IN MADAGASCAR. ISTKRICSTlSOOnSHItVATIOSiSOF AN AMEUICAN TKAVELKU. Juer Conveyance In Which White aim Klcle (Juciiclilnit Thirst at the Traveler's Tree Odd Kurd. TTT1IE observation In Mudngns I . car of Mr. Frederick Taylor, I ll- ' H w,l "I""'' 'cvon " mouths traveling through tho Interior, warrant tho belief Unit tbcre will be a good tlrnl more news from that very interesting island before tho end of the st ruggle between tbe French nod the native tribe. Tbe occupation by the French of Tamatavo and An tananarivo, tbe chief citie of Mada gascar, did not by any mesne indicate the subjugation of Madagascar. Tho Hovas, tho dominant tribe, who Lave CONVICTS IN inhabited the central province of Jmerina since they cumo over tbe sen from nobody knows whore, perhaps Malaysia, npparcntly ncknowlcdjo French sovereignty. Dut they form a mall proportion of tbo WalngOMsy peoplei. Some of tho tribes have nrmcd their fighting men with min uets; many of them ttill use tbo orig inal native weapon, the spear nnd tbn tdiicld. Iu tbo dense forests tho blow gun is used with patiept fk ill. When Mr. Taylor, who comes of a New York family, landod nt Tamatavo in 1891, he bad already, at tbo ago of thirty-seven, seen a good deal of tbe tar corners of the world. His desire for travel had been strong since he left Mow York and joined Hod Cloud's band of Ogollala Sioux at the a to of fifteen. From Dnkota he roamed to the edge of tbe Arctic Circle, and was next heard of in the Society and Hawaiian Island. Japan, Ceylon, t'u West Indies and (South America eu; . noit in his itinerary. Strange adv. V. res fell to his lot in the Chaco region, in particular, hundreds of mile inland from Buenos Ayres, and by the time Haw nt rcia roiurm jomoar. lie bad reached Madagascar he was oasebardeocd to experiences of tbe ordinary. , "I knew nobody in Tamatave, on the east coast of Madagascar," he sayr, "when I landed there. I called on John I Waller, tbe recently arrived Amerioan Consul ; it's tbe right thing, of course, for a traveler to psy hii re spects to the representatives of his uonutry wherever he finds them. My own regret has been that American Consols are not, as a rule, np to the consular standards aa set by other countries. They are not respected, in my experience, as they should bo by the people among whom they discharge . their duties. ' found Tatnative a Tery unimpres sive town. Tbe single nupaved main street and the lanes that intersect it re covered with loose send. When I purchased my provisions for tbe jour ney up the country to the capital I av it ont that 1 wanted bearers. The proprietor of tbe store waa Scotchman, carrying limited alock of general merchandise. Natives soon began to offer themselves. I inspeot ed tbem in group, rejecting all those who were fleshy or unhealthy looking. They averaged Ave feet seven inches in height, I should ear. Their tongues bad to be examined to tee if their di gestion was good s their feet, to see if they would make good ground gain ore; their lege, to aee it they bad been trained ;by heavy burdens. Tall, pare men, who eonld throw their abonlders out and their eslres back, wer tbe ones I looked for. They nut have shonldsra free from tbe :rti so often found In Malagatty ear. int. .2&$BfiN8zat Horn, who sometimes have to stagger aoorcs of mile throngh the desolate interior nndtrjlond which would fcix a beast of burden. Of tbe fifty men I looked over I ehoso twenty-eight. "Each ono was to reoeive tho cqniv nlcnt of f'2.r() in Mnlngntsy money for cneti !iil5 milcfi travorsod with his loud, nnd two shilling for rice en ronto. Four of them started out with my 111 nnzana, r. nprnic of palanquin, our accompanied tlio fllnnzsnn n substi tutes, nnd tho other twenty carried the boxes nnd vre''0-,l' of provision nnd merchandise for traffic, which tbn Scotchman had put np in suitable b1hi1c. I noticed thnt tbe canned provisions I bought all came from England nnd 1'rancp, American ship mcnti to Madagascar Icing limited to cotton Rood nnd lumber, for which we take raw hides in exchange. "My costnmo was of Knhkco cloth, dust colored, of the kind the Indian troops are slothed in. Tbe filnnznna was nn iron framed scat, corored with MADAGASCAR. cnnvaF, fattened to ft couple of light ecven-t'oot poles of strong wood, held together by iron rod with screws and nuts. There wai n lrnlhor back and foot rest of wood Mitpcmled by two leather strap.'