"How Conntrifled."
I?aa\v a mnu'.y farmer, a ehainiiion of the soil,
With his neat, though homely garments, ami
look of honest toil;
With wealth of heart, ami wealth of hand,
brown beauty in his face,
Ho stood within your city, aud I markd his
modest graoe;
And many panned with stately "top, in broad
cloth and in pride,
But murmured, as they looked ou him, " Oh,
my! lmw countrified."
I saw an aged lady, a Dotxirah pant her prime,
Who'd measured years of usefulness, nontout to
lude her time;
For a seat within a stage coach, I heard her ank
one day,
When one with faco like Knan (no birthright by
the way).
From underneath a cloud of smoke, said,"Can't
she ride outside ?
I'm sure there iH no room within for one no
countrified."
In learning's classic temple, with an OJHSI brow
and high.
Stoo l one of nature's gentleman, bright genius
in his eye,
Yet liore his hands a trace of toil. Ins frame a
shire of health.
Of far more sterling worth, my friends, than all
his classmate's wealth;
And high up wisdom's mount he stood, it Cisild
uot be denied.
Yet in the distance one could stsi how very
" eoantriilod."
I saw a Isiunteous, well-spread board, in farm
house kept with earo;
And merry was the household band, for city
friends were there,
Wluh* the generous, soul-felt welcome each
kindly lip expressed
Inspired with easy confidence each cared-for,
happy guest;
And while I listened earnestly to what each
might confide,
I heard their numerous prais<-s, hut never
" countrified.''
Not many months from this, I saw the mistress
of that farm.
At threshold ot' her last year's gin-st with
saehel on her ann;
Straightway a little daughter, well instructed
what to say.
Appeared to tell lu-r country triend, that "ma
has gone away;"
As with disappointed countenance, tin woman
turned aside.
Ttis lady murmured in li.-r room, "She looked
so countrified."
Stake ofT your cankering fetter*, ye slavtw to
fashion's king.
Declare your independence, and truthful oflf.-r
--ing bring.
To de-k tho shrine of liberty; in virluo put
your trust.
And honor merit everywhere, in damask or in
dust.
We're children of one family, it <-amiot I*> de
nied.
For our Father dwelt in Kderi aud ho was
" countrified."
TWO ELOPEMENTS.
Iu a large, square, old-fashioned
kou.se— such as our fathers nseil to
builil when solidity was more sought
after than utility lived Philip Manson
ami his sister Esther. Philip had
reached the mature age of forty years,
j and Esther was close to him. Htill,
each had pursued a solitary pathway
through life, seeking no com|mnioiihhip
lave that of tho other, till there was
reason to believe that they would con
tinue to follow the same course till in
the fullness of time they were gathered
into the family tomb—the receptacle of
many generations of the Manson family.
, There was more reason to think so, I
aince they took care to commend an tin
married life, not only by example but
by precept.
" No," said Philip, when assailed on
this subject by a match-making-lady;
"marrying may lie very good for some
people, but I could not boar to have my
habit* broken in npon. ami my whole
house turned tojmy-turvy by tho intro
duction of a wife."
14 But by-and-bye, when yon grow
lOlder, yon will feel the need of a wife
Morn that at present.'
' " No," said Philip, conclusively, " I
have sister who is devoted to me, and
While she lives I shall need no other.'
As lor Miss Esther, she often
Aoclared that she never would
|*;e a slave of herself for any
i living. If other women were fool
enough to give tip their indepeml
, and tie themselves to a man, for
Aher earthly purposes than to bur
themselves with cares and toil from
■ning till night, she was sure she hail
ibjoction. For her own part she was
sr. Her brother and she had always
d together jieaeeablv and happily,
she did not think she could make
change for the better,
f course, it was insinuated hy those
ise opinions differed widely from
s Esther's, that in adopting this
lion she was only making virtue of
Wisity, and that it was liest to be eon
led with one's lot, provided there
no chance of improving it. But
her did not hear these remarks, ami
was not disturbed hy them. She
tinned to live in tho old house with
brother. They kept no domestic,
so Estlu r rather plumed herself on
houskecping qualities, and them
i really hut little to do. So, as her
thor was usually absent dnring tho
', she was left for the mst pari to
companionship of her own thoughts,
leas some neighbor chanced to 00l
in— thing, by tho way, of rather rnro
occurrence, since moat of the neighbor*
hivi large families of their own, which
necessarily confined them at homo.
