat'd. Suddenly the keeper
thrusts the beef between the liars, the
lion seises it sad with a " thank you"
look begins to eat as quietly as any good
litttle girl in the United States.-"/7n7a
d'elphia Time*.
A Historical Kelir.
A recent letter from Washington to
the Boston Advertiser vays: The Hon
orable Robert C. Wintlirop in the
course of the centennial oration de
livered by him on the fourth of July,
1870, in Music hall, Boston, exhibited
to the audience there gathered the writ
ing dsk upon which the declaration of
independence wm written, nrd the
thoughts suggested by this interesting
historieal relte formed one of the most
eloquent passages of his oration. He
concluded his allusion to this def k witli
th se words:
" Ixing may it tind its appropriate and
appreciating ownership in the succcs- i
slve gi n< rations of a family of whom
the blood of Virginia and MxssarhsetUi
is so auspiciously ecmmingled. Should
it, in the lapse of years, ever pass from
the hands of those to whom it will Ix l
so precious an heirloom, it could only
hare i a tit and tinni place among the
choicest and most < h< rished treasures
of the nation, with the above title deeds
of independence it so proudly asserted."
This evening the Honorable Robert
C. Winthrop, who is now in Washing
ton, took the occasion of a call at the
executive mansion to delis cr persona.ly
to the President, a gift to the United
Btate, (his little niahoganv desk on
which Mr. Jefferson Wrote tlx* declara
tion of independence. It w:u presented
in the name of the children of the late
Joseph Uoolidge, of Boston, to whom
it. was given by Jefferson himself in
whose granddaughter Mr. Cool
idge had married, and it was a.i auto
graph inscription as follows: "Thomas
Jefferson gives this writing-desk to
Joseph Cooiidge, Jr.. as a manori i] of
his affection. It was made from a
drawing of Lis own.'byßen. Randall,
cabinet-maker, of Philadelphia, with
whom he first lodged on his arrival in
that city in May. 1776. and the identi
cal one on which lie wrote fbc declara
tion of independence. Politics as well
as religion lias its superstitions; these
gaining strength with time, may one
day give imaginary value to this relic
for its association with the birth of the
(treat charter of our independence." It
is probable that this desk will be de
posited in the fireproof library of* the
State department, where is kept the
original draft of the declaration, written
on this desk.
Trained to Danre.
In foreign countries there are many
kinds of schools with which we in tin*
country arc unacquainted. In Italy, for
example, there are schools in which
hoys and girls are trained, from early
childhood, as dancers for the stage.
These are said to he the hardest and
acv'Test m bonis in the wor'd.
The children liegin to prepare for en
trance into tiicin at the age of six years.
At eight veins a largo number apply
for admittance, and submit to a com
petitive trial of their skill. Out of two
or three hundred applicants, the royai
academy of Italy selects every year
twelve boys and forty-four girls for ad
mission.
The training in this school lasts eight
years, during which the pupils receive
small salaries from the government.
They are kept practicing from seven in
the morning until noon, and they are
riquired to perform many painful and
extremely difficult exercise*.
The training is so severe that the legs
of the pupils are apt to grow large and
clumsy. Some or them run to leg in
the most extraordinary manner, *6 that
they are spoiled for the a. age. Occasion
ally, during their eight years' school
ing, they are required to perform in the
public theater. After all this expensive
and laborious and worse than useless
training, a really beautiful dancer, lite
Tag Hone. ia very rarely produced.—
TomM's Companion.
Wild Fruit In the Block Hill*.
A , °?Teepondent, writing from the
Black Hills country to the Chicago
Western Rural, says: Wo will begin with
the strawberry, by saying that they are
found here in lil>eral abundance, the
quality being a little above the common
wild strawberry in the Western Suites,
Then the grape comes in about the same
proportions. They are of the same va
riety as those of the West, with a
noticeable prolific vigor a little in ad
vance of those of the Suites. The wild
plum is very common in the foothills,
and of several varieties. The Oregon
grape is very abundant in the mountains
and some plates in the foothills. It is n
small plant or shrub not much larger
than a strawberry plant, the roots being
much larger than the to p. It holds its
leaves in winter the same as evergreens.
