HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times, 1891-5-21, Page 6AGRICULTURAL.
Some Practical Points Coueected With
Tank Supply.
In. r!;0,ent paper reed before the Epi -
Plat 8 raanted with potatoes eut quar-
ters through the seed end. Yield a lerge
potatoes, tl.rkpounde ; small, 132 pownle ;
total yie1d7199 pounds; =Gent of seed
planted, 41 pounds ; increase 358 Pounds'
Phst 9 planted in potatoes cut in ball
throup the seed end. Yield of large pota-
emologteal Somety of London, En, Mr. toes, ...78 pounds ; small, 192 pounds.; total
Shirley F. Murphy, Medical Officer a yield, 470 pounds ; amount of seed planted,
Health to the London County Come% and 8 paunds ; tuerease, 388 pounds,
Sanitery Director esi the Dairy Supply As- Plat 10, planted with whole potatoes,
eocietiou, London, dealt with many import- Yield of large potatoes, 233 pounds; yield
ant pointe a practical eenitery interest in a smell potatoes, 252 pounds; total yield,
commotion with the subject of healtby , 485 pounds; amount of seed planted, 104
nroductian and milk distribution. The pounds; increase 321 pounds,
milk supply needs ca,re and supervision It will be seen that the yield increased as
berate' leims if not snore, than tlae water the size of the pieces planted increased, not,
supply s Aral the publie eannot he tee often however, in exact ratio. It evill also be no -
treed that the rate of increase of large pota-
toes was less than that of the small ones.
Especially is this noticeable in the chenge
from half potato to whole potato seed; in
this bistance there is an actual decrease in
the amount of large potatoes of 16 per cent.
while. the increase of small potatoes le 31
rem. e warned of the dangers con-
nected with it. In Englieli exchanges re.
ports of outbreaks of typheid and scarlet
fevera,nd diphtheria from infected milli are
quite common. Dr. Ernest liarts the
taleeted editor of the British Medical Jour-
nal, at a recent London Congress submitted
an abstract smug, in tabular form, par- per cent, and the total increase is only
ticulers of 71 recent epidernies, due to in- three per cent.
feted milk, that have been recognized and The increase of plat 8 over plat 7 is—
male the subject of detailed observation in large potatoes 13 per cent; small potatoes
Great Britain. In Canada they may be , 38 per sent; total increase 22 per cent.
Imre common tban is apparent, AS hereInereaee of plat 9 over piat 8 ss—large pa-
diere in not the eyetem of inepectiontatoes 12 per cent; small potatoes 26 per
which is exereseed In England. Be. cent ; total inerease 18 per cents
sides, outbreaks of infectious daeases Plat 10,planted with whole potatoes, re -
many other diseases of the human or- quires] 164 pounds of seed, which, being de -
pease, especially of infante., such as d
diarrheas, tuhereulosis and numerous dis-
ordered states, are caused by bad milk. In
the stipe.rvieioa of Milk dairies there are
Many pAliOtE to eolleidered : the health
and 4:audition of the gate, and even her 14s.torys fcr CAW may aptto to be in excellent
eoutlitiou for months and yet be affeeted
"leittuberculosis, the infective built', help
liseaverable in the milk : then the housing.
The elemdiness, dryness, cubic speee ad
entiletiou of the entitle, and the /surround.
ing condition,: the food, of the cow and the
water she is supplied with ; the condition as
to eleenleaess, eee., of the udder and the
milher's hands juee Itefore the milking pro.
Cess; the CASS, etraitters aud other vessels
and the cooling and after care that the milli
shall not absorb infectiorts or impurities;
that there be ZIO eASeS of infeetious disease
aesoeiated in may way. with the feintly of
the dairyman or milk dealers or vendors.
Valuable human life mey.be sacrificed for
want of proper supermeion in counectien
with. all these (Barone precedures directly
asteeiatell with the pubis milk supply.
in the obey.) neaued paper and in another
by De. Alexanaer Breee (Prof. in Auder-
mat's Col.Seltetile—pub. in Glattgow
Senitery Jr.) the following suggestmee
PEN PICTURES OF PRISON.
The Convict's Life Of Weary Toll
and Sorrow,
Patti/wide Sidlies Behind tbe cars—In the
vforkslop---The Melancholy
march to a SolitarT
Meal.
Life in a peuitentiary Few outside of
those who have undergone Re horrors know
what it is like. The old method of palish -
anent, of solitary confinement in A dungeon
cell, in darkness and in chains, has been
superseded by a form of imprisonment, much
less terrible outwardly, but the bettering ef
the external coalition of prisoners ha e not
rendered cordinethent behind the bars any.
thing that is no longer to be dreaded. A
glircipse into the life of a prisms will satisfy
any ono that ibis a
Deux ROVED Or WEARINESS ANO SORnOW.