Early one afternoon, just after Lather
Menson had completed her tank of clear
ing away tho dinner dialiea, ami stor
ing thorn away in tho cupboard after a
thorough washing, alio wan startled by
a rap at the door.
Somewhat surprised by a caller at this
unusual hour, she answered the sum
mons. She was a little apprehensive
that it was*a neighbor who had of Into
proved very troublesome from her
1 habit of borrowing articles, and owing,
1 it is to be presumed, to an habitual for
gotfulness, neglecting to return them.
| "I hope,", she mused, "that if it is
: Mrs. Bailey, she will be wanting to
j borrow something I have not got."
She opened the door; but no Mrs.
Bailey presented herself to her expect
' ing gaze a gentleman of forty-live
: years, carefully, nay, elegantly dressed,
| stood lioforo her.
" I beg your pardon for intruding,
madam," said he, as he noticed Esther's
I look of surprise; " but can you direct
! mo to tho house of the late Mr. Well
j fleet ? I have heard it was for sale,
| aud from the description I have heard
i of it, judge it will suit me."
"It is the next house on the left,
! sir," answered Esther, who had had
) time, while the gentleman was speak
-1 iug, to ( examine his appearance, which
did not fail to impress her favorably.
"Thank you for the information. I
trust you will pardon the trouble I
occasioned you," replied tho gentle
' man, bowing.
" Not the least trouble in the world,'
' replied Esther, a little fluttered by a
I deference to which she had not been
I accustomed.
Two days afterward Esther heard
that Mr. We 11 fleet's estate had been
• purchased by a stranger named Bige
low. She at oneo conjectured, and
j rightly, that this was the same with her
visitor. A few days elapsed, and l ist her
Manson received another visit from the
| gentleman.
" I have a favor to ask of you, Miss
| Manson," lie commenced (it seemed ho
I had ascertained her name). " I am
aware that our slight acquaintance will
, hardly justify it, hut 1 trust time will
remove this obstruction. You must
I know," ho added, smiling," that I am a
bachelor, dependont in many resjiect*
upon my housekeeper, who, though a
i good woman in her way, I am afraid is
' l not reliable in matters of taste. As my
' furniture has arrived, but has not leen
! arranged, 1 would esteem it a real ser
i vice if you would give me your opinion
jin some littlo matters respecting its
I proper disposition. My carriage is at
I the door ready to carry you over."
" But," said Esther, a little hesi
tatingly, " I do not claim to have much
I taste. 1 fear I* shall prove no more
reliable iii that resjiect than your house
keeper."
" I have hut to look around me," said
! Mr. Bigclow, jiolitely, "to Im fully
1 satisfied njKin that point."
Esther's cheek flushed with pleasure
iat this compliment, and she made
preimrations to comply with her new
visitor's request.
It was not without a little consoioUs
| ness of the singularity of her |>osition
that Esther found herself riding by the
side of a gentleman with whom she
had scarcely exchanged half a dozen
words in the course of her life.
The distance, however, was but short,
and she 'had little time for reflection.
On arriving at her place of destination
she found the chief part of her bnsineas
accomplished. Tho furniture, which,
by tho way, was new and handsome,
had been arranged in the rooms after a
fashion, hut Esther was able to jsiint
ou\ several changes for the lietter, with
all of which Mr. Bigclow professed
I himself delighted ; he, moreover, asked
her advice as to the proper place to
hang several fine pictures that he had
picked up in the course of his European
I travels. This was accorded with some
hesitation.