It is not prized so highly for its fruits as
for its medicinal qualities. The roots,
when steeped in water, yield a tonic
which, though very bitter, is powerfully
invigorating. The June-berry is quite
common though not abundant. It grows
on a shrub from one to four inches high,
is about the same size as the gooseberry,
is black when fully ripe and very palat
able. We have two kind of currants,
the black and the clove currant. These
I believe are only found in the valleys
among the foothills. The gooseberry is
very common, embracing throe varie
ties, the reading one being exactly the
same as was introduced throughout the
Western States twenty years ago for cul
tivation and which proved a success.
The only disparagement that 1 know as
to growing tame fruits here is that
the apple is not represented in its wild
state (that is the < nib apple.)
There are several otner varieties of
fruits in a small way that I shall not
mention now, but the crowning iruitsof
this regmn is the raspberry and buffalo
berry. The raspberry is very abundant
and of the finest nualily, superior to any
thing of its kinc that I have ever seen
under cultivation. The vine is a moder
ately fair grower, the berry red, of fine
llavorand uncommonly large. Although
they are pleanteous and free lor ail. yet
we have known pickers earning from
three to four dollars per day gathering
them for the nnrket. Then comes the
buffaloberry. Perhaps you think be is
going to Ire a lusty fellow, but 1 can j
best describe it by saying it is in size, I
shape, color and appearance (when
gathered) nearly exactly the same as the
common rt d currant. It grows on a
bush or shrub, is in size and appearance
very much like the crab apple, which
begins to bear nt three years old, and re
mains in bearing for many The
berries are of fine flavor, very asciduous
and excel the r d currant for table use.
They are a very prolific bearer. A bush
not larger than an ordinary wild crab
apple bash will yield from two to six
quarts of tl®ee beTries.
Village Improvement Societies,
In his report, lately issued, Colone
Wright, chief of the bureau of statistics
of labor, gives some interesting state
ments concerning the*workol village
Improvement societies in Massachusetts,
ot which the Laurel Hill association,
located at Htockbridge, is thepar-nt.
The object of this society, as set iorth in
their by-laws, is to improve and oma
ment the streets and public grounds of
Stockbridge, by planting and cultivating 1
trees, cleaning and repairing the side- j
walks, and doing u rh other acts as shall
tend to beauty and improve said streets
and grounds. Its work has been the
subject of many newspaper article's, and
it* example has been the incentive for
the formation of many similar associa
tions in different parts of the country.
During its existence it has expended
f4,000 in carrying forward its work,
planted more than I.flOO trees and
hedges, and built miles of sidewalks,
foot-bridfcos, etc.
From the returns made to Co'on el
Wright's bureau, i! nppcars that "Jld ol
the towns in Massachusetts report
the existence of twenty-eight village
improvement societies, having a mem* i
bership of 4H5. Instances of some of
the work performed by these societies
are given, to show in what directions
their efforts have leen employed: In
Williauutown a hundred streets have
bf en put in order, trees planted, and j
the village lighted. In Danvera the!
village common has Iwcn fenced an i
many tr<es planted. The society in
Shelburn has made sidewalks, planted
trees, an t lighted the stmts. In Ixmg
meadow, tree culture lets been encour
aged, borders ut and trimmed, and
sidewalks repaired. In Westfield a
street six rods wide and over three
milr3 long, lias lcen laid out and lined
with trers. In Carlisle the cemetery
has been beautified. The " Field and
(inrden club,'' of n, has fenced
many vacant lots. In blow IfO maple
trees have been plant* d. In Pepperell
trees have boin planted, light* put up,
and courses oi lecturis have lx en de
livered.
The organization of these societies is
A very simple affair, as the less ma
chinery and formality to them, the i
easier they are organized and the better
they do their work.— N. E. Farmer.
Peruvian Temples of the Run,
Ol the early history of the Peruvians
wc have but little knowledge, owing to
that barbarian policy exercised by the
followers of Cortczand Piznrro, in de
stroying everything belonging to the
tribes which they conquered. Like the
Mexicans, the Peruvians had advanced
in art, science and learning, under the
administration of successive wise rulers,
find their stnte archives contained his
tories of their country, from the dawn
of civilization nmongtheni, to the period
of the conquest. Hut the superstitious
Spaniards committed these works to the
flumes, because of their henthen origin,
and wc are obliged to depend almost ex 1
clusively on the truth of tradition for
the knowledge we possess of the history
ol this people during the Inea dynasty.
