CLIPPINGS FOR THE CURIOUS. A curious spring in St. Tammany parish. La., runs clear, cold water all day long, hut at sunset goes suddenly dry, discharging no water till the sun rises again. A Montana paper has discovered a gorge in tho Yollowstono where, it as serts, the atmosphere is a non-conduc tor of sound. No matter how loud one shouts, ho can't be heard. In 1770, or therealiouts, the tomato was almost unknown in Paris. To the southern French, who invaded France at the time of tho Revolution, its accli me'Jzation is due. It was a costly lux ury at first, but at the end of 180:flt was sold at Les Hallos by tho half dozen. In several provincial districts of Fin- j land a religious sect has appeared, based on the fundamental principle of "female supremacy and male subjection." Hus bands and lovers bind themselves by oath to wear whatever yoke their part ners choose to place upon thein, and furthermore to make unreserved con fession once a week of all delinquencies. A woman who has been chosen by her sister rulers to exercise 110111101111 au thority within the community allots the penalty, which are [promptly indicted by robust and resolute matrons. The first notice of trades unionism in England is found in an act of Edward VI., 1548, which recites that "artificers, handicraftsmen and laborers have made confederacies and promises, and have sworn mutual oaths not only that they should not meddle with one another's work and perform and finish what an other had begun, but also to constitute and appoint how much work they shall do in a day, and what hours and times they shall work,contrary to the laws and statutes of this realm, and to the great hurt and impoverishment of his Ma jesty's subjects." The blue jay is the boldest and most mischievous of wild birds. Near Knox ville, Tenn., recently, one was seen to fly a number of times to a high picket fence to attract a pair of kittens play ing on the lawn. The kittens finally mounted the fence and began a cautious approach from picket to picket. The 1 jay let the first get to within eighteen inches, then hopped over between the two. The second kitten approached; { the bird h<>pp>d over it. It turned, ' and the jay hopped back and between. ' The first kitten approached, and the jay hopped back over it, and so kept it up till one kitten gut disgusted and left, and the other followed s<>on after. Once or twice after the jay tried to in veigle the kittens to another frolic, but failed. In a Russian Prison. In the cells of the upper and middle tiers .are put the least compromised criminals. All the cells are of the same size—ten feet long, seven feet broad and twelve feet high. The doors have each two openings—one large enough for the daily food and drink to lie put in through it and the other of smaller size, to serve as a spy hole for the jailers. The doors are also each fastened with two padlocks—the key of one being in the jailer's custody, while that of the other remains in charge of the commandant of the fortress. The dish from which the prisoner eats is pushed in through grooves cut in a plate of iron which projects from the interior of the door, at the height of jfcit four feet from the floor. The ■ cannot, therefore. Is- removed by ■ prisoner, who must take his food against the door—and this a spoon which Ls attached to the ■e. The drinking water is put into of jughingrd tothedoor. When Hprisoner wishes to drink he must ■>wn upon his knees and turn this upon its hinges or pivots. Food mupplied at eleven o'clock in the morning and six in the evening, and ordinarily consists of oatmeal gruel and a quarter of a kilogram of meat; besides this there is a daily allowance of a kil ogram of rye bread. The prisoner's isil consists of a plank, six by three, with a straw mattress, a sheet so strong and coarse that it is impossible to tear it, and a covering of felt—all of which articles are taken away during the day. The dress con sists of a gray woolen jacket quite short and tight-fitting; short panta loons of the same color, and long felt boots. For women the jacket is sup plied, and a gray skirt added. The prisoners must get up at six o'clock and go to bed again at eight. It has been ascertained, by means of the se cret oliservations which are constantly taken through the {icep-holrs that, as a general rule, the prisoners spend their long hours from their rising until their breakfast in pacing to and fro in their cells; after this they are wont to remain quiet for an hour or so, only to give way next to an excess of dcsolatft despair which their pitiable situation may wefl inspire. A movement on foot-'I rftniliiflgcorn. \ Odd Evidence. A witness wns once called on a trial to prove an alilii. 110 solemnly swore that the prisoner, on the night and at the hour in question (twenty-live min utes past eleven at night), was at home and in I ted. Nothing could shake his testimony, for he said he had looked at tho clock just as the prisoner went up stairs, ami had set the dock right with the church clock himself the same day, and it was certainly twenty-Ova min utes past eleven at night l etc. "I'ray what do you make tho time now?" blandly asked the counsel who cross-examined, pointing to a great white dial over the dock. No answer was given. "Don't be runfused—take your time. I ask you again—what is tho time by that clock now?" The question was repeated several times, and the witness was eventually bound to confess that he could not tell the time at all. Singularly enough the clock was standing at twenty-five min utes past eleven when lie rnado this avowal. We remember a country witness be ing called at the assizes to prove that at a particular hour on a certain night the moon was shining and at the full. There happened to be no almanac in court, but the evidence seemed to bo satisfactory, for lie had obtained his information from "a regular good al manac. When asked if lie had liought this almanac recently, lie replied : "My father pasted it behind my kitchen door nine years ago—tho day 1 was married." It need hardly ho said that informa tion its to the moon's ago during a day in tho curront year was of iittio value from an almanac nino years old. >\* remark that all evidence of a "circum stantial" character is received with groat caution, and no doubt rightly so, on a trial. Take, as an illustration of this, the evidence offered against a prisoner of footmarks. Nothing is more commonly found than tho impres sion of IhHits and shoes near to a mur dered body, or to premises which have lieen broken into. A policeman is called as a witness on the trial, who deposes that he took tho boots off the prisoner ujion his arrest; that he com pared them with the footmarks near the place of the alleged crime, and that they corresponded in every particular "You nun pared them, I suppose," usually asks the judge, "by placing the boots in the impressions, and found that they corresponded?" "Yes, your honor." The answer is fatal t<> that branch of tho evidence, for the placing the lmot in the impression found, very JH>S sibly caused the similarity relied upon ; the prudent officer places the prisoner's boot leside the footprint, pD-sst-s it into tho earth, and then removing it, com pares the impression made with the one discovered. lb-en llrhen Out of their iliisiness. Anmng the lat<-st victims of foreign competition are the bei-s of llus-i.i Under the baleful influence of the free importation of a spurious kind of wax called cercsina. manufactured in Aus tria, tho native industry is dwindling at a rate which threatens it with ex tinction. of eeresina, which 1 tears the same relation to genuine wax that o|e<- margarine does to dairy butter, no )e --than I,' * ** • |w>unds are annuallv ini|Hrt.'**> to t>,(Xk) pound* per annum. Ity tiie new tariff an import duty of a rouble a pound has been imposed on eeresina; but, according to the if wow fiacrfte, it will have to bo raised to ten roubles to give the jHxir bees a chance.—l'ull .Villi (in:rtfe. Queen Victoria'* Hold l'lnte. No living monarch, Kurnpean or Asiatic, not even tlt** (,'xnr of all the liussias, can Ixoist of such a service of plate as that nwmd bv Queen Victoria, to whose guilts it is often exhibited on huge buffets at either end of the banqueting table in St. (leorge's Hall vas-s. plateaux, cuj.*. a.id condelabra. all wrought in the precious metal, the net value of which is said to exceed two millions sterling. Conspicuous among the trophies are the mimic lyre bird and tiger's head, taken from Tip jtoo Haiti eighty odd years ago, and pre | seated to her Majesty's grandfather, KingOeorgo 111. The lyre-bird's l>ndy and tail are composed of solid gold, richly studded with brilliants, rubies, emerelils, ami pearls. The tiger's head once served Hyder Ali's masterful son as a footstool. It is a life-sized model, fashioned In solid silver, richly gilt, its tusks of rock-crystal, anil its tongue of pure gold. Like the lyre-bird, it fell Into the hands of the Hritish at the storming of Heringapatam, w here Tip ! poo, its valorous owner, met bis death. SCIENTIFIC WRAPS It has been ascertained that the first experiment with air balloons was made at Avignon by Montgulficr the elder In November, 1782. He sent up in hi* room a parallelepiped of canvas con taining forty cubic feet of air heated by burning paper inside. The room is still in existence. Experiments by Koch and Wolfhugei to determine the disinfecting power of hot air have hsl to the conclusion that so high a temperature and so long an exposure are necessary to secure disin fection that most articles—such as clothing—are liable to serious damage by the operation. According to tho 3fex, but the lymph taken front human subjects very often fails to protect. A report of the Rritish Association Committee on underground tempera tures states that the result of fourteen years'otiservation shows that tho in i rease of heat under the surf;we of tho earth varies in its rate. A great many records were taken, and as near a* pos sible the mean increase of tem|>ernture is set down as 1 degree Fahrenheit for every sixty-four feet. Coral Fishing. The best mral fisheries are along the coasts of Tunis, Algeria, and Morocco, from two to ten miles from shore, in from thirty t<> 150 fathoms. Good coral is also common at Naples, near Leg horn and Genoa, and on various parts of the sea, as Sardinia. Corsica, Cata lonia. I'rovence. etc. It ranges in color from pure white through all the shades of pink, red. and crimson ; the rose pink is most valued. For a long time Marseilles was the market, but now Italy is the great centre of the trade ; the greater nutnlier of Nats hailing from Torre del Greco, while outside persons are forced tit pay a heavy tax. The vi ssels are schooners, lateen-rigged, from three to fourteen tons. Large nets are usetl, which, during tha months between March and October, are dragged, dredge-like, over the rocks. A large crew will haul In a season from tvxt to '.too pounds, To prevent the destruction of the industry, the reef is divideii into ten parts, only one Ling worked a year, and by the time the tenth is reach is 1 tha first is overgrown again with a new growth. In 1*73 the Algerian fisheries alone, employing 3,150 men, realized half a million of dollars. The rhnire grades are always valuable, the finest tints bringing over si*$ i* r ounce, while the small pieces, used f,,r necklace*, and •ailed collette. are worth only $1.50 ;wr ounce. The large oval pieces are sent to China, where they are used as buttons of office by the mandarins. The fashion of framing the front breadth of a skirt gives great scope to the employment of an inconsiderable quantity of handsome materia], and many "short lengths" of rich brocade, velvet or satin may le most advan tageously „ Ho ,| j„ this manner. The Lidice is often of the same material a* the panel; hut where this cannot I*! accomplished, a |Hirtion can le in trie duced a* trimmings, such as rovers, plastrons, or pelerine and cuffs. Quito rute in A ram in tu: "You are such a strange girl!" said Charley; "really, I don't know what to make of you." "Well, then, I'll tell you, Charley," replied Araminta; "make a wife of me." Charley did so at tho earliest opportunity. The rag business in New York has assumed enormous proportions. It amounts to $110,000,000 per annum. There are 2,000 ragpickers in the c'ty. Last year there was over $10,000,000 worth of rags imputed. An exchange wants to know: "What are our young men coming to?" Coming to see our git Is, of course. PEARLS OF THOUGHT. Duty never frowns hut upon those who shun her. On those who follow her she smiles. Death is tho antagonist of life, and tiio thought of tho tomb is the skele ton of all feasts. Life Is a battle. From its earliest dawn to its latest breath we are strug gling with something. The proper way to check slander is co despise it; attempt to overtake and refute it, and it will outrun you. Every day a little helpfulness. We live for the good of others, if our liv ing be in any sense true living. There will always be something that sre shall wish to have finished, and be nevertheless unwilling to begin. Flattery is often a traffic of mutual meanness where, although both parties intend deception, neither are deceived. We cannot be too much on our juard against reactions, lest we rush from one fault into another contrary fault. We must distinguish between felicity nd prosperity, for prosperity leads tften to ambition, and ambition to dis appointment. He who swims securely down the it ream of self-confidence, is in danger of being drowned in the whirlpool of presumption. Foppery is never cured; it is the bad j itamina of the mind, which, like those I if the body, are never rectified; once a | joxeomb, and always u coxcomb. What real good does an addition to a fortune already sufficient procure? Not any. Could the great man, by having his fortune increased, increase j also his appetites, then precedence j might L- attended with real amuso ( mi nt. licautiful is old age, beautiful as the j tlow-dropping mellow autumn of a | rich, glorious summer. In the old man, nature has fulfilled her work; she loads ' him with her blessings; she fills him • with the fruits of a well-spent life; and ' surrounded by his children anil his I children's children, she rocks him j softly away to a grave to which he is followed with blessings. Till: FAMILY DOCTOR. Don't try to get cool too quickly after exercising, is advice given by I)r. Foolt's H'ulth Monthly. , To remove coldsores, rub the finger oehind the ear close to the part which is joined to the head, and then rub the sore. The secretion removes the sore in a short time if applied every twenty minutes. To make giod sticking plaster, put two spoonfuls of balsam of Peru to six >f isinglass, melted with very little | water, and strained. Mix these well i together in a small stone jar over the ' Ire. Pin out some black Persian or ' sarsenet on aboard, and,dipping a brush into the mixture, pass it over the silk five or six times; then hold it to the fire, hut not very near, and it will soon become black and shining. When an artery is cut, the red blond spurts out at each pulsation. Press '.he thumb firmly over the artery near i he wound, and on the side toward the "mart. Pr> -s hard enough to stop the : bleeding, and w ait till a physician j somes. The wounded person is often able to do this himself, if he has the , requisite knowledge. Hoarseness and tickling in the threat u* best relieved by the gargle of the | white of an egg. tieaten to a froth in i half a glass of warmed, sweetened | water. Wanted, a Husband. In the papers recently appeared an account of a young woman in Dakota I who advertised for a husband in the characteristic slang of the Far West. Another story of a similar character comes from this wild, untrammelled land. An officer of the Seventh Cav alry Regiment at Fort Lincoln, Da kota, received a letter front a woman who owned a ranch near Mandan, which in substance read as follows: "Dear Sir: My man, perhaps, you know, Is dead. I buried him Thurs day. It is coming on spring now. and I am a lone woman with a big ranche and tho Indians about I don't mind the Indians, the red devils, but 1 have : too much work for any woman to do. If you have any sergeant about to he mustered out, or a private, if he is a ; good man, I would like to have you in form me about him. If he is a steady tnan, likes work and wants a good home, I will marry him, if we think we ran get along together. It's a good chance for any man. Please answer." About 1,500 miles of new railroad were put into operation in the Southern j States last year. The gross earnings ' of the Southern reads nvu-hed $68,000,- 000, and the net carningsmcreased from $18,000,000 in 1330 to more than $24,(XX),0r.. Utilizing Hun Ray*. M. William Calver, q mining expert living in Washington,has junt patented a new discovery which premises large results. it la very simple, consisting <•1 an arrangement by which the ray* of the sun are reflected from any num. iter of mirrors upon a common focus, lly accident Mr. Calvor directed the light from two ordinary looking glasses upon the same surface, and he immediately observed that the result ant heat was about doubled. Continu ing his experiments in this direction, he succeeded in reducing wood to ashes; and inetal to a liquid state, merely by concentrating upon them the reflected rays of the sun from twenty Hinall mirrors with flat sur faces. Mr. Calver does not pretend to explain the principle, he has simply pursued his experiments until he has brought the process to a point where it can be patented. A reporter of the Washlngion Post has seen the model in the Patent Office, and has witnessed some of the experiments. The model patented Ly Mr. Calver consist* of a number of small looking-glasses arranged in rows upon a frame so lixed that they can be converged upon any one point. A working model, of which he has a number, was exhibited to a reporter in tlie yard in the rear of his residence. Forty innocent, guileless-looking, fif teen-cent, gilt-fraim-d mirrors, each three and three-quarters by five ami three-quarter in, and partly covered with a worn and failed sheet of zinc that boreuiuiiistakahle'evidence of having lieen burned through in several places. It was but the work of a minute to converge the forty mirrors ujiou a space three and three quarter inches by five and three-quar ter inches ujKin the barn door, and then the revelations liegan. As each mir ror cast its quota of sunshine ujmn Un common store, the parallelogram of light grew white and more dazzling, until at last it I..okcd like a patch of electric light. Hut little patience wa* re-quired to await results. In less than thirty second* a thin curling puff of smoke gave evidence of the progress of the experiment. In a minute th<- board wm bursting out in flames. The focus was then shifted upon the zinc. In a few minutes it L-gan to turn color; then shrink, as if anxious to get away where it was cooler; and then, in less than three minutes, the entire surface, covered by the focus, was literally melting, drop by drop. To melt zinc requires a temperature of 7o*ition and income as a teacher at Nice. Ohio produces upward of 25,000,000 pounds of wool, or nearly one-sixth of the whole product of the United States. California follows next with 16.798,- 036 pounds, and Michigan third with 11,858,497 pound*. Where He Kept His Revolver. A traveling man writing to th 4 Commercial Traveler? Journal gives an account of how two men nought to roh a drummer out Went. They didn't roh him quite an much an they thought they would, ilin mum: wan Finher, and 'he was making a trip through tbo vvcetera country, where if roeklean men ever caught a drummer in a safe i place ami could get the drop on him, | they were pretty certain of a good haul, an the victim always had money. I Finher had left the hotel and had j wandered down a little creek to enjoy i the fresh air, and had ncared a little clump of trees. Two men were nltting under the tres*s watching bin heedless approach. As he got within a few paces of them they suddenly jumped up and one of them leveled a long navy revolver and told the unfortunate commercial traveler to hold up his hands. Fisher was probably the most astonished man in the State at that moment. Ilia knees smote together like he seemed to grow shorter—sink into himself, as it were—the perfect picture of fright. His bands, however, went about that shiny plug hat instantly, He was not too badly scared to listen to persuasion, hut there they trembled and waved up and down like a sycamore leaf in a gale of wind. It was a comical sight to see them, limp arid whiten, "flapping" around through a space of a half a foot or more. The brigand thought so too, : and could not help raising his eye from his pistol to look at them. Fisher, ! through his half-closed eyelids, saw ' the movement of the robber's eyes and ' then that trembling hand seemed to | flash down liehind the tall black hat ' ba