Mr. Bigclow would not l>o satisfied
without showing his new-found acquaint
ance all over the honse, from kitchen
to garret. When nil was completed lie
overpowered her with protestations of
gratitude for her kind service, and
j landed her at her own door just flvo
minutes lieforo her brother camo in.
' Esther was rather glad of this, as she
was a little suspicious that her brother
would consider her adventure rather a
Quixotic one.
To avoid comment she did not even
inform Philip that she had ever inet
I Mr. Bigclow. He took frequent oppor
tunities to call upon her, Upon some
slight pretext or another, hut it always
chanced to lie at a time when bei
brother was absent.
" I wonder," said Philip, carelessly,
as ho sat by the firo one evening,
"whether Mr. Bigclow will not lie
looking out for a wife before long?"
" I—l don't know," said Esther, and
in her einlmrmssment dropping half a
dozen stitches from tho stocking which
she hold in her hand.
" Not that I approve of marriage
1 at least, in ray own case," said Philip,
not noticing thin demonstration, "hat
it may be different with Mr. Bigolow.
He has no sister to superintend his
j establishment. 1 don't know, however,
whothnr there is anybody likely to suit
liirn in this village. Lot roe 800 -there
is Miss Preston ; she might do."
" No I don't think she would suit him
at all," said Esther, with a spirit which
eonsiderubly surprised her brother.
" Hho knows very littlo about house
keeping."
" Why, I thought you and Miss Pros
ton were friends," said Philip, a littlo
puzzled.
" Well, so we are," returned Esther in
her usual tone ; "but L I hardly think
HIH- would suit Mr. Bigelow."
" Perhaps not," hi; rejoined, and so
the conversation ended.
Frpm the conversation which wo
have record" d above, the reader will
obtain some insight into tho character
of Esther's feelings toward Mr. Bige
low. Hho would hardly confess it to
herself; but, as a matter of fact, her
ideas of marriage had suffered a ma
terial change within a brief period.
Meanwhile the gentleman continued
his visits. Oftentimes ho would ask
to see the bed of flowers on which
Esther rather prided herself, und some
times lie would petition for seeds, being
very fond of flowers, as he said, and
very anxious to introduce them in his
own garden.
On one of these occasions Mr. Bige
low, after a little visible embarrass
ment, said, hesitatingly:
"I would like to ask your advice, Miss
Esther, on rather a delicate question,
and one of great importance to myself.
There is one thing I wish to secure to
make my establishment complete, but
1 hardly know in what manner to uk
for it."
" What is it you refer to?" asked
Esther, unsuspiciously.
"A wife," was the significant reply.
Instantly a deep i rmison flushed Es
ther's checks. She did not trust herself
to M]ieuk.
" Need I av that you are the one,
whom, of all others, 1 would seek to
place in that position."
He took her unresisting hand and
kissed it wit It all the gallantry of a
voting lover.
" But what will my brother say?" in
quired Esther, when she found voice to
s|M-ak.
" What should he say? You are your
on mistress, surely?"
"Yes, but he is always ridiculing the
idea of marriage, and I couldn't venture
to tell him."
" No need of it. Let's run away to New-
York and get married. You know," he
added, gnyly, "we are both young and
romantic, and it would be quite in
character."
Esther at tlrst objected, hut when sho
came to consider that in this way she
would be relieved of a great jsirtion of
the embarrassment which such a step
would naturally bring with it, she con
sented, and that day week was ujq>oint<-d
for the departure. She required this
time to make preparations.
Meanwhile, if Esther had not been so
exclusively occupied with her own
affairs, she might have noticed that a
change had CO mo over Philip. He was
often absent evenings, and when at
homo was more silent and abstracted
than was his wont. The former she
readily attributed to the cause which he
assigned, namely, a pressure of business.
The latter she did not observe, her
mind Is-ing pre iccupied. Wc, who are
in the secret, may take tho liberty of
following him on one of his business
calls. It was at a neat cottage, from
whose front door dangled an immense
knocker, that Philip Manson knocked.