We are in a centralretunda, or great open
room, of a big prison, looking out from
which, through a partition of hea.vy verti-
eal bars, elosely placed, we ere rows epee
rows of cell -doors, which like great stacks
of swallow holes, rise tier above tier. The
cells de not look out upon, the dayliglite but
on the inside light of a ecirridor for each
uctedfromthetotal ylehl,leaves an merease one constitutes a bnikling in itself. They
321 /teasels, or 67 pounds lees than p1At9, are empty UOW. The convicts are at work
-which was planted withpotatoes cut behalf. be the shons—the Icing two -storied
b.1 thi5se ibe ate/eased side wee not brlek building that we may also see from
enteegh to overeeme the ineremsed amount of tbo eeutral rotunda, acme an empty Yard,
seed required. In the narrow sells are bunks, coarse
teenunenteg itwin this experitneet; blankets, pl!4n bedaing, ehaireeperhaps a
rector Sanhure eaya: rookingmleur—and upon the thick white -
To tee above data senesnea by peeeeesee WADS are alinele always to be found
Richman, I wilt add the average of seven heiele, knecire aud cheap colored *tome
years' experiment ever]; by the writers oet and eclvertieeinents, put up in a meleneholy
college twins of two Seats of the East, ;attempt to make things look "elieerful,"
Theseresults are in aecord with recorded I Here is A very Thltiactic sight, It ie the
results of A trial on the private farm of the 001 of a ITEM of etineetioe and cultivation
writer, and with many unrecorded eesulta who in his eanerecas to become quiekly rich,
ef inemotimetom wise here conducted trials bettento a forger, awl now he is A convict
at set-eral experlinent etatione. Tbere seems Ile had, befits youth, learned to paint, and
to be little occasion to doubt that light seed- here is a eAUYES$ On a rude mad, upon which
tug for the potato crop is followed by a far he hes been, OeCIAPTing bis spare time in
smeller crap thee the ASA of large seed Prison. It is a landscape, with a riverbank,
would givea copse of trees, a meadow, and beyond a
Average produet per acre for seven yeare Allege, with the church spire rising high.
—prom keed of whole potatoes, large, 44,1 The MAU is produciug twin memory A itong
bnebete eann seed of whole potetees, male remembered SOMA (Anil boyhood, and, in A
pee bushels; teem seed of stem end of rota, narrow evil of a great prison, where nothing
tee MS bushels ;from seed of seedend ofputato green or growing le to be seem and where
heeled of six years). Ns bushel; teem Que livei among teloue, ho spende his tintein
ev ta a 81 bushels ; from two exesto the picturing a lends -tape which breathes tune -
,I04 linehela; from three eyes to the hill, eenee and freedom.
' tetehele- Tire cofevicr (mum.
manoraget otherappear :—No nettle* putts
Value Pe= are at 59 4"2/11"pn bushel—, But let us look at the convicts them-
ehteeeti anima eliould lie atimitted ZOO the Flom large potatees, S112.50 ; elnast eeives. w e find them in their worioilep;
mew -shed until it has beeu eubjeeted to este petetece teetl.50 ; from stem ewe, .7;44; irom eeth guards 0"4,01zing them. They are
enenties erratantiue, heingenilked only by a eeed end, Sdl ; from elle eye, -1O.50; freni in a dress of deli, coarse cloth marked with
pereon who deee not come into contact with two eyes, S.12 ; from three eyes, O. stripe% Their caps and short jackete have
the rest of the herd, and if any odder tater trials stith seed cut lengthwise or a difautti jauntiness about ftem, which their
dievase break ant in the herd, Isolation the potato ehowed tint the system was the loose, straight trouttere do not posses&
tho del at once be carried out. Cows He most economical of any tried. Good sized Tbese clothee bring the convicts down to a
eon di in their owat e eerement, a teeth eoet potators may be c It 1enthwise tute tbree
certain reeemblance to a moth mailer or
being put on each day, decomposition or four pieces. Neither ono or two eyes, Kano gre.esque or gigantie inseet. They
takee place, and this gums en for mouthe. nor tne semi, nor the stem end of Potatoes seem w reduce the man to his lowest terms,
There tire two remediee given for this should be need for planting. concealing any beauty or grace his body
eoutliiion, with plan of steble floor. These Experiments made by the Ohio statiea may Imre, and rendering Ins appearance
are at make the floor of the stall from t e are in eeneral aecord with the foregoing. baleful to the man himself.
