HSNRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher.
.Ill"- N1LkDSIEI?ANDTJM.
Two Dollars per Annum.
VOL. V.
RIDGrWAY, ELlv T COVStV, PA.V THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1875.
NO. 43.
A Song, With a Morol.
When the winter bloweth loud,
And tlio earth Ik in a shroud,
Frozen rain or Ble5ty snow
Dimming every dream below
There is n'er a spot of green
Whence the heavens maybe seen.
When our purse in shrinking fast,
And onr friend is lost (the last I),
And the world doth pour its pain,
Sharper than the frozen rain
There is still a spot of green
Whence the heavens may be seen.
Let ns never meet despair
While the little spot is there ;
Winter brighteneth into May,
And sullen night to sunny day
Seek we then the spot of green
Whence the heavens may be seen,
A F I G II T FOR LIFE
OR,
The Ueiiinrknble Dream,
Sonie few years ago I was a resident hi
Hong Konjr, ami there became acquaint
ed with the following circumstances.
The story itself was related one winter's
evening around a glowing fire that put
one in min 1 of home. The conversation
during dinner had turned upon dreams,
and Borne very curious theories were ad
vanced in support of the interpretation
of them. Our number consisted of eight
persons ; and after a protracted discus
sion, iu which the number for and
against there being any truth in dreams
otood about equal, Capt. Topham pro
posed to fettle the question by telling
ns a story of what actually happened to
himself a few years previously. The
cloth vtm romove'd, and at the invitation
of our hnpt wo each drew our chairs
round the fire, lit our cigar or pipe, and
the captain recited the following tale as
nearly ns I can remember :
It in now, gentlemen, some ten years
since I w:w first mate of the opium
schooner Wild Dayrell. We were lying
in lion? Kmg harbor at the time, pre
paratory for s nHug the next morning for
Formosa. Then there was a great deal
of smuggling done in that beautiful
inland of the Ohiuese. Our cargo con
sisted of 3 lf),00H in syce, 150 chests of
P.itua, and 200 chests of Mai wan
' opium, besides a few sundries, which
mnld be bought cheap enough in Hong
Kong or Kh iughae, but upon which we
turned a good round sum. Oapt. Wilkes
commanded her, and had made many n
voyage and run many a risk for his owners
to the same plac. At about four in the
afternoon the captain left me to go on
shore, but just as he was stepping into
tho boat ho cried out .:
"Tophum! Upon second thoughts, I
shan't stay on shore to-night, as I in
tended. I am going to old Douglas' to
dine; amies, in all probability, it will
be a noisy party, I shall slip away early ;
ao you can look for me about eleven.
" Very well, sir," L answered ; and
then turned to see that everything was
all right for the morning.
A six o'clock I and the second officer
Tiad tea; and, after tea, he and I had
quite a confidential chat about our
voyage, the value of our cargo, and the
immense risk that was run in not ship
ping F.uglishmen. iu place of the mon
grel crew wo then had. Our crew con
sisted, Viy the way, of fourteen persons,
includiug the captain. The captain,
myself, second officer, and two sailors
were Englishmen ; a Lascar, two
Manilla men, two Malays, and two
Chinamen, as seamen ; a Chinese cook
and Chinese steward in all, fourteen
souls. At ib-rU el rhfc o'clock the second
olHcer had retired for the night, and had
left me alone on the poop. I well re
member how my thoughts then ran. I
revolved in my mind the conversation
that I had had wuh Mr. Spencer, the
second officer, respiting the immense
value of our cargo, uad the risk that we
ran, both from on ijrew, should they
turn U-ititoix, and also from the hordes
of pirates that continually infest the
China seas, notwithstanding our gun
bouts, and the havoc that they make of
thorn whenever they come within range.
Well, gentlemen, upou that evening
my thoughts were especially turned
upon home, and to a dear mother from
whom I had received a lotter by the last
mail, and who wan then in a very deli
cate state of health. I had answered her
lotter only 'that morning.
I must have been on the poop about
three-quarters of an hour after Mr.
Spencer lia.l h-ft mfl, and was thinking
of returning to the cabin to look over
some pupors connected with the ship,
when I observed a sampan, or Chinese
boat, hovering round the stern. I calld
out to the men in the boat, and inquired
what they wanted there; but their only
answer, when they found they were ob
served, was to pull away from the ship
iu the direction of the middle of the
harbor. Their movements I did not at
all like, and leaning on the taffrail, I
watched them until they were lost in the
darkness.
I Biinnooi I riTtt h.vA remained in
this position that is, with my arms on
the taffrail about ten minutes, when,
without warning, I felt myself lifted off
ray leg, and somo one behind me en
deavoring to throw me overboard. I was
by no means a light weight; but the per
son evidently depended upon the sud
denness of the attack to accomplish his
purpose. I struggled violently, holding
on by my hands to the rail, and letting
fly right and left with my feet; and in
tho end I was successful. The China
man tripped, and lay upon the deck in
my power. Without a thought, without
a moment's hesitation, I laid hold of him
by the trousers with one hand, and took
a couple of turns of his pigtail by tho
other, and threw him overboard. After
. I bad accomplished this I made for the
cuddy. Arrived there, I at once went
to Mr. Spencer's cabin; but upon trying
the door found it locked I I gave one or
two good kicks, at the same time calling
out to him to open the door. He sprang
from his berth, and called out in reply
that it was locked from the outside. I
told him to stand clear, and with a good
one, two, three, from the shoulder, I
burst the door in. There is no doubt I
roust have looked very pala and very ex
cited, as his first Question to me was:
"Why, Mr. Topham, what in the
name of goodness is the matter! You
look as pale as death."
I tohi him all that had happened, and
likewiitt my oiHpioions that we had not
Been the end of the affair, and that onr
best plan would be at once to arm our
selves. I told him to dress himself,
while I went on deck to rouse our two
English sailors, whom we could depend
upon, and bring them aft to the cabin.
I bad planted one foot in the saloon, the
other being still in Mr. Spencer's cabin,
and had my eyes directed to the stairs
of the companion, when, in the shade, I
thought I descried a Chinaman. Think
ing that it might bo the steward, I call
ed out to him by name " A Tong," but
no reply came, when I felt pretty cer
tain that it was not the steward, in which
belief I was not left long in doubt. 1
had turned my head into Mr. Soencer's
cabin, to tell him of my suspicions,
when I thought I heard steps stealthily
approaching me. I gave a rapid glance;
and there, not four feet from where I
stood, were some five or six as villaiu-ous-looking
Chinamen as I had ever be
held, armed,- some with bamboos about
ten f eet long, and others with swords.
In an instant, I had sprung into the
cabin, and closed and bolted the door.
With a yell, the whole of the gang made
one simultaneous rush toward the door;
but they had missed their mark by a
r econd. I had planted my back against
the door, and thanks to my weight and
the bolts, it resisted ' their combined
efforts to force it. Other measures, how
ever, I knew must be at once resorted
to, and that instantly. Calling upon Mr.
Spencer to move his chest of drawers
against tho door, and placiug two large
trunks on the top of them, we patiently
waited the coming events. Spencer very
fortunately had a couple of Colt's re
volvers iu his chest of drawers, with
which we armed ourselves. The gang
outside were evidently in deep consulta
tion as to their next mode of attack.
One voice I heard raised above all the
others, and that one voice was without a
doubt A Tong, our much respected
steward I From the little Chinese I was
acquainted with, I gathered that they
wore bent upou the treasure, which had
come on board from the Oriental bank
ouly that afternoon. It had been stowed
away in the captain's cabin, and was
safely lodged in a fire and thief proof
safe.
They proceeded to the captain's cabin ;
but in a very short time returned, and
knocking at the door with their bam -boos,
demanded it to be opened. At
first they used threats, then entreaties,
promising us that a not a hair of our
heads should be hurt. But, though wo
feared their threats, we had no faith in
their promises, and fully determined
that, if the worst came to the worst, we
would 8 11 our lives dearly. Oh, how
we longed for eleven o'clock, for Capt.
Wilkes' return 1 How patiently and
eagerly we listened for the splash of the
oars of the six stalwart boatmen 1 We
heard four bells from the different ships
in the harbor, some not a couple of hun
dred yards away; but it was impossible
to reach or signal them. Instead of
a large port-hole, thero was only tho
small deadlight, through which we
could not even manage to thrust our
heads, much l'-ss our bodies. Well,
when they found fiat neither threats nor
promises would avail them, they at once
commenced their work. I was standing
on a camp-stool, endeavoring to see
what they were doing, by looking
through the iron grating on the top of
the door, when I saw one of them with
a spear, at what, in military phraseology,
would be termed "shorten arms"
that is, with the spear drawn back to its
fullest extent, ready to thrust through
the door. I gave one spring from the
stool, and lucky indeed I did so; for tho
next moment the point of a spear
grazed my cheek. Anothe r inch to the
left, aud I would have been a dead man.
We both then retired to the fur ther end
of the cabin, so as to keep out of harm's
way. We knew that they dared not use
firearms lor fear of attracting the atten
tion of the ships iu the neighborhood;
and no doubt this was our salvation.
Spear after spear was thrust through,
some almost reaching us as we crouched
down on the floor of the cabin, when all
at once we heard a crash, aud, on look
ing up, to our horror saw that one of the
panels of the door hud been forced iu
sufficiently for a man to thrust his bodv
through. We both immediately sprang
upon our feet, grasping our revolvers
more firmly, expecting that, iu despera
tion, some of them would be hardy
enough to try aud force their way into
the cabin. But they were far too cun
ning for that. Two of them now got
ipon chairs, but taking caro to keep out
of the line of fire of our revolvers, and
by side thrust compellod ns to kneel
aud crouch behind the chest of drawer.-
one moment, in the berths the next, and,'
at last, under the bottom of them, where
wo were for some time comparatively
.safe.
Bat, emboldened by their success,
they now faced the broken paneling ;
and we could plainly see that, in another
minute or two, the matter would end by
our both being speared like wild boars.
I whispered to Spencer to fire at the
first head that showed itself at the
paneling, and I would do the same he
to take the right, and I the left, so that
we should not waste ammnnition
through both of ns firing at the same
person. I remember as if it happened
only five minutes ago, two heads sudden
ly appearing, and myself and Spencer
in the act of presenting our revolvers
at them, when, as a flash of lightning,
two spears were suddenly thrust through
the aperture, and the next instant I felt
a twinge in the right side.
I remember no more until six weeks
afterwards, when I was lying in bed in
a strange room, very weak and very
faint. There was my servant keeping
me nice and cool with a large fan, while
on my forehead was a cloth steeped in
vinegar. By degrees some slight recol
lection came back to my mind of the
events that had happened on that fear
ful night ; but when I interrogated my
Chinese nurse, I could only obtain from
him such replies 88 : " My no sabby ;
doctor berry angry me talkee that
pigeon." By which he meant that he
knew nothing about the matter ; and
that if he did, he was enjoined by the
doctor to silence, otherwise ho would be
very angry with him. However, with a
good constitution and careful attention,
I was soon able to leave my room ; and
then, and not before, I gathered fwin
my old friend, Charles Lawrence, one
quiet afternoon, the following rather
rambling account of the affair.
' I have no occasion," said Charley,
" to ask you to remember the eighth of
March, for that you will do to the end of
your days ; but I have also reason to re-'
member it ; for on that day, as I learned
by a letter from home by the last mail,
an only brother was killed on the Great
Western railway, in the collision that oo
currod near Beading. Well, If you re- (
member that evening, we were to have a
great spread at Douglas. Thompson,
Wilkinson, aud some twenty others were
invited, includiug Capt. Wilkes. ' Of
conrsa you know what a jovial fellow
Wilkes is, goo'd for a story or song, and
can t ike his part in an argument with
the 1 est of them. Everything went off
very well during dinner; and after the
clolii bad been removed, and one or two
songM had been given, the call wus for
Will.es. He, however, who is usually so
ready and willing to oblige, made some
excuse about hoarseness, which, how
over, was so palpably fictitious, that we
all burst out laughing ; and upon being
pressed again by some of ns, including
old Douglas, ho positively refused, aud
intimated his intention of goingon board
at ouce. We could see that something
had occurred to irritate him, but for tho
life of us none of us could guess. Be
fore leaviug the room, however, Douglas
colled him to one side, and asked him the
cause of his going away so early. He
replied that he was uneasy in his mind ;
that a depression of spirits, such as he
hnd never felt before, had come over
him within the last half-hour, but for
which he could not account ; and asked
Douglas kiudly not to detain him, ns he
wanted to go on board to see that every
thing was all right ; and if he felt better,
they might expect to see him in the
course of an hour or so. Aud in an hour's
time he did return, not to join our party,
bnt to. horrify us with the details of
what had occurred on board the Wild
Dayrell. Dr. Anderson, who was one of
our party, went on boord immediately
to attend to you ; and Capt. Wilkes and
two or three of us proceeded to the
polico station to report the matter. The
police took tho matter up vigorously ;
and thanks to a large reward . offered by
the owners, one of the gang turned
queen's evidence ; and in the course of
three or four days the whole gang was
safely lodged in the Victoria jail. They
wore brought np before the magistrate,
and remanded until you are able to ap
pear agaiust them."
" What time did Capt. Wilkes arrive
on board the Wild Dayrell ? it was some
time alter ten o clock ot that 1 am
sure."
"Yes," he replied; "I believe it was
just half -past ten when he pulled along
side, for five bells were struck from all
the other ships lying alongside of him,
but not from his own, which at the time
he noticed as very singular. As he ap
proached the ship he saw two boats com
ing from the direction of her, but at the
time took no notice of them; but there is
no doubt, he thinks, that these very
boats contained the gang."
"But did they succeed iu obtaining
any nl the treasure ?" I agaiu asked.
"Xo; not a cent of it, thanks to
Chubb. They had tried to pick the
lock; and when they found that they
could not succeed in that, they tried
gunpowder, but with the same result.
The two English seamen were found tied
in their bunks, and quite drunk. They
acknowledged that tha stewurd had
given them three bottles of brandy early
in the evening, as a present; and they
mado good use of it, for they were half
drunk the next morning. The rest of
tho crew were too much afraid of their
own necks to offer any resistance or give
the alarm. The Wild Dayrell sailed a
couple of days afterward, but with a
fresh crew." And no ended Charley's
account.
About a week after this conversation,
continued tho narrator, I appeared at the
police court, and swore to every one of
the gaug, eight in number. They were
sent for triul to the high court, and were
all found guilty of mutiny aud conspi
racy, and sentenced, four of them to
penal servitude for life, two for fourteen
years, and tho rerun ining two for seven
years each.
Amongst my letters from home I was
not long in noticing one in the hand
writing of my mother; this, singular
though it may appear. I kept until the
last, and toyed and played with it for a
minute or two before I opened it. In
that lotter, gentlemen, occurs the fol
lowing passage: "What were you doinar.
dear J ohn, on the night of the eighth of
March, at about ten o'clock, from that
to half-past ? I will tell you my reasons
lor asking. 1 had been very poorly dur
ing the whole of the day; so much so,
that after a cup of tea, about six o'clock.
I retired for tho night. I fell asleep very
soon, but it was a disturbed sleep, and I
awoke two or three times. At about
eight o'clock Jane brought mo a cup of
cocoa, and very soon afterward I again
fell asleep, and did not wake until about
half-past ten, when I awoke with a
fright. I dreamed that that I bad seen
you walking along some strange street.
and following you were three or four
Ulunameu. All at onco they rushed to
ward you, at which you ran, but they
ran faster than you did, and were rapid
ly gaming on you, when you at once
made for tne river, which was some hun
dred yards distant. You had gone about
half-way when you slipped, and fell
down; immediately the Chinamen were
upon you, and one I saw with a long
knife ready to strike you; but with that
l awoke with a scream.
Now, gentlemen, I wish to draw your
attention to the fact, that on the eighth
of March, as mentioned in my mother's
letter, was the same day that the Wild
Dayrell affair happened, and that the
time from ten o'clock to half-past was
the exact time that we were placed in
the most imminent peril by the smash
ing in oi tne uoor panel. lou can call
it what you like a singular coincidence.
or anything else you please; but the fact
remains that, while on the very day and
hour I was placed in great danger of my
life, my mother, 14,000 miles away, had
a dream in which I figured conspicuous
ly; and although the incidents of the
dream did not tally exactly with the
actual facts of the case, yet -they were
so near the truth, that I think you will
bear me out, gentlemen, when I state
that it was a most extraordinary and re
maikuble dreanu
A .
A man born without feet must necea
sarily b no-to-rious.
THE 13SD OF LIFE. : . i
What a Drunken Spree Cost a Yonri Man.
The little village of Forty Fort, in
Wyoming valley, within night of the
soene of the celebrated massacre, has
been the theater of a startling suicide
perpetrated tinder the most romantic
circumstances. The victim of his own
hand was a young man named George
Washington Phillips, twenty years of
age, and occupying a respectable social
position. About a yoar ago ho became
engaged to a charming and r.coom-
Elished girl, to whom he was about to
e married shortly, , Six weeks ago,
however, he, in company with three
other young men, went to Wilkcobarre,
where they became intoxicated, ana iu
this state they took a horse and buggy
without the knowledge of the owner and
crossed to Kingston over the Susque
hanna, where they continued their
orgies. The owner of the buggy, mean
while missing his property, pursued the
young men, arid was in such high
dudgeon when he found them, that it
took sixty dollars to settle with him.
This amount Phillips paid him, and,
after receiving a good lesson, ho re
turned to Forty Fort.' ' Tho story of his
experience in the city reached the village
and beenmo common gossip until the
father of his sweetheart, who is a strict
member of the Methodist church, heard
of it. He became so incensed that he at
once forbade Phillips coming to the
house, as he did not want such a hus
band for his daughter. The girl, more
over, acting in accordance with the wish
of her parents, broke off the engagement,
aud this made Phillips, who was very
much devoted to her, mo&t miserable.
He tried repeatedly to repair the past,
but to no purpose, aud finally iu despair
concluded to take his own life and that
of the girl. - This tragio deed he deter
mined to put into effect at a festival
held-in the Methodist Episcopal church.
He went with a revolver, hoping to find
tho girl at church, but was disappointed
and returned home. The ' following
evening he went somewhat earlier, and
this time, too, was foiled, as somo of his
friends ascertained that he had a revol
ver in his possession and took it from
him. Ha then went away, and .pro
curing auother revolver returned later iu
the evening, when he was chagrined to
find the girl had gone homo. Taking a
companion with him, he proceeded at
onco to her house, bnt the family had
gone to bed for the night, and beseemed
bitterly disappointed. Standing in sight
of the window where he said the young
lady slept, he remarked to his compan
ion : ." I have lived long enough, she
does not care for me," "and there
upon he drew tho revolver and fired
twice in the direction of his own heart,
eaobrbullot passing directly below it. He
was carried to his homo iu a feeble state
aud buttered for fifteen hours, when
death relieved him of pain. Before ho
died he begged that he might be per
mitted to see the young lady for whose
sake he shot himself. His request was
granted, and the girl aud her father went
to his bedside. Phillips wept bitterly
and was much agitated. He said : "I
don't want to live any longer ; I am not
worthy of you." He died that night
and was buried.