The dooi was opened by tho same Miss
Preston, who some months ago be
thought " might do " for Mr. Bigelow.
" Good evening, Maria," was his sal
utation as he entered. After a brief
conversation about the weather, tho
crops, and other standard topics, which,
however trivial they may seem, could
hardly la disjiensed with , he liegan to
show signs of eiuliarrassnicnt, and final
ly ejaculated :
" Maria Miss Preston—l mean Ma
ria, what are vour opinions alton*
marriage ?"
" Why," said she, " I hardly know. I
don't think 1 have given much consid
eration to the subject."
" Because," continued Philip, " I
And my opinions have suffered a great
change on this point. There was a
time when I thought it unwise, but now
if I could get a good wife, such as yon,
for example, I should bo inclined to
try it."
"Oh, lor! Mr. Manson," said Miss
rrnston, in some perturbation, " how yon
talk 1"
Five minutes afterward. Miss Preston
had accepted the prnjwMal of Philip, ami
the two were, to all intents and pur
poses, engaged.
" The only thing I think of," said the
gentleman, after a pause, "is that my
sister Esther is a decided enemy to mar
riage, and I hardly dare to tell her that
lam aliont to marry. If we could only
go awny and have the ceremony per
formed it would lie pleasanter."
"Supposo we go to New York," sug
gested the bride-elect.
" A good idea. We'll go. When can
yon I>e ready f*
" Nest Monday morning."
So nest Monday morning was agreed
npan. It so luxppened that Esther was
to start on Monday afternoon for the
same place, with the same purpose in
view—but of thin eoineidonco neither
party wan aware.
The reader will j>loa*n go forward a
week. By thin tiino tho rosj>ootivo
parties have reached Now York, l>een
united in tho holy bandit of matrimony,
nnd are now legally hutthand and wife,
Tliey were located at boteln situated on
the name ntroot, and oven on the name
nide of the way, but were far from Ixiing
aware of tho propinquity. On the
morning nueeeeding the two marriageH,
for by a niugulnr clianco they happened
on the name day, Mr. Bigelow and
i Knther ntarted out for a walk down
! ntreet. It no happened that I'hilip and
bin wife were at the name moment walk
ing up ntreet. The natural consequence
; was the two partion met.
"Good heavens! my Mister!" cx
j claimed I'hilip.
"Merciful goodness! my brother!"
' returned Knther.
" What brings you here with Mr.
j Uigelow?"
"Nay, how lIUJI|M-ll* it that you are
here with Minn i'ronton !"
" Minn I'rentoa in now my wife!"
, " And Mr. Bigelow in now my bus
! band !"
j " But I thought you wore opposed to
matrimony?"
"And I nup]ioned you were equally
"My friends," inter]>onisl Mr. Bige
low, "thin in a day of MUrprinc—but 1
trust of such a nature that We ihull all
be made the happier thereby. My re
gret, Mr. Maiinon, at robbing you of
your housekeejier in quite dissipated bv
the knowledge that you havo so soon
! supplied her place."
Tho Herniation esciUsl in the village
by the return of the two brides with
their respective husbands may be better
' imagined than dcmuilnnl. It gives us
pleasure to state that neitle-r I'hilip nor
his sister ever had occasion to regret
the double elofM-melit.
Words of Wisdom.
Then l are many men whose tongues
might govern multitudes if they could
govern their tongues.
lb- happy if you can but do not de
spise those who are otherwise, for you
know not their troubles.
1 It many times falls out that wo deem
I ourselves much deceived in others be
! cause we first deceive ourselves.
Motives are better than actions. Men
drift into crime. Of evil they do more
than they contemplate. Of good they
, contemplate more than they do.
It is a ss-ret well known to all gri-at
men, that by conferring obligations
' they are not always sure of procuring
friends, but are certain of creating a
numlier of enemies.
It is not ease, but effort, not faculty,
but difficulty, that makes men. There
is no station in life in which difficulties
have not to lie encountered and over
come Itefore any decided measures of
success can lie achievisl.