The most magnificent ol all the Peru
vian temples was that ol tlie sun at
Cuzzo. The mode of worship in this
temple was sinii ar to that ol lieliopolis
In Egypt., where this gent luminary
was adored. Ilia golden image occu
pied a largo portion of one sidcol the in
terior of the temple, and before this the
worshipers pro-tented themselves with
rich offerings In their hands, which
were roceifed by the attendant priest*.
Two or three virgins, selected from the
first families in their kingdom, were in
constant attendance, whose duty it was
to make oblations of wine to the deity,
and chnnt hymns of praise to lite great
Father of Light. Like other aborig
ines of this continent, the Peruvians
were nomadic tribes and gained a sub
sistence by hunting and fishing. Super
stitious in the extreme, their ohieeu of
worship were as numerous as those of
the Egyptians.
Some writers thins best when they ere
blacking their shorn.
Salt and Its Value.
All our readers know the value of
that familiar and useful substance, salt,
which enter* so largely into our dully
wants, and is so essential to our exist
ence. Formerly prisoners in Holland
were kept from the use of salt; but this
deprivation produced such terrible dis
eases that this practice wn* abolished.
The Mexicans, in old times, in cases of
rebellion, deprived entire province* of
this indispensable commodity, and thus
left innocent and guilty alike to rot to
death.
_ This mineral i* frequently mentioned
in the Bible. The sacrifices of tbeJewn
Were ail seasoned with salt, and we read
of a covenant of salt. Salt was procured
by the Hebrews from the hills ot salt
which lie about the southern extremity
of the Dead sea, which overflow the
banks yearly nnd leave a deposit of salt
both abundant and good.
Among nncient nations salt was a
symbol of friendship and fidelity, as it is
nt present among the Arabs and other
Oriental people. In some eastern eoun •
trie*, if a guest has tasted salt with his
host, he is safe from all enemies, even
although the person receiving the salt
may have committed an injury against
his entertainer himself.
Among the common people all over
Scotland, a new house, or one which a
new tenant was about to enter, was al
ways sprinkled with salt, byway of in
ducing "good luck." Another custom
ola curious nature once prevailed in
England and other countries in reference
to salt. Men of rank formerly dined ut
the same table with their dependent*
and servants. The master of the house
and his relations sat at the upper end,
where the tl<or was u little raised. The
person of greatest consequence sat next,
and all along down the sides, toward
the bottom of the table; the servants
were placed according to their situa
tions. At a certain pirt of the table
was placed a large salt vat, which di
vided the superior irom the inferior
classes. Sitting above the salt was the
mark of a gentleman or man of good
connections, while to sit beneath it
showe d a humble station in society
Salt is found in greater or less quanti
ties in almost every substance on earth,
but the waters of the sea appear to have
been its first great magazine. It is found
there dissolved in certain proportions,
and two purposes are thus served,
namely, the preservation of that vast
body of waters, which otherwise, from
the innumerable objects of animal and
vegetable life within it, would become
an insupportable mass of corruption,
and the supplying of a large proportion
of the salt we require in our food, and
forother purposes. The quantity of salt
contained jn the sea (according to the
beat authorities) amounts to lour hun
dred thousand billion cubic lect, which,
if piled up, would form a mass on<- hun
dred and forty miles long, as many
broad, and as many high, or otherwise
disposed, would cover the whole of j
Europe, islands, seas and all, to the j
height of the summit of Mount Blanc. ,
which is ::bout sixteen thousand feet ;
in height.
Ii salt, however, were only to be ob- i
tained irom the s< a, the people who live
on immense continents would have
great difficulty in supplying the niselvcs
with it. Nature bus provided that the
sea, on leaving these continents, all of
which were once overspread with it,
should deposit vast quantities of salt
sufficient to provide for the necessities
of the inhabitants of those parts. In
somecplaces the salt is exposed on the
surface of the ground in a glittering
crust several inches thick; in others,
thicker layers have fx en oov( red over
with oth'r substances, so that salt now i
re quires to lie dug for like coal or any
other mineral. Halt is found in this
last shape in almost every part of the
world; though in the vast empire of
China it is so scarce that it is smuggled ,
into that country in large quantities.
Rescued rrotn a Watery Barrel.
