Papurau Newydd Cymru
Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru
24 erthygl ar y dudalen hon
MOUNT ETNA IN ERUPTION. !
MOUNT ETNA IN ERUPTION. Are threatened with a repetition I from uJlh!ch thei* w«d Km b««n subjected at Q« tj^t ihi immiemoral. Telegrams from Messina ilotl!?** » •r?P«°n 1* assuming vast proportion*, •aXS1,1 Aery rivZ? ,S.ew5,Is Ponrtn8 down the mountain toX??*^tta »I»Il pending to a considerable distance, "elds °' Tillages, and doing mnoh damage 8lve, chestnut wood*The Timet ol *• volcan^ /P8 leader on the past history of the folu?^5 ? Present eruption, from which «< Af. O,0«owlng extracts :— ^olcano o! ,°f fifteen years the historic Pj°ti°n> 'y 18 again in a state of violent com- KT0^ Mhe* v» cra*er itself a great cloud of r'^taia n, P°ured forth, rendering the at a dinfoJ! °hsonring the raya of the soft carrie,j » °C0 °f "^any miles. These a»heb have go far ™de, and have ev% Covered the Thren nl M ^ggl0,' 0,1 fcdjaoent coast of and »vf Randazzo n„°fK ?y* in the direo- Jvl 8 lava L» _J 0 side of the mountain, t^cavillk rapidly towards the town of alarm is felt, though that *he y%. -*Wd beyond the river Alcantara, and j? °* region usually threatened .v1 opposite side of the mountain, i^odia _~e adjacent village of Santa Maria di "ream 5|p?rted to be greatly alarmed. rj^res ia ^iPA »ava, which is estimated to be 70 ll betweenw* 18 ^owinK in ft direction some- J? «AVE »*O„V ?ancavilla and Kandaszo, and seems Si fountain J high road which enoiroles ▼UUgeg T Jno_and connects the latter town with the are en»ki^ J5*. an<* These vil- darkne-?0"6^ in a canopy of ashes, and almost t> °,?0Ihitanb« <Rreva^a in them. None of the ordinary I **« of$»- 1 a great eruption seem to be absent, the air'f are taken for such, are hurled reachwl n,e* craters and fissures, and, Renort. height, they bnrst with a loud U rolling of artillery are heard 1.7* flows s'tnaiik'-i11^ fcn<i day alike the stream of aecQ^nff -^y and irresistibly on until by the Mngt»agln».B reached to within a few miles of a nanrn dawn of historic time Etna has Sr^iteiTjn^ terror to the nations dwelling on tbe MonolkJi" '^ie mountain is now called in eLil^TT8 strange compound of Latin and .j**6' wldch identical in meaning—but its ancient ■tj £ bifie8 • ffeographers still retain, very probably Jiving. v fire. Unlike its neighbour 2?**fl«5eace «, never entirely lapsed into wi'thn«?U8.? several centuries have often ration, ™ occurrence of any serious Ijr^ty. J oontbued, though intermittent in anr.I° which it has always in- 'act that 411 timee, we may attribute terriblv H though they have sometimes m t",IbIY de--tr-"U, have never been marked by Er* and H^i catastrophe as that in which Pom- Were overwhelmed just eighteen forgottn'n J^^y^uvius first recovered its dormant °ccnt){«ri k_ It is true that the enormous of t[,e > Etna and its slopes, with the excep- e*>tern «te Val del Bove, a vast chasm on the mountain, capacious enough to At its i B?aBB °* Vesuvius, is densely popu- exj t levels, but the towns and villages •SS1* Precarfrw^0* BPrtlnK up in full consciousness of T>th*' t0 tenure, and have never pretended to J u™ry or to the careless security of Mutant cj» neighbours, Catania, the nearest im- the mountain, has more than once been ^Sctg o» 88 suffered severely in past times from "*cta Of lornedf the greater eruptions. Thus Etna, 2i *ys b«»« of comparative quiescence, has for i. terror to the people who dwell on its v?** the never been wholly inactive, a Stan If1 desolation of the Val del Bove has to 5^Tdid«« !1? warning of its destructive power. n '» wbtn an eruption in the year 426 h*taaU ? stream of lava ravaged the environs of *5*t this, he says, was the third eruption w *h« Gwuki^^SS^ Sicily was first colonized J?*1" bftStt?" of these took place fifty §*kes *nd is the one to which Pindar *tiero 0f p?nce in his ode celebrating the victory of ?*d Rom.n .r ancient writers, both Greek 1,1 »ud ibl naa*e. frequent reference to the moun- S^ive iff eraPtions, while in modern times an J^Vject. has been devoted to the same P^Wfifol w, in fact, the grandest and most '°h nti -iu °' the great line of volcanic action P*rtg of tK vr alOI,8 the southern and eastern spreading northwards -Jv^^vina through the Lipari Islands to Iechia, "°hte A'IK the Solfaterra, and even as far as the jjards n»«»^southwards to Pantellaria, and east- 2*o«Rh tk t e^°P°nuese to the ^Egean and thence i *t»nt ~S,vant to Cyprus, Syria, and the more ttifnih throughout this whole region are found •OQie conn active and extinct volcanoes. nno,V8ly a°tive like Stromboli and the island '••UviuJ C^-c>^ Volcano, some intermittent like ial^f^ Etna, some partially subaqueous, like hTv0A_s??torin- which for more than 2,000 vicisgj^? heen the scene of the strangest volcanic w^e many more are extinct, and to all exhausted. Traces of volcanic action have discer*? 'n v»riouB parts of Syria, and some have reco!rfd in the narrative of the Exodus an early fogiafl v°lcanic phenomena and their overpower- over the minds of men. „ *nav h vetT difficult at present to conjecture what on ultimate extent of the eruption now going Teiity"e'6kt eruptions of Etna have been re- ° sever«,anj °* these, though several have been both P have h(JS .^onK-continned, the large majority 11 Xweatv!.«« a imperatively harmless character. *n«noed i«ei«.i?re*lB ago« 1852 an eruption com- tl that a nartJ t n^ntw August so suddenly the mountom aid >.8 ^hn?en' who were climbin8 11 °t the fi«*i cona almost reached the foot 81 their escape, and it continnl^™ difficni1lty in making 8 nine mouths. Earlv in i7Kc re or leBa actively for a which was accomoLied eroP«°u occurred « Jaenon of an overwhelming re™arkable pheno- W theu^aUy arfd a^dL»-v 7$*T flowing stream formed a channel V.al del ^ove. This c PUces 34 feet deeD and iT°fl 6 j ad and in some ^inamfnnt« W«,flowfd at rate of a t °J course Thn« »K 0 firat twelve miles t ^ared the water this eraPtion i Posed to nr.™ 8 1 c°urse it was sup- ? «*ect fmm I?6 ,n some mysterious fashion } x sea, especially as its volume 1 ^ter? S?,ied to that of all the s *traage nv,- accumulated on the mountain. This « J>y the r,rrwlS0m-enon is now satisfactorily explained j accn»« existence of vast reservoirs of snow and beaeatv in different parts of the mountain *i*lns superincumbent lava. The heat of the Was °? lava melted the ice, and the salt taste the mc>M- ,?mcated by the vaporous exhalations. But P^ace in 1^rQ°tive eruption of modern times took length i J A fissure nearly twelve miles in lit feet Wide unknown depth, but not more than th« mount! on the north-eastern side of UQq si1 mouths, or craters, opened in smotA 8 fissure, pouring forth vast volumes Which acc°mpanied by a low bellowing, "•Wcr^Sw, forty miles away. Besides this "to^Uitain (We.re formed in various other parts of the **ow oaii.J -finding the well-known double cone, 2 miu. • on'.i ^ossi, which is nearly 500 feet high of circumference at its base. Daring the *hd th« eruption violent earthquakes occurred, •haken the great central crater was time rf *n ^to the crater itself for the fifth great Sf06 tte commencement of our aera. The I of lava caused by this eruption a lmfr itself into three streams which destroyed Cattof .mber of villages, and ultimately reached tojr* lt8elf. Two mues from the city it is said Undermined a tract of land and to have £ a vineyard, with its vines all standing, to a "able distance. The vivacious traveller he gj°ne> who visited Sicily in 1770, declares that ti0^ a portion of this vineyard still under cultiva- agyLArrived at Catania the stream piled itself up |(j^*t, the walls, 60 feet high, which the wise *ffafo*t °* an generation had provided *0^8 ravages. The wall withstood the enor- tw re, but the stream finally reached its tive pT* and poured into the city in a destruc- «e& rfpade of fire. At last the lava reached the ao<j 4o fi. in a stream 600 yards broad and a great conflict of the elements of flyin* Inpanted with clouds of steam and masses deetrov* It is said that this great eruption only kVT! Property of over 30,000 people. We can *_at Sicily is not about to suffer another opening n« P^e. The whirlwind, the fissures, the derJS?r craters, the rumbling noises, the wide- P^Urous v*8 ashes, the clouds of steam and BUI- ^akes anrUvlr' lightnings, the thunders, the earth- are aU phenomena more or less Jhey are ti,a7,^rpPtioPB. whether mild or destructive. •Hues are enough to thote whose life and for- fountain £ • Itake, and there is no doubt that the a. I may 111 a "tate of very violent activity. But that of na and consoling hope from the • ?°st have Bcores of recorded eruptions of Etna **W have .comparatively harmless, and only a n widely destructive."