. This is the National carriagn of Madagascar, a country dra tituto of roads and of pack animals. Oxen nro sometimes saddled, but not often." Starting from Tumalavc, Mr. Tay lor's route lay at first nlonir, tbe sandy shores of tho Iudiou Ocean. Tbo country was open, nnd twenty-eight n lies were made tbo first day. lie h tailed for Antananarivo, tbe Ilova capital miles inland, and was eleven days on tbo way, though tbe joirucy ran bo made in coven. While trivel iu tbo remoter parts of the island is not unattended by peril from crocodiles, roving bands of murderous outlaws, and tbe fury of tropical storms, he bad no diflinnlty in travers ing tbe distance from tbe count to tbo capital which tbe French invaders found later, starting from tbo west coast, not so dillku'.t as bud been ex pected. ''We always stopped about 11 o'clock in the morning," ho says, "for a meal. At first wo had bread, whioh soon became very bard, and then crackers. I eat very littlo fruit in tho tropics the mango and the cocoanut in tbe morning and lato in the even ing, but never whilo tho sua is np. When wo found a traveler's tree I in serted my knife in tho fibre between two leaves nnd would drink, after straining, the water which came ont. I found the groo groo worms, or grub, taken between tbe leaves at the top of tho palm tree, to be deliuious when fried to a crisp. Tbey taste like the fat of a lamb ohop with a soupoon of cocoanut flavor. "My men chopped down yonng cabbage palms and ate tbe heart of tbe fruit, uncooked. It is white, and tastes like cabbage. The Malagassy are not squeamish. They devour egg THE WHITE MAY8 CARRIAGE IN MADAOASOAR. shells and chioken bones. At a native hotel not far from Antananarivo I had for the first course a strange, half, burnt oomponnd of fat, gristle and ox flesh, roasted with tho bide and bris tles on. The crust of the bread bad bair and feathers in it, Tbe second course waa better, consisting of wild Sigeon with green pees. Money in Eadagaaear means Franeh flve-frano pieces chopped into tegmenta and ear- rletl in a bag. Somo of the segmonti are scarcely bigger thrn a pen. "1 started lulnnd with nvo-frnno pieces chopped up in this way. A sin glo coin is sometimes out into twenty llvo bit". Tho natives eagerly toolt copper and brats wire and egg-Hhnpod bead, tin cans and lons-uecked lima jiiico bottle", inntead of tho monoy, which is weighed out in light sheet iron sooop almost ns small as apotlie carica' scale. lCvery householder, traveler nud vendor carries those. "Alonir tbo whito snnds of the In dian Ocean, on tho first day's jonrnoy. I shot many snipe, similar to tho American spioies. As wo penctrntod inland we came suddenly, hero ami there, on chninr.d prinoners, roaming nt large, ono of tho saddest features ol Malagassy life. Home of theso nnfor tnnntea would be so fettered that they could ouly stop a few inohes at time, tbe weight of tbe chains being propor tion to tho enormity of tboir of fennel against the lawn of tbe Hovai. whioh are exoollent in theory, but wretcbodly enforced. The condemned man is sontenned to wander in tho mountains with an iron ring around each ankle, another around his neck, and others on his wrists, tho rings be ing joined by fetters. It was pitiful to hear iu tho pathless brush the moan of somo poor manacled wretch, help Icps and starving, cither on his way to report to his ponal station or fallen by tbo way iu nn agonizing quest for food. Tho less severely pntitabod am sometimes ablo to pick up odd jobs of some lipbt work." KIW HSU lHStDVEUIW. Most Ileaiiltrul That litis F.ver llocn Noticed by Naturalists. A new fib, unliko any other in many respects and of extraordinary beauty in coloring, has been discovered. It was found by Captain iTncobson, of tho schooner Wcnoma. who caught as pec imcn whilo fishing on tbe banks twenty-eight miles sonth-southwest of Capo Flattery. Tho lleh was 26 inches long, 17 inches deep and about 4 inches tbiek. It was beautifully colored, and in its richness of shades surpasses anv other fish which has yet boon found. The ton of tbe head is of brick red. tbe b.iek of a metiillio blue, shading to alnminnm color on tbe belly. Tbe meridian line is strongly arobod and marked by a scries of largo scales. Pure round whito spots nro dotted over the wbolo of tbo Huh. Iu other respects tho fish presents an uncommon appearance. Its flue are strong spined and extend nearly the wbolo length of tho (Isli. The rpince TIIR NEW FISH. of tho dorsal are ten inches iu length. Tbo mouth is strong and toothless, tho lower lip protrndius and beinir of a vcrmillion color. Its eyes are large ami rouuu. No other fish liho it lute ever beon noticed by naturalists. Its nearest relative, however, seoms to bo tbe Sens labor, of tbe Atlautic, whioh is known as tbe Dory. Tho Zeus fnber is an excellent food fish, which is sel dora met with in quantity. HoientiQo examination of tbe new lisb, however. seems to indicate that it may be of tbe gonna ijamptis. Tbe fish is now nt Seattle. Washinir ington, where it reposes in tbe museum of tbo Young Naturalists' Hociety as ius gem oi its coucotion. Not the Irish" rotate. "The peculiarity of tho Irish t& tato, so callod, is in the fact that it is not Irish," observes one of the potato experts of the Agricultural Depart meet at Washington. "The potato originally grew wild in the fields of Chile, Peru and Mexioo. Sir John Hawkins did not take it to Ireland until loflS. Sir Franois Drake took it to Enuland twenty years after wards. It did better, however, in Ireland than anywhere else, and cot its name, no doubt, because, of ita early and extensive cultivation in Ire land. Botauioally it waa originally known aa the Batata Virginians, but in after years it was properly identi fied and classified as the bolanum tu berosum." New England Homestead. "Walking baa bean a pleasure tttte ver since I can remember." "Tea, the painful part of it waa before youj could remember." Cbirairo Keoord. STYLISH AND WARM FASIIIOXATHvK DKRIOJIS IN SEA- SONAUMi OAIIM1CN IS. Handsome Cape-Collar and Mnlt Dressy Art In net to a Walking Uoivn Uecomlng Waist With ISolero Front. THE liandnomo cape-collar and muff piotured in tbe first large engraving forma a sty--. lieh aditlnot to a walking gown that may be nsod in conneotiou with plain coat or worn independ ently, showing to advantage the band- somo bodice beneath. The yoke por tion, shaped in slightly pointed out line Is provided with astylish and pro tootivo storm collar, both of which are fashioned in Persian oloth, Astrakhan or wido border of monfUou fur doo orates the freo edges, and the closing in contre front is concealed with black marten bead and tails. Tho dainty muif also of Persian cloth or Astrakhan to mntoh the collar, is ornamented with a docp border of moufflon that flares perceptibly at tho outer edge and is decorated with a quaint hoad and tails to correspond with ono worn ut tbo neck. The Parisian capote is of violet vel vet, surmounted by a gracoful bnnch of whito ostrich, plumes whioh is hold in plnoe by two largo velvet roses. The edgo is outlined with jetted eoqulns. - Tho collarette nnd muff may booon strnotod of volvet, plush, elcotrio sea), Astrakhan or cloth, while the deep rnflle may be either an entire border of fur or mndo of tbe material and simply deooratod with a narrow band of krimmer, chinchilla, sable, mink or any one of the fashionable furs now in vogue. To make this capo-collar in tho medinm tiee, writes May Mautou, will require two and ono-quarter yards of forty-four inch wide material. Tho muff will require three-quarters yard of the same width goods. DSCOUINO WAWT WITH 110LKRO 1T0NT. ' Thla simple and boooraing waist, de picted in tbe second largo illustration, it made of gray-brown lusterine. Tho full vest is of plnided tntleta silk in brilliant hues. The free edges of tho bolero are decorated with silk braid ing, and dark green satin ribbon is DEC01IIN0 WAIST chosen for the stook collar and oriuh belt that finishes tho neok i andviraist. Over glove-flttod lining, .provided with tingle bust darts, the. pretty full front is arranged, drooping poxcepii bly at tbe wa'st-llne in tbe toft, blouau effiot to extremely becoming to. youth ful flf jicb. Tbe jaokot front too in HANDSOME CAFE-COLLAR AND MUFF. olndcd in the shonldcr and tinder-arm seams, boing of the conventional bolero shape, now so immensely popu lar. The back is smooth-fitting across tbo sbouldors with tbo ad ditional fulness of material laid in close overlapping plaits on either sido of the centre back where tbe dotting is effooted witli button nnd button-holes. Tho stylish s'.eovcs are arranged over coat-sbappd linings nnd ore but modcratoly lull, nftcr tbo prevailing fashion, A stand ing collar finishes tbo neck. Ncnt nnd serviaoable waists, adapted for homo or school wear, may bo developed from this design. The model affords charming facili ties for remodeling last season's dresses. Tbo bolero front, requiring very lit tlo matorial, may bn really placed over some well-worn bodice to smarten it. Tbe full front may be on plain or fancy silk, or any of the pretty woolens in plaid, stripod or figured cuuot. To make this waist for a miss of fourteen years it will require one and one-half yards of forty-four-inoh wido material, with one and ono-lourtn yards of silk for vest. rOPtTtilR DRB4S DECOUATIO!. T.ace applique is ono of tho popular and rather cxponsive dress decora tions siuco it must be arranged to snit each gown. It is sown on net with n gold thread all around tbo edge of tho design for full vest nnd boleros with a silk foundation, and bands of entiu nnd velvet for various modes of trimming. One protty gown of brown taffeta, pHttorned with blno, has tbo soft net vest, nnd a bluo silk bolero oovcrod with this lace and gold thread embroidery and finished on tho edgo with a frill of narrow lace. Theoolor band is nt plain blue, spangled with gold and lace frill at the back. BXIRKMB CHR OP IT It. Tbe us of fur is running to an ex treme. Whilo it is eminently appro priatu in combination with velvet, cloth or, indeed, any ho. vy material, it ih inoongruous and out of place when mixtid up with cbiuon, lace nnd tulle. - omts wixi. n more. The frooks of bnb.es from ono' to two years old come an inoh or two above the shoe-top enough to avoid any risk of tbe tot't stumbling and Willi BOLIBO FROMf. falling o vomits skirts. At three years of age tnegvare now shortened to the jaunttiiit proportions, and come barely 'to the knee, and from then on tbey jars gradually lengthened, notil at fourteen tbey fall flush with tho shoe 'top, Whilo at aixteen they are carried down to the ankle. Barper'a Baasr. A SOIAULE VtUVT. Eldest Daughter of Nellie Grant flar torls Kntcrs Washington Society. A Miss Vivien Bar tori, the handsome eldest danghter of Mrs. Nellie Grant Knrtoris, will be introduced to tooiety this wintor at a large reception to be) ' MIR VTVTK3 SARTOHM. givon at Mrs. Grant's houein the Na tional Capital. It is nn affair that is regarded with much pleasing antioipa tion, says the Chicago Times-Herald, and will be, no doubt, followed by a large number of entertainments in honor of tho fair debutante. Miss 8ar- toria wan born in London nearly eight een years ago. Hbe ie a protty brn notte, with obestnut hair and a rich olive complexion. Sho is of medium hoicht. with a tondenov to Dlnmnftcs. Educated abroad, she is ono of tho best informed girls in her set. Her mother looked aftor Miss Vivien's ed -noation with her own eyes, and the re suit is soon in tbe womanly obaraoter of tbe daughter's mind and education. Miss Bartoris has a voice of good vol ume and native sweetness, and it has not lost any of ita power by an en forced cultivation. Kho will bo given some vocal I raining during the winter. Muis Sortoris speak perfect French, bnt has not studied other languages than that and ber own. Her sister, who is just fifteen, promises to rival the oldest in personsl attraction. Mrs. Sartoris herself looks more liko an el der sister with her charming daugh ters than she does like their mother. The portrait of Miss Vivien Sartoris here shown is reproduced from a pbo tographio copy of Hallai's London painting of tbo subject. Miss Emily Mow, of Washington, is tho photogra pher. AS EXPL0S1TE SUT. A Peculiar Fruit Which Opens With Loud Report. - In tbo vegetable kingdom we find scvoral varieties of fruit that are ex plosiblo' by- various natural pro cesses, and they belong to several families. In tho wise eoonomy of nature, says tbe Scientific American, tbe object of this bursting is to dis seminate tho seeds. Probably tho moat peculiar explosive fruit is that of the sand box troo (Hura crepitans) of tbe family of Eophorbiaces?, whioh opens ita fruit with a loud report, sratteriniy ttiA tiiupp, in nil riirnntinna- The tree is found in tropical Amer- -ica, tbe particular examplo under con- THE EXPLOSIVE SVt. tideration coming from the Amazon Biver valley. Tbo tree grow to be from seventy to 100 feet high. Tbe bark is smooth and yields a milky asp when tapped. The twigs are tome times spiny and the leaves are often tis inohes broad. Tbe trees are often cultivated for ornament, from tbn West Indies to Brazil. If left to ripen on tbo tree, the nut explode with a sharp report, when each o? its curiou compartments, numbering sometime as many a sixteen, flic asunder, so that ita seeds, whioh somewhat tesem b'ea a pumpkin teed, dropa out. Our engraving shows tho condition of tho ruptured cell. The nut baa a dense woody fiber. The nnta atand exporting, and occasionally do not explode for several month. The pieces are thrown teveral feet . when tbe explosion take place. If the nnt is kept in aloobol or water, it can be preset ved for year. Vlrrobea llevuur Seirse. A novel disposition of tewtge is made at Exeter, England. Tbe method consists of four tanks, a fourth of the sewage passing into eaoh. -Light aud air are exolnded from the tanks; put refaction and decomposition are rapid ly aet up ; tbej microbes multiply and tbe solid portiona of thej sewage are consumed. and tbe outflow from IQh tank ia nothing but slightly cojored water, which, after pawing through filter, lone all color and tatte. No chemical ia used, and no'attention to the tanks of any sort i needed. Each filter bed automatically cleaotea ileal! by being ont of use for a ib jrt time tip lliifil tpi?
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers