01E DOLLAR PER ANNUM INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE.
TOAV^VISrDA.:
Thursday Morning, April 19, 1860.
Stlttltb Ibttrn.
WASTED TIME.
Alone In the dark and silent night,
With the heavy thoughts ola vanished year,
When evil deeds come bark to sight,
And good deeds rise with a welcome cheer ;
Alone with the spectres cf the past,
That come with the old year's dying chime,
There glooms one shadow dark and vast,
The shadow of Wasted Time.
The chances of happiness cast away,
The opportunities never sought,
The good resolves that every day
Have died in the impoteuce of thought ;
The slow advance and the backward step,
In the rugged path we have striven to ellinb ;
How tliey furrow the brow and pale the lip,
When we talk with Wasted Time.
What are wc now ? what had we lieen
Had wc hoarded time as the miser's gold,
Striving onrineed to win,
Through the summer's licat and the winter's cold ;
Shrinking from nought that the world could do,
Fearing nought hut the touch of crime,
I.a boring, struggling, all seasons through,
And knowing no Wasted Time?
Who shall recall the vanished years ?
Who shall hold back this ebbing tide
That leaves ns remorse, and shame, and tears,
And washes away all things beside ?
Who shall give us the strength e'en now,
To leave forever this holiday rime,
To shake off this sloth from heart and brow.
And battle with Wasted Time ?
The years that pass come not again,
The things that die no life renew ;
lint e'en from the rust of his cankering chain
A golden truth is glimmering through ;
That to him who learns from errors past,
And turns away with strength sublime,
"Anil makes each year outdo the last,
There is no Wasted Time
44 ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE."
s is IM: O IsT ,
H) Rev. H. (.rattan liuinncsH.
" Ask and it shall lie given to yon."— MATII. vii—7-
Prayer says one "moves the arm, that moves
the world." What is this prayer ?
I'rayer is the burden of a sigh,
The tailing of a tear.
The upward glancing of the eye,
When none but Hod is nigh.
Prayer is the human heart out-pouring itself
into the heart of God. Prayer is the sinner
qleaking to the Saviour, the creature speak
ing with the Creator, the finite communing
with the infinite ; without prayer wc should
know nothing personally. My dear friends, 1
have a solemn subject to speak to you upon
this evening ; I feel my own weakness We
trust that when we are speaking, your hearts
will be lifted up in prayer to Uod, that the
qiirit may be poured upon us, from 0:1 high
then, indeed, if our depend nice is tqion God,
llis strength will be made perfect in our weak
ness. This I have said is a solemn subject,
for oh, bow important is prayer. \V ithout
prayer we cannot be saved, prayer is the door
that hadcth from ear;h to heaven —prayer U
the ladder ol light that stretcbeth from the
place where we sleep, as it were, here below
beneath the shades of night, up to the very
throne of God in glory, and angel-messengers
ascend front us to God, and descend from God
to us, bearing the blessings of our Heavenly
Father's love. Prayer.is the key that unlock
eth the darkest dungeon, prayer is the hand
that lay eth hold of the everlasting covenant,
and the arm of Jehovah's strength, and saith
" 1 will not let thee go except tliou bless 111 c."
Prayer is the first accent the sinner uttcreth
in the car of God. Saul of Tarsus had sail
many and many a prayer before he was con
verted, he used to stand sometimes at the
corners of the streets praying, and men said,
" sure there is a very excellent man," but when
he was struck down by light from Heaven,
when in the loneliness of his chamber, he poni
ed out his heart into the heart of the Infinite,
—then God said " Behold ! heprayeth." Sin
ner thou canst not be saved without prayer.—
Arc thine eyes shut, and art thon blind by na
ture? Well, there was a blind man literally,
who came to Jesus, his eyes were never opened
until lie cried, "Jesus of Nazareth, have
tuercy upon me." Wo do not wonder at
thine eyes being closed, because thou hast nev
er said " have mercy npou tne," "ivc cannot
:, a Veu without prayer, we may be saved
without much else, bat not without this—l
have heard of those being saved who never
juiued themselves to christian churches, or did
tiny of those things which distinguish chris
tians at the present day—but their souls have
been humbled in the presence of the Infinite.