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l<ate • **6 that the eruption of Mount Etna J ~°U has an alarming extent. Great devaata- inhfthit ^aQaed in the surrounding country, and °jo^ *anta have had to abandon the village of
RUSSIAN SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
RUSSIAN SUNDAY SCHOOLS. ft J^stem o?suS. j* ^as set on foot in his diocese a 5? the jy School teaching which entitleB him fn, !? °f Russia. As is probably well ^iidren ctryy years past Sunday achools for S^try .^anued upon the model of thoBe in this existence in the leading to ertf1 j it has been left to the Bishop of ijjd apDl» ^e operations of the institutions, ttnf education of illiterate adults. sn °rtT1?atel y, are exceedingly numerous in 1 mav ^ch BO, that in many districts the tra- but th '°r dayB without finding any per- Print Priest conversant with the mysteriea *dtdtsK«» and there day schools for teaching by the authorities, but the f^nrcea u ncatton> owing to the Bmallness of his Ignore th!» haø been compelled for the most part to Ones, u,|) 8rown-up population in favour of the little t^anaof coasequence there often exist no other JJy con«f»J« spiring peasant improving himself except Tkl| jj with the youngsters in the village Bchool. ypeciaU- encouraging for middle-aged labourers, to ae the village pedagogue is mostly indisposed g order IJT* • dulness that creeps on with years and gtieff ha« »v them a better chance the Bishop of Promoted the formation of a large number of faster. with the district priest as school- t»a ir* these, which has been in exist- "Ported for nearly six months, is ages kT*6 a decided success, 36 peasants of vari- 17 and 6D having passed a prelimi- J^fttalifi^lv r#ad>Pg and writm?, while two have so fcnboMi» *Pena*«ivts as to be able to act as monitors n*M^0J.a,B6B' To further the movement a by Sunday Beading has been brought that the ill, bishop, and it is pleasing to leam 6r^Ui»eh;» Jati0BB an^ letter-presB of the periodical r taken from the religious publications in oar own language. As a corrective of the drunkenness and idleness characteristic of the emancipated Bert, the work upon which the prelate is engaged is entitled to the highest praise, and we shall be glad to see him supported by other Russian bishops. Globe.
A LETTER FROM MR. LONGFELLOW.
A LETTER FROM MR. LONGFELLOW. A Chicago correspondent of an American paper quoted In the New York TirMs, write. ?-On a recent afternoon por- traits of Loogtetlow and Bryant were hung upon the walls of the Douglas School In that city, and the young lady students read essays relating to the works of these poets But the movitntereatlng feature of the entertainment was a letter from Mr. Longfellow, of which the young ladles were the favoured recipients. The following Is a copy :— Cambridge, April i, 1879. Dear Miss Tullis,—If I had time I would write you a long letter in reply to yours, which has greatly in- terested me. But alas! I have not time; for though, all the Indian said, I have all the time there is," it is enough for the many claims made upon it. I can only send you, and the boys and girls under your care, a friendly salutation. To those who ask how I can write so many things that sound as if I were as happy as a boy," please say that there is in this neighbourhood, or neighbouring town, a pear- tree planted by Governor Endicott 200 years and that it still bears fruit not to be distinguished from the young tree in flavour. I suppose the tree makes new wood every year, so that some part of it is always young. Perhaps that is the way with some men when they grow old; I hope it is so with me. I am glad to hear that your boys and girls take so much interest in poetry. That is a good sign, for poetry is the flower and perfume of thought, and a perpetual delight, clothing the commonplace of life with golden exha- lations of the dawn." Give them all my sympathy and my good wishes, and believe me, yours very truly, HENBY W. LONGFELLOW.
A TEMPERANCE DEMONSTRATION.
A TEMPERANCE DEMONSTRATION. On Monday the members of the Catholic Total Ah- j stinence League of the Cross made their annual Whit- < Monday demonstration in Hyde Park, in spite of the i proverbial teetotalers' weather (remarks The Tima). < Representatives of some eight or nine metropolitan « branches of the League, with bands and banners, assembled on the Thames Embankment about noon and formed in line along the roadway eastward from the bridge of the Charing cross Railway. Some of the large standards displayed between two poles, besides the name of the branch to which each belonged, the figures of patron saints, with re- ligious phrases, while one—that of St. Mary B and St. Michael's—was embellished with a full-length portrait of Cardinal Manning, who founded the branch in May, 1874. On others of green the Irish harp was painted with the motto, "Rod save Ireland. The children of St. George's Branch carried bannerets bearing such inscriptions as Prevention is better than cure," Come and join the Cold. stream Guards, Pledged to resist our country's greatest foe," The drink trade increases taxation and fosters crime. The men of the several branches were distinguished by wearing caps and sashes of green embroidered with gold. About two o'clock the procession started under a steady fall of rain, which continued without intermission during the march to the park and throughout the pro- ceedings there. The meeting place was under a group of elm trees, half-way across the Park, which the procession gained about three o'clock, and half-an- hour later Cardinal Manning arrived. His Eminence, who was greeted with much cheering, began his address by congratulating those present on the courage they had shown amid such dispiriting circumstances in making this demonstration of their devotion to the cause they all had at heart. He was glad to know that the League of the Cross had prospered during the last year. There were now twenty- three branches, and the number of members had increased. He was especially happy to find that the children of their schools took so heartily to the work of the league. In St. Anne's School, Spicer-street, he had seen about 800 children, of whom nearly all had taken the pledge. As they ought not to be out long in such weather, he would at once propose a resolution on which the meeting would be asked to vote. It was in the following terms That this meeting Is of opinion that a legal power of re- straining the Issue or renewal of licences should be placed to the hands of the persons most deeply interested and effected -namely. the Inhabitants themseives in every locality, who are entitled to protection from the injurious consequenoes of the present system by some efficient measure of local option." The Cardinal claimed for the poor man by right of law that power which the rich man had by right of property-the power to say that he would not have a publichouse next door to him when he thought that it might prove an annoyance and an injury to himself a d family. He would ask them gathered there in hundreds—he thought he might say in thousands-to resolve that when this question came before lrarlia- ment again they would use every constitutional means in their power to secure the passing of some satisfac- tory measure of local option. The resolution, on a show of hands, was declared to be carried unanimously, and the Rev. J. Brady, the Rev. W. J. Murnane, and Mr. T. Campbell having addressed the league, the benediction was pronounced by Cardinal Manning, and the prooeedings ended.
EARTHOUAKES. '
EARTHOUAKES. At the last meeting of the French Academy of Bciences, Baron Larrey read a paper by Dr. Tholozan, i physician to the Shah of Persia, and corresponding member of the Academy, relative to the earthquakes which have occurred in the East from the seventh to the eighteenth centuries of the Christian era. In the seventh century there were eight earthquakes in the eighth, ten in the ninth, fifteen in the tenth, seventeen in the eleventh, eighteen; in the twelfth sixteen in the thirteenth, thirteen in the fourteenth and fifteenth, seven; in the sixteenth, six; in the seventeenth, one. In most of these cases there were a large number of houses destroyed, whole cities ruined, and a large number of human victims. The facts are compiled from 111 notices collected from various Arabian and Persian authore. Among the more terrible of these convulsions were those in Khorassan, in 644, which lasted seventy days in Svria. 712. forty days in Africa, Asia, and Spain, 716 • in Khorassan and Turkestan, 818, seventy days the town of Rhei suffered in 855-56 during forty days in Yemen, in 856-57, a large mountain on which were several villages and a great extent of cultivated land disappeared and was replaced by another in 858, the city of Tauris was entirely destroyed, and the following year the shocks were very severe in Syria, Mecca, and Africa; in 881-82, at Alexandria, theBearose and threw vessels on the coast; at Acre the aea retired from the shore to a considerable distance and then re- turned with violence the Nile overflowed and carried the craft on its banks to the adjacent fields; in 956 and 959, shocks continued for forty days in Bagdad, Jemen, and the neighbourhood Tauris suffered severely again in 1042 43; Egypt, Arabia, Palestine, and Khorassan were surely tried in 1068 in Syria and Mesopotamia, in 1138, terrific shocks continued during fifteen days; and the same district, with Mesopotamia, was terribly shaken, in 1201, 1203-4; in Mesopotamia, in 1226, an earthquake lasted forty days, and extended as far as Tangiers in Egypt and Syria, in 1303, shocks of ex- treme violence continued during twenty days; Tauris again suffered in 1314-15; the turn of Aleppo came in 1403; in 1429, in Mesopotamia, a whole town was en- gulphed by an enormous opening in the ground; in 1481, a terrific earthquake occurred in Egypt; in 1505 another in Cabul lasted forty-five days, and most of the houses were thrown down. On this occasion, as many as thirty-three shocks were experienced in one day. I In several of the cases above mentioned the pheno- menon was accompanied by windB of terrible force which did immense damage, and, on some occasions, the most frightful noises were heard, and, on others, most vivid lightning was seen.
