China is to-day the scene of the greatest land-grabbing raids that the fcorld has ever -witnessed. At the present rate it will be only a little while nntil there is nothing left of 'Sie ancient empire except its great wall and a job lot of musty superstitions. The State and Federal Fish Com missioners are now engaged an re stocking the Delaware witl) shad, their purpose being to deposit £t least 30,000,000 small fry this season. If kept up a few years this will mean the development of an important industry and the establishment of a reliable source of food supply. The Postoffice Department of Can. Ada does not pay expenses, but the deficit last year was only §586,539, while in 1896 it was §781,152. Dar ing the last year 123,830,000 let ters and 26,140,000 postal cards passed through the mails. Of the letters 3,509,500 were registered. The number of newspapers and books mailed in the year was 22,015,000. Canada looks carefully after its win ter quail, the farmers feeding and pro tecting them and the local protectors of the preserves making regular trips jnto the country to see how the inno #ent birds are faring. Without such attention to their needs the rigorous climate would exterminate them; with it they have come through the pres ent winter remarkably well, and in the coming shooting season the sports men of Our Lady of the Snows will vise up and call their protectors blessed. Says the New York Post: Atimelyre buke has been administered by Justice Mitchell, of Pennsylvania, to pettifog ging, or what the Pennsylvania court calls "perverted ingenuity." The oc casion was the filing of an appeal in the case of a man condemned to death on the morning of the day of execu tion, not a ground of newly discovered evidence, but on alleged errors of the most formal and perfunctory kind, which had been already passed upon by the lower court in refusing a new trial. It was simply a move for delay, or, in the language of the court, "a flagrant example of the perverted standard of professional ethics, which assumes that counsel should help his client to escape the proper conse quences of his act by any move or de vice, short, perhaps, of actual fraud or imposition. This is a very serious error and apparently becoming more widespread, especially in cases invol ving life. The boundaries of pro fessional privilege and professional obligation are clearly defined, and in no way doubtful. Counsel represents the prisoner to defend his rights. In BO doing he is bound to exercise com petent learning and to be faithful, vig ilant, resolute. But he is at the same time an officer of the court, part of the system which the law provides for the preservation of individual rights in the administration of justice, and bound by his official oath to fidelity as well to the court as to the client." Japan's industrial enterprise con tinues to excite fresh wonder and as tonishment. Without the least exag geration it may be affirmed that this little island empire is entitled to the world's record for its growth and pro gress within the past few years. Prior to the reoent war between Japan and China, the former country was little understood in this hemisphere. Most people labored under the impres sion that Japan was wedded to her idols, and that progress in the modern sense of that expression was wholly foreign to the atmosphere which she inhaled. But even prior to the war which brought her to the front with so much prestige, Japan had seriously to rid herself of her en cumbering superstitions and to borrow western ideas of life. To-day the lo comotive, the telephone, _ the tele graph and the electric light are mir acles of progress as familiar almost to the Japs as they are to us, who first produced them. From some interest ing data recently compiled by one of our consuls to Japan, it appears that the manufacture of matches is exten sively carried on in the kingdom. There are now some forty-five estab lishments in all, employing not less than 11,000 operatives. Since 1893 the growth of this industry, although retarded by the recent war, has been phenomenal. In 1896 the value of its total output aggregated .$1,672,79G and in 1897, 81,706,612. The wide, awake enterprise of the kingdom is atill fnrtlier illustrated in the activity displayed in its navy yards. At the present time Japan is engaged in th construction of seven war vessels. I Japan continues to develop at the pres cnt rate, there is no telling what pos sibilities of national expansion lie be (ore her. THE LOO-DRIVE. When the log-boora's on the drive The woods, snow-fresh, start up alive; There's swell of brook and bursting bud, There's spruce log leaping down the flood. Cm tain of the log-boom's crew. Tall Autolne—feeling spring-time too— Lets his love thoughts hum- back To the river's northmopt track, To a hut in sprucelands set, To the homo of white Jftttnnette: Let his love-song cleave the air, Bidding nil things love aid pair; Till the mating lish-hawki cry. Till the moose bull snorts reply- Till every wild tiling does its part. And cries a welcome to his