The Toronto .Mail tells the following
remarkable yarn:
" What in the name of goodness is :
that?" said a fisherman to his com
panion. as they strolled along the beach
nt the cast< rn end ol the bay about 5:30
the other morning.
"What do you mean?" inquired bis
comnaiiion.
"Why." said the other, "you blind
fool, don't you see a barrel on the beach
yonder, with what looks like a pair ol
legs sticking out of i'?"
Both instinctively ran a-fist as pos
sible toward the obj- ct of their attention,
and sure enough, there vr:is a barrel
bum pi i g in the surf, with a man stuck
bead first into it up to the hips. The
sai ors were not slow in hauling the
cargo ashore, and upon shaking the con
tent* oft he hand upon terra rims, they
were still further surprised to discover
that although the poor follow was in
sensible. lif- was not extinct. The bar
rel was quickly utilized, and the body
roiled upon it till the water was pretty
well.pumped from the stomach. Then
by rubbing and applying restoratives,
the man finally recovered, but he gave
such a confusi d account of himself that
nothing definite cou d be ascertained as
to his reason for being thus barreled
up. Some hinted that he might have
been crammed into it and chucked over
board from ome schooner, while other*
cugiested that perchance he might have i
srnwlxi into t in search of shelter from
the stormy blast and had been blown
into the water. His escape, however,
from death was miraculous, because if
he had been allowed to remain in this
curious hiding place a few minuter
longer the vital spark would have for
ever fled.
Light, Rot Noise.
One ol the members of the bar in
Saratoga, who thoroughly enjoys n
good joke, relates the following, and
applies the moral to himself: Not!
long since, he was counsel in a case be
fore Judge Pratt, rrfcree, and during
the progress of the trial became a little
bit noisy, as he sometimes doer, when ;
the judge looked up and said to him: j
"Mr. ——, did you ever hear of the man
who was lost in the woods during a
thunder-B'orm?" On being answered
in tits negative, the judge continued:
"A man, in attempting to pass through
apiece of woods, lost his way. an.'
while he was In that predicament n
(jparful thunder-storm came up. The
goods grew awfully dark. The roaring
of the wind and the crashing ol the
thunder was terrific. The man vu
frightened and started to pray, but not
being used to that business, said: • On.
liord, give us a little more light, and a
little teas noise 1' "I don't mean you,
Mr. ," added the judge, but the
audience supposed all the lime the judge
did mean him. and now that he thinks
of it himself bo incMne* to that opinion
•3m.
ttKLHJIOL'M NKWM AKD 10TKN.
The Baptist Home Missionary society
appointed in February twenty-three
missionaries, and in March fourteen
more.
It in estimated that 2,400 pers<ns were
converted at Moody and Sankey'a meet
ings in St. Iuls. Mr. Moody spoke 108
times, and addressed 197,000 people.
A census of the Society of Friends
| shows that it has about 88,000 members,
of whom 05,850 are in the United States
end Canada, 14,725 in England, 3.948 in
Sco'Vind, and 3,500 in other countries.
K ney Smith onee said, at the close
ofaS ' ' i/sermon: "]>o not imagine
that i ois sermon is mine—l cannot do
such things; it is by an American, I>r.
Chn sining."
Of the 14,000 Methodist Episcopal
ministers in America there are, accord
ing to the MUfujdist, only eleven who
have blots on their nam'*, and three of
tin sc have lieen condemned unjustly.
The t nia Bible society has com
miiiced a canvass of the entire State,
witii a view of supplying every family
with the Bible. Near y fifty active
Christians are employed for the work,
at a salary of SSS p-r month and ex
penses.
The Methodist Woman's Foreign
Missionary society, organized in 1889
has now 55 500 members, and an annuai
income of f50,fe43. It supports HI dav
schools, four orphanages, three bospf
tnls. live dispensaries, nine hoarding
schools. Mid 150 teachers in lieatben
lands.
A clergyman recently said that many
a man while apparently singing with all
his niight the lines, " Were the whole
realm of nature mine, that wen* a pres
ent far too smail," was diligently en
gaged with one hand in his pocket in
scraping the edge of a three-cent piece
to make sure that it was not a dime.
Messrs. Moody and Sankey reached
this city November 21. 1879, a.nd left
April 8, 18H0. They were here twenty
weeks. Mr. Moody held in that time
255 s< rvices and preached over 240 times.
Mr. Sankey sang at over 300 services.
The evar gelist's sermon?, as published
in the Qlobe-Di mocral, aggregated nearly
500 columns.— St. Tx)uu> 1J lobe-Democrat.
Fraudulent Trout.
Among thepresent fictions is the gen
eral belief that from now through the
season F'ulton market will display on
marble slabs, on ice. and even alive in
tanks, genuine brook trout.
These spotted beauties are popularly
supposed to be drawn by experts from
their lurking places in small swift
streams on Long Island, o: up in New
Fhigiand, or down in Pennsylvania, or
far away in the Adirondack*. But the
mass of them are taken by much milder,
not to say meaner, methods. And the
most of them, considered as brook trnat.
ard sold as such at one dollar a pound,
arc simply fish frauds There is noth
ing wild, or gamy, or br <oky, or trouty
at w .tit tin in. They are an artifi<-iai
pond production, hand raised, liver fed.
fat, flabby and almost la-tee*-. and
their tannnesK, as Selkirk puts it, is so
shocking thnt the boy who perainbu
lat* the pond edge with his panful of
cold chopped Jivcr can lift out the fih
witli his hands and thmw them into
the bucket or basket, to he carried to
market.
These lame and wholly artificial
trout, thus bred and fed and fattened,
are neither fish, nor flesh, nor good red
herring, and the bigger and fitter they
are, the worse they are. the biggest and
Is-st ranking in insipidity with the
common pond sucker. From the pond
to market, from marge t to gridtton,
from gridiron to table, and fr>m table
to stomach, all the way through,and all
the way down, they are unmitizalcd
frauds. *
W hat some people are very fond of
calling " culture "is alike fata, to the
favorite brook fish and to the Boston fe
male. Whils w< highly approve of fish
culture in general as a means of pro
ducing cheaply a greater abundance
of solid food, of itssort.it is fo.ly to
suppose that trout so raised will t tain
the wild, gamy flavor and delicacy tliat
distinguish the real and natural iirook
trout. The literally artifieial specimen-*
differ from the genuine fish as the seed
line monstrosities do from wild slraw
beiries. The prepondt rancc cf pulp and
water can never compensate for the lost
sweetness and flavor. Wlun nature
feeds, it furnishes the natural flavor.
Quail and partridge pegs hatched under
a hen. with the birds brought up in
barnyard fashion, with bamvard feed,
come to the table with only a barnyard
flavor. On the other hand, when a hen
has hid away her nest in the woods, and
iier chickens have raised themselves on
wild buds and berries, Srbcn subse
quently shot and cooked, they have been
found to possess a positive game flavor.
F.ven preserved game, as in England,
yearly degenerates, as it becomes tamer.
The venison becomes more and more
muttony, and the grouse greasier and
less gamy. These preserves rank with
real wild wood shooting pretty much as
the housewife's preserves rank with
fresh fruit.
People who imagine that they are epi
cures arc welcome to pay a dollar a
pound for artificially bred and fed pond
fish, but if they fancy they are eating
the delicate, gamy, genuine brook fish,
their error is as wild as the trout ar
tame.— New York
Suite at law are brought nowadays tor
every reason, and no reason, especially
in some of the new State*, whose in
-1 habitants are often of a very litigious
I disposition. Recently a resident of
Crete. Neb., was arrested for non-pay
-1 ment of a hill due for groceries,
while he was courting a voung woman
!in her father's parlor. He was held to
hail, and wlun he appeared in court to
defend himself, the judge promptly dis
charged him. declaring that be had been
arrested without adequate cause. He
has. in consequence, brought mil agonal
I his ercdiiois, who had the legal procea*
; served on hint, and he claims f25 000
I damage*. He had. he alleges, borne a
; good tiraneiai reputation, which is now
seriously affected ; he lias been disgraced
hy his arrest in the narior oi bis sweet
heart, Injured socially and morallv, and
on ace -untof what had 'happened then
and there, lie has never had the courage
to visit his indy-iove since, and considers
Ills connubial prospects, so far as she is
concerned, forever blighted. He thinks
that f25,000 would be a moderate sum
for the siiock to hit sensibilities and the
harm to his good same, and avers that
he will have justice. If there he )uetiee
in the land. It is possible that his arrest
may have saved him from an unhappy
marriage, but he flatly refuses to look at
that side of the question.