THE ATTACK UPON MOIROSI'S…
THE ATTACK UPON MOIROSI'S MOUNTAIN. The following extract is from a despatch of Lieutenant Belt, Commanding Artillery, C.M.R., Baiutoland, to Officer Commanding Artillery, C.M R Ibeka "Camp Molrosi's Mountain, April 10. "Firing commenced on the 8th inst. at 6.15 a.m. and was kept up till 7.45 a.m., when cease firing Bounded, and the storming party was ordered to ad, vance The schauzes of the enemy appeared to be cleared out, but, as soon as the storming party got close, a heavy fire was opened on thena, and they found they were unable to advance, the first schauze being about eight or nine feet high and loopholed. At 3 30 p.m. I was ordered to cover the return of the troops, the wounded men and troops not getting under cover till dark. I covered the passage down the mountain again. It is with great regret I have to report the undermentioned casualties amongst the Artillery, C.M.R. Mr. Robert G. Scott, whose hand was shattered by a common shell which he endeavoured to throw into the schauzes of the enemy whilst exposed to a very heavy fire. Private Morley severely bruised, but is rapidly recovering. Mr. Scott's hand (right) had to be amputated, but he is now doing well. I must bring to yomr notice the case of Mr. R. G. Scott, whosfibra very and cool courage was remarked by the Honorary Secretary of Native Affairs, the Commander General, and all other officers. He deserves the Victoria Cross for this. Also the conduot of the men with him was all that could be required of them, they having to carry Mr. Scott and Private Morley to a place of shelter, under a very heavy fire, viz., Privates Oakley, Klockie, Tflnkins and Powell. It was at the request of the Commander General and Honorary Secretary of Native Affairs that something might be tried to assist the I men who were unable to advance or retire, that Mr. Scott gallantly volunteered to try and throw a common ehell with 9aec. fuze over the schauzes, which had ended so disastrously." Another letter says "Shelled Moirosi's Mountain for two bours, and attacked with Colonial forces, consisting of Cape Mounted Rifles and 2nd and 3rd Yeomary Regiments They did not succeed in carrying positions after several hourw fighting. Three killed and twenty-two wounded. The enemy were strongly entrenched, and our men were repulsed, although they fought gallantly. They got under the schauzes, which were too high to climb, being built on a high ledge of rock, and were brlatling with assegaiB. The Commandant thinking that some- thing might be tried to assist themen undertheschauzes, young Scott, C.M. Artillery, gallantly volunteered to throw a time fuse shell into the enemy's defences; and when in the act of throwing it the shell exploded in his hand, shattering it to pieces, and driving one of the Btuds into his leg. When the shell was heard to ex. plode we at a distance thought it had been thrown among the enemy, and gave him a oheer. Little did we think that he and a brother C.M.R, were the only ones that suffered. Reid, of the Yeomanry, is killed, and Suomn wounded through the lung. When it was dark the wounded were carried down the mountain iu blankets, placed in tents, and oarefully tended. The hospital will be established eighteen miles off, at Thomas Shop, near Qui thing."
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All IK THE DBESBIK&The Captain" How well Mrs. — looks to-night; at least ten years younger than when 1 saw her last."—Hostess:— ''Oh, yes, that iB easily accounted for when you saw her last the wore a diewi —in,
THE CITY OF PEKING.
THE CITY OF PEKING. A correspondent of the Hong Kong Batty Prtss, who has recently paid a visit to the Chinese capital, writes at follows (says the JPall Mall Gazette) There are perhaps few cities in the world laid out upon a finer plan than the northern capital of Onina. The streets are in many instances as wide as itegenir street (London), and out each other generally at right angles. They are lined with shops, a large number of which are extremely handsome, their entire fajaae being richly carved and gilded from top to bottom. Instead ot the hanging boards which in other Chinese oities announce to the passer-by the nature of the goods retailed, the shops have here tall upright posts, sometimes rising from the roof, sometimes standing on the ground, overlaid with gilding and bright colours. Other varieties of the deoorative art abound on all sides, some of the shops being painted to represent a most elaborate mosaic, the design and execution being rich and beautiful in the extreme. Every. body has seen an ornamental screen^,or centre table, inlaid with exquisite patterns and every shade of tint. Imagine this workmanship transferred in all its wealth and splendour to the front of an ordinary shop, where in Europe there would be nothing but stone or brick, and you will have some idea of the decorations which attract the eye and gratify the taste in the crowded thoroughfares of this strange town. The paths are sunk in some places two or three feet below the level of the roads, along which pUt in an almost unbroken stream strings of camels, mules, and carts. In the latter vehioles are frequently to be seen brilliantly trlcKeo- out ladies with their cheeks and eyes bedaubed with coarse magenta paint; mandarins-only the very highest of whom are permitted tiiei privilege o -and occasionally a living Buddha, m the form of some Lama priests of rank, dressed from head to foot in gleaming yellow silk. The practice of rouging toe face is very extensively adopted in.PeH^V women but by boys as well, who also adorn themselves with large silver earrings. fnnnrai One of the gayest Bights to be seen here is a funeral The coffin is carried under a huge catafalque of scarlet and gold colour, heavily embroidered canopies with a deep valance of the same cheerful appearance impart a festive air t6 the procession, and the howling sur. vivors, whose cries rise above the lugubrious moaning of the so-called musical instruments, console them- selves with a few pipes of tobacco between their inter- vals of grief. Now to judge from the above description, one might easily conclude that Peking was a very wonder- ful and gorgeous place. But this would be a very great mistake. Hitherto we have only looked at one side of the glowing Oriental Icene. Side by Bide with the flaunting golden shops we squalid, filthyt houseB, rotting slowly and uncared for. Heaps of filth stand seething here and there the thoroughfares, 1»oad and straight as they are, which we have spoken of hitherto for convenience Bake as streets, are a mere irregular collection of bogs and ditches, along which we walk now through piles of dust, a w beside stagnant puddles, noisome, putrid, and green. In drf Pekin is a gigantic dustbin; during the rains it is a whirling cesspool. A few hours of such rain as we have here, and the paths, which, as I have said, are sunk to a considerable depth below the road-are transformed into torrents, in which men are drowned every year. A case is on record in which, some years ago, two foreign missionaries on horseback had a very narrow escape of losing their lives by falling into an open drain. The Chinese regard this inability on the part of foreigners to appreciate the beauties and luxuries of this capital, as a cogent proof of our bar- barism. It certainly argues the lack, on our part, of a certain education bat whether the acquisition of such education be desirable or even necessary is a matter very much open to doubt.The foreign-builtbonus in Peking are, I believe, confined exclusively to the enormous compound occupied by the British Legation. The Minister's house is purely Chinese, having been occupied in bygone times by an Imperial prince; and a very superb structure it in. A new bungalow, in the Shanghai style, with upper storeys and verandahs, has lately been completed for the occupation of the First Secretary; but this is the only building of the sort in Peking. The inspectorate-general of Imperial Customs will shortly be removed from its present quarters to a large enclosure near the foreign legations, where the new premises are now in course of being built.
A LOBSTER'S BLOOD. ;
A LOBSTER'S BLOOD. 1 Dr. Leon Fredericq, of the University of Gand, in Vlarch last, read a preliminary notice before the R^yaj Academy of Belgium on the peculiarities of the blood )f the common lobster. Long ago Harless indicated the presence in the blood of the Crustacea of eopper, tnd it is well known that the nutritive fluid in this jroup, as well as that in the mollusca, changes its colour when exposed to the air. In the crab this change of colour is due to the rapid absorp- tion of oxygen, on being mixed with which it as- sumes a fine blue colour, and if the oxygen be taken from it, it reBumes its rosy yellow tint. Jolyet and Regnard arrived (1877) at the following remark- able conolusion-that in the crab's blood there were two colouring matters-the one blue, the other red the first occurs in connexion with albumen, which, when coagulated by alcohol, presents a very pure blue colour, while the red colouring matter remains in solu- tion in the alcoholic filtrate. Dr. Fredericq arrives at just the same conclusions from his study of the blood of the lobster. The plasma of its blood presents in effect two colouring matters; the rose-coloured one is not coagulable by boiling nor in alcohol; it contains no metallic body it does not change its colour either in vacuo or when exposed to oxygen. It has nothing to do with the change of the colour of the blood. It is not even constant in this fluid, as some lobsters were found to have only the second colouring matter present in their blood. This second colouring material (hftocyanine) is not soluble; both heat and alcohol coagulate it forming blue elotP, It is, therefore, an albumenoid, and it con- tains copper. When these clots are investigated with the microscope it is evident that the points of departure for the formation of the blue material are the blood globules. The saline composition of the lobster s blood sensibly approaches that of the water in which it lives. The author suggests that in the invertebrates the two chief functions of the blood—respiration and the nutrition of the tissues—both belong to its plasma, the globules having quite a secondary importance; while in the blood of the vertebrates the respiratory function devolves on the globules, and the nutritive function on the plasma.—The. Times.