trargh to the channel the eeact length of
i
the eow's hedy ; (2) make the channel or Texas Cattle ms Blilloelts. . Nearly all the men have on air as if they
, despised these cluthes and 'uttered within
floor bask of the etall part, from 0 to 8 A. *.tssete leveller lately SOW a train loto them. weeks being a bulge of their ser,,..,
inehes lower, so that the exerement shall of well finished vattle for *5.40 at East St. itude and a murk of their memo, they have
be .mite out of reach of the eowei quarters lesuis—equal to about six cents per pound a „moue., unplemehtnese and even revue,
when ,elie lies down. If, in addition. live weight in Clikago. He was eangrata SiVelieSS of their own. Some of the men
the ihrer iu the stall be covered ulated, of ceurs.e, but replied: "Gentle. are at work, at harnessonalriug, Dame at
witheleau ;envoi mal the portion near the men, I eitall never stall feed ag tin. 1 (Ian cabinet -malting, some at gilding; the (nen-
channel renewed night and morning, there raiee the steers with profit really for finish- nations are various, Most of them Appear
ie no pozeible Oxalate of the soiling of the lug, but 1 ell:al let you people in the corn listless and ineleuebely and work in a dull,
eow's quarters and -adder. Then, tee cow's . nitwit tinielt thein hereafter. Yon eau do epiritless way. A few others wore:nervously
udder ehould be carefully cleansed thrashed so very much cheaper than I, and we man eee hurriedly, as if they killed the tbne
or wiped) before the operation of milking, bothmake a profit.' i better in that way. Ilut there is no
end "what is most important of all," the The facts relating to this story come from ' cheerfulnees in the work of either kind.
jailker should wash hishands after themillt- Iron. John M. Pearson well known as a
ntg ot each cow, or at least, as in Denmark, farmerand legielator, =las havingoecupied
liter every second cow. In this way, should. other high official positions in Illinois. The
udder disease attack one cow, there is less fact of these Texan cattle lumina broil ht
zm eisnaseenorx eatneit To enteas.
There is nothing more melancholy, in a
deeger of the disease spreading to others._ the hiebest market price for any marke,great prison, that, the way in which the con -
As the paper statee, "all these points are of cattle intte the editor of Tao eaeares Fanner mete come to their meals and eat their food.
the utmost importance, and it is strange in mina of a eireitinstenee that occurred ttt At 12'Mock a greet bell is nag in the
that so very few pay any attention to them, Chatsworth, IL, in 1809, where 450 head of center ef the prison. The men leave their
and the only reason that can be advanned is Texas cattle SVOre fed in the stables of the workepour out of the shops under the eyes
the ignorance of the fernier, preventing the beet sugar eompany there. 'of their guards, and form in single filo along
proper interpretation tI the proverb that The cattle were put into the meek, inethe side of the building: They stand there,
'Manliness is next to (Matinees.' "man bellied his meghbor—so close that
November 'of 1809 and taken out (the fireteach °
In the case of each farm examine(l for the draft) about the last of April, lieving been their bodies often touch the right hand of
Dairy Supply Association, and inquiry leveed fed five months and being fully finished. each resting -upon the right shoulder of the
on the lines of the mere was instituted, and They were shipped to New York direct 'sal' in front ef bbn- Then, at command,
by this means the education of the dairy lustier the care ot the foreman of the stables, they advance, in step. This is the "lock
farmer is proceeding all over the country. Beforeshippingthesuperintendentofthefarm stein" The men marcls in snaky movement
Each farmer was advised as to the best (2,400 acres) ended the factory advised the entirely around the yard, their lege mot ing
methods of cleanlitiess in his own partieuler !foreman as follows: When you vet toNewiall t'rthert eulb nian's 10 lose to Ide
ease, and where alterations were neceesary, York the butchers will say the cattle are neighaer's that the line looks like a great,
and could be executed with little cost, they distillery fed. Allow any reasonable number
many -legged reptile. This march is peculiar
to be taken out and killed and take the price
There is in Canada a board field for mild- offeredfortbem evhen on the butcher's block.
'ration in regard to rnilksupply—as to legis- If not satisfactory no more will be sent to
municipal oversight by local boards New York and the balance of this draftmay-
of health, and above all, education of farm- be reshipped to Boston." (The steers were
ers and dairymen. The proposed Dairy I fed on beet pulp and corn meal exclusively
Schools in connection with the Agricultural with what. good sweet bay they would eat.)
Department here may be made of great The steers being opened and cooled the bid
service in this respect. fax the cattle was the aighest ruling price
for steers of any kind. The rest of the cattle they are confined ; stopping before apertures
Vegeterian. were subsequentlysent to NOW York and in the kiteben well, beneath the rotunda,
sold at the best price for finished steers of,
Men capable of sustaining fatigue b -a any breed. The superiatendent of the Chats-
they receive, upon a tin dish, their allow -
indefinite period are the pulse -eating Sik ss, worth farm and factory istbe present editor ance of food. Each mau, with this dish in
and the date -fed Arabs. The Kafir aed of The Prairie Farmer and fully conversant hand, goes up the iron stairs to his cell—to
s
Tarter live on milk. The Smyrna porter with the facts as given, showing that well hisolitary swallow bole among the rest—
can shoulder a load of eight hundred fed Texans may be turned into superior beef shutting his iron -barred door behind him
with a bang. When all the men are in, the
pounds, yet his diet is fruit and olives. under proper feeding.
guard, standing
Officers pa the English army will have ding at the end of the corridor,
moves a great lever which fastens all the
served in India, say that there are no more Murder of an Enelishman Venezuela.
active or efficient soldiers in the vierld cell doors upon one tier at once. This lever
than the vegetarian troops in Northern ,A terrible murder of a British subject by itself islocked down, and the men axe closed
India. They can out march if not the Venezuelan police has been reported, in.
•
The outrage is supposed to be the outgrowth
out -fight any regiment of beef -eaters.
of the boundary dispute. The name of the
Irish and Scotch soldiers brought 1T, ,
the one on potataes and buttermil
murdered man is William Campbell. He Behring Sea Dffioulty Explained.
the other on oatmeal, are at least equal WaS British grant -holder on the River A special despatch from Washington set
in strength and enderusce to the Berlina in Britiee Guiana, and was arrested forth some interesting facts relating to the
same number of Englishmen who owe their on the 8th of February while visiting au present condition of the Behring Sea ques-
powers and bull -dog propensities to roast- Englishman named Names living on the tion. Mr. Blaine it seems, is unwilling -to
beef and foaming ale. Cyrtis, the great
Venezuelan siae of the Amaccoroo river. come to any definite understanding with
Persian conqueror, lived from his youth,iCampbell offered no resistance; he merely Great Britain with regard to the adoption of
is said, on vegetables, and drank only water.t asked rive to travel by his own conveyance. measures for the preservation of the seal
The diet of the heroic Spartans was black The sargenot of the Venezuelan police, how- during the present season, and pending a
bread end vegetables. The ancient Egyp-
ever, ordered one of kis mei. to shoot him. final settlement of the whole controversy.
tiatts were opposed to killmg animals, from
He did so, and theshot strucktampbell and His excuse is that the report made to the
shattered his right hand. The inspeetor of Treasury Department by Mr. Henry Elliott,
religious scruples. Buddha., , Pythagoras,
police sent Campbell to the Venezuelan of the Smithsonian Institution, who last
Plato, Plutarch, Diogenes, Seneca, Lamartine
Governor of the province of Orinoco. Vae -summer investigated the condition of the
Milton, Newton, Leonardo da Vinci,
Governor caused him to be taken back to seals, is unsatisfactory because there is rea-
Wordsworth, Franklin, John Wesley, Wm.
Amaccoroo, where he was at once liberated son 10 doubt the correctness of some of the
Cullen Bryrnt, Bronson Alcott, and many
other great thinkers and indefatigable without so much as a charge being made statemeets made therein. Another special
workers, all bear witness to the value of against him. Campbell then entered the agent ha, therefore, been deputed to visit
simple living, withoutthe use of flesh meats. hospital, and died on the i6th of March. Mr, .Alaska for the purpose of making a more
—So says, The La-ws of Life. Anson, the district magistrate, held an in- thorough investigation, and until his report
quest on the body of the murdered man on is received Mr. Blame will not enter into
the following day, and the jury found a the arrangement which Great Britain is
Potato Experiments.
verdict of murder against the sergeant and ready and anxious to have made.
' It is getting time to plant potatoes in the private of the Venezuelan police. Since Mr. Elliott's return from Alaska
North. Hence the following from the Ohio the reason for withholding his report from
Experiment Station will be timely :publication has been shrowded in mystery,
The following experiment is reported in A Veiy Thoughtful Man. especially as it was known that he had re.
the bulletin of the Utah Experiment Station "What did the doctor order for your-hus. ported great destructien of seal life. It will
for Marcie byE. S. Richman, horticulturist, band?" be remembered that in the later stages of
the object being to observe the effect of cut- "Quinine and whisky." the diplomatic correspondence Lord Salim
line seed potatoes into large or small pieces "Isn't quinine pretty dear ?" bury expressed his entire willingness to be
--that is, of having few or many eyes in each "Yes, but we didn't get any. Poor John a party to an international agreement for
eaece : very considerate. He told me not to mind the preservation of the seals, and Mr. Blaine
Plat 7 was planted with potatoes cut with the qumine ; he would try and get along allowed it to be understood that .thie pro.
two eyes in each piece. Yield of large po- with the whiskey." position was acceptable to the United States
.;,..toes 217 pounds; small, 110 pounds ; to. • Government The Secretary, in fact, gave
ettl 327 pounds ; amount of seed plant- The teMis Quinze coat hasque is one o Sir Julian Pauncefote 'verbal assurances to
4d, U *weds; increase 290 pounds. he leading styles for house and srestwe r 'this efiesti and the latter has recently made
to convicts, and is another reminder of their
condition. In it they seem to heave them-
selves forward, rather then to walk. The
resemblance of the line to some great
serpent is most, striking, and even revolting.
A SOLITARY MEAL.
The Inez' enter the main prison in this way.
Here the lines separate, the men dividing
according to the winos of the building where
several efforts to. seeure the Conclusion of
the proposed agreement Yiele then does
• le. • • • •
Mr. Blaine bang bade e 'The full explane-
,
tion eecerding to„ the Ainericen press is
thatthe lessees of the sealing pri-
vileges have interfered, and that
Mr. Blaine is eow -working itt theirinterest.
Mr. 1.elliott„ Weems, reported three while
the "poachers" were resp,onsible for a large
share Of the injuryto seal life, muck greeter
damage was being ti011e by the leesees theme
selves, who, thiniglepreveuted from killing
the fewieles, were techleesly slaughtering
the bells, and thus eausinga serious dimine-
tion in the nunthere of the yew)* Thia
•expleins the withhelding ef the report and
it also makes °leer the roma of the diesuris.
set of Special Treasury Agent Gott, Who
corroborated Mr. Ellicates Statements and
1ASt summer stepped the operetione of the
leeseese when they ,itati Jellied 21,000 seals,
The la.tier, it is Stated, have now induced
Mr. Elaine to postpone Any agreement
until next autumn, to 9rder that in the
mealtime they may- be et liberty te kill as
mauy seals as they eau during the present
season. Mr. Blaine's solicitude for the
interests of the lessees is explained, by the,
feet that 'among the leading members of
the company are Mr., D. O. Mills, father,
in-lew et Air Whitelaw Reid, Mb:Alter to
Pale -nee
and proprietor of the. New York
Trifreme, theAdinmistration organs and •aleo
Mr. Stephen B. Elkins, elle Of the Secre-
tary's warmest supporters and the manager
of his campaign at the 1888 minventiou.
In view in these feete the mystery which
surrounded Mr. Elliott's report venielime
and Mr. Blaine% recent deterntieetiou
is fuliy expleined. Last week Sir Jellen
Pauneefote celled upon the Secretary
to protest against his new move, and
subseeuently he -offered hint. Lord Saha
beryie preposition in writing, to the
+greet that the British Governmeut would
atipulete that there ellould be no sealing
by British vereela in the Behring Sea
if, for A terlil to bereemerged upon, the United
States would summed the killing of eeale
-either at sea or on the blade, a corn-
xnisMon repreaenting both -Governments to
investigate and report upon the 'fisheries In
tbe meantime. Mr. Blaine, however, Is
looking after the interests of his political
frieude among the leaner; aud so, notwith-
standing Ms former professed anxiety for
the preservation of the seek, he refuses to
enter bite the proposed aereenent, and im
teude to allow Mr. Mille and Mr. BMWS
d their colleagues to continue their de-
rective operations tide =eon AS before.
In doing se, however, lie auly fureialice an-
other proof Of the lasineerity of the claims
and pretensioutiwhich be has put forward
on behalf' of the United States in this wetter.
W. OMNI'
wawa Araroa RUINS.
ruale That a Now F.stinet reoge Ilies
let to drelueolOglsIS•
The *Royal Geo,erapbleal Seciety, aided by
the Britiah &eon ition, is seeding the well-
known explorer, Theodore Bent, to investi-
gate rernerkehle ruins la South Central
Africa, known es those of Zinibtelye. The
ruins aro slanted in eleelionel in -i and were
occupied at the tinie of the Portuguese ex-
pedition into the interior hi latei hy apeoele
they denominated Moors. As tar as can lie
ascertained these ruins consint of labyrin-
thinewalls, nue within ano'her and enclosing
in oneepart e conical tower still 30feethigh,
on winch no entrance Ina been discovered,
although, perhaps, theremay bo one, partly
burled beneath the debria. These buildings
would ;Ripen to have formed a strong, fort-
ress, inipregneble berove the introduction of
(WAWA, the entrance being SO constructed
that only ono person could approach at a
time, and being then lways fully expaeed
to the arrows of the prawn.
There aramituy othorpccultaritieselesereing
of uotice in the construction of these builds
inge ; in one part projectingstrones stand out
from the wall, as though originally aupport-
ing.a atairease or gallery ; and these stones,
which aro very hard and of a dark greenish -
black oolor, aro ornamented with a pattern
of diamonds and wavy lines ;then ono of the
most perfect of the walls has a frieze of zigzag
pattern, formed of very thin slabs ol hewn
stone, let into the wall about 25 feet from
the ground, on the southeastern side only
whilst the whole of the walls, towers and
other struetures aro built of blocks of granite
hewu into the shape of bricks, but a hate e
larger, and put together withept mertam ,
the walls being often 10 feet thick at the 75
base, and about seven or eight feet at the
top.
But remarkable as are the ruins of Zim-
babye, they do not stand alone, but appear
to be connected. by a chain of forts with a
similar mass of ruins near Tati, fully three
hundred miles farther to the west, so exact-
ly similar in structure, design and orna-
mentation as to leave lib doubt whatever
that they wore the work of the same peo.
ple ; while similar masses of ruins are -re-
ported near Manicaiand also in the Tran-
svaal east of the Nylstroom.
Who were the fabricators of those build-
ings whose ruins alone remain ? Some have
attribute& them to the Arabs ; some to the
Pheenicians and many peculiar names, man-
ners and customs have caused this land to
be regarded as the Ophir of the Bible, the
golden land whence Solomon drew the gold
and ivory for the Temple of Jerusalem, and
whence the Queen of Sheba came to see
and judge for herself of the WiSdOM of
whicli she had heard.
At the time of the Portuguese expedition
many fruits were found under the cultiva-
tion that were not indigenous to Africa and
the tracing up of these may serve as a clue
to the real builders of Zimbabye.
BIOTIO$ ILAUTRALI4.
The Scoteit Thistle, Watercress,- English
Spumes and Sweetbrier Have
rreved Cures.
A Seotelunan living in Australia, and viss
iting his native land earried back a thistle,
the emblem of Scotland, as the reader is
doubtless aware. A grand banquet was
held in Melbourne by 900 Seetchmen and
the thistle, in a buge vase, occupied a
piece of Rotor in the centre of the Mble,
writes Thomas W, Knox. It was toasted
and cheered, and the noise day it was
planted in the public garden with, e great
deal of rejoicing. The tlxistle grave and
thieved and en due time its down was seat-
tered by the winds; other thistles sprang'
from the seed, and their down was scat-
tered, and in a few years the thistle had
made itself thoioughly at home 10all parts
of Australia. It has rooted out the melee
geneses on thousands, I could almost say
millions, of acres of pasture land, destroyed
sheep runs by the hundred, and eausedgen-
eral execration of the Scotchman who took
so much pains to import the original- In a
similar manner the wetereress, the English
sparrow, the sweetbrier and other exotics_
have proved, very troublesome and caused
immenee lessee. The watercress bee choked
mere, caused great 1190de and impeded
nevigation; the sweetbrier has become a
etrong and tenacious bush which spreads
with great rapidity, destroying thegrassea ;
Tad. the ittneeent daisy has been neerly as
iummons as the thistle.
Fifty Euglialt sperrows were taken to
Aestralia ie 1800, A114 now there are cone -
lees enillione of theta in all the coloniea ;
they refuse to eat inseeta like their ammo
tote, but devote themselves fruit, grain,
pees and other vegetable things, to the
rum of huudreda of farmers awl garderters.
Morale -beware of exotica in e0aOrrY.
Tho Origin of _the
Crime•atained as it is toolay., and glinetly
with emerder every atep of its tortuous secret
career, the "Mafia" spraeg into being from
an inepiration of =Winn, but ita very
berth was laeralded by a blia,tion of blood.
Many yearts ago we read its story iu an
Beets), magazine, Of our recollection is
&MIK) and that recollection is frealiened
hy a recent communication in the St.
Louis Reputlie, though our remembrance of
the incidents differs somewhat from the
narrative of the St. Louis correspondent.
The "Mafia" middy is overtax hundred
yeara old, having ita origin at the revolt of
Pelerino which took place during an Easter
eeremenial in the euburbs of that eity in the
year 1282. A beautiful young giri and her
betrothed, in accordance with Um quaint and
primitive customsof that people, approached
the Church a the 1191y Ghost, te be united
in marriage at its akar; ami while the lover
saught the venerable padre in the little room
at the rear of the building, hie bride peeved
aeon its threehold. As she stood, expect-
ant—graceful as a fawn, faints a dream, her
innocent heart throbbing with its new -horn
Itappineis—a drunken Sergeant of the
brenees tetrason, Data by name, strode up
behind her, threw his erre about her Ayala,
and thrust a huge, brutal h tud intobee pure.
snowy bosom. Withet .ory of horror and
fear the poor child tore herself from his 'pol-
luting grasp end turned to fly, but the heel
of bit' dainty slipper caught in the collie%
of the atone pat eneent and she fell, etriking
her head %mutat a abarp projection of the
ohm& cornice.
see that instant the returning lover's eyes
fell upon his beautiful mistress—lying lam
tem, her white brow gaping with its cruel
wound, her long tresses dabbled with her
blood. With the savage fury of ti wild
bead Ile throw Iiiintelf upon Druet, bore
him to the earth, and drove his stiletto to the
wretch's heare crying: 'Moria alIa Fran-
s:lel" "Death to the French 3" There was
a moment, a pause of silence, and then that
maddened cry haematite roar of infuriat-
ed thousands. It swelled and deepeeed; it
took more solemn meaning—became nation-
alized—and then buret forth: "Moral alla
Francia Italba anola 3" "Death to the
French is Italy's cry !" For seventy-two
hours armed bands, headed by the father
and betrothed of the hapless girl, hunted
down the hated French, and their search
was as the quest of the tiger and blood-
hound.
But retribution was to eome after this
arnival 0/ blood, and in dread of the von-
eanee of the ll'eerecii Nation these tuthappy
people formed themselves into toad orginia
nations with the password and name of the
society made up of the initial letters of the
lvortis which composed that fateful death
cry, thus forming' Mafia." Its object was
resistance to oppression, and as the lapse of
years added to its power and influence it
stretched forth its hands against the rich
and mighty in behalf of the poor and the
down -trodden. To -day it is but the hideous
cloak of the creeping thug and the assassin
of the night.
The Czarina and the Dressmaker. '
An incident took place at the late funeral
of Miss Strutton, the Czar's nurse which
illustrates the passing and permanent phases
of life in St. Petersburg. A dressmaker in
the crowd, seeing the Emperor and his
brother following the hearse on foot, press-
ed forward with ouriosity. Being in mourn-
ing herself, she somehow got into the pro-
cession, and followed it to the English
church. Here she was on familiar ground,
for she had attended weddings of English
ladies for whom she worked. She entered
with the mourners and got a good seat near
the Imperial family, in spite of all the vigi-
lance exerted to keep out strangers. After
the service the Empress shook hands in
English fashion with the relatives of the de-
ceased, and presently she came to the seam-
stress; whopromptly dropped& deep curtsey.
Blit the Empress put out her hand in friendly
grasp. At this the presence of mind of the
needlewoman vanished, and She fell at the
feet of her Imperial mistrees in aright.
Only the tact of the Empress prevented a
painful scene.
Soberly---" Do you believe, Mr. Spratby,
that there is luck in horseshoes ?" Spratby
—" If there is it stays in 'em, r knew
of eny comin' out of 'ern."
"1 can always tell when , ode boy has
finished his p4dding," said ,. eche Greorge..
" ?'' asked the boy's mother. ' "'There
isn't any left on his plate."
The Number Seven in the Bible.
On the seventh day God ended his work.
On the seventh month Noah's ark touched
the ground.
In seven days a dove was sent.
Abraham pleaded seven times for Sodom.
Jacob mourned seven days for Joseph.
Jacob served seven years for Rachel.
And yet another seven years more. ,
Jacob -was pursued a seven days' journey
by Laba.n.
A plenty of seven years and a famine of
seven years were foretold in Pharaoh's dream
by seven fat and seven lean beasts and
seven ears of full and seven ears of blasted
corn.
On the seventh day of the seventh month
the children of Israel fasted seven days and
remained seven days in their tent.
Every seven days the land rested.
Every seventh year the law was read
the people.
In the destruction of Jericho, seven per-
sons bore seven trumpets seven days. On
the seventh day they surrounded the walls
seven times, and at the end of the seventh
round the walls fell:
Solomon was seven years building the
Temple and fasted seven days at its dedica-
tion.
In the tabernacle Were seven lamps.
The golden candlestick had seven branch-
es.
Nauman washed seven eimes in the river
Jordan.
Job's friends sat with him seven days and
seven nights, and offered seven bullocks and
seven 11i ' 'for an atonement. ,
Our • spoke seven times from the
Cross, 01, *II he hung seven hours; and
after his: .rection appeared seven times.
In the Revelation we read of seven
churches, seven candlesticks, seven stars,
seven trumpets, seven plagues, seven thun-
ders, seven vials, seven angels, and a seven
headed monster.
Cloth -like fabrics are very popular this
season.
MARTINIQUE,
An, island id
That fois Like a Bit of Oen
cone astray.
Martinique is ao, garden a Youlantig
beauty, extending from the edge of the
pretty harbor to the foothills of theenouns
tains and looks like a fragment of Frame&
gone astray. Every building is of venerable -
stone, antique in structure, laage anti roomy,
and windowed by deep jalouszem The heavy
tile roofs overhang the sills like the eyebrows
of man, and are covered with silvery mines
andhterantreerae
gveaters,
Tnearly
all paved with
Belgian blocks, and sparkling weeer rushee
down the middle of eaelt in the vete; to-
ward which the pavement slopes,
Everybody lives out of doom. The har-
bor is skirted by a wide booleverd, shaded
by palm trees and furnis" bed with iron seats:
where the populece gather in the evening
and chatter like magpies. During the day the
women sit in the gardens and at night sleep
bit hanamocks under the verandas, except in
the rainy season, when they keep their
houses, Thereis no glass in the windows aid
not a chimney in the place. All the cooking
is done m charcoal stoves, or upon shelves of
stone like a. blacksmith's forge.
There are some fine churches and Ono Old
telt:lid:rat that is worth a visit. The people -
colony of Jews engaged in banking and
are mostly. Catholies„ but there hi a large
The town of Port de France, 1014 WA
knowu as Port Royal during the time of the
empim, is the seat of thegovernment, where
the heuteuant-governor lives and coalman&
a. garrieenef SW or 400 colored relaters. le
in aliont twenty mike front St. Pierre And
10,000snhabitants, but the latter pines
ta the ememercial capital arid the feellionable
residence, The blacks aud whitte bivo tee
gether AI brothers and sitters of #110=1111=
often. internearrylesg. Ideray of the
colored bunnies are wealthyand aristocintie
and eend theis chilareriabeoati to be edged -
ed,
The upper elassee wear the latest French
fashions and live with coneiderelile comfort,
but the colored women of the common ziass
as elsewhere in the tropiee, ere clad in A Sin-
gle garment of cotton, without any. particu-
lar deskm of conceallog or meow?, their
anatomy. They toed themeelvee with a
large amount of jewelry of peadier design's,
and on Sunday and feast deyeget themselvea
up in a mest eleltatate and outlentlisli man-
ner. men And women Loth rivaling the
phi:nese of the hirde in the meriad colon
they assume. There are po eor, no alms,.
homes, no asylum for the indigent.
The women of Martinique carry their
babies in a peouliar manner by placing
them astride of the left hip, and atrapping
them there by wide strips of cloth. Mar-
tinique has a population of 100,000! of
evliom 12,000 are white, 39,000 of mixed
blood, end the remainder colored.
The Wand is covered with fields of sugar
cane, meetly cultivated by the women,
while tho men do the heavier labor in the
eugar miles and in the harbor. There are
no carriages or carts, but the women and
donkeys aro the common
There le a gooa opera -home where per-
formancea are often given by local talent
and once in awhile an opera or a play by a
compeny front France.
One of the most beautilul_parkei in the
world is known as the Place Berth*, where
there ir a magnificent fountain of brow, a
most greeeful water nymph fourteett feet
high,bearing upon her bead it backer, from
the rim of which tots of water How.
In August this fountain exhibits what to
strangers is a most aimed* phenomenon,
spouting myriads of little fishes about ;Le
lo.rge as whitebait, with bodies as trausparent
RS crystal. These are callea tithe midi -onto
from the muontain streams with which the
fountain is fed. In the month of August
they come from the ses and are caught by
the pipes that feed the fountabe Me peo-
ple expecting them come desert with bate.
Rots, scoop them up, and, taking them
home, fry them in all ; they make delicious
morsels.
Martinique was the birthplace of the
Empress Josephine, whose family still live
neer fort, de Eremite and their old home,
a little one-stary house, is e till to be seen.
Tho Grand Old Ilan:
Twice during the pest few days has the
Hon. Mr. Gladstone given his parliamentary
eolleagees a. genuine surpriee, once by an
unusual display of temper, and again by his
hearty support of the pending bill to amend
the divorce law. 'Ihe former wheel is not
particularly pleasent to contemplate is said to
have been due to the taunts of two of the -
Irish members Mr. Russel and Mr. Sander-
son Mr. Russel going so far as to clump the.
Liberal party with trying to defeat thee
Irish Land Bill. To this Mr. Gladstone re-
plied, "Thetis a.bsolutely untrue," and when,
the accuser proceedea to make explanation
the veteran statesman whose anger was very
manifestagain assertedin languagemere par-
liamentary that the statement was contrary.
to fact. As to the question of divorce Mr..
Gladstone has hitherto held very decided .1
opinions and hasstontly maintained that one. S a
cause and one only, viz., adultery, can, ,
justify the release of those who have enter --
ed the marriage bond. The pending bill
however includes as -well desertion for a,
period of four years. Compared with the.
other this is a light offence and can harda
be placed bi the sense category. That tia ,
Gladstone should have changed his opinion ,'
. 1
ought not to have caused great surprise. It i.,„
characteristic of the Grand Old Man that lie\
holds his views subject to change whenever ,..
it can be shown that to aeffiere to the old ‘
opinion involves the necessity of al -outing
one's eyes to important filets and revelations,
of truth which were not present or consider-. 1
ed when the opinions were originally adopt-
ed. And who save the bigot will condemn
the man who adopts such a course. - ' 1
iGiilsaddsotoorn. e bigotry cannot be justly laid:4
rte
whatever the faults and failings of tr. „
,
A Pathetic Story.
The London Hospieci/ tells of a seamstress
who, like Hood's pathetic heroine 10 the:
" :Song of the Shirt," worked till the stare,
shone on the roof. Her eyesight failed, and,
the story goes on: "She saw at the same,
time four hands, four needles, and four seams.
She at first treated them as an illusion, buts
at the end of some days, in coneeemence of.
weakness and prolonged mental anxiety,.
she imagined that she was reallysewing four
seams at once, and thee God, touehed by her
misfortune, had worked a miracle in her_
favour."
Literary Item.
Jones—What are yo doing now ter a,.
living?" .
• Smith—I live by writing.
For the press?
0, no ; 1 write to the old an wice
monsh to send me some more money.
A fixed idea is like the iro'n rod which.,
soulptore .put it, their statues. It impale' .
and sustaans