The Dangers of Anger.
Au article by Dr. Richardson on "In
duced Diseases from the Influence of
the Passions," is interesting and instruc
tive. He classes anger as tho passion
which stands first as being detrimental
to life. He says : "He is a man very rich
indeed iu physical powers who can
afford to be angry. The richest man
cannot afford it many times without in
suring the penalty a penalty that is al
ways severe. What is still worse ot tins
passion is that the very disease it en
genders feeds it, so that, if the impulse
go many times unchecked, it becomes
the master of tho man." The effect of
anger upon the brain is to produce first
a paralysis, and afterward, during reac
tion, a congestion oi tne vessel oi tnat
organ ; for, if life continues, reactive
congestion follows paralysis as certainly
as day follows night. Thus, in men who
give way to violeutrage, thereconies on,
during tiro acute period, what to mem
is merely a faintness, which, after a
time of apparent recovery, is followed
by a slight confusion, a giddiness, a
weight in tho head, a sense cf oppres
sion, and a return to equilibrium. They
are happy, who, continuing their course,
suffer no .more severely. Many die in
one or other or of the t wo stages I have
named. They die in tho moment of
white rage, when the cerebral vessels
and heart are paralyzed. Then we say
they die of faintness, after excitement.
Or they die more slowly when the rago
has passed and the congestion of reac
tion has led to engorgement of the ves
sels of the brain. Then the engorge
ment has caused stoppage of the circu
lation there, or a vesBel has given way
or serous fluid has exuded, pruducing
pressure, and we report that the death
was from apoplexy, following upon somo
temporary excitement.
Gold and Silver,
The Rocky Mountain Herald says
Many people have the desire to know
the vafuo of gold and silver in bulk.
The following statement, from Professor
F. L. Schirmer, superintendent of the
branch mint of this city, may be relied
on as correct. The fineness of Colorado
gold, and the calculations of value of
sold and silver, are also given. It is
matter of oonsiderale value, and should
be carefully preserved for reference
One ton (2,000 pounds avoirdupois)
of gold and silver contains 22,163 troy
ounces, and, therefore, the value of a
ton of pure gold is $602,799.21, and of a
ton of silver, $37,904.48.
A cubio foot of pure gold weighs
1,617.84 pounds avoirdupois; a cubio
foot of pure silver weighs 556.25 pounds
avoirdupois. . , -,
If there is one per cent, of gold and
silver in a ton of ore, it contains 291.63
ounces troy of either of these metals;
The average fineness of the Colorado
gold is 781 in 1,000, and the natural al
loy ; gold 781, ailyer 208, copper 10 ;
total, 1,000.. i i .
, The calculations at the mint are mad a
OH, the basis that foi ty-three ounoes ot
standard gold or 900 Una (coin), is worth
$800, and eleven ounces of silver, 900
fine (coin), is worth $12.80.
Furs and Fur Trimruinirs,
A New York fashion journal gives us
tne loiiowing hints about winter furs:
Fur has always been a favorite and ap
propriate material for trimming velvet
garments. Light furs are used exten
sively this season for full dress. Of
these silver fox, gray fox, chinchilla aud
a few of the less expensive light-colored
iurs are most used, liussian sable is of
all furs the richest, and it is, because of
its rarity, couf-idored the most elegant.
Lately it has been used by Paris dress
makers as a trimming. For instance, a
very rich silk dross of seal brown has
alternate rows of silk shell-ruches and
sable on the underdress; and the over
dress and cuirasse waist are trimmed
but its richnoss partly excused this
fault
Seal is one of the few skins which is
not used for trimming. This fur Beems
likely to become a rarity because of its
excessive popularity. Seal sacks are
worn longor, and are cut more closely to
the figure. Very handsome sacks can
be purchased from Sl'zo to al
though they are to be had as low as $75.
Muffs cost trom $25 to $3U.
Muffs and boas vary a blttlo from last
year's style. The muffs are smaller ; they
are worn without bows or tassels; some
times a ribbon encircles them, finished
with a bow and ends, bnt this is at the
option of the wearer. Muffs are always
worn to suit the fur trimmings used on
the Birit. In these trimming furs silver
fox is the most elegant, the trimming
costing $12 a yard, and the muff vary
ing from $40 to 880. Chinchilla trim
ming cau be bought for $8 a yard, and
the muffs from $20 to $30. Siberian
otter costs from $0 a yard to $12; the
muffs, $28, $35, $40.
Less expensive are tho black martin,
lynx and silver coney. The two first-
named are extensively used for all grades
of mourning.
Grebe is very beautiful, but it is per
ishable, and is more suitable for chil-
.Iron
The silk circular cloaks lined with
squirrel, to which may be added the
long pelisse with largo sleeves, are
copied iu cashmere aud other black ma
terial, lined with squirrel, iheae are
very appropriate for thoso wearing deep
mourning, who heretofore have had to
depend on sealskin, which never seemed
to correspond with crepe aud the dense
blackness of bombazine
Matrimonial Ventures.
A writer in tho Galaru er.yt-.: Iu most
countries on the other side it is the gen
eral rule for the family to put by some
thing every year, perhaps half the iu
come, for the future establishment of
tho children, aud particularly of tho
girls, Who as Birch are less capable of
making their way than their brothers.
Hero, we know, as a rule, the parents
improvidently live up to their income,
bring up their children iu luxurious
habits, and thus unfit them for that life
of trial to which they are destined
They are, in a word, softened instead of
hardened. A common reply of the head
of tho family to the suggestion that the
future of tne children should bo looked
after is that they will begin life under
the same circumstances as he did that
is, with nothing forgetting that the
conditions of life are changed, and that
it is now impossible for them to live as
he once did. If a helping naud is given,
singular to say, it is oftener to the man
tlrau to tne woman, ertlier in being ad
mitted to the business of tho father or
in being started ou his own account,
The sister must look out for herself. If
she be handsome and attractive she may
find a husband. If she be plam the
chances are that she will remain a spin
ster. Now, it is the experience of the
new as well as the old world, that a mar
riage settlement does facilitate the mar
riage of such a one. The plums of
beauty are only for the favored men ; in
other words all men cannot marry pret
ty women. Nor can all girls niarry an
Antinous. Few probably marry their
beau-ideal in either sex. Many longing
women wait in vain lor Almavia with
.his guitar and moon song; many bach
elors make bootless search for her
"who was created for them." Hence
the need of philosophy. The man must
take his nest with what he has in hand,
Tho age is nnpoetic and unhoroic; he
must count the cost of the matrimonial
venture if he be an honest, orderly man,
desiring to pay his way, aud if he can
not get the ideal Juliet he must content
himself with the more prosaic Mary.
Gloves and "Shoes.
A fashion journal says : Women who
wish to be well dressed must give
particular attention to the selection of
their gloves and shoes. Gloves are now
mado with stitching on the back of tho
hand. As many as six rows are used in
some styles. Heavy gloves in dogskin
lined with fur are also imported ; but
for full dress the long wristed kid glove
in light tint is the most appropriate.
The dark colors so much worn in dress
material seem to demand gloves of light,
neutral tints, and undressed white kid
has been very much used.' For evening
wear eight, ten or twelve buttons ore
fashionable.
Boots, in which the material cf the
dress is used, or something to match it
in color, are mado by our fashionable
shoemakers, the heel and tip being of
kid. Slippers with high Louis XV.
heels and pointed toes, on which nestle
coquetish bows of blue and pink or
scarlet and black ribbon, are worn with
the dressy Bilk stockings, which come
in bewildering varieties, and for which
prices which are also bewildering are
asked.
Whaling.
Pacific whalemen have made an inter
esting scientific discovery this eeason.
A few years ago they reached the
whaling grounds in August only to be
obliged to leave them in September.
This year they remained until October,
and might have delayed longer, bo far as
peril from the loe pack was concerned,
They went within eighty miles of the
mouth of McKenzie river, where sailing
veasels had never been before, and they
say that a steamer, aided by the cur
rents, might have gone through to Baf
fin's bay without difficulty, and thus
solved the mystery of the northwest
passage. They are unable to account
lor this strange atmospheric, change,
The Secretary of the Kafj's Report.
The report of Secretary Robeson of
tho United States navy Rays that the
number of vessels; of every class and
description now borne on the navy regis
ter is 147. These carry, all told,
1,195 guns, and are of 152,492 tons
measurement. Of these twenty-six,
carrying nominally 2G6 guns, Hre sail
ing vessels without steam power, of
which number four are in use as train
ing and practice shins : two are assigned
to States as school si dps ; throe are in
use as hospital suipR, or as quarters ;
six are used as coal, store, and supply
ships at the various stations and for the
several squadrons : six are in commis
sion as receiving ships ; two are laid up
pose, and one, the old New Ufleans"," re
maining as has been the the case for the
last half century on the stocks at Sack
ett's Harbor. Thoso ships, though
most of them are useful for the pur
pose to which they are assigned, and to
some extent a necessary part oi tne
naval service, are in fact mere repre
sentatives of the navy of the past, still
remaining on the register to be utilized
as best may be, but of little or no value
as part of ah efficient forco for either
the cruising or fighting purposes of the
present day.
'lire steam vessels oi the navy, as dis
tinguished from ironclads and torpedo
ships, number in the whole ninety -five,
of which, however, twenty-five are tugs,
employed as towing, ferry, or torpedo
boats at the various navy yards. Twenty-nine
of all classes are in ordinary at
the yards on the Atlantio or at Mare
island. Three are used as freight and
dispatch vessels. Three more are in
commission as training and receiving
ships, at all times ready for service, and
the remainder are in commission, on the
several stations or at the various navy
yards, ready for use when required. Of
these wooden ships eighteen are, in fact,
new the Trenton, Adams, Essex, En
terprise, Alliance, Alert, Huron, and
liarrger, being the eight now sloops built
under special appropriation; and ten
others, the Monongahela, Tennessee,
Mohican, Swatara, Vandaha, Marion,
Quinnebang, Galena, Nipsio, and Talla
posa, have been rebuilt with live oak
timber and supplied with substantially
new machinery during the two or three
years past. Besides such of these new
ships as are in commission thirty-two
others, including the largest aud most
efficient ships of the navy arc iu actual
service as cruisers or training ships, and
twelve of the remainder, though requir
ing more or less repairs to their boilers
and macliinery, could, if needed, be put
into condition for service as soou as sail
ors could be enlisted to man them.
Our ironclad fleet consists of twenty-
six vessels, classed as toiiows : xurea
the Massachusetts, Oregon, and Colus
sus which are of a class and in con
dition to be of no service whatever,
having been designed during tho war as
large sea-going ironclads but "never
launched, and though their names still
appear on the navy list, they consist
only of their wooden tramet, with a
single exception, muoh deteriorated by
time, and their unfinished armor aud
machinery stored in the navy yards.
The rema-niug twenty-three, consisting
of twenty one vessels of the monitor
type and two irou torpedo ships, are
all efficient vessels of their class, aud
very powerful in both defensive and of-
tensive operations near our shores.
Five of .them, namely, the doublo tur
rcted monitors Amphitrite, Monadnoek,
Miantonomoh, Puritan aud Terror are
in process of complete repair, requiring
from four to six months to finish if
pushed, while the remaining eighteen,
consisting of the Roanoke, the two
torpedo ships Alarm and intrepid, and
fifteen single turrett monitors, namely,
the Ajax, Canonicus, Comanche, Cats
kill, Dictator, Jason, Lehigh, Mahopac,
Manhattan, Nahante, Nantucket, Passaic,
Saugns and Wyandotte, are all in good
condition, and ready for auy service at
any time. This makes eighty available
ships, including sixteen ironclads and
two torpedo boats.
The United States Indebtedness.
The debt statement of the United
States for November shows a decrease
of more than four hundred and eighty
thousand dollars. The decrease iu the
debt for the four preceding months was
$10,291,000, or over two and one-quarter
millions per mouth. The compara
tively email amount of debt discharged
in November is attributable to the fact
that during the month there was dis
bnrped for army and navy pensions over
S5.000.000. Small as the reduction
of last year may appear, it is four times
greater than the reduction made in the
corresponding month ot last year. J. no
entire reduction made in the publio
debt for the four months of tho present
fiscal year is $10,171,000, agaiust $4,149,
907 for the corresponding months of last
vear. The coin balance now in tho
r . . . , . - .
treasury is K7U,4U4,bvo, a decrease oi
over three millions compared with tho
October statement. The present cur
rency balance is $12,000,000, au increase
of over two millions oyer October. The
decrease of legal tenders for the month
is $764,472, and the increase of frac
tional currency $1,674,476. The custom
receipts for Novemberwere $11,389,015,
against $11,573,937 in October. I he
internal revenue reoeipts wero $9,750,
050, an increase of $163,000 over Octo
ber, and nearly one million in exoegs of
the amount received in .November,
1874. The total reoeipts from customs
and internal revenue-, for November
were over twenty-one millions of dollars
which is nearly three millions in excess
of the receipts for November, 1874. The
ordinary expenditures of the month
were nearly thirteen millions. The total
receipts for past five months were :
Customs, $66,795,336; internal revenue,
$47,663,466.
WkuniD Some wag. without a proper
sense of the respect dun to the dignity
of a car oonduotor, posted the following
notice on the rear platform of a street
car the other day :
; Wanted A respectable yonng man to:
: introduce the conductor to lady paasengera :
; before that official putt I.ik arms around:
: tbeir waiet. . :
Items of Interest.
"Tho quality of mercy is not strained,"
but the quantity is often squeezed re
markably small.
It is evident that spelling matches will
not be popular this winter. They spelled
a spell and will now rest a spell.
Joh Jefferson's boy Harry, who re
cently died in Loudon, was born in
Chicago on the night of the great fire.
"He was ono of our most energetic
trustees," says a village paper in nn
obituary notice, "nnd we trustee's
happy."
A Warsaw (Ind.) brother got up in
meeting and opposed the purchase of a
chande ier for the church, because there
wnimr&J2&v.P.nAk 1 ..
diverse and innumerable to mention.
Perhaps tho leading traits are a dissatis
faction with your salary, and a contempt
for tho way your mother irons your
shirts.
San Francisco has a whaling flpet
of eleven vessels, nnd the catch this
season yielded 16,000 barrels of oil, 150,
000 pounds of bone, and 20,000 pounds
of ivory, the aggregate valuation being
$500,000.
Over the porch of the Old South
church at Boston is chiseled : " Be
hold I I have Bet before you an open
door," and under, on the door, is print
ed in emphatio letters : " Positively no
admittance."
" Our Uvea are albums, written through
With good or ill, with false or true s
And as the blessed angola turn
The pages or our years,
God grant they read the good with smiles
And blot the ill with tears !"
A Sacramento lady who sports an ar
tificial tooth left it on tho table of the
restaurant where Bhe had taken break
fast the other morning, and on returning
for it about an hour afterward found it
attached as a charm to the fob chain of
the waiter.
The first piauo ever taken west of the
Alleghenies was one owned by Miss
Sarah Sproat, tho daughter of Colonel
Ebeuezer Sproat, an officer of the Revo
lution, who immigrated to tho North
western Territory iu 1798, and located
at Marietta, Ohio.
A Quakertown man has solved Mrs.
Livermore's query : " What will we do
with our daughters?" He has pur
chased two washing machines and will
take in washing. His wife and seven
daughters are to do tho work aud he
will superintend the business.
"Gingerbread germaus" are the
newest and most reasonable entertain
ments in and about Boston for young
ladies who have not " come out." No
gentlemen are invited, gingerbread and
lemonade are the viands, and the girls
go home to their mothers before mid
night. At an entertainment a young man
with a downy mustache sang a senti
mental song, thp closing line being ren
dered : "My mother died when I was
very y-o-u-u-g." Between the "y" aud
the "g " a disgusted auditor started for
the door, muttering : " Sensible woman
that mother of yours."
An overgrown, lubberly schoolboy iu
Ross county, Michigan, has succeeded
ia that wonderful feat "whipping the
teacher." In revenge for a slight punish
ment he quietly followed the pedagogue,
and struck the latter on the head with a
large stone, knocking him senseless, and
leaving him fatallyiujured.it is thought.
About two years ago a youug man
from tho country, while vwitiug our
town, lost his silver watch. Last week
he repeated his visit, and while walking
up Main street about dusk saw something
glittering along the curb, and nastuy
picking it up was greatly surprised to
find a blacking box lid instead of his
long lost watch, as ho had hoped.
If you are traveling on the cars and
some pleasant young man desires you to
"take a hand just to make up the
game," don't you do it. Generally
speaking they aro frauds, and would as
quick cut your throat, if opportunity
offered, as rob you of your money, which
they will do if you get in with them.
This advice won't cost you anything if
you leave the gamblers alone.
A Mysterious Sink Hole.
A mile east of Leroy, on the Detroit,
Lansing aud Lake Michigan railroad, is
a tamarack swamp some five hundred
feet wide along the railroad. A abort
time ago the track began settling, and
it was elevated up to grade by being
filled np with gravel. Regularly as it
was raised up by day it settled down by
night, until nearly four hundred car
loads of gravel had been dumped in the
treacherous spot without making the
roadbed at all steadfast. A force of
men was set to work to fill up the strange
chasm, and they cut trees fifty feet long
and cast them with untrimmed branches
into the mysterious sink hole. It de
voured np the trees and tne gravoi wnu
which they were accompanied ; they
slowly but irresistibly disappeared from
sight, not even rippling the surface of
the pool in passing down. No one knows
to what cause to attribute this mysteri-
pit. Many theories have been
formed to acoount for it, the most ac
ceptable one being the Bupposed pres-
ecne oi a subterranean iukb.
Too Wide.
Scene in a Green Bay (Wisconsin) po
lice court, Justice Westman presiding :
Several gamblers were under examina
tion, and one of the witnesses was ques
tioned about what he knew of gambling
the saloons in town, xes, he had
seen gambling going on in most of them.
"Well, one, for instance! "i nave
been men gambling in the Old York
saloon." "What were the stakes?"
"They were a horse on one Bide and
money on the other." "Well, which
woni" "Judge Westman won the
horse." Peremptory command from the
bench : There, that will do ; this ex
amination is reaching into too wide a
range altogether."
Thk Astor Estate. It ia eald that
the late William B. Astor, in hia will,
leaves the bulk of hia property to his
two sons and not t hia eldest son, as
previously reported. His daughters are
amply provided for in the testament.