Prayer is an important thing—you cannot live
without it, christian. A plant may live with
out light, but not without air. So the soul of
man may live without light, without under
standing a vast amount of what the scriptures
contain ; he may live without a great deal of
spiritual light, but not without air. If he
lives without light, he will be pale, sic kly, fee
ble, blighted, aud not good for much, but he
cannot live without prayer, which is the air of
the christian. Prayer is an important thing,
because you cannot be happy without it. \es!
wo thank God for it ; men cannot tie and bind
these souls of ours, they- have gat wings un
seen, they can take spiritual flight beyoud the
ken of mortals. While the body is bound with
chains, the soul, winged by faith, and strength
ened by the spirit of God, can leave the dull
prison, pass through the rusty bars, cleave its
way into the blue iuGnite above, leave earth
and all its narrow things of darkness and mist
below,
Prayer makes lite darkened doubt withdraw,
Prayer ctliA&s tile ladder Jaeob saw.
And Satan trembles when be sees
The weakest suiut uj.un bis knees.
i'hou caubt out overcome without prayer.—
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY AT TO WAN DA, BRADFORD COUNTY, PA., BY E. O'MEARA GOODRICH.
Art thou weak, and utterly helpless, child of
Uod, in thyself ? Thou art, most surt-ly thou
art. Well then, learn that by prayer all thy
sufficiency is of Uod. There are two things
I wish to notice from the text especially—
Christ's direction, " Ask,'' and Christ's promise
"It shall be given pan. And my dear friends,
let the words spoken sink down into your
hearts. First " Ask.'' I should like to speak
to you about what to pray for, how to pray,
when to pray, and where to pray. First, what
are we we to pray for ? Why, surely, those
things that are the most needful. Let me
speak to you for a few moments as individuals.
Thou art, perhaps, a sinner, far from Cod ;
would thou become a child of his ? Then
thou must pray—and dost tlion ask what must
I pray for ? l'ray, my friend, as the Publican
prayed, " Cod be merciful to me a sinner."—
Would'st thou be forgiven—pray for forgive
ness, pray for pardon through the blood of the
Lamb. There are some here who are back
sliders—pray as David prayed, " Ilavo mercy
upon me, O Col," (51st Psalm,) —pray thus,
ouJ the Lord will answer.
Ah christian, a word with thee. We hard
ly know how to direct thee what to pray for,
thou has so many things to ask. When you
conic to a great God, you ought to ask great
•things. Ask little things of a Great God if
you will,because,you are told " in everything by
prayer and supplication, to make your requests
known unto llim." I do not like the way
some people have of bearing all their little
weights, and carrying all their little burdens
themselves ; it is best to " cast your burdens
on the Lord," He will bear them. Do you say
what shall I pray for? Pray for more faith.
Remember the words of the disciple, " Lord
increase our faith."
Second—How are we to pray ? Pray earn
estly. We say still further, pray pcrsi ecnnghj—
do not give tip. Now, you recollect the wo
man who applied to the unjust judge. But
what says Christ ? Does he say, take care,
do not conic to God with your prayers over
and over again ? No. " How much more"
He says "And shall not God avenge His
own elect which cry day and night unto Him ?
though He bear long with them." "Men
ought always to pray," says Christ, and be
cause they are wont to decline, He adds, "and
not faint. Parent, hast thou an unbelieving
son, who is going oa the way to ruin ? Ah !
I think my memory can tell of a mother who
had a reckless son,who was treading the patli to
hell ; but her prayers went up to Heaven for
that child ; the tears often fell from her eyes,
for she prayed in intense earnestness and per
severance, and that child was by the help of
God, rescued ! Ah ! that child can remember
when he stood on the water-washed deck of
the vessel, staggering beneath the load of wa
ter 011 her deck, well nigh sunk, when her very
yards were dipped in the waves, he can re
member the time when the vessel trembled be
neath the mighty shock, when the helmsman
loosed the wheel, and all despaired, and he can
think of the time when God, by his own pow
er, delivered him from sinking, and saved him
for his mercy's sake. That child stands before
yon to-night. God answers a mother's prayers,
they are music in His ears. Oil mother ! hast
thou an ungodly son, then pray for him ; pray
and don't faint, and Cod will answer Hue
My friends, we must pray bclievingly, says tin-
Book of God : " Whatsoever things ye desire,
when yc pray, believe that je receive them, and
yc shall have them." Yoa must pray in the
name of Jesus. His name is sweet to the sin
tier and sweet to God ; by it wc meet with ac
ccptanee, and though thou wast guilty as
Paul, whose hands were steeped in the blood
of the mart vr Stephen—though thou wast a
traitor like Judas—we tell thee, if thou dost
eotnc in the name of Jesus, and ask for salva
tion, that prayer of thine will meet with ac
ceptance, for there is one "who liveth to make
intercession for us "
Third—When to pray—pray in the early
morning, In the morning the dew is lying up
on the grass—by and by it is brushed off, and
the hot sun makes it look withered. 80, in
the morning, when the sweet dew of the spirit,
rests calmly, peacefully and sweetly upon the
soul, then is the time to pray. The Lord Je
sus prayed continually—one writing ol llim,
says, and says with truth—
" Colli mountains and the air
Witnessed the fervor of His prayer."