PROTECTION AND THE FARMERS…
PROTECTION AND THE FARMERS IN AMERICA. (From the Chicago Farmers' Review.) We have not unfrequently of late heard the boast >f manufacturers that the manufactures of the United States were now beginning to compete with foreign roods in the foreign markets. We have been ready to re- ceive these statements as no vain boast, for it really did not seem improbable that such should be the case. Wages have come down 50 to 100 per cent, during the last few years. The shrinkage in values, experienced by all kinds of property must have convinced manu- facturers that they were not the only ones to suffer diminished incomes and that money could not in any branch of industry, or however invested, bring in the same rate of profit or interest that it did formerly. Living has cheapened marvellously. The products of the farm which feed the populations of our manufac- turing centres are abundant and cheap. Much has also been said, and justly, in regard to American ingenuity and inventive genius, and finally we astonished the whole world at the Paris Exposition last year with the wonderful evidences which we there furnished of our ability to successfully compete with the most skilled manufacturers of the Old World. And yet we are compelled to ask in the face of such an array of facts, what is it that manufacturers expect to obtain further by persisting in the continuance of a protective tariff which weighs so heavily upon three- fifths at least of their fellow citizens. We will net discuss the question as to whether it may or may not be opportune at certain periods of the industrial history of all countries, to exercise protection to a greater or less extent, certain it is, however, that now, by their own confession, the great plea of protecting our National industries so constantly harped upon by these gentle- men when seeking legislative wet-nursing, can no longer be advanced. If our manufacturers still need protection to survive, then indeed protection may be set down as a failure. It they do not need it, why should it be granted to them ? Is it simply to enable them to keep up the prices of those articles of which the farmer is so large a consumer, and for which he has to pay in that produce, the cheapness of which enables them and their workmen to live the more cheaply? If not, what then ?
THE LATE FAMINE IN CHINA.
THE LATE FAMINE IN CHINA. A correspondent of the North China. Serald gives an Interesting account of his experience during a recent visit to a north-western border of the province of Shuntung, where the agents of the American Board distributed relief during the famine. He says he was amazed at the numbers of roofless houses on every side, indicating the great decrease of population through hunger and the pestilence which has followed it. He estimates the decrease at about one-third. Those who have survived are wretchedly poor. Many houses are being offered for sale at from one-fifth to one- third of their original cost. Amongst these are some of the best in the villages visited. Last year all but the wealthier portion of the people were compelled to part with their lands, and now they have to dis- pose of their homes in order to provide subsistence until the next harvest is reaped. Another result of the famine is the great decrease in the number of live stock, and the low rate at which they can be bought. Still, so great is the poverty that many can- not afford to buy animals wherewith to do their ploughing, and much of the land has been laboriously dug up with the mattock. The correspondent adds that the severity of the famine has now passed away, that business is more active, and that, though still hard pressed, the people are hopeful, and have re. sumed their labours with an earnestness that be- tokens Buccess."
TBE FARMERS' ALLIANCE.
TBE FARMERS' ALLIANCE. From a circular Just Issued by the Fanners' Alllancs to farmers and others Interested In agricultural reform we extraot the following:— It has been long felt by many fanners, as well as by others who understand the necessities of modern farming, that the conditions under whiah the cul- tivation of the soil is carried on are highly detri- mental to agricultural prosperity, and, an obstructive to increased production, prejudicial to the interests of both landlords and tenants, as well as of the public at large. The serious position in which landlords and tenants find themselves placed urgently demands that every legitimate effort be made to encourage the development of the resources of the soil, and the preliminary step in this direction must be to free the business of farming from the trammels of unjust laws, and the cultivation of the soil from the unwise and in many cases absurd restrictions which obstruct ita improvement. The hopes of agricultural reform have hitherto proved delusive, and the reason plainly is because the interests of those en. galled in agriculture are not adequately represented in Parliament. The first thing towards the redress of those agricultural grievances which have to be dealt with by Parliament is manifestly the election of men who really represent the interests of agriculture. To accomplish this, farmers have only to assert their political independence and elect candidates who really represent their views and thoroughly possess their confidence. The Farmen' Alliance is organised to help towards the return of such representatives as the proper constitutional meanB for the redreBS of the grievances complained of, and to promote the other objects stated in the provisional programme, by the united action of all who are in favour of agricultural reform."
[No title]
The remains of » mastodon have been found in a pmdpit ps«y the gates of Vienna.
THE BALLOON EXPEDITION TO…
THE BALLOON EXPEDITION TO THE NORTH POLE. The proposed balloon expedition in search of the North Pole has now been fully described by the promoter, Commander Cheyne, who in orgamamg committees to coUect the necessary £30,000 (says the Graphic ) The Expedition would first pene- trate aa far as possible by steamer and sledges, but if the spring sledging should prove useless or dangerous, then in the first week in J un8- a time considered by Commander Cheyne, from pre- vious observation, to be the most favourable as re- gards the wind-three balloons would start from near the ship, laden with seven passengers, all necessary apparatus, dogs, and provisions for fifty-one days- amounting in all to a weight of about three tons. He reokons that the Pole would be reached in thirty or forty hours, and after spending sufficient time at the long- desired goal to take scientific observations, the return-journey would be made according to cir- cumstances." Commander Cheyne has managed to obviate the difficulty of descending without loss of gas by using an apparatus to expand and compress the gM at will, and by manipulation of the gas he can uT hills met with, and choose the re- altitale for a favourable air-current. This q carted out, the Expedition would Ktoavow to coast round Northen Greenland, where they would probably spend another winter, and would hope to return vid Spitzbergen.
CUTTINGS FROM AMERICAN PAPERS.
CUTTINGS FROM AMERICAN PAPERS. A country newspaper out West thus heads its report „ yeast of the Fire Flend-The Forked-Tongued riLmonLicks with its Lurid Breath a Lumber Pile I—Are the S^n« of Boston and Chicago to be repeated ?-Loss, one hundred and fifty dollars. An impromptu mock auction sale of women was i At tot. in a church Ulr In Wli- amuitng wd I" n ii bo rally lor the sttrtctlTo eonsln. i"K un W « ugly but In- 8^'tlS sUt«" m pu/Sp. The auctioneer was compelledIto kn^khe^dowiT at twenty- five cenU,and she w» so angr, *1* Wtaau phUosopher savs A lawyer in one of the Western courts lately threw cane at him the first chance I get. Tn a Boston paper, a young widow lady advertises that she ts desirous to meet with an affectionate an** V^ner, that can offer h« a ^mfo^ble hom^ K gentleman of colour not objected to, from forty-nve to fifty yeart oi age. "When was Rome built!" asked a school-teacher of the tlraz-clau In ancient history. "In the night," an- a brtgbt "ttle "In the night," the utonlahed teacher "boW do you mab that out ? Wbl I thought know that Rom. built 1D a day!" replied the child. t Some enthusiastic utronomer exclaims in the C°!?yms °doe«^t erorocoSrto a man Sat years^igo, SbSStsVot autumn. th^t ^000 ▼ear* hencelt will be tbe rollag star ot spring 1 Let it come on, and bring the onions with it. Priiioner," said an American judge in awarding indiment "HUa maxim ot law that it in better to err on the side of mercy. The court has made up her mind wMoh side she will err OB, and nothing remains but to err on that side." A paragraph is going the rounds of the press, ex- plaining on scientific grounds why a girl cannot stone. If some scientist would kindly point out what Is the safest position the bystander can oecupy-whether behind or before-wbon she attempts Ie, he would be to some extent, a public benefactor. A high-school girl in Des Moines the othe day gave the following aeSuitf«« of spring: 'Whon the gentle It is spring."
EPITOME OF NEWS.