heart. —Francis S. Palmer, iu Harper's Weekly. ! TIE BORROWED HORSE, i 0 o CDODO3DOOOOOOOOOOOCSOODOGOJ FB the horse down /w / I we l' and don't 3 I 1 * fill he is g B perfectly cool." I* Jft The above was addressed to the Dostlei* of a hotel, \i In * n Brighton, by a handsome, middle -1 flseil gentleman, / 'i IvT dressed in the 1 (mATA/A height of fashion, V vW'ift'Ml A a8 alighted from \v Mt NW au e ' e " an ' black VrfilviVi horse, and tossed v\ i\ the rein to the at tendant. " "And now," said the horseman, addressing a waiter, "show ine into a private parlor." A well-dressed man, who rides a handsome nag, is always sure of a warm welcome at a public house, all th. world over. He soon found him self in a neat parlor, with flowers and vases on the mantlepiece, and the blinds (for it was a warm summer af ternoon) carefully closed, while the open window permitted a free current of air to circulate through the apart ment. The waiter remained standing near the door. "Any orders, sir?" "No—yet stay. Who came in that handsome phaeton I saw standing in the yard?" "A lady, sir." "Ah!" "A young widow." "Bab!" "She is very handsome." "Go along, and shut the door after you," muttered the traveler, testily. "A woman, but a widow," he solilo quized. "X am glad I don't know her. I am certainly very fortunate to have attained the age of forty without any feminine attachment. Peculiarly in dependent, and not ill-looking—l think I must admit that—l should make what those busybody match makers call a grand catch. But, thank my stars! I have preserved my content and independence so far, and I'm not likely to succumb now. No, no! Jack Campion was born to live and die a bachelor! And now for the newspaper.'" In the meantime, another horseman had come to the hotel, his horse reek ing with sweat. The same hostler—an Irishman— made au appearance. "Pat," said the young man, fash ionably attired, "put my mare in the stable, and do the best you can for her." "Ocli, Mistliu Traverse, she's kilt entirely!" "I'm afraid so." "And what made ye crowd her so?" "No matter. Is my sister here?" "Yis, sur. Bill, show the gentle man into the ladies' parlor." "Ah, Belle!" said the young man, entering the parlor, "you here?" "Yes," replied a beautiful young lady, rising to meet him; "but what's the matter?" "Nothing, Belle—nothing!" "Something is certainly the mat ter. You are (lushed and excited." "I must be brief, for I am pur sued!" "Pursued?" "Yes. You know that fellow who insulted you in the coach the other day?" said the young man. "Well, I have been on his track for over a week. I met him to-day in the street, and gave him a horsewhipping. I handled him roughly, I'm afraid. He instantly got out a warrant against me, and not wishing to be taken into court till I was ready, I mounted my horse and gave the officers the slip. Perhaps I'd better have waited and braved it out; but having taken this step, Fm bound to baffle them. To-morrow I wilj surrender myself. Now, Belle, if your pony will take mo to our uncle's in Ave minutes, I'm your man." "Poop Charley couldn't do it," an swered ilia y.mng lady. ""■ "Then I'll make other arrange ments. By-the-by, I'll meet yon at the villa."- - From tlio drawing-room the young man rushed to the stable. "Pat," said he, "give me a horse, ind u good one." "Sorra the horse we've got in the Stable, except this black, and that be longs to a gintleman who came here just afore ye. Oeh, but he's a good one, yer honor, two-forty to a cint." "I'll borrow him," said Traverse, jumping on his back. "Tell Belle to drive the gentleman to the villa, and he shall have his horse." "But,'yer honor " remonstrated the hostler. In vain. Traverse had set spurs to the horse, and was oil like a thunder bolt. "Ok.wirra, wirrah'said the hostler, i "what'll become of me? I'jp ruined i intirely!" | Shortly afterward Mrs. Leslie rang for her phaeton, and at the sametirae, Mr. Campion, the bachelor, ordered his horse. The pony cams round to the front door, and the young widow "tepped lightly into the phaeton. "All right!" said she to Patrick, 1 with a smile, nodding, and taking the reins. "Give him his head." "Och, it's all wrong, my lady," re plied Patrick, keeping hold of the bridle. "Your carriage can take two inside." "Very well; but I came alone." "You've got to take a passenger." "What do you mean?" "Oh, wirra!