Would'st thon pray like liiin, pray oftcn'tlien,
you need often, you rest often, you breathe of
ten, you labor often, yon sin often, and you
are tempted ofteH, it is your duty to pray of
ten ; pray without ceasing.
Fourth—When are We to pray ? Pray in
the Chu.cn. i feel more and more, that there
is very little prayer in the house of God com
pared with what people believe. It is hard to
restrain wandering thoughts, it is hard to curb
a wandering spirit, but it must be curbed, you
must stir up your flagging soul, and keep its
affections upon the object of your petitions—
pray iu the bouse of God as well as in the
closet. " Ask," says- Christ, that is his direc
tion, " and it shall be given yon." That is
his promise—you may expect to receive be
cause God sees you—mark that. Let me tell
thee for thy comfort, there never did roll from
those eyes of thine oue tear that was not seen
by the eye of Him who is infinite, and caught
in the bottle of God. Saith David: "Thou
dost put iny tears in a bottle." There never
was a prayer that came (I will not say from
thy lips) from thy heart, that did not ascend
ou high, winged of God, and enter llis very
bosom. And oftentimes has God answered
them, wheu thou didst not know it. Prayer
can do anything. What was it divided the
waters of the lied Sea? Prayer! What
was it brought manna from heaven ? Prayer !
What was it opened the flinty rock aud caused
the waters to leap forth, to gush, gurgle ami
stream along the valleys? Prayer! What
was it delivered the prophet Elijah iu the hour
of danger ? Prayer ! What was it deliver
ed Paul and Silas from the dungeon ? Pray
er is mighty. Prayer unlocks, opens, and
would empty, if it were possible, tho very
treasure house of God ! We say you may
hope and firmly trust, because lie has answer
ed already such thousands of prayers iu times
" RESARDLESS OF DENUNCIATION FROM ANY QUARTER."
past. Will you rise with me for a moment to
the top of Mount Pisgah ; it is not far to yon
if you have the wings of faith—if you have
not you cannot go at all. If you will stand
with me on the top of the rnouut, and gaze on
thoso " sweet fields beyond the flood," what
will you see ? says one, " Sir, we sec the city
called Celestial," and do you see those thou
sands ot white-robed ones '? " Yes," you say.
Let mo tell you one thing, there is not one of
those white-robed ones who has not breathed
a prayer in the oar of God, and not one who
has not had them answered. Now let me car
ry yon, for a moment round the world. You
kneel perhaps 011 the Sabbath morning, and
perhaps at the same moment, thousands more
kneel—they arc soon on sick beds, and from
lonely ships that lloat over tho mighty deep
the voice of prayer doth ascend, from the cold
bleak North, the barren deserts of the South,
from the halls or palaces of kings, and from a
lout ly dungeon, from many a crowded city the
voice of prayer ascemlcth, and God answers
those millions of millions of prayers, and will
He refuse to answer thine? Surely not. 1
have another reason for thinking Ift; will not
God's firm promise —the earth shall tremble
beneath the foot of Omnipotence, " the earth,
and all that is in it shall be dissolved, the ele
ments shall melt with fervent heat," but God's
promise shall last then, they are all, " Yea
and amen in Chi ist Jesus." Canst thou doubt
now ? Say, " Lord it is enough, help thou
mine unbelief." You may be sure God will
answer your prayers if you present them in the
name of Christ. Behold that sinner, burden
ed beneath the weight of many a sin, cast
down with his lips in the dust, lies there the
poor penitent sinner, lie says, " Lord hnve
mercy upon 111 c a sinner." Now rise rapidly,
rise like an arch-angel, aye, rise to heaven.—
Seest thou that great white throne on which
sits the great Eternal ? and seest that bright
one'within the palace of His glory ? Thou
canst see His feet, thou canst behold His
glistening raiment, then canst sec His clasp
ed hands, thou canst catch his earnest gaze,
thou canst hear His sweet words. Harken !
saith Christ, " Father have mercy upon him,"
Wait a while, sinner ; speak 011 —what sayest
thou— 44 Lord forgive my sins." Saith Christ,
" Father forgive his sins." Says God, " 1
will," and the deed is done. Look upon that
upturned face now ! Do you see the smile of
joy that plays over those care-worn features ?
The burden has fallen into tho tomb ! the soul
is washed in the blood of Christ. And now
harken, sweet notes resound from the starry
heavens above, and notes of music come thril
ling down from the abode of the blessed. It
is the voice of angels, singing " worthy is the
Lamb that was slain," another sinner has been
redeemed by his blood. Behold that other
sinner—there kneels a christian—you see that
broken harp lying there? It has gof out of
tune, and do you see that erowu thrown in the
dust ? " Yes," you say, it is the crown of a
king. And do you see the sack-cloth 011 the
man, and ashes sprinkled 011 his head : do you ?
he is praying—harken to iiiiu, lie saith, "Cre
ate in me a clean heart, O God." Now listeu—
what saith Christ, " 1 will," the deed is done.
Now wait—seest thou King David rising from
the dust ? He throws off Lis sack-cloth, he
takes his harp, and strings it ! And now do
yon hear his sweet strains ? " Bless the Lord,
(), my soul, and forget not all his benefits ;
who forgiveth all thy sins, and licalctli all thy
diseases, who savctli thy life from destruction,
and crowneth thee with loving kindness." Ah!
you have it there ! And how is all this ?
Why Christ prajs on high for David who
prays below, aud David below gets the blessing
from God above. My dear friends learn from
this lessons to put in practice every day—pray
bclievingly—pray in the name of Christ—
pray for the Spirit, and know this, that thy
prayers go not up to God naked, barren, filthy.
Nay, nay, ere they reach heaven Christ takcth
them, lie sprinklcth them with his own blood,
and then puttcth them in the 1 " vial full of
odors which are the prayers of tho saints,"
and He poureth them out in the presence of
God, His Father. And now brethren, if
Christ still prays, and if God is mndiangcd,
what may you not hope for ? for God lias
promised, "If ye ask, ye shall receive," und
His promise standeth sure.
DEFECTS OK CALF SKIN LEATHER.-—WC have
heard of persons purchasing several pairs of
bouts at once, iu order to lay some of them
away for long keeping, under tiic impression
that leather when kept in a dry situation im
proved iu quality by ago, like oil cloth. Upon
inquiry wc found that such notions are very
generally entertained, but why this should be
so we cannot imagine, lor they are the very
reverse of all facts aud experience iu the case ;
and we call attention to this question for the
first time, wc believe, as "a word of warning."
Calf-skin leather, instead of improving in qual
ity with age, when made into boots, deterio
rates rapidly. It is subject to a species of
dry ot eremacausis ; and in the course of three
years it becomes as tender as a piece of brown
paper. Dealers in boots aud shoes experience
a considerable loss from this cause when such
articles are left 011 their hands for more than
two years. This dry-rot, iu calf-skin boots
first appears at the edge near the soles, iu the
form of a black glossy sweat, resembling var
nish, and from thence it gradually proceeds
until the wlio'e leather becomes rotten. The
application of grease rather accelerates than
arrests the progress of this decay ; such leath
er endures much longer when worn on the feet
then when laid aside in a dry situation, but
whether this decay is caused by the grease used
by the curriers, or is some peculiarity iu the
skin, is not known at present. Cow-skiu and
kip leather do not seem to bo subject to this
rapid deterioration, but all kinds of calf-skin,
even the very best French, is just as subject
to it as the poorest qualities. This is a subject
deserving of practical scientific investigation
in order to discover some remedy for the evil.
At present the practical application of this in
formation by purchasers of calfskin boots and
, shoes is an easy matter —be careful not to buy
1 aged articles.— SCunlifu Amcriuin.
Usefulness of Diamonds.
Many persons suppose that diamonds nre
only used in jewelry—for rings and other arti
cles of personal adornment, and that they are
really of no essential value whatever in the
practical arts. This is a mistaken notiou ;
they are used for a great number of purposes
in the arts. Thus, for cutting the glass of our
windows into proper size, 110 other substance
can equal it, and it is exclusively used for tiiis
purpose. A natural edge, or point, as it is
called, is used for this work, and thousands of
snch ere annually required in our glass facto
ries. Diamond points arc also employed for en
graving on Canadians, amethysts, and other
brilliants, and for the finer cutting on caiucos
and seals.
Being very hard, tho diamond is also used
in chronometers for the steps of pivots ; and
as it possesses high refractive with inferior dis
persive power, and little longitudinal aberra
tion, it has been successfully employed for the
small deep lenses of single microscopes. The
magnifying power of the dimond in proportion
to that of plate glass, ground to a similar
form, is as Bto 3. For drawing mit.uto lines
011 hard steel and glass, to make micrometers,
there is no substitute for tho diamond point.
The rough iliuinond is called hurt, and the
points used lor glass-cuttings are fragments of
the borts. Great care and skill are necessary
in selecting the cutting points, because the dia
mond that cuts the glass most successfully has
the cutting edges of tlig crystal placed exactly
at right angles to each other, and passing
through a point of intersection made by the
crossing of- the edges. A polished diamond,
however perfect may be its edges, when pres
sed upon the surface of the glass, splinters it
with the slightest pressure ; but with the
natural diamond the most accurate lines are
produced 011 glass, and their surfaces are so
highly burnished that, it ruled close together,
they decompose light,and afford the most beau
tiful prismatic appearance—all tho colors of
tlie rainbow Hash from them as from tho sil
very interior of a pi ai l oyster shell.
Diamonds are also employed for drill points
to perforate rubies, and bore holes in draw
plates for fine wire, and also for drilling in
hard steel. Some inquiries have been made
of us recently in regard to using them for dress
ing millstone, as a substitute for steel picks.—■
We apprehend that they are altogether too
expensive to lie used for this purpose at pre
sent ; but if some of our inventors would make
the discovery of manufacturing diamonds as
cheaply as wc make charcoal, which is of the
satno composition, we might be able to recotn
mend them to our millers. The coke obtained
from the interior of gas retorts in many eases
is found so hard that it will cut glass ; but as
its point endures but for a short period, it can
not be made available as a substitute for the
natural diamond for such purposes.
Customs of the Japanese.
In view of the anticipated presence of the
Japanese embassy in Washington, the foilow
froui a correspondent a New York paper will
not be considered malapropos :
In the land of Brahma when two people
quarrel about a piece of ground lie who has
most malignity, as well as fondness for his
family in him, takes a knife, walks deliberately
to his neighbor's house, and planting himself
right before his door, maliciously cuts his own
throat. What, you may ask, does he gain by
this? He gaius the lawsuit, for tho disputed
land inevitably becomes the properly of his
family. A similar aberration of intellect prc
vnils among the Japanese. Upon the least
possible provocation a gentleman will seize up
on his sword and rip up his own bowels.—
Very frequently whole families arc ordered
by the government to do this deed upon them
selves, and they obey at once. The poor Ja
panese, if any one offers him indignity, must
sacrifice himself wherever ho may happen to
lie, or else couscnt to live among his suicidal
fellow countrymen a disgraced aud lost man.
With a party proceeding one day on an
excursion into the country we were followed
by two officers of the government who perfor
med this duty under strict compulsion. Our
American friends were fchrowu into a savage
mood by the occurrence, and one of them turn
ed back and closely confronted these officials,
and took hold of one of them by the shoulders,
turned his face towards the bamboo edifice,
and gave him a slight push in that direction.