EPITOME OF NEWS. BRITISH AND FOREIGN. A )'oUDf man named:OoI'Q8J' bJ crlcke b8U at a .ertcket match a' BíI8h,on.on ILondà1. aad 10 nrloualylDjQred that haa We W&I dØp&lred 01. A telegram from Rome that in conseq11811C8 of '"•■js*" flooded. The embankment of the Mlnclo is in jeopardy. The works for the 1981oration of St. Matthew s Church. Burnley, having been stopped owing to lack of funds, a leading Wesleyan of the town has come forward and pro- Tided the requisite means. A stained glass memorial window to ICot Coles, bt ftertment ol Foot, the Royal Soots, erected by Ms brother officers, has during the past winter been placed in the chnrch of Hartlne Smsel Ttte service ot the deoeajed officer ex- tended over a period of more than 32 years, for*the last nine of which he commanded the 2nd Battalion of the Koyal Scots. The Devonshire Chamber of Agriculture have paøaed a resolution to the effect that the Employers Liability Bills now before Parliament would, If paued, preal untatrl, on farmers and others interested in agriculture. was de- cided to petition both Houses of Parliament against allo wing either of he bills to become law. A letter was read from STri H-ortescue. the president, expressing, an opinion .that the Government Bill was the only one likely to pass. A letter from Aix-la Chapelle states that on the the 26th ult., at Sh. 19m. 16ie«., there was a the 26th ult., at Sh. 19m. 16ie«., there was a n! esrthauake, In the direction from west to east, »hock of eartnquase, d The movement was oli A in previous years, the directors of the hsn have ^aog^ &t Ket, of the Sunday Society an* ^^Geneva ^llhold, in 1881, an International Exhttii- hibition will be the first of an InterDatloaal character which has taken place in Switzerland. A telegram from America says that in consequence of a strike among the puddlers all the Iron mills in the vielnltv ot Pittsburg have stopped working, and a lock-out is thraatened by which 6,000 men would be thrown out of em- A proposal has been made to settle the dispute by arbitration. The Russians who have emigrated to Brazil are re- nnmben to Europe. Five hundred and tt {n^ebruary, 400 more In April, and 700 others were by latest accounts at the sports of Parana awaiting T0 A shocking accident occurred at Sheffield on Monday A snocaiuK .Mending the workhouse schools had toe ho'use ot the Chairman of the SUM Mr iad^man S^arle. They were being driven te a. SlMtoto lto.lt It r.n do-j. killed, and Bever&l other* were much hurt. Private adviose received from St. Petenburg report stone, but the damage was immediately rep^red. £ 665,875 16s. lOfcd.. TVlA„ j.ri to be a kind of revival in the engineer- Inatradl^nd the metropolis Is getting some Several Government orders have bwin reoet London firms for machinery and engines, to the value oi _u- about halt a mliuon sterling. The Fanfulia savs it is understood at the Vatican that for the Golden Wedding of the Emperor of Germany all the RithoDi in that country exiled from their atooeses, Including Cardinal Ledochowiky, will be InYieed to return. This amnesty will be extended to Jthe parish inferior clergy, but not to the religions orders on w^hose be- hall tacludSg the Jesuits, the Pope had exerted himself. Durine the past week there were 17 British and foreign wleck* reported, making a total of 710' for_ the pre- lent year, or an increase ot 85 as compared with the corre- sponding period ot last year. The approximate value of propert^lost was £ 200,000, Including British £ 240,000. At a sale of a portion of the Firmin Didot Library in Paris a missal bequeathed to Queen Catherine, wife of Henry v. of England, by her father Charles VI., and after- wards the property of Henry VI., Henry VII., and Henry VII., was bought by a Pari. bookaeher for 76,OOOtr..A manu- script which belonged to Mary Queen of Soots fetched 10 OOOfr. The five days' sales 6SS,OOOfr.. and a fourth portion next May is expected to bring the total up to 6,ooo.000Ir. The Municipality of Paris has decided to give com- missions for the execution of 360 statutes of the great and notable men of Paris, In order to replace those deatroyed tn the Rbtel de Ville during the Commune. The cost tseetl- mated at 1,800,000 francs. These are to embellish the new Hotel de Vilie. The Qaeen has been graciously pieasea to coal- the honour of knighthood upon Mr. Henry Bessemer. A county society called the Surrey Bee keepers Association has been established, under th«M £ twoa»srtn»s Earl and Countess of Onslow, to cottagers. The association, beside desiring to introa ^profitable mode of dealing with bjjs, w £ b«^to It more huiD&ne than hitherto. What 1* the sllnger is Introdoced, the Invention gweet con- old system of destroying the comb to obtain itsswe™ From Paris it is stated "hb/the com- pronounced a measure of salutary pgr^ consider the mlttee of the Municipal Council ap^ Lachalse Ceme- questlon, Is about to be Introduced into tery- rr^ald states that an attempt The Sydney pother Australian team to is already being made to form it Is proposed that visit England during the eom "S^uid consist ot New South the majority of '«»e Wales of the Royal Society, Dr. At the last' ud the action of a new instrument Biohardstm demon u Au<iimeter," or audiometer, and which he has na^^ lnVente4 by Professor ^ughes, the dls- which f microphone. The audiometer is used as a 01 bearlD«- sir Thomas Bateson, M.P., speaking at a Forester's Devizes «aW the war In Afghanistan had been con- cluded with credit and advantage to England and her Indian dominions. Be hoped the conflict in South Africa would soon be terminated, so that we might again enjoy the blessings of peace. He feared we had not seen the wont of the depression In trade, and he was sorry that our imports exoeeded the exports so much, since this showed that capital ^as going out ot the country. The health of Aldei^ winn fowler was drunk, with the expression of a hope that he may represent the City of Loa&w In the neztfamameBt. At Messina, on tne zirn 01 may, A MCI.- —» At Messina, on tne z/tn 01 may, »bo»w> —» ■book of earthquake was fdt MV Plimeell M.P., was to have been present at ue a coffee-palace In Bristol the other day. but a openlng ol a nnn expressing regret that ne was lettw was welvea ({Ated that he Is about to undergo an op«r»M» .v.fi.tina it appears that more than From official "rtat»t v0{3ng mi expenditure of 250,000,000 pouds of jMffl. 1ported Into Russia during 696,876,a» roubles, have been impo berM)ii posswes ln- the last ten years. AJ^ugb wssia exhaustible sources of England, for this dependence on foreign countries, espeeumj metal is very great.. gubmitted The Council of State of mvirder and In cen- to the Great Council a law ri«"tag wUlul ^igijoient of dlarlsm resulting in loss of Ule wltn w v death. Executions are te be private. TT A mountain peak by ^ake ^aton, begun to a-pa-sa- • houses burned In the late fire, and the total claims have been established a^u^ to 800, policies recoverable to i,060,000 ro ■. gives an rouble roughly at two ^?^4d ^In- average to each house of *341 ws. •«. oI iMur. ES&JSff?pK S3 wo"™0' the value ol house property.. The Preston Town Council have r^^ wfclAh memorialise the Government •" SJmiice. shall be sufficient to put down the stray The first importation of Canadi^ ^ttle into^Uud has taken place, and the experiment, tv l* _l.ber nr«. attended wfth success. The cattle, 1W number, sen ted a very fine sppearance, and in about th. were all sola atprloes varying from £ 21 to £ 26 IV. Franoisco Grimaldi, who spoke in the re If way debate In Monte Cltorlo, Is one of the mess *• *? orators on reoord. The shorthand writers declare that v uttered from 170 to 200 words per minute. This wondertu* orator Is thirty-eight years old, and was born- at Catanraro, In the province ot N aples. Iron states the Post Office authorities have waned their officials that spurious sovereigns made of platinum j ,ltni with Bold, are again in circulation. Their and w °ifin °'hntthiv are deficient In weight. The can, wever, be manufactured at a condterable profit for platinum II only from a quarter to a third U1e value 01 sol4- We (PGll MaU Gazette) tranllate from the cù St. the following from the CaUC(1.lWl on the plague of locusts in the^vin«^mt»v^tM Utter journal takes Its name :Tbe wb^e provlnca a.m terror. Old men remember no such fsttstton. ■Ibe slble consequences ot the locuit Invasion ^^h insects Ughtlv regarded. When on April 8 a cloud ot those mseraw was observed in Ellsabetopol no one Reamed of that was near. The locusts have multiplied day after<u|y> have Invaded town and suburb, have pitilessly destroyed vlnAv&rdfl &nd fruit frard6QL The itreetu and the oojffte hLrY^n filled wfth ttemf rendering all locomotion Impossible. People were literally stopped on the way by Soudsof insects. On April 21 the peepers put nptheU shutters to consider what was to be done But_8 roper stltlous terror prevents the people from kiulng the insoots, and the police have had to iuue an order requlrlnl- each ID- habitant to destroy two pouds of locurta courses are choked by the insects, which is a new ttlaxnlty for the population, which thus finds Itself deprived of drink- able water." The Canton (Ohio) Repository of the 10th ot aiay MTI :_<< Yesterday afternoon a man passed through this town on a Mexican mustang, stopping here for a brief time only He was on his way from Galveston, Texas, to New York. He has ridden every mile of the way on his pony. hM been on tbe road since March 18. There were three in the party ats^tog^buUw^ up^nthe mating1the^trip mlrely to see the country In a way It cannot be viewed otherwise." „ It is probable that there is not in the world av other public or private establishment which preaenu 60 many vanetlel of reUglon the Government SSiJItoS'Sfis ffiteSSSi."•' ^A'aS. Unl.t. »<> several Roman A shock of earthquake was felt at Bermuda on the 26th of May. Mr. Charles Wilson, M.P., speaking at Hull on Monday, expressed a hope that Sir Garnet oleeley, on his arrival at the Cape, would not be carried away by feeling that our disasters must be avenged, but would make peace as speedily and honourably as possible. 