—your brother has been stealing a horse." "Stealing a horse!" exclaimed the widow. "Yes, that gintleman's," meaning the bachelor. "And he said youwere to take the gintleman to the villa, to get the horse back again." "Very singular!" said the widow; "but William was always very eccen tric." At this crisis, Mr. Campion ap peared. "My horse ready?" "Jump iu, sir." "t didn't come in a carriage." "Iu wid yez!" shouted the hostler. "Take a seat beside me, if you please, sir," said the widow, with a fascinating smile. Mr. Campion approached the step to inquire the meaning, when the hostler seized him with a vigorous hand, thrust him into the phaeton, while the pony, startled at the move ment, dashed off on a run. Poor Captain Campion! Here was a situation. A confirmed old bache lor, bodily abducted by a fascinating young widow. The captain bad to lend assistance to the lady in man aging the pony, who was shortly re duced to his usual slow and quiet pace; and then after thanking her companion for his assistance, Mrs. Leslie told him that in a few minutes he should be put in possession of his horse, which had been borrowed by a gentleman. This was all the expla nation she vouchsafed. She required, in turn, to be made acquainted with the name of her companion, after giv ing her own. In a few minutes, the captain be gan to feel somewhat more at ease— in fact, he began to like bis position. He had never sat so near to a pretty woman in his life, and he began to ask himself whether, if the proximity wan so pleasant for a few moments, a constant not prune as agreeable. While her atten tion was engaged upon her pony, he had au opportunity to survey her features. Her large, dark and lumin ous eyes seemed to be swimming in liquid lustre; ber cheeks were as soft and blooming as the sunny side of a peach. Her profile was strictly Gre cian, and her parted lips showed a row of tiny pearls as white as snow. The most delicate taper fingers, en eased in French kids, closed upon the reins, and the varnished tip of a dainty boot indicated a foot that Cin derella might have envied. "Do you live very far from here, madam?" asked the captain. "Not very far. The pony can mend his pace if you are in a hurry." "Not for the world. The pace seems r>. very fast one." The widow turned those witching black eyes of hers upon the old bach elor, and smiled. It was all over with him. When he sprang out at the gate of the villa and touched the fairy fingers of the widow as he assisted her to alight, his heart was irretrievably lost. A red-faqed old gentleman, in a dressing gown, reoeived them at the door. "My friend, Captain Campion, uncle," said the widow. "Excuse me. for a moment, sir." "Very happy to see you, sir," said the old gentleman. "Walk in. Warm day." "Very," said the captain. 1 'llis looks seemed to corroborate bis statement, for be was as red as a peony. The captain and the old gentleman were soon chatting together familiar ly, and the former felt himself com pletely at home. After an hour spent in this manner, his host excused himself, and the bachelor was left alone. A dreamy reverie was interrupted by the sound of voices iu the hall. The captain easily recognized the widow's, and a glance through the halt-open door showed him that her companion was a very handsome yonng gentleman. "There, dear Belle," said the young man, "don't scold me any more. I won't do so again, I promise you. Give me one kiss." A hearty smack followed. It was a veritable, genuine kiss. The captain saw and beard it. A pang shot through his heart. "The only woman I could ever love," he said to himself, "and she's engaged." The widow tripped into the room. If she was pleasing in her carriage dress, she was perfectly bewitching in her drawing-room attire. Campion could now see the whole of that de ! licate fairy foot. "My dear sir," said she, "your horse is at your service now." Campion rose. "But," she added, "if you will stay and take dinner with us, my uncle will be very much gratified, and I shall be highly pleased." "The coquette!" thought Campion. "I am really obliged to you, madam," ho said, "but I have another engage ment." "Then we cannot hope to detain yon, sir; hut you must first allow me to present you to my brother." The handsome yonng man nowmade his appearance, and shook hands with the bachelor. "That's the horse-thief, captain!" said the widow, laughing. The yonng man apologized, and ex plained the circumstauces which had impelled him to take the liberty. "I am sorry," he added, "that we cannot improve the acquaintance thus casually made by enjoying your com pany at dinner. I am sorry that you are otherwise engaged." "Why, as to that," said the captain, pulling off his gloves, "your offer is too tempting, and I feel compelled to accept it." So his horse was remanded to the stable, and he stopped to dinner. After dinner, they had music, for Sirs. Leslie played and sang charm ingly. Then he was persuaded to stay to tea, and in the evening the iamily rambled in the garden, and'the captain secured a ten minutes' tete-a tete with the widow, in a summer bouse overgrown with Madeira vines, and inhabited by a spider and six ear wigs. It was ten o'clock when be monuted bis horse to return to Boston; but it was bright moonlight, and he was romantically inclined. The next morning be repeated his visit, and the next, and the next. In short, the episode of the borrowed horse produoed a declaration and an acceptance, and though years have passed away, the captain has had no occasion to regret his ride with the widow, in the pony phaeton.