The two Japanese persisted in coming on ; the
Yankee took his man again Ly the shoulders,
and performed with his heavy expedition boot
a violeut ceremony, which is usually consider
ed anything but llattcriug or agreeable through
out the rest of the world, but in Japan was an
insult that, we might safely aver, had never
committed before, and which could only be
avenged by death. Without, therefore, mak
ing the slightest attempt at retaliation 011 the
body of his adversary, ho unsheathed his
chief sword, which,beautifu'ly burnished flash
ed for an instant in the sunlight. The Yan
kee. meanwhile, extricated his revolver from
its hiding-place. It was needless, for at two
strokes—two gentle slashes of that keen-edg
ed weapon, performed in au instant one across
the other like the letter X—he had disembow
elled himself and fell a swiftly djing man. As
he reached the gn und he cast up his eyes at
his adversary, and seeing him stand near, ap
parently with no intention of following his ex
ample, he expressed the most fear r ul agony we
had ever beheld. We were all filled with dis
may at this strange event, while the brother
official surveyed us with threatening looks of
the most intense horror. "He expects yon
to kill yourself in like manner and with the
satnc sword," said the Sandwich Islander. —
The American muttered out something to the
effect that lie was not such a fool. Meanwhile
the distortions of the dying man were painful
to look upon ; the other officer motioned us
away, and, and went down on his kuees beside
the wounded body, aud before ho rose, a few
j seconds afterwards, the mail was dead.
Se£y Why is a miser like seasoned timber ?
liccause he uever gives.
A DAY OK HEAVEN UPON EARTH.—O Sab
bath !—needed for a world of innocence—
without thee what would be a world of sin !
There would be 110 pause for consideration, no
check to passion, no remission of toil, no balm
for care ! He who had withheld tlioe, would
have forsaken the earth ! Without thee, lie
had never given to us the Bible, the Gospel,
the Spirit ! Wo saluto as thou cotncst to ns
in the name of the Lord—radiant in the sun
shine of that dawn which broke over a na
tion's achieved work—marching downward in
the track of time, a pillar of refreshing cloud
and girding (larno interweaving with all thy
light new beams of discovery and promise, 1111
til thon standest forth more fair than when re
flected in the dews and imbibed by the (lowers
of Eden—more awful than when the trumpet
rang of tlicc in Sinai I Tho Christian Sab
bath ! Like its Lord, it but rises in Christi
anity, and henceforth records tho rising day.
Anil never since the tomb of Jesus was burst
open by liini who revived and rose, has this
day awakened but as the light of seven days,
and with healing in its wings ! Never has it
unfolded without some witness and welcome,
some song and salutation! It has been the
coronation day of martyrs, and the feast day
of saints ! It lias been from the first until
now the sublime custom of the Church of God!
Still the outgoings of its morning and its even
ing rejoice ! It is a day of heaven upon earth!
Life's sweetest calm, poverty's birthright, la
bor's only rest ! Nothing has such a hoard of
antiquity in it! Nothing contains in it such
a history ! Nothing draws along with it snch
a glory. Nurse of virtue, seal of truth ! The
household's richest patrimony, the nation's no
blest safe-guard ! The pledge of peace, the
fountain of intelligence, the strength of the
law ! The oracle of instruction, the ark of
mercy ! The patent of our manhood's spiritu
al greatness. The harbinger of our soul's sanc
tified perfection. The glory of religion, the
watch-tower of immortality. The ladder set
upon earth, and the top of itrcacheth to heav
en, with the angels of God ascending and de
scending upon it.— HAMILTON.
JOHN ROHERS AND HIS CHILDREN. —A cor
respondent in Lawrence sends to us the fol
lowing extract copied from a work published
in London in the year 1630, entitled " An
nals of England, containing the reigns of
Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Queen Mary.
Written in Latin by the Right Hon. and Right
Rev. Father in God, Fritncis, Lord Bishop of
Hereford. Thus Englished, corrected and en
larged with tho author's consent, by Morgan
Godwyn." It corroborates the conclusion that
John Rogers had ten children, according to
the New England Primer :
" On the 4th of February, John Rogers,the
protoiuartyr of those times, was burned at
London. He was Timlnll's companion, after
whose death, fearing persecution, he would not
returnc into his couutrey, but went with his
wife to Wirtenbcrg, where, having attained to
the Germane tongue, lice undertook the care
of a eortaine church there, which hoc faithful
ly discharged, until, under King Edward, lie
was recalled front exile by Ridley, Bishop of
I. union, made a Prebend of Pauls, and lectur
er there. Queen Mary having attained to the
Crowne, the Papists endeavored to affright
him ; and so to have once more forced him to
a voluntary exile, commanding him not so much
as to peeepe into the streets ; and in this man
ner lived lie a vcarc, until at last, refusing to
(ly, he was imprisoned and condemned to fire,
which cruel death (notwithstanding that he
was to leave a wife aud tea children) ho did
most constantly undergo."
SAGACITY OK THE ARCTIC FOX.—III a recent
lecture upon his experience in Arctic life, Mr.
It tie said : "On the journey, I saw a very curi
ous incident of the sagacity of the Arctic fox.
Conscious that I was aiming at him, he tuck
ed his tail between his legs cocked up his cars
and endeavored to look as like a hare as possi
ble, (which is an animal comparatively worth
less.) Another fact of this kind occurred to
me, whilst being detained at a particular place,
where our favorite amusement was trapping
wild animals. Our mode of doing this was
with a spring gun connected with a bait,which
when touched, produced the explosion. One
instance showed us that a fox, either from
observation of a companion's fate, or from hard
earned experience, had gone up to the gun,
bit off the cord connected with the bait,
and, tho danger being averted, went and ate
the meat in undisturbed comfort. And it is a
common occurrence for the fox to make trench
up to the bait, seize it, aud permit the charge
to pass over his head.
SELECT COMPANY.— We have frequently heard
the advatages of keeping a pig spoken of, but
the slang terms of expression were hardly so
convincing as the argument which came to our
cars a few days since, while passing through
otic of the byways which is inhabited chiefly
by the pons and daughters of tho Emerald Isle.
A new sty had been built for the comfort and
convenience of a slioat, the property of Bridg
et Mulrooy, and Bridget's neighbor, Ellen
Flaherty had called in to inspect the premises,
during the progress of which we happened to
be passing.
" An illcgant sty," said Ellen enthusiastical
ly, " and the fine slioat—what comfort he'll be
tor ye when Patrick is away."
fizZF " Jim,".said one youngster to another
011 the Fourth ; " Jim. lend 111 c two cents, will
yer ? I got up so early that I spent all of my
money before breakfast. I didu't think the
day was going to be so long."
PLEASURE, like quicksilver, is bright and shy.
If we strive to grasp it, it still eludes us, and
still glitters. We perhaps sieze it at last, aud
liud it rank poisou.
THE following is Aunt Betsey's description
of her milkman :—" He is the meanest man
in the world," she exclaimed. " lie skims his
milk on the top and thcu lie turns it over aud
skims tho [bottom."
VOL. XX. —NO. 40.
Pretolenm or Rock Oil.
Recent discoveries of largo deposits of ol
eum torn- —oil of the earth—have been made
in the northwestern part of Pennsylvania and
in Virginia. This subject has been long known,
in one form or another. Petroleum— -pttros aim.-
an, rock oil—oil of the earth, naphtha, seuaka
oil, asphaltum, bitumen, cardin oil,fce.,are bat
different names for substantially the same thing
in the form of naphtha,it is limpid and volatile,
in that of asphaltnm.oftcn solid enough to break
with a fracture,and to be employed as a paving
for streets. The ancient Egyptians used it in
embalming,under the name of mumia; and the
Uabylonians employed it in place of mortar,as
a cement for their bricks. Hitherto it has
been chiefly obtained in the regions of the dead
sea,and in Persia,ltaly,Sicily,aud some of tho
West India Islands. It is esscutiully carbon
and hydrogen,having froirrcighty to ninety per
cent, of carbon,or sometimes the two, in equal
proportions.
Deposits of this mineral having long been
known to exist in the United States, bnt not
until recently it lias been put to littlo or no uso
except in small quantities,for medical purpose.
Formerly it was much peddled about the coun
try,in small bottles,and sold at the shops as a
speefic for burns,scalds, rlieumatism, Ac.,under
the name of sencca oil. The oil springs in Cat
taraugus county,on the indian reservation, wero
known to the whites half a century ago or more
and, in Morse's Gazetteer, published 40 years
ago, we llnd it stated, that on the spring from
which oil creek—now so famous—takes its rise,
"floats an oil, of which many gallons may bo
collected in a day." It is added that the oil'*has
valuable medical properties."