11 the Zulus were a European nation every one would praise them for their Kaliant defence, and if we carried on war longer than neoes- aary for a permanent peace, It would beattigma and a dis- grace to our boasted civilization and Christianity. A telegram from Rome announces that Garibaldi is again laid up. He went to Frascatl for an excursion, and on returning the next day was seised with a somewhat severe indisposition, from which he is still suffering. Six Bteamers sailed from New York for Europe last 1 Saturday, with full cargoes. Every ffia°?elt advertised^i narted notwithstanding the strike, which Is conOfterea as nearly'at an end. The new h*ntdVb/ottgi'tf°™ ,?ng load the steamers are reported to be working welL The old country gentiemen who rtiU kMpupth^ ancient and loyal custom of ^oforego the button-hole on tta »thM Of euetomary # oak leares eren snere were BW # BugUdl dairy oS^Sunoo rasl «i — beend'estroyed, a family of six perishing In one of them. Burmese idols are not credited with £ rMt «uper- nmtnralnowers by their devotees, for during a recent fire at Akyab tSe Burmese rescued some big effigies ot Gautama Buddha from the flames and threw them into a neighbour- ing creek, to show that if the gods could not save them they coold save the godB. By this fire the whole of the native town was destroyed, ent&Uing Rreat loss of lndxa Tound the people bearing their loss very calmly, and Z/JrTrZ amonn therulns lor lumps of melted gold and silver One Chinaman, when queitloned on his IOMM, re- pned laughlngly, » Three big shop-aU gone-nothicg he "^During a regatta held at Largs, on the Clyde, last K&s: js?5 st -ss craft was onrturned by a gust of wtnd. Four peRODI were Eald Hill, 15 years ol age, and James Pollock, drowned. A terrific intermittent hailstorm P"0!?! Belgrade on Monday, doing a great amount of ^mage and breaking Innumerable panes of glass in the public buua ing and private houses. Mr. W. E. Gladstone contributes an article to the Nineteenth. Century on "Greece and the TrwtyofBerlln. The right hon. gentleman reviews adversely the actIon of of her Majesty's Government, and urges that before tne dote of the session a new and determined effort snouia oe made to test the so- of Parliament on the subject of the Greek olalms. Mr. Gladstone Is of opinion that justice, policy, and even decency alike require that we should lend to Greece a tree and resolute concurrence tn obtaining the boon destined for her by European compact. A well informed correspondent (an opponent of tha ..Tl —"If I read aright the signs of the times, measure) say marriage with a deceased wife s I tUrterwtU be passed before two years have elapsed. "-Court | Journal. vv the Germane to be now Strasburg is considered_ y a Rtrdie ot thirteen almost Impregnable ^c' £ r £ le Jlan bask of the Rhine, forts, nine of which are on the Aisau 4 men the fortress can hold a deiensive wj KBSf.tSSftSWa fore, do not expeot muoh straw or grai he#rful tune But the old axiom tells us j lately rsln saassrssift s; sssrsfiisa face 0t country.—^Graphic. „ The Times' Berlin Correspondent says At a »vo meeting oTtLe Juridical Society In St. Petersburg ^ediW topic of discussion was the banishment of crir"1^ Siberia. From official data it was proved^at from 14,000 fcrk ir ooo noor wretches are annually drafted on Into north-eastern parts ot the Empire, and that ln trlcts, therefore, the number of convicted exUes te exceeas that of the ordinary population, and Is a great drawback the welfare ot the latter. The smaller towns of Siberia in particular are overflowing with these outcasts from European Russia, and the Society came to the conclusion that a ^rea* number of prisons ought to be built as soon as possible. To paper coIl are, paper petticoats, paper CWtans, paper carpets, paper chain, paper tables, paper ohanöeUen, SSSJ?S5SS or wool! MW,«««»» « dampness from the feet. „ A merchant in San Francisco, wishing to make a friend In Napa-Valley a peculiarly unique present, sent him a cme. Just received from the U S. Fish Commissioners, wn- talnlns 604 000 speckled trout eggs for propagation. The nextweekhere ceived a letter, wrtch said: ''Eversomudi obliged for your box of roe. It tasted pretty well. boUed, but the next time would rather have the herrings themselves. The French Government are developing the earner pigeon service In earnest, for in Paris and twelve of the other fortified towns no fewer than 6,000 birds are now fed public expense. In a Paris Bhop window appears the following English spoken here—a few." la some magasins, they do speak It a few-too few, too 1—Court Journal. A monument is about to be erected at St. ^my (Votges) in memory ot the soldiers who fell In the battle 01 Nompatellze, fought October 6,1870. The races at Auteuil, (France), on Monday, w^ attended by the Prince and Princess oh nftblllty. accompanied by a brilliant comply of the a of pftrig The special attraction was the Grand. Stwple-cnaw which was won by the Marquis ( £ near Monarch. Daring the race a horae# had pasted the the Grand Stand, and as soen as the h iCream. ladies In the latter caugUt the alarm a^ b s lterfrom They were removed^ to a^place of sartty ana bufDt the torrents of rain that beganto toU itself out, after entirely destroying tne BM» WM heard in a diligence The following and an American lady who had between a Fren ch "e.m^our.. xhe curiosity of the French- been making the |0nja remarks which fell from the man was so far exrttea 1{^pp<)lkred wa, prinolpal of a public American he ventured to hint a desire to learn grammar •chool, wa fTCTnlnmentg 0( iuch a position might what the sjdary states. He was told. «' Mon Dieu," amount to in (l u the pay of a Marshal of Trance ex^!i Mfolnder of the "schoolmarm" almost took his "I "And why not?" said she "the work of a is surely of far more importance to the State than that of the soldier." The Frenchman could only look his astonishment. Sir Arthur Blyth, the Agent General for South Australia, has received a telegram from the Government at Adelaide, dated the 30th ult., stating that the South Australian Parliament met for the despatch of business on the 20th ult., and that plenty of rain had fallen throughout the country. An inquest has been held at Faringdon, on the body of Mrs. Barne, i3 years old, wife of the Rev. H. Barne, vicar of Faringdon. She had ÐeOln an Invalid for some time, and it had been her custom to have a candle and matchel placed near her bed within reach. Shortly after she "Urea to rest on Tuesday night In last week, ring violently. The servant whose duty It was to atten upo her ran to htr room, but on entering it was driven oaca DV SS3SMSSSSi! felt all over the burning[bed_torW*•», shlrley> thfi her, and was driven back by called* then groped National School round tbe room, and at his way on his of drawers .founders, length, by the°' f.ilantng afiain.t the wall. EL» Barne, in a P •' t.ie room, but found that she suefcoeded in Bettlng r gre^tlj burnt. On searching fire was extlngulphtd a handle of the bed-roomafter the flre bedcloth6f!i three letters was found partially burnt It t« supposed the wrvant lelt her tor the night, Mrs. Barne sSSSst s SrStSZSFJSXK when ol" Aceldehtwy bomt>
A "JOURNEY TO THE TOMBS."
A "JOURNEY TO THE TOMBS." The China Mail of AprU 21 publishes from Pekln an account of the preparations In progress for the Emperor's journey to the Tombl" All roada over which the Imperial prooession passes had been levelled, and for some time no conveyances had been permitted to use them, to the no small incon- venience of the public. The Emperor was to leave on this interesting ceremony on the morning of the 9th, accompanied by the two Empresses- Regent; and the solemn journey is euphemistically stvled a hunting expedition, the object of the visit being in reality to bury the deceased Emperor and his Emprese, whose bodies have been kept till now in the Lung-Fuh-Sz* temple near the Tombs. Most of the highest officials and a large number of the celebrated bannermen and Bolaiera were to escort the Imperial party to the BO-called happy hunting^rounde, asi well as tht governor-general and his soldiers. His Excellency Li Hung Chang, indeed, had been in Pekin Beveral days, for the purpose of superintending the preparations «QO seeing that the Imperial patha h*d been mado Straight) Daring the Emperor's nine days' absence the Prince of Tun, the eldest uncle of the Emperor, with other high officials, had been deputed to guard the palace. By an edict just published, the land taxes for the year upon the districts traversed by the Imperial procession have been remitted, and this is probably the sole advantage to the people of the immense display now in progress. The roads along the route will be fenced in as of old, as the Chinese have not as yet imitated the Japanese in suoh matters; and the population have been ordered to keep Indoors, so that their plebeian eyes may not be oast upon the Imperial Son of Heaven—the fact being that the darkness of the hour when the progress is made will doubtless effeotually secure the sacred pre- sence from the vulgar gaze. It appears that the inscriptions for the sacrificial tablets to be placed in the temple have been written by the hands of Li Hung Chang and another high official. Regarding these imperial tombs, it may be interes- ting to note that the repairs of the Grand Tablet Pavilion, which formed only part of the mausoleum of the Emperor Shunohe (the first of the Manchu Sovereigns of China, A.D. 1644-61) were estimated to cost over TIs, 400,000. An edict issued in 1877 showed that these extensive alterations would necessitate the employment of sixteen-wheel heavy trucks;' and the building iB described as the most glorious, as it is also the earliest, work of the Eastern mausolea.' In a subsequent edict the Imperial huperintendent of the Eastern mausolea reports an official inspection he had made of these monuments of Imperial mor- tality, in which he states that he had 'carefully examined the lists of the gold and silver vessels, the ornaments, altar furniture, hangings, &c., appertaining to each of the mausolea, and found all to be in order.' This official report adds that the oxen and sheep kept in the enclosurea for sacrificial purposes, the moneys and grain deposited in the Treasury, Pawnshop, and Granary of Everlasting Supply, and the other materials stored at the Stone Gateway by the Board of Works, were all in agreement with the stamped vouchers. Much greater care would appear to be bestowed upon these resting-places of the Imperial dynasty than upon the more utilitarian departments of the Public Works."
THE VISIT OF AMERICAN TROOPS…
THE VISIT OF AMERICAN TROOPS TO MONTREAL. A despatch from Montreal In the New York Times, de- scribing the reception of the 18th Brooklyn Regiment on their arrival In Montreal on the 23rd of Hay, to take part In the celebration of the Queen's Birthday, says Here (at St. Armand) began one of the warmest and heartiest receptions that any body of troops ever re- ceived in a foreign country. Everywhere the Stars and Stripes floated beside the English flags. People turned out along the line by thousands, and the 13th were welcomed as if they were natives just come in from conquering an enemy. Montreal was first reached at five o'clock, but the train ran on through the suburbs and up to Lachine, where the regiment em- barked on a small river steamer to shoot the rapids." The firstperson seen aboard the steamer was Chaplain Henry Ward Beecher, who was to have joined the regiment at St. Albans. Mr. Beecher is too old a traveller to be caught in a train with an excursion party of 500 men, and he quietly came on the night before, and was quartered in the Windsor Hotel here before noon to-day. He was in his full uniform, with cocked hat and epaulettes, and had a front place on the upper deck of the boat in Bhootiog the rapids. Tho boat reached Montreal at 6.30 p.m^ in front of the City Hall, or Bonsecours Market. The plaza on the water front of this building was lined with Canadian troops, and the places not set aside for the soldiery were occupied by thousands of people, who cheered the Americans heartily. Fully 10,000 spectators were gathered here. The Canadian and American troope having been drawn up in lines facing each other, the Canadian bands played "Hail Columbia, and the Americans cheered. Then the Americans played God Save the Queen," and the Canadians cheered. Several carnages filled with ladies were on the grounda-the wives and friends of the officera-and nearly all the ladies were warmly clad in furs. A beautiful silk flag, with the Stars and Stripes on one side and the English colours on the other, was presented to the regiment by Mayor Rivard in a brief address. The Rev. Henry Ward Beecher then stepped forward and returned the thanks of the regiment in the following words If We have not come here, Mr. Mayor. as an Idle pleasure, h._„ WB come in our own names. We represent our feUow^cltizens of Brooklyn, one of tbe oldest and certainly I6! ni th« lATcest cities In the United States; a city on lhn.«h«tuur Uwrltten the motto that should be written on Th- Of^verv CUT lu the world, the old Datch motto, %hf mskw rXut?' We come In that spirit, bearing to nn^ll and not only ours, but the good-will of ftftte ot jfew Yorlr. We accept this gift as a token ♦ iSfitv .Tmnathv and friendship. As the Stars and min/les Its colouri with those of our your banner, so th!? flaM ot Great Britain and America never be seen ? JX.t each other In the Held of conflict. Your flag bearing the literature of liberty and the religion a? hn°^Initv May these flags always go together and never of humanity. y yye Bhall take this banner home and m, °?h2 mnit conspicuous place In our armoury, and when In Cbe future, lome repreHntattv8 corps of Montreal • i j- Jrhanlatn Beecher, mounted their horses, mCh^r?ciTon movedup to the Rink, in the rear ft?i- W^ndBOT Hotel, abont a mile and a half. AU °1 route the streets were so crowded with 'wL that the soldiers could hardly make their way people that the 801^c d performance of the AhrCmf^ rSment were in every way creditable, and American g any Qf the Canadian troops that^have thus far shown themselves. At least 20,000 Canadtlns turned out to them enter the «ty and cheered them all along the line. The rink is about half the size of Gilmore s Gardens, and five hundred little cot beds have been spread in it for the use of the privates, the officers being quartered in the Windsor Hotel The whole city is decorated with American flags.' Nearly every reBidence on the line of march and every business house displayed the Stars and Stripes. No description could adequately describe the cordiality with which the American visitors are re- ceived. On the streets crowds cheer them tdl they are hoarse, and everything indicates the kindliest feel- ing towards the United Statea.
A NEW YORK 11 KITCHEN-GARTEN."…
A NEW YORK 11 KITCHEN-GARTEN." T (From the Pall Mall Gazette). | In no part of the world are domestics more highly )aid, and nowhere are there more inefficient servants, ;han in New York. Though the Irish slatterns who mccessfully disputed kitchen rule with their mistresses ire disappearing, trim Teutons are not sufficiently numerous to oust them as yet; and the native Ameri- can misa" still clings to machine work in the factories, shrill choruses of revival hymnB and popular songs in which resound along even so busy a thoroughfare aB Canal-street, high above the clatter of Wheeler and Wilson's stitchers and the hum of traffic. Married and housekeepers, they pay the penalty of their ignorance of household management by in turn ex- periencing the miseries of Irish" helps," making home miserable by spasmodic personal exertions to do those "chores" which in England are quietly and deftly performed by such as are to the man- ner born. At last a fusion has taken place between some of the upper ten, tired of lament- jug their servants' inefficicncy, and some of the more energetic pioneers of social reforms; and a beginning has just been made of systematised plans for servant-rearing and instructing children in what will hereafter be of almost hourly use. The founders of the scheme are Miss Emily Huntington, Miss Grace H. Dodge, and Mr. W. L. Brace, the lat- ter of whom informed the writer that one housemaid, to his knowledge, laid up 100 dollars a year, and had nearly £200 thus saved in the bank. The first experi- ment was made at the Phelps School of the Children's Aid Society, New York, where some forty girls are under tuition. A class ranging from eight to twelve years of age marched in, and assembled at a kinder- garten table, laid off into small squarep. After a little talk by Miss Dodge on wood and its properties, which elicited from the clasB that "matches are not to be struck on the wall, and to be kept in a box," each was furnished with a scrubbing-brush, and set to work singing and moving In unison to a scrubbing-brush song. Then a bundle of four white and four coloured sticke was given to each to set as knives and forks for a party of four to a recitative of Knives to right, forks to left, all perfectly straight," &c. Each then folded a square of paper like a napkin. At a signal from the piano each opened a bex of toy dishes, and arranged them on little round boards to the song :— When I was very little, I used to sit and think How hard mother had to work, until my heart would sink; I tried to help her as 1 could, but always did It wrong. Which only made the matter worse, and her own work more long. So then 1 went to school, Where we were taught by rule How to set the table, how to lay the fires, How to make a cup ot tea, the cup that never tires; How to wasb the dishes, and keep the kitchen neat, How quietly and gently to move and speak. As each article was put on the table it was named by each child "This is the coffee-pot; always scald it before the coffee is put in. These are the breakfast plates have hot ones for the steak, and cold ones for the bread." Dinner was served in miniature,for three courses, and a pan given to each child who was taught how the glasses and silver were washed before other articles of greasy nature; as before, the teaching being embodied in a song. A little girl next gave a lesson in bedmaking, illustrating the answers, as to disDosine the under-sheet right side up and the upper righS down, with the dapper pride of a scientific professor when his batteries work well on a wet night. Then came a lesson in washing, m the course of which the table linen, the fine coarse things, and the towels were manipulated in due order-the washboard not being used for the best, the water changed for some, and some boiled; there was a talk about rinsing, blueing, and starching; the articles Sft to dry on a .to»t t.to. li». fet. ened up by little clothes pins, to be stripped in a twinkling when a now uu «« PIIWO warned tnac a shower was coming on. Then, after an exercise in sweeping there was an interval for recreation, when the children played «' Lady come to see "—to learn how viaitoPH should be received. A circle waB formed, and a eirl with a bell walked outside it; while the others sane a chorus, the last line of which referred to the little girl, who is learning to wait at the door." AtTthe last word the bell rang; the child next it turned to face the singor, who inquired for an imagin- ary triend. was courteously Bhown to an imaginary n!3lour—and so the game went on. miss Emily Huntington has now under her charge 250 children, whom she proposes to train in house- work At first she tried to teach four at a time in a r«al kitohen, where they wero an annoyance to the *«rvant.girls and always in the way. But the idea of nxtending the kinder-garten Byatem to housework ■truck her. Friends came forward with toys and suggestions. The children enjoy the singing and the work ae muoh as they do their dollar-more, possibly— and leam at the same time to be both useful and oolite. A. full conviction that the rising genera tion must be educated by labour as well aa study, and that under a tegular system of organised play and work children should learn to use their hands and limbs snd minds in a way to prepare them to use them profitably and joyously,in the work of life, is gradually possessing the minds of the super- intendents of national education here. Technical sohools are certain to be adjuncts of the primary and normal Bchools of the Eastern States in a very few jam-Haq Ward Beecher endorximg a plea on their behalf by Gail Hamilton, in his ipte fiwii jashion, with the apophthegm, Nothing is too good for the com- mon people."
TIDY ANTS.
TIDY ANTS. The agricultural ant of America, writes the Rev 3. C. M'Cook, in the "Proceedings of the Academy If Natural Sciences of Philadelphia," 18 one of the leatest and tidiest of creatureB in her personal habits. 3tit of the numbers he had imprisoned for observation ie never saw one remain long in an untidy state. When, after some very active work in digging, little particles of earth would adhere to their bodies, these were at once most carefully removed. rhe whole body, too, is most thoroughly and frequently cleansed, a duty which is habitually attended to after eating and after sleep. In this duty these ants now and then assist one another, and when a general washing up is in progress it is an exceedingly interesting sight The ant to whom the friendly office is being administered (the cleansed she may be called) is leaning over upon one side as we begin the observation. The cleanser, as the other party may be called, is in the act of lifting the fore leg which is the fint which is licked, the cleanser's mouth passing steadily from it up to the body, then over the neck, then the head, the little jaws (man- dibles) being at this stage held apart for the more con- venient manipulation; from the face the operation paøøeø to the body, alongoneaide, each leg being attended to in succession then to the other side and the other set of legs. All this while the creature being cleansed is evincing the most intense satisfaction, and in this re- sembles a family dog when one is scratching the back of his neck she rolls gently over on her side, some- times quite over on her back, andpreeenta altogether a picture of ease. The pleaaure which these creatures take in being thoa "combed" and "apoaged" is really enjoyable to the observer. Several times an ant wanting to be cleaned was seen to approach a comrade, kneel down before it, and, thrusting for- ward its head, then drop down and lie there motion- less, expressing aaplainly assign language could her desire to be attended to. The ants when engaged in cleansing their own bodies have various modes of operating. The forelegs are drawn between the mandibles, and alao apparently through the lips, and then are passed alternately to the back of the head and over and down the forehead and face by amotien which closely resembles tha of a cat when cleansing witt her paw the corresponding part of her head. The strokes are always madedownwards, following thus thedireo tion of the hairs. Nothing can surpass the grotesque attitude which the ants assume when cleansing their bodies. The hind legs are thrown backwards and well extnded, themiddlfpair stand nearly straight out, BO that the body assumes almost an erect position, the tail is then turned under the body and upwards towards the head, whioh is at the same time bent over and downward. The body thus forms a letter C. Thei fore feet now begin the oyor»tirm. during which they are constantly put into the mouth, from which conveyed, thus giving a glossy appearance to the body. It is possible that these ants do not devote so much time to their toilets when in a state of nature; it is probable that, as with men, an artificial condition of society gives an indupement to a Somewhat large! devotion to their personal appearance. The Tvmet.
NEW MEXICO.
NEW MEXICO. The New York Tinws ig7 an account of the pr soon& state of the territory of New azio4) and of the Pueblo (or village) all 01 whom about 7,000, of the old Azaeo nation and religion, it the territory In some 14 am still scattered &boa be viugLgeL The description was obtained from HorL IL, Bradford erince, Who retumed to Now York from official residence In New Mexico. There is no mjre lawlesBness in New Mexico, Mr. Prince says, than in a New England community, except in the border regions, particularly on^the ^Texas side. The nativeB are a peaceable, polite, law- abiding people, and have great respect for the autho- rities. The outrages are almost invariably committed bv Americans, desperate characters, generally coming from Texas. American fruit grows to perfection in New Mexico, and the valley of the Rio Grande will be the orchard distriot of the south-west. Gold mining is described as at a standstill, owing sn'i .ffSXoS. -<> lKw*to*ia,to all over the territory, ^nqaerqae and Bernalillo, a fault. espeaally a g iah families live. There where the weakhwst oia w q owq mor6 than 100,000 are omg1^Individ ^resting of the pueblos is sheep. One of the moss^ aU Uve in two Taos, where the ftbout 400ft> long and large stone bml g » Tories high, somewhat nearly,200ft- wide, and W pyramidal in JPf'nn(jer it. Each building con- smaller than the Qj r0oms, and the storieB tains an immenB from the outside, the only are all reached by ladders ir & hole wif. entrance to theroomi•Wgk about 200 people. The ing. Each buildi g but are kept in per- buildings are not g gcropUi0usly clean. The feet repair, and « arrangements for light,lex- rooms bave uo.wmd and a round hole in the oept the door in t A stove-pipe, through the outer rooms, abou'ihA! thoroughly whitewashed, and wall. d ciean that they are light enough are kept so white and dean^ q{ daat U to be found in for comfort. Hardly an aw buildlng8 any of tiie rooms, M people are always hos« are kept cleanly B*eP yigiwr is ever allowed to pitable tostrangert, the building, where it is penetrate to the ce which the sacred fire of said, there is a t burning, and where Montezuma « perpetually are 8tm the t ncient rites of th verne<j by officers elected formed. Each are implicitly obeyed, by the are settled by their own When J come to the knowledge of tribunals. No troubles ev meQ neatly agri- the territorial authonties. i t fanning lands cul tuns ts, and thei-ueou« all the pottery that of the territory. Si- country, which is all made is used in that section o ftn(j very accurate in by hand, without a w i consists principally shape. The furniture Poeblo Indians of lounges having been citizens are citizens of the Unitea n-ace. Although of Mexico a* K^e time o they have not they are entitled tivvo preferring to be exempt done so for a numberofyears, one8 read from taxation. Some, of^toewlJJJ, p&nUloon8 and and write Spanish, The exemplary in blankets, and men m wjtb the i^exicans, morals. They never M the Mexican Aztecs, and the men are not man The men look more although the women d the ciimate like Western Indians. The s«»neryian j of New Mexico are HnsmTa»wd, andjt^ ^eady a Irith 7 000 inhabitants, iaV.OOOft, above the capital, with 7,000 mnamw. of Mexico, high. The M.e»can p p maiority of the Union throughout ine t th iareet part of the M1..OUBM, R.TH.R American population is iroui excitement inclines toward Democracy. There » ExteB8iy„ j u8t now about newly,diøcovered ail vet mineB. Extensive rite^f the ancient Spanish mines of them are now filled with water, and it ill to tell their exact depth. The tarquoi- mine., from which the elegant j vicinity. The cost of Spain ™re New York to Santa F<5 is about I y InA iithough railroads are soarce in the terri- tory, stage lines and inhabitable hotels are in plenty.
THE SINKING OF THE AVA.
THE SINKING OF THE AVA. Particulars have been telegraphed to The Times of the sad accident attended by great loss of life which tne saa „ q[ gen„ai about two o'clock in the morning of the 24th nit. ^he British Indian Stoam Navigation Company's steamer Ava, which had sailld from Calcutta for London on the previous came into collision with an inward- bound Bailing ship, the Brenhilda, and received rach injuries that she sank in fifteen minutes. mh.rA wa, a heavy swell at the time, and no moon, but knight was clear and fine. The Ava carried five boats, one of which waa unfortunately de- stroyed in the collision, and another stove in while being launched. The remaining three were got into the water, and nearly all the passengers and officers trot off in them to the Brenhilda, which had imme- diately hove to, but had drifted such a distance that it took two hours fIo reach her. Captain Dickenson commander of the Ava, refused to leave his ship, and was last seen on the bridge just before she sank. Fifty-three persons were saved in the boats, and seventy lost, including the captain, the surgeon, the purser, and the fourth engineer, one brat-class pas- senger named Simpson, who waa a tea planter in Cacnar, three second-class passengers, and the majority of the deck passengers and crew. The Brenhilda was much damaged, but was able to continue her voyajj to Calcutta, where she arrived on Monday with the survivors of the Ava.
THE STATE OF AGRICULTURE.
THE STATE OF AGRICULTURE. Mr. Chaplin, M.P., has agreed to introduce into the notion for a Royal Commission to inquire into the causes of agricultural depression, which he intends to forward in Parliament en June 13, a special slauie embodying the complaints of the Irish farmers. ELe will add to his resolution an amendment of wbidi notice has been given by MnO Donndl, M.1?., axtending the scope of the P'PP0^1 im insecurity of tenure confiscation ot the tenants uu provements, and destruction of crops by [n hindering the productiveness of the soil an^d"wur*8 ine the application of capital and skill in Bntish and iKagriculture, and in thus preventing the farmers of those countries from contending on fair terms ^^irt the unembarrassed foreign competition wbich they have been exposed since the Corn Laws were reposled, without any corresponding redress of agricultural grievanan.