—Satur day Night. OSACE INDIANS. A Community So Itloh That ItH Member* Are Rapidly Regenerating. The Osage Indians are the richest oommunity in the world. They nit tu ber but 1729 souls, all told—men, women and children; they own 1,500,• 000 acreß of valuable land; have 89,000,000 in trust with the govern ment which pays 5 per cent, interest, and have leases with cattlemen for the use of their pasture lands which bring them between 810,000 and 550.000 u year, without counting the rent from the agricultural lands and Ithe pro ceeds of their own labor. That, how ever, is very small. They have so much money that they are lazy, idle and in a state of rapid degeneration. There is no more striking example of the corrupting influences of wealth and idleness. The Indians have no incentive for education or labor, but spend their time loafing and visiting each others' homes, where, as the agent says, "they feast and gossip until one might suppose their capacity for both was exhausted; but each trifling occurrence serves as a text, which is discussed from every possible point of view. The old men find great pleasure in recounting the past history of the people, and have eager and in terested in the children. ] find the most efficient weapons I cau use against these tendencies to be ridicule ami moral suasion whereby I impress upon them the necessity of looking forward and of staying at tbeii homes to look more closely after their property and the interests of their children." The entire tribe is composed of about 300 families, of which 1170 are adults and 559 are children of school age. This gives them over 5000 acres of laud for eah family, with 830,000 cash for every family. Including the "grass money," as they I'call it, which is received from leasing the pastures, the income of the tribe will average 8500,000 a year, which is about 8300 per capita, or 81000 per family, with out any labor whatever. This enor mous wealth, and the increasing value of the lands which lie just south of the Kansas line and consist ol valuable timber and large tracts of rich soil suitable for agriculture, have made citizenship of great value, and has caused many dissolute white men to marry into the tribe, so that 829, mostly children, are of mixed blood. The "squaw men," as the whites who marry Indian women are called, arc not enrolled, and receive nothing directly, but indirectly they control the shares of their wives and children, and have been gaining more and more influence among the people. The tribe is governed by a chief and fifteen councilors, and at the last election the mixed-bloods, or "squaw men," by bribers and other influences, suc ceeded in electing their candidates for chief and the council. This has caused a great deal of discontent among the l'ullbloods, and it is prob able that the government will be conn pelled to interfere in order to proteel those who are really entitled to a share in the rights of the tribe.—Chicago Record. Turning Seas Into Farms. Turning inland seas into farm lairds is what is being done in California by the River Land and Reclamation Com pany. Thousands of acres in the San Joaquin Valley that were only watered wastes full of tule and peat bogs have been made into the be9t land in the State, and more are being improved. All the work has been done in the last year. Through the land a canal three miles long, 100 feet wide and ten feet deep was dug. Then levels twenty feet wide at the base and as wide as a good wagon road at the top, twelve feet above the water line, were built. Af ter dredges took all the mud from the inclosures, pumps drained them dry, leaving excellent farming land. The I company making this improvement will sell none of the reclaimed land. It leases it to those who will farm large ! tracts on shares. Two Curious Clock*. The ingenuity of the scientist who established a "clock of flowers" by planting in regular order speci mens whose corollas opened at specified hours has been matched by a German who has composed a "clock of birds." This is especially a night clock. The birds aud hours of their songs are as follows: The chaffinch, 1.30 to 2 a. in.; the titmouse, 2to 2.30; the quail, 2.30 to 3; the redstart, 3 to 3.30; the ousel, 3.30 to 4; the warbler, 4 to 4.30; the marshtit, 4.30t0 5; the sparrow, 5. This arrangement is, of course, I good only in the Old World and not I in Americr UN SPAIN'S PHILIPPINES. i HER RULE A CURSE TO FERTILE ISLANDS. flie Lot of tlie Native is Not a Happy One —Extortion and Cruelty Practiced I) 3' the Spauiar.ls—Characteristics of the Islands and Their Inhabitants. Tk9 Philippines lie wholly within the tropics, reaching at the south to within four auil a half degrees of the equator, writes Dean 0. Worcester, of the University of Michigan in the New York Independent. Big and little, they number some six hundred, varying in size from Luzon, with its 40,000 square miles, to tiny islets hardly worthy of the name. Destructive eruptions have occurred within recent times, while earthquakes are frequent and often of great violence. The climate is intensely hot, and in many of the islands very unhealthy for Europeans. There are four months of rain, four of sun, with intense heat, and two months of variable weather at each change of the monsoons. The