It was not.wc believe,until, further down tho
Aleghany river,of which Oil creek is a branch
at the village of Tarantnra or Frecport, oue of
our modern miracles occurred,that much atten
tion was turned to tho subjcct.or the value of
the article suspected. At that poiut.au old salt
well,without known cause,nnderweut a sudden
transformation,and commenced throwing up a
substance which was not brine. For 17 years
this well behaved as an honest well should,and
contributed, in bountiful supplies of salt, to tho
substance and wealth of its owner. Now its
pure waters came up alloyed with a greasy,
brown matter, which threatened to rcuder them
valueless. Greatly annoyed,the proprietors sub
mitted to the unrequited toil of exhausting this
foreign substance from the brine,but it steadily
increased upon them. Tims far they had cast
it away as worthless. "Now it occurred to
them to subject it to an analysis,and ascertain
its vitality. The result ot this,and the experi
ments which followed, reconciled them to tho
vitiation of their water,for the new substance,
without detriment fo the brioe,they ascertained
they had reached another gift of at least equal
value. It proved to be of very great purity.
The produce of this well was introduced into
this city about two years ago.nnder the uame,
after distillation,of carbon oil,and the demand
for it soon outrun the supply. Though tho
yield is by no means so great as that of other
wells since opened on Oil creek, none of them
equal in purity and absence of color. The pro
duce is from li>o to 200 gallons per day. It
is used only for illuminating purposes.
Large deposits of rock oil are also known to
exist in Canada West, and abundance
of the supply in these several localities,it would
appear probably that immense vats of this liquid
wealth underlie large tracts of land north and
south of Lake Erie,extending,according to ju
dications already noted,from a point between
Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron, to the neigh
borhood of Pittsburg. The yield of the wells,
which arejjhtaincd by boring is truly ostuishing.
One of these,oll Oil creek,is reported at 100 gal
lons daily; another at 000 ; another at 800 ;
and the McClcntock well at from 1,000 to 12,
00 gallons per day. The quality of the oil va
ries. The produce of one well is thin and lino
—best lit ted for burning; that of another,thick
and dense, suiting it for machinery.
The smell of this oil is pungent, and no pro
cess has yet bcen'diseovered by which It can bo
removed. In some cases,indeed,the odor is so
powerful asjto render it almost unendurable.—
The oil obtained in the neighborhood of Ennis
killen,Canada West,is of this character. There
is a large tract of land in that vicinity, in va
rious patts of which the soil itself is saturated
with the oil. The proprietor has only to dig
pits,when they lill without further trouble,and
continue to lill as the liquid is removed. Ho
oilers to furnish 2,000 gallons per day if ho
can liud a market. The difficulty in tho way
of this.however.is the extreme pungency of tho
article. Samples of the oil having been con
signed to tho house in this city,for reasons pat
[ ent,tbey got it oil - their hands as soon as pos
! sible. The purchaser shipped a barrel of it to
Illinois,and in due time was advised by his con
signic that it could neither bo sold nor return
ed ; that nobody would buy it ; and that no
transportation line rccievc it; and that the ar
rival of the oil among them was furnishing tho
town with its chief subject of excitement.—■
New York Post.
WHAT A BOY'S POCKET CONTAINED. —An ur
chiu of seven summer's growth invited his
mamma, the other day, to repair a slight acci
dent to a pantaloon pocket, and to do this it
became necessary to upset the contents there
of upon the floor, an inventory of which wo
proceeded to note down as follows :
India rubber, a bottle cork, an old gas burn
er, one nine-pin, a part of an exploded firo
cracker, an old match box, ouc old envelope, a
bag of marbles, one hickory nut, a piece of
silk cord, several pieces of twino strings, tho
lid of an old pill box, pieces of chestnut hull, a
piece of tin, a piece of gingerbread,some pieces
of fancy colored paper, two old nails, a small
picture book, a slate pencil, a broken jew's
harp, the remaius of a pocket handkerchief, a
I>enuy whistle, a piece of shoe string, two
grains of corn, a pocket knife-handle, half a
peach stone, two spotted chicken feathers, a
piece of brick bat, a spinning top, adcadiuouso
an assortment of buttons, with crumbs of bread,
candy, and a mixture of sand, jicbblesand dirt
generally. — ILarisburg TtUgrapk.