If thou desire rest unto thy soul, lie
just; he that doeth no injury foam not
I to suffer injury; the unjust mind is
always in lalsir; it either practices the
evils it hath projected, or projects to
avoid the evils it hath deserved.
Mediocrity deals much in relating
stories.
Charm* strike tho sight, but merit
: wins the soul.
Knvy shootcth at others and woundeth
herself.
Politeness is the just medium botwoon
form and rudeness.
J Experience is the name men give to
their follies or their sorrows.
Many have lived on a (Hviostal who
will never have a statue when dead.
There are reproaches which give
praise, and praises which reproach.
A life of full and constant employ
ment is the only safe and happy one.
Tho greater part of men liava no
opinion, still fewer an opinion of thei r
own. well reflected and founded upon
reason.
A man's fortune should l>e the rule for
his sjmring not spending. Extravagance
may bo supported, not juatitind, by
affluence.
Wo should often have reason to le
ashamed of onr brilliant actions, if the
world could sec the motirns from which
! they spring.
An Apple Tree That Never Blossoms.
The Hartford (Conn.) Tim** says: In
the town of Harwinglon, this State, and
; on the farm now owned by Mr. George
Gridlev, there lived and thrived a tree
known as tho " No blow apple tree.'
This tree derived its queer name from
the fact tluxt it always fruited hut never
blossomed. The fruit hail a sweet flavor,
though the size was below the average,
and when fully matured was sufficiently
• open at tho blossom end so that the
seeds might be easily shaken out. In
the autumn the fruit buds set similar to
i tho surrounding trees. In tho spring
i the bud swelled, and throw ont its feel
| ers; but what wc recognize as blossom
1 was minus, and it took close olmcrvation
and a studied acquaintance with its
habits to detect anything oven in tho
matnred bud tliat would foreshadow
fruitage.
Ricks roost with ill tho old
country am found on an island west of
Groat Britain, and they are the Patricks.
—JHiddlttoni* Tt atwcrifX.
00 LOW A L PROJECT*.
j
flrent l i.dcnnklnK. Whirl, nrs 1n.1.rH..)
All Over Ihr World.
It seems to ho the object and deter
mination of tho present ago to set on
foot gigantic enterprises and un
dertakings by which to increase
ami perfect tho system of tho
world's commerce to such a- extent
, that coming generations will rind but
littlo to do in that direction. Among
| them must he counted the submarine
telegraphs, the successful piercing of
; the Alps for railroad purposes, the IV
I cille railroads, the great linos of steam
| ships for transportation of passengers
ami freight, and above all tho eonsxruc
i tioii of tin- Hue/, canal, and last, but not
least, the tremendous railroad network
all over America lis well as over Europe.
' Minn* the unlutppy consequences of the
year lH7.'t have gradually died away, in
numerable plans and project* for
gigantic measures to increase tho facili
ties for the commercial intercourse of
the world have been jsirtly executed al
-1 ready, while others will soon IK; taken
i in liuml.
Prominent among the latter are the
construction of the Panama and Neat
i rogua canals, ami the project of Captain
Ends to build a railroad across the Isth
mus of Tehuaiitc|>ec, in Mexico, on
which he projsises to carry ships of any
and all sizes from ocean to ocean. In
connection with these projects stands
the const ruction of a complete railroad
net nil over Mexico by American capi
talists, ami the finishing of tho South
ern, Northern ami Canadian Pacific rail
road-. The laying of a submarine cable
from San Francisco to Japan ami ('liina
will 1M- the logical consequence of the
construction of all of these Pacific
roods.
As far as our own American naviga
tion and shipping i- concerned, there is
in contemplation a Mock comjiany
who-, object it is to build one hundred
iron steamship* for coast, river and lake
navigation. Tho first seven of thcae
steamships an- now in progress of con
struction. The mouth of the Mivi
sippi is now passabh to the largest
vessels, ami great projects ale tning
planned for the improvement of the
levees of tliat river. A navigation com-
I puny has lieen formed at New Orleans
for the purjH.se of monojiolizing the
total navigation of the Father of liivcra
j ami its tributaries.
Western Eunq>e is busy in the con
struction of steam transjKirts in order
to handle and move the tremendous
American freight ami tiip constantly
increasing emigration to the United
States; Hamburg and Bremen arc chiefly
engaged in audi enterprise*. In France
the construction of canals ami railroads
is pushed forward; it is the intention
of that country to expend $1,000,000,0(10
in such improvement*. In the East, Itua
' sia is energetically pushing the conqde
i tion of its railroad* toward the South
and Asia. Austria intends to construct
an important railroad from the lianulw,
through Servia and Bulgaria, toward
Constantinople. Tho jirojoot of Ix>**<qM
to jiierce the Isthmus of Corinth *ecm*
tto ptv© lieen pushed into th© back
j gronn.l through tho Panama canal
project.
j In Asia, also, great railroad entor
jirises arc; planned and jwrtlv in con
, stniction. The ('hiucao, who only n
I short while gjo destroyed and demol
ished a little railroad built by Euro
j>ean* at Canton, tiecauae the^ regarded
! the locomotive as being built in the
devil's wurksho|>s, have now concluded
i to construct s railroad system on their
own responsibility, in order to connect
all the chief cities of the interior of that
vast empire with l'ekin. Undoubtedly
the jugtails are driven to these enter
prises by their fear of the Russians, who
are tearing jiieco after |iieoe from the
Celestial empire, and who at the pres
ent time are pr©|ruig for a general
attack.
' That England, like Russia, entertains
its plans ami projects for the construe
i tion of railroads through Asia toward
' India is a well known fact. When Eng.
land secured the possession of Cyprus
i the fact that that country intended to
i build a railroad in Asia Minor at a point
nearest and most convenient to the
! island, which should run along the
| river Euphrates toward the Gulf of
1 Persia. Preliminary surveys have si.
ready l>een made; but when this plan
will IK> executed the English govern
ment seems to regard as a secret.
As compared with England, the
Russian plans and projects iii Asia arc
simply tremendous. It is Russia's in
! tention not alone to connect tho Caspian
, sea with the sea of Aral, but also to
make the river Amur-Darja navigable
as far as Tashkoud. Russia has already
a large nnmlxer of steam-vessels on tliat
river which run into the very heart of
j (Central Asia. But the most gigantic
plan of Russia is the eonstrnction of a
railroad from the Casjuan sea through
Central Asia as far as tlie frontiers of
China and Afghanistan. Thero is no
dotiht that le/sseps has his hands in all
these RnssiAn plans; he lias traveled
through tip interior of Asia for this
purpose. The construction of a railroad
through the desert along tho Persian
bocd*r,/through the chief cities of the
Turuortan and Geok-Tepe, and Marv
' must lie regarded as the beginning of
I the Russian Central railroad. It cannot |
*
♦ / # ■:- ■
| 1> long bcfor© that route will be pushed
toward Herat, in Afghanistan, and in an
i easterly direction toward tbo frontier of
China. Resting tijK,n the beginning in
the construction of this road. Qeoenl
HkobelefT is now Ktsieging Oeok-Tepe,
a fortified town of the Turcoman, and *
will not bo very far off in the future
when other Russian general* will ap
pear before Merv and Herat.
1 Even for Africa great plana and enter
prise* are intended. Mr. !*-*<wjai
inuat also be regarded a* the# first insti
gator of these plana. At lirst the eh-a
waa entertained at I'aria to floral the
little Sahara desert ami make it a |art
of the M< diterranean md. Hut the ira
po.-. ibility of auece dully executing thia
plan M>on became ujiparcnt ; and, even
if it were possible, it would liava
proved to be unprofitable. The newest
j>lan is the construction of a railroad
through the den rt of Sahara toward
Soudan and Central Africa. Several ex
i ploring parties havg left Algiers to 10.
cate tlii- line of this road, bv the aid of
i which the French hope to conquer tin,
! whole of Northeast Africa.
Thousands of millions of dollars are
necessary to execute those plans and
i projects, but everywhere) enough of cap
ital can be found which is seeking last
. ing and profitable investment. ('lnrtujo
Tribune.
i 1,1
The First Railroad.
I At New Castle-upon-Tyne a man
named Hi aurnont, a heavy coal dealer
sometime before 1650, constructed a
wooden roadway at bis mines; at least,
twenty-five years lat< r, a roadway was
described which is supposed to le like
that built by Mr. Rexumont. It eon
sisUsl simply of wcooden rail* about
seven inches wide fastened to sle< |K-rs.
five or six feet apart, by wooden |*-g*.
On these the heavy curts with clumsy
wheels were pushed or drawn along. A
horse would draw a haul of about two
tons on one of these railroads, under
favorablo circumstances. As a rule the
collieries were situated at a bigLc
level than the depots, so that the grad©
was generally favorable to the p. a,led
eart. As the rails were found to Ik ml
| and to offer a corresjonding resistance
to tho.wheels, the plan was adopted, in
some cases, of nailing plates of iron to
, the surface of the wooded rails. Cat uUs
at this time were receiving the most at
tention from those interested in improv
ing the means of internal communica
tion, and but little interest was oxjs-nded
on the railroads through a period of
many years, the attention of acit-nufir
men Wing turned in other directions,
j An idea of the little attention that
was given to the railroadin those early
days of its history is seen from the fad
that aliout a century passed after the
time of nailing strips* of iron to the
1 mils before the next important improve
ment was made, that of sulistituting
cast-iron for wooden rails. Mr. Stephen
son puts the first manufacture of iron
rails as occurring in 1767, at the exten
sive iron works of C-olebrook-dale, in
Shropshire. Iron wheels were used to
' . some extent ten or fifteen years before
1 Tho first railroad with iron rails is said
, to have Ix-en const meted at the Duke of
Norfolk's colliery, Sheffield. Aliout the
year 1810 malleable iron rails wi re first
! introduces! at the coal works of Lord
Carlisle, on Tindale Fell, Cumberland.
The ears, or " waggons " as they were
called, of those early days of the rail
! road, were as crude and clumsy in their
form as the rough play carta of children
portrayed in pictures of ancient rural
life. Being intended for the carrying
lof coal, the cars of that time were
adapted in form for that purpose, and
were made of roughly-joined wood in
] the shape of hoppers. Previous to
abont 1750 only wooden wheels were
1! used. The front wheels were made of
1 • larger diameter than the rear wheels to
keep the body of the car horizontal on
the down grade, the roatla King in
' tended chiefly to hring loads down from
; the mines to the coal yards anil depots.
| These wheels were sometimes made of
1 one piece, hut oficner of several pieces
I fastened together by wooden pin#. The
surface was hewn out to fit to the
rail. Aliout the middle of the cigh
■ teentli century cast-iron wheels I>egan
to ap|>ear, and for a time it was cus
tomary to have two of the wheels on
n car of iron and the other two of wood.
I There was a strong prejudice against
the nse of iron wheels on account of
their injury to the rails the danger of
their cracking and the rude brakes
not working on them satisfactorily; and
it was for the latter reason, probably,
. that during the introduction of th
i cast-iron wheels, wooden wheels were
used with them on the same car. The
adoption of iron rails did away with
the use of wooden wheels.
The first railroad constructed in Eng
land for carrying ]w**cngcrs was I lie
Stockton and Darlington, which was
opened in the fall of 183.1, though for
the transportation of general merchan
dise there were several wooden railroad#
of short length in use. which had grown
up from the provcu utility of the nul
road for carrying coal. The coach©*
| were drawn by horses (on© horse to each
! coach, th coach accommodating half a
J doten jiaascngers inside and twenty out
1 side) at a speed of about ten miles an
hour.— American JommaL
The Spanish are said to hare in on©
eolloatloa 44,000 proverb#.