tropical scenery in the forests of this archipelago is of unsurpassed splendor, the heat and moisture com bining to produce vegetation of a mag nificence which beggars description. Gigantic tress, towering to a height of 200 or 300 feet, are festooned with graceful rattans, beautiful ferns, and exquisite orchids, while underneath splendid tree ferns rear their lovely heads thirty or forty feet into air. The population of the islands is es timated at from eight to ten millions. Excluding foreigners for the moment, we find the natives divided into some thing like two hundred tribes, each with its peculiar dialect and customs. With the single exception of the Ne gritos, these tribes are of Malay ex traction. The Negritos are a race of dwarfish blacks, confined at present to a few of the loftiest mountain ranges. They are commonly believed to be the aborigines of the islands. They are a puny, sickly race, and are rapid ly becoming extinct. The tribes of Malay origin vary in their development from a state of ab solute savagery to civilization. Extreme poverty is the rule among the civilized natives, and its cause is found in the heavy burden of taxation imposed upon them by their Spanish masters. Every person over eighteen years of age is required to procure annually a credula personal, or docu ment of identification, the charge for which varies from 81.50 to §25, ac cording t the means of the applicaut. Should these sums seem insignificant it must be remembered that the aver age native has little or no opportunity to work for hire; that if ;he does suc ceed in securing employment his wages are often not more than five cents per day and that he is usually unable to dispose of his farm products for cash, being compelled to exchango tnem for other commodities. In addition to this personal tax there is a tax on co coanut trees, a tax on beasts of bur den, a tax on killing animals for food, a tax for keeping a shop, a tax on mills or oil presses, a tax on weights and measures, a tax on cock fighting, and so on to the end of the chapter. At every turn the poor native finds himself face to face with the dire ne cessity of paying tribnto; and he fre quently spends his life in an ineffect ual effort to meet the obligations thus imposed. Delinquent taxpayers are treated with the utmost severity. The first Btep is usually to strip them to the waist, tie them to a bench or post, and beat them unmercifully. Women are subjected to this treatment. Should none of these methods prove effective deportation follows, with confiscation of property and the leaving of women and children to shift for themselves. I once saw forty-four men deported from Siquijor because they owed taxes varying in amount from two to forty dollars. I was informed that they would be allowed to return to their families, if they could find thein, after working out the amount of their several debts. The wages allowed them were to be six cents per day. Board was to be furnished them at a cost of five cents per day, and they were to clothe and shelter them selves! In other words, their sen tence amounted to deportation for life. Should a native manage to get abroad and secure some little educa tion, he is likely to be invited on board a gunboat some evening and not heard from thereafter, the reason for his disappearance being that he knew oo much. The Governor-General is surround ed by a numerous corps of officials to lid biin in the performance of his du ties, while the islands are divided bto provinces, over each of which presides a Governor and a horde of lainor officials. The whole Adminis tration is rotten from skin to core. tVith few exceptions, these officials Cave come from Spain with the delib erate and frankly expressed intention Df improving their pecuniary status. A few years "ago it used to he said that the Governor of a provinoe who failed to become wealthy iu two years was a fool. Hostility toward foreigners 13 in tense. The extensive export and im port trade of the islands is in the hands of foreign houses, to the great disgust of the Spanish, who never weary in their attempts to frame leg islation for tho ruin of these money making interlopers. All in all, it can hardly he said that the lot of a Philippine native is a happy one. He constantly chafes un der his burden, while the half castes, with their greater sensitiveness and superior intelligence, are perpetually boiling with more or less well-con cealed fury. Were arms and ammu nition to be bod, Spain's rule in these islands would be speedily terminated. As it is. the natives, stirred un and led by the half-castes, have repeatedly risen against the Government. Naturally the Philippine native is a peaceable, easy-going fellow. Under a decent form of government he would give little trouble. No one familiar with existing conditions can doubt | that Spanish rule has been a curss to I these islands, and it would be a happy | day for them should some civilized power take possession of them. Their largest cities are well-nigh defense less and could be readily captured unless defended by a powerful naval force. Flower-Viewing in Japan. Miss Ida Tigner Hodnett writes ol "The Little Japanese at Home" in St. Nicholas. Miss Hodnett says: It is one of the national customs to go out on excursions, in parties of two or three families, to view the flower ing trees and plants in their season. The Japanese love all flowers, but prefer those to which they look up— the flowers of trees. They visit the plum blossoms in February or earlj March; the cherry, especially be loved, in April; the lotus, in July; azaleas, during the summer; chrysan themums, in the autumn, and camel lias, in December. In the pleasure grounds connected with every temple there are always magnificent colleo tions of flowers. An expedition es pecially to see the flowers is called s hanami, or flower view. The bank of the Sumida River, which crosses the city of Tokio, is covered with cherry trees. These give a pleasant shade, and the spot is a favorite promenade for the citizens all the year round, but in time of "cherry bloom" the crowds that throng the avenue art larger than ever. It is crowded on moonlight nights, and also when the snow lies freshly fallen. Being fully alive to the beauty of their country, wherever there is a jjoiut from which a picturesque view may be obtained the Japanese will build a pavilion, or a tea house, or some similar place of repose, from which the eyes may feast on the lovely landscape. In the family picnics or excursions, which are frequent, some place of beautiful situation from which there is a good view either of land or sea is always selected. These expeditions are not discon tinued even when the cold of winter comes. Snow scenes are greatly en joyed, and when the freshly fallen snow is lying on the ground numerous parties are seen at points commanding a fine view. The children are never excluded, but accompany their elders on all such occasions. Profit in Whtß'ters. A peculiar but profitable industry among the natives of Alaska is the preparation and sale of walrus whis kers for toothpicks. Nature has armed the animal with whiskers that extend three or four inches from its snout, and the appar ent use of which is to enable it to de tect an iceberg before actual contact has taken place. These whiskers are quite stiff, and this quality increases with age. After a walrus has been killed the natives, with the aid of rude pincers, pro ceed to pull out each separate hair. After a thorough drying these hairs are arranged in neat packages and ex ported to China, where Chinamen of the upper class use them in their toilet. A Strunge Accident. A strange accident is reported from ! Logan County. Mrs. Lizzie Bowers, wife of a farmer nearLewisburg, went out to ring the bell for the farm hands to come to dinner, and the clapper from the bell fell out and struck her on the head. Her skull was fractured aud she fell to the ground insensible, where she lay until the men came to the house. She has suffered a great deal, but will probably recover.— Louisville Courier-Journal. A London Idea of American Manners. In aii article describing the ladies' billiard saloon of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, in New York, the London Globe enlightens its readers with the following veracious observation: "If a man should be so bold as to remove bis coat, au attendant instantly bauds him a lounge jacket. All present shut their eyes, and do not open them again until the ringing of a bell announces that the shirt sleeves have been cov ered." Of Course He Got Her. The Old Gentleman —"l would rather see my daughter in her coffin than married to yon!" The Young Fellow—"Oh, come, now, you can't mean that. I know { coffins are cheap at present, but she 1 tells mo she'll be satisfied with a very modest wedding outfit, and I'm will- S ing to pay for the gas that's burned j during the ceremony." Chicago! News. Aii Old Papyrus. The old saying that nothing is ever : lost is unexpectedly verified by the i recent finding in a tomb at Luxor, : Egypt, where it had lain concealed j for 1800 years, of a papyrus contain-! ing twenty poems by Bncchylides, a great Greek poet, whose writings had . wholly disappeared. A Pert Uueglioo. Willy Peck—"Say, Popper, Tom-! my Strongwill's father nsked me o i funny question the other day." Mr. Henry Peck—"Did he, my i son? What was it?" Willy Peck—"He asked me what your name was before you were mar ried."—Puck. Society News In India. We learn from an Indian paper thai Mr. and-Mrs. Thambynayagampillai are now on a visit to Kovilkudyirruppu. Mr. Thambynayagampillai is the son of Judge G. S. Arianayagampillai and son-in-law of Mr. A. Jambulingam mudelliar.—Westminster Gazette. A CUBAN CHARCE. Much I>cpen<lft on the Machete ami St'lngl ami Thong* Are Factor., Strings, thongs and snap-catches play important parts in the held uni form of a Cuban insurgent. Persons who have seen the little band of Cu ban patriots with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show come dashiug into the arena have noticed that each man, by a quick .rovement of the head, throws off his straw hat. The hat, which is held by a string, dangles npon the horseman's shoulders during his ride. The movement, revealing the line, alert and spirited faces of the men who served under Gomez aud Maceo, looks like a trick for theatric effect, but it is what they always do when riding into action, so one of the little band explained the other day. I "The Spanish soldiers," he said, "have the Mauser rifle, which kills at 1000 or 1200 yards, while we have only the Remington carbine, which is of short range. It is all we can afford. If we remain at a distance, the Span ish without danger to themselves will, as you Americans says, 'wipe us out.' So we must get close to them. That is the first consideration. The Mau ser bullet will not kill any more at one yard than at 1000, but it is different with the machete. For it close quar ters is neoessary. "Now, see how we are prepared for an attack. The carbine hangs by this snap-catch from the belt on the left side. The revolver, suspended by a strong string through its butt, hangs on the left side. The machete, by a thong through the handle, swings from the right wrist. The hat is made fast by a string so that it may be thrown back, out of the way but not lost, for we are too poor to lose any thing, even an old straw hat, and when the fight is over, if we are alive we will want our hats. But during the fight we want our heads bare, clear, that we may see. The Span iard pulls his hat down over his eyes. "The order is given to charge! Three, four, or five hundred yards we must go very fast—straight for the Spaniards, who all the time have us in range of their Mausers, while we can do nothing to them. Then we are close enough for the carbine to have effect anil they go bang-bang baug, fast as we can load and fire. Ah! If we only had magazine guns like yours; but they are too costly for us. Quickly we are close enough for the revolver to do execution. The carbine goes back to its hook on the belt and the revolver speaks bang-baug-bang until it is empty, when it is dropped for the string to take care of. "By that time we are on our enemy with the machete. That is the tool to kill with. Shots tired in a gallop may miss, but there is no mistake about the chop of the machete. The Spaniard knows it and dislikes it ex ceedingly. A man who knows how to handle the machete can lop off an arm or a head or split a man like a carrot with it. A gun may get out of order, ammunition may be exhausted, but the good machete is always ready for service. Grind it sharp when it is dulled on bones, and it will not fail to serve you well. "When the fight is over everything is in place. The hat is put back on the head, for our sun is very hot; the revolver and carbine hang in their places ready for reloading, and we are prepared for another fight."—"-New York Sun. Traveling llagl For Fifth. A new method of transportation for live fish from seaports into the in terior has just been . patented by a Danish fish dealer, P. H. Lohman, of Copenhagen, aud the system is so simple and yet so perfect that one wonders that it has never been thought of before. The inventor had a number of large bags made of waterproof material, strong oilcloth appearing to give the best results. These bags, after being filled with water and the fish to be sent inland, are laced at the top and either suspended in the cars from hooks in the roof of the car, or from folding frames, taking almost no space, and allowing the close hanging of these bags, so that there is but lit tle movement between the bags. They may also be set upright alongside each other, but suspension has been found to be preferable, particularly for long distance. Several transports of fish made over long distances have shown the splendid features of the new sys tem, for the fish arrived in excellent condition after a sixtcen-hour ride.— Philadelphia Record. The Oiliest Throne. The oldest throne or State chair in existence is that which belonged to Queen Hatshepsu, who lived about 1600 years B. C. This throne is now In the British Museum. It is made of iiard wood and highly ornameuted, the carving being very curious through out. Bound the legs there is a quantity of gold filigree work, aud from these spring out. as it were, two cobras modelled in silver. The terminations of the throne-legs are well designed hoofs. The back is inlaid with silver and there are other cobras enlacing the arms, which are highly gilded. The One Except,on. "Everybody seems to have a new bonnet this morning," whispered . Mrs. Highmore, "except that little woman in the brown dress who just now came in." "Yes," whispered Mrs. Upjohn in reply. "It's more than likely she can't afford it. She's the pastor's wife."—Chicago Tribune. One Stat eg man's Start. Governor Renfrew, of Oklahoma, got his start in life exhibiting a pet rified child in Arkansas twenty years ago. He says that he recognized the child the other day, but that it has grown some and is now being exhib ited as a petrified woman.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers