LOCAL NEWS. THE DAILY PATRIOT AtID UNION may be bad at Jack's Book Stork corner of Third and Market itreetB. PATRIOT ADD MU oN.—The Deux PATRIOT AND Minos can be bad by Dauphin subscribers, every morning, at the periodical store of J. S. Puma.. THE Idams.—llnder the change of schedule on the different railroads, the time of closing the mails at the Harrisburg Post Office, December let, s as follows; M=ol3al E as t.-7 a. m.—Way mail, 12.:5 p. m, 5. p. m., p. m. W e d.-6.30 a. m.—way mail, 3.50 p. in, 9 p. m. No&THERM CENTRAL B. B. s ou /h.-12.15 p. m.—way mail, 9. p. m. Sortli.-1 p. m. LEIIASON VALLEY B. B. 7.30 a. m. DA.IIPHOLIt AND 8118 Q. It. It. 1.30 p. m. compunzawn NUILLRY R. R. 7.30 a. - m., 1 p. m.—way mail. BY STAGE. • 7 a. m., to Gettysburg, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. 7a. m., to Jonestown, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 1 p; m., to Lewisberry, on Saturday. FULL.—The city lock-up contained eleven vol untary lodgers en Monday night, all of whom were turned loose yesterday morning, to seek their feed and fortune wherever it might turn up. REsuman.—The Harrisburg cotton factory re sumed operations yesterday morning, after making the necessary repairs to the bursted steam pipe.— We learn that the mill is running .a full set of hands, and turning out an excellent article of cloth. PROPERTY SOLD.-Tho house and lot of D avid Mumma, Jr., in Third street, opposite this office, was sold a few days ago for the sum of $5;500. The building consisto of a fine three-story brick House, with all the modern improvements. .Mr. Sullivan, clerk in the Prothonotary's office, is the purchaser. LOCAL Postarsarnas.—Mr. Walter H. Kendig has been appointed postmaster at Middletown. lie took possession of the office last Monday. The Rev. Jacob Kessler has received the same arpoint went for linmmelstown. '"He is the first Reverend that we have noticed as receiving any favor from the new Administration. Nor EXACTLY So.—The appointment of Mr. Christian Evy as a route agent on the Northern Central Railroad wasint exactly a fact. Mr. Evy circulated the report himself that be bad received the appointment, and what object he had to promulgate such a "whopper" we are at a loss - to imagine. Tae lirEavitzu.—For the past few days the weather has been anything but agreeable. Blus tering winds, Interspersed with rain storms, seem to be the order of the day. Everybody seemed to be cross-grained on account of this freak of the clerk who regulates these things, and a general expression in favor of a little sunshine was gene rally expressed. Send it along, Mr. Clerk. SIGNOR BLITZ COMlNG.—iSignor Blitz, the amia ble and gentlemanly necromancer and ventrilo quist, will be here and give two exhibitions on Thursday and Friday evenings next, at Brant's Hall. The Signor will be accompanied by his tame canary birds and his talking automaton, "Bobby." He has always been a favorite with the citizens of Harrisburg, and we have no doubt his entertainments will be visited by everybody, and especially the little ones, who take so much delight in his performances. The entertainments - are to be given under the auspices of the State Capital band, whose excellent music has so frequently de lighted our citizens. Twa NEXT Buffs Fent —At the last meeting of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society a com mittee was appointed to select a proper place to hold the next annual exhibition, and the town or City offering the best inducements to be selected. The committee have accordingly advertised their intentions, and it remains to be decided where the location shall be. A number of gentlemen inte rested in the matter, in this city, have held a con sultation on the subject, and intend holding a meeting shortly. The advantage of holding the State Fair at or near this city would be so much to our interest that the matter should receive the immediate attention of our citizens. Tun WAR Rumotts.—All sorts of rumors were in circulation on the streets yesterday, in regard to the present crisis in our National affairs. In the morning, it was circulated that both Forts Pickens and Sumpter had been attacked, but we could find no foundation for the rumor. The war message, sent to the Legislature yesterday morning by Gov. Curtin, was the subject of considerable talk. A great deal of curiosity was manifested to know what is really the condition of the militia force of this Commonwealth. From official sources we learn that the whole number of organized volun teer companies in this State is about 500, avera ging about 40 men to a company, making an ag gregate of over 20,000 uniformed volunteers. The entire military force of the State is about 355,000 men capable of military duty. The arms of the State are all in the possession of the volunteer companies, and comprise 12,080 muskets, 4,706 rifles, 2,809 cavalry swords and sabres, 3,147 pis tols, 69 pieces of ordnance, being six-pound bronze cannon. Of the above there are only about 2,500 muskets of the new model, 1,200 improved rifles, and about 500 cavalry swords. The balance are unfit for active service, being mostly of the heavy old flint lock. The 69 pieces of ordnance are in good condition, with the exception of the carriages. From the above it will be seen that the volunteers of the. State have hut 4,200 effective small arms, leaving an actual deficit for them alone of 14,800. No arms are furnished to the militia by the State itself. All that are now issued to the militia aro furnished by the United States to Pennsylvania. The sum of $200,000 is annually appropriated to the purchase of arms, to be distributed among the States and Territories, in proportion to their rep resentation in Congress. Throughout the State there are several uniformed military companies without arms and equipments, which is owing to the shortness of the quota furnished the State by the General Government. In reference to requisitions being made upon the Governor for troops, the sixth section of the militia law of April 2d, 1822, which is .still in force, provides, •'that when the President of the United States shall have made a requisition of I part of the militia of this State for public service, the Adjutant General shall take the most prompt and efficacious measures for detaching and supply ing with all necessary arms, equipments, ammuni tion and provisions, the number of men required, and for having them marched to the place of ren dezvous : Provided, That volunteer troops and companies shall be first detached, and may be kept in service any time not exceeding six months,"— The second section of the same act provides, "that the militia may be called into service by the Gov ernor in the event of a rebellion, or an actual or threatened invasion of this or any neighboring State, but no portion shall be detained in service, at any one time, for a longer period than• three months, under the mere requisition of the Gayer nor, without the direction or assent of the President of the United States." GIPSIES.—About this season of , the year this part of the country is generally infected with ro ving bands of thieves who style themselves bur glars. Last spring, and during almost the entire simmer, several encampments were located in this county, and some of them within a few miles of the city, to which they paid frequent visits. The proverbial dishonesty of these people causes them to be regarded with suspicion, and when the fe males go about from house to house telling for tunes, timid housewiies should keep a wary eye upon them. The new American Cyclopedia says that it is questionable uhether a genuine band of Gipsies' ever visited this country. The American Gipsies never do any work, however, and have no fixed habitation. The only covering they have is the canvas over their wagon beds, and when they have no wagons to lie in they sleep upon the ground They are necessarily filthy in their habits, and generally live from hand to mouth. Some of the men have money, and . we have lately heard of wagons being made to order, by one of out manu facturers, at a cost of three hundred dollars. This is an exceptional case, and as a general rule they are possessed of but little means. The origin of this singular race is unknown, although they pretend to be desoended from the Eyptians—the name "gypsy" being a corruption of the term "Egyptian." Organized bands of Gipsies first appeared in Germany in 1417. They numbered about 14,000 in Italy, as early as 1422. We quote from the Cyclopedia as. follows: "On April 14, 1837, arrived at Paris from Bohemia, (they said) a band of 120 strangers, claiming to be Christians of lower Egypt, who had been ex pelled byfthe Saracens. They said they had con fessed to his holiness Martin V., who, at, a penance for sins committed on the way, had ordered them to traverse the world for seven years without sleep ing in beds. They had among them a duke, a count, ten lords, and a number of women. The women wore gold ear rings, and bad black, curly hair. They professed the gifts of fortune telling and palmistry, and were great thieves. The au thorities would not permit them within the city of Paris, but assigned them La Chapelle, near St. Denis, where they were consulted on occult matters by great numbers of the citizens. Finally the Bishop of Paris had them removed, and excom municated those who bad consulted them. Their credentials were doubtless spurious. Notwith standing their removal from Paris, they continued to wander in France, and other bands succeeded them. From France they crossed into England, and wherever they went they practiced the arts of thieving and deception, until they became a nui sance in all the States of Europe." Several laws were passed against the Gipsies, and in some countries they were banished. The sovereigns of Germany made an effort to reclaim and settle them, by teaching the useful arts, and educating the children. They failed to obey, and severer measures than before were taken against them. In 1830, the total number of Gipsies in Eu rope was estimated at 700,000. The laws against them have in most countries becoine obsolete, the greater intelligence of the people rendering them less liable to imposition. The genuine Gipsy is represented as having few redeeming characteristics. They are treacherous, cowardly, revengeful and cruel. They have little or no religious belief, and have no words in their language to signify God, the soul, or immortality. Marriage is a temporary form with them, and the limits of consanguinity are not respected. Some of the women, with their light, agile figure, black hair, quick black eyes, and fine white teeth, are regarded as beauties, but their habits are so squalid and depraved as to cause them, before they are past the middle age, to fall into decrepitude. IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROADS.—The aSteienti:fic American of March 30th contains a description of Wharton's patent, which dispenses with railroad switches and switch-tenders. We have seen work ing models of this useful invention, which has been tested far months by extensive practical use upon city railroads in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Bos ton, with entirely satisfactory results. As it is an improvement that from its economy and efficiency will probably be adopted by city railroads every where, we present to our readers the following con densed description of the plan, and its mode of ope ration : When two lines . of cars use the same track in part, it has heretofore been found indispensable to employ a switch-man to separate them at the proper point, but by Wharton's patent the same re sult is obtained by having one line of cars use wheels with an extra tread in addition t4a the com mon tread, and a short inclined supplementary rail so placed at the turn-off that the extra tread shall run gently upon it; the wheels being gradu ally raised off their usual bearing and running on the extra tread Itloae, will pass over and above the usual grooved rail without touching it, and pro ceed straight onward, while the other line of cars, furnished with wheels of the common form, will not be acted upon by the inclined rail, and will, of course, be guided around the curve by means of the grooved rail, as at all other curves. The change of bearing from the common tread to the extra tread, and vice versa, is so smoothly accomplished as to be almost imperceptible. By varying the position and diameter of the extra tread, many combinations may be obtained, and thus a number of different lines may use the same track in common. Bach line of cars, as it arrives at the point arranged for it, and not for the others, will deviate from the main track and follow its own particular course, and so in proper order will the other lines do, at their respective points of.di version. As the patent frog is cast solid in one piece, there is nothing movable in the street to get out of order, or freeze up in winter, and the pave ment is laid flush up to it, the greatest elevation being only enough to raise the flange of the double tread wheel over the greyed rail, and permit it to go straight on. The experience of the companies using this in vention has been that the economy of dispensing with switch-tenders can be sucoessfully accom plished, and, at the same time, the [mikes be more efficiently and satisfactorily performed. The modification of this invention, intended for steam roads, is different in arrangement from the one in tended for city railroads, described above, and is so Constructed that the passenger trains shall be entirely independent from, and uncontrolled by, the switches which act upon fteight trains. The track is laid absolutely unbroken and continuous through from station to station; and the express trains will proceed with certainty past all switches, which, although through carelessness left wrong, can in no manner affect them. Naw Enema —The Good Will fire company, located on Ridge avenue, in the Sixth ward, have contracted with Messrs. Button & Blake, of West Troy, N. Y., for one of their superior side lever hand engines. The machine will be of the second class and almost an imitation of that now in use by the Citizen company. A committee of the com pany are at present engaged in collecting money to make the first payment. We commend their laudable enterprise and wish them success. FIRS.—The alarm of fire yesterday mornin g , about 8 o'clock, was occasioned by the burning of a foul chimney at the State Capital Hotel, corner of Third and Walnut streets. - The entire fire de partment of the city was in motion, but happily their services were not needed. [Communicated.] In my communication yesterday, advocating the wise expediency of not repealing all laws that ex empt certain property from taxation, I mentioned our churches and charitable institutions, but I for got our cemeteries. The law, as it stands now, exempts from taxation alnots actually sold. Cemetery lots, when bought, become the abso lute property of the purchaser, like a house in the city. This fact admitted, how can taxes be col lected from delinquents? If there is a tomb-stone, will the law order it to be removed and sold? If yes, what next ? Will the law order the depth of the grave to be measured, to ascertain whether there is room for one or two coffins more? If yes, whit next? Will the law ordet the remains of the dead to be raised, so as to sell the lot a second time? If yes, what will be done with those re mains? Will they be buried by the hands of the sheriff, or be buried in the only place where they must, absolutely, be protected from taxation—the bed of the Schuylkill or the Susquehanna, when left dry during the summer months!!! Gentlemen, members of the Legislature, admire the foresight of our preceding Legislatures, and do not set a blasting hand on their wise enactments. WILLIAM TELL RESTAURANT.—The restaurant in the basement of the William Tell hotel, opposite the court house, has been refitted and is now under the superintendanee of Mr. Edward Pruhner. All the luxuries of the season will be kept on band. Lauer's Reading ale on draught. Step in. -1- NEW ARRIVAL! NEW ARRIVAL !--just received a large assortment of new spring goods. We name in part, 10 pieces of beautiful Challise, 13i, worth 18i ; 10 nieces of . Traveling Dress Goods, at 8, worth 121; 50 pieces of bleached and unbleached Muslin, 10, worth 12,1; 50 pieces of bleached Mus lin, 12k, worth 15 ; also, a very large stock of Cassimeres and other summer stuff for men and boys' wear. Stella Shawls very cheap. Brocbe Bordering, at 25,37 and 50 eta. ; also, a large stock of Cag►brios and Swiss Muslins. Please call and examine at S. Lewes, at Rhoads' Old Corner, Corner of Market and Second streets. SPECIAL NOTICES. [Er WARRANTED IN ALL CASES DR. HARVEY'S CHRONO THERMAL FEMALE PILLS For the prevention and Cure of all those difficulties to which the female system is peculiarly liable arising from STOPPAGE OF NATURE OR OBSTRUCTION. These Pelts leave never been known to fail when the direction have been strictly followed, and they are I,etfeetly ear, to take by the most delicate. TO MARRIED LADIES they are particularly recom mended, as they prevent difficulties, and restore nature, no matter from what cause the obstruction may arise. A few days in most cases will produce the 'desired effect; and although so powerful, yet no injury will ever result from their use. But those who are pregnant should not use them, as they have an effect contrary to nature. Pamphlets detailing their virtues, with numerous certificates from well known physicians and apothecaries, Can be had on applica tion to the agent, who will send the Pills, if desired, by mail, post-paid, to any address, on receipt of the money. Sold in boxes containing sixty pills.—price One Dollar,— by all the principal druggists and dealers, and by DYOTT Ss CO., wholesale agents, North Second street, Philadel phia. nov2-eodditwly . A NEW REMEDY. Superseding CMSEBS, COP&IBA, CAPSULIM, or any compound that has ever been before the people. It hag been used by ONE HUNDRED PHYSICIANS, In their private pract'ee, with entire success , in all cases, BELL'S SPECIFIC PILLS, For diseases of a private nature ; a rare is frequent'y per formed in a mete, and entire confidence may be placed ha them. This remedy is a newly discovered specific, more active and speedy in its effects than Cubebs or Copaiba alone. The pills are half the size of Capsules, and never nauseate the stomach, or impregnate the breath. Six dozen pills in a box—price one dollar, and will be sent by mail, post-paid, by the agent. on receipt of the money. Sold by all the principal druggists and dealers, and by DYOTT & CO., wholesale agents, North Second street, Philadelphia. nev2-eodd&wly PURIFY YOUR BLOOD.—BRANDRETH'S PILLS WARRANTED TO CURE PETER AND AGUE: The effect of purging with BRANDRETH'S PILLS is to re store the health, no matter from whet cease it may be suffering. They take out all impurities from the sys tem; and they have the same power of expulsion over 'rniasm, poisonous vapor of decayed vegetables, or indeed any poisonous exhalations breathed by man whatever. In fact, if the blood is poisoned, it is impure, and im pure blood results in disease. BRANDRETH'S PILLS, though innocent as bread, yet they are capable of puri fying the blood and curing disease. So, they cure all kinds of fevers, all aSthmaa, Catarrhs, costiveness and painful affections of every kind. Sold, price 25 cents, at N 0.294 Canal set, New York, and by all Druggists. Also, by