HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times, 1891-5-28, Page 7GRIOULTIMAL.
The Itrestety of Growth.
o hose tree seen Anything grow? It
be thee one who could keep, vigil leng
°ugh might do so, for last night when I
ken into this flower -pot there was nailing
ere int earth, and to -night there is a
nder stem or blade of something half 41X
ch. long. There utast have been a moment
hen the geeen point protruded through the
il, or perhaps it was a white point, and it
ould have been eery possible for me to
ve remaiued in A position to watch it
eadily for 21 hours, People have done
Ingo requiring more patience than that,
ut though I have been near this ilower-pot
oat of the nine, I only know that one
unset went down upon the mould, the next
pen a green thing growiog.
Shortie I thelt see 4 thinker stalk, a
wearier Made, If no accident happens,
"here will be Vent a some sort before me
'et a few weeke. But, though Ivow to watch
I Phial nor. nett, grow. I shell say at in -
'Orals, "Now it has grown I " but never
ow when it took Oafs new start or unfold -
d thee new leaf, at what instant the bud
PPeered or et what moment it opened.
as anyone actualle, seers a rosebud. open',"
re is Po recent Mat I know of any such
ac. The ileetien 00 ia requiwit is evident.
eVQ even *mere in every /nage, and
room ie brief. We almost foamy we
seen it performed, each one a DS; but,
think, I know I never have—bave e'en?
I believe that no mortal ever watelsed A
shrocen take Its shape. The thing is
ually done in darknos and secrecy - yet,
111.a lantern, it would be possible ie eee
el t eould be seen. elaul yet I are sure that
we Omuta try the experiment, All that
mild happen would he that we thoule be
ware At row moment that a mushroom lean
pronted up—no more.
As to the large planta—the shrubs the
es, the vines—botauists can tell you how
very stage of growth is arrived at; but TM
ne ever saw nature at work.
At whet hour does the baby begin to grow.
ie mother who beide it ve her arms for
ohs is telly roescitma that it has changed.
he wrinkles %smiththe red tom to pink
it white, its eyes beeame intelligent, its
trl lip, it' lips grow plump, IN uose
egnirea a elespe. With her arms about it,
ier eyes upon it, she would ay every half
' ear :
"Why, oleo:men, the behy looks exactly
ire it slid when I Innis to put it to alee "
s But in eight weeke therent a bindles little
Feature in a, cradle; that could uot be reeme- .
teed as the hour -old ceile—prouomicel a
ery fine boy by the num; and the doetor.
Mit t * unascustrencel eyes, hideous enough .
y.o be horrifying.
' That fele leen-, too, how &snit cheep to '
She lora, to the strong men! The baby never .
euows himself.
, T. a' ine st, everyone it has occurred to 1,4 Sine
4141444%4 to a realiesingemise that be is
grown Alp—without tiering the slightest
ilea how it has bapperied.--eNew York
nedgere
MM.*
Wash For Trees.
An Ontario corteepondent of the Maine
tfarmer writes as follows s
Take lime, slake, and prepere az for onlin-
e wittemea,s14 in an old barrel or box,
eigliat 4 timesto inake a, bucket two -Garda
eeII—proper -consistency for the ordinary
lesvhitewash. Now add one pint of gas ter,
fele, treat of wbale oil soap, diesolved in hot
or one pint of oration soft sear, or
epee pound of potash, or one pint of strong
Aye from wood ashes, or box of concentrated
;lye* then atm tit, - or lone enough to make
e. else becketful of wish of proper consistency
e to be Appliee N ith a brush. If the trees
had the 'earth banked up around
them, take the earth away from around the
(coller, anti apply the wash to the body of
iebe trees from the limbs to the ground or
elo tit es the roots; Its advantages are: It
wi I destroy the bark louse, or all scale in-
t. 'se :te ; will give the trees 4 bright, clean,
nhe ?thy appearance. Thie wash will drive
ion; all borers that are in the trees, and the
int Kli will not deposit eggs on or about the
'trees the same season the wash is applied.
iAlt who grow apples, peaches, dwarf pears,
or quinces should not fail to use this wash ;
'don't fail to use because not patented and
"Iced et a high price. I have known cases
(where peaeh trees became healthy and vig-
aorous with one application cf this wash.
(Again mice and rabbits will not girdle trees
)where this wash is reed. Apply in May for
nborers and general benefit to trees, rad the
tjete autism as a preventive against mice
(and rabbits. Gas tar when applied pure
awn!. kill trees. •
I?
L. A. centenarian Snake.
1)
f Early inJanuaryofthepresentyear ;tweeds -
(man, engaged in chopping seam of the mon-
ter oaks in the northern part of the great
0131ack Forest," Germany, and who had
}
. built, a fire against a large dead oak prepara-
tory to partaking of his middaymeal, was
jsurptised to see a sorpent of gigantic pro-
laportioni .crawl from the log as soon as the
rottenweed had got well warmed through.
The day was bitter cold, and the snake only
made a few yards over the frozen ground
when his convolutions became smaller and
smaller, and he finally ceased to wriggle,
ane quietly coiled up near a large pile of
S brush.
The startly Gernian chopper, who had
been more surprised than scared, waited
until the creature had become thoroughly be-
numbed with the cold, and then approached
and dispatched him with an axe. Measure-
ments showed the slimy creature to be twen-
, ty-sevea feet six inches in length, and nearly
fifteetainchee through the becly in the mid cue.
• Just back of the immense head, which was
°levexi inchr'inleugth and almost as broad,
a little gold" ng had been put through the
• skin. it se s in the form of two rings rather
than one, being shapednob unlike the figure
8. One part of the ring was through the
skin, while the other was through a hole in a
- small copper coin bearing date of 1712.
Ono side of the coin was perfectly smooth,
with the exception of these letters and fig-
ures, which had evidently been cut on it
e with a pocket-knife, the workmanship being
• verytiough, "totes-Zrutzer, B. ei. 0., 1781."
Some of the older inhabitants of the
"-Black Forest" ,temember heakhig their
' parents tell of " Krutzet, the serpent
charmers" and they all unite in declaring
s that this gigantic serpent was forntekly the
.property of the old "charmer," ,.aricl. that it
was at leest 115 ycereold when killed by
the woodchopper on that cold January clay
of leen \
noeGeleten OF tiElaaltlitanlia.
aleltItias Greet Work pone After, he, Mel
Jeeethed mit Age of ce,
Moltke did not quite root% the years of
Wrangel, who died, in 1877 at the age of
over 93, nor did he quite equal Rrilperor
William 1., who tanked buttloeteen days of
completing his ninety-fitst year. Two .Years
age •the $t. .Tonneo Gazetee, noting thee
"the majority of Prussian field. 'mambas
have beeeoldineu," found plenty et examples ,
also of Aged English seidiers of celebrity,
eeeet earl pest, Meludieg Sir •Patriels
. pees, who at that th4e was Shee,t 85. years
Old, with geventy yeses*. service ; 'Lord
Napier, thou *ia Wellingtee, who died, at
83„: after sixty -Ave yeere of service; - Lord
Gough, who need to 00, with sew:ay-Ave
yore of service ; Sir John Bergoyste* who
.enUrect the a.rroy et 16 e,H4 TeaChed the age
of 80. Of the French veterans it cited.
MeMah.oe, At that time 81 . yeere old;
Canielaert, at that time 80 ; Soult, who died .
at 82, After .sixty-six yore of service;
Grouelly, who died at 81,, and so on. To •
these examples; nay be milted that of the
lorigest-lived of our more distinguislied re-
voltitimaery eoldiere, Stark, who died at
tee age of nearly 94. Admiral. Wallin of
the British uevy e.elehreted recently his
. hundredth birthday.
But of colarse the interest en tide point ju
. 1101tke'e caner is, that the .great work of
his life wa.s done etter he had reached the
ago of 06; And, lucked, 'until 00 be was
lade known outeele of Prits,sta. the ett•
prerne riellieveraents were effeeted at the
age of 70 mut 71; hut no one ever questions
ed that be was in his full vigor 43 strate.
gist at 80, or that Germany's chief reliance
woule have been ou biros for pinning and
direeting her oarnpaigns, up to a very env.,
:care ago. Indeed he pee evidelice of
`e nbiht.y until Ids resignation of hifi office'
of chief of the general 8$4,11f !TX Augest, 18s9.
t4) do itsroutine work, in supervision and
eritteism, NYith hie wanted vigor and prec'
sloe.
.Died as He Lived.
Questeree" Co your friend Lambly is
- dead, eh
Jester—" trc is, raid he died as he lived,
too."
Quester---" How is that?
Jester---" Why, all through hie life he
had a constitutienal eversion to exerting
hhasell iri any wasreed he atried out this
idee to the end', frir his friends tell me he
• ilea withor t a StrUggle."
WOKEN imxtsirs SHELRWRNE, ONTARIO.
The mammoth, and *ha Slastodon—Doseritglosk ot Local SIteelMena,
is. Behold, 1 now behemoth. the (mastodon),
which I made with thee; he eateth grass like
an ox,
*
18. Ills bones are as strong. atoms et brass :
his bones (bean) are like bars of iron.
Ife 14 the ehlet of the ways (lord of the
highways) ot Gee; he that made /aim can
make, his sword to approach unto him.
en. Surely the inOuntains bring him ferth
food. Where all the bea-ts of the field play,
21. Bo gotta uuder the shady treee, m the
covert of the reed and fens.
22. 'atm Slikuly trete% cover him with their
shedovr ; the willows of the brook compass hiM
about.
23. Behold, he drinketh up a revere and
hasteth not; he trusteth he can draw up Jordan
(through his trunk) into hie mouth.
21. If taketh it with his eyes; his nose
(trunk) plereeih through snares.
Such, in a description to be found in chap.
XL, of the book of Job, which may be rea-
sonablv taken a a graphie account et
mr,
nOW Ula Mother "alannettl,"
"4 YOli Sea how tt. iao my deer," he eaiti,
tehitig her suit band, which hall ewer done
very herd work, and pettily; it reeestiringly,
"Fin paor—ouly athOUrailli A year, dear --
and we eitell have to strengle to get along at
tirst—'"
" I oLAIII. Elba that M the least," she
interriptel. wanly, =bin" tier cheek eoft-
le, assaaest his hand.
44atalatIteilatieed, grarionely having an
lowed her interruption, "we :exalt have to
cone down to siteet economy. But if you
can only manage as my mother does we
ball putt Group "
"Ansi how doea your mother menage,
clear?" elm asked emiling—but not very
bappity—at the notion of the mother in-law
cropping out already.
"1 node. know," replied the loverentliants
ly ; " but elle always manages to have
everything neat and elnerful, and come -
thing delirium to eat—and, she does it all
herself, you know! So that we always gee
atm% beautifully, and make both ends meet,
end tether and I still have plenty of spend-
ing money. "Yoe see settee A woman is
always hiring her Jewelry work done, and
bets =ebbing and stove-Illacking clone, and
all thee sort of thing—Why it, just, walksinto
a, man's income,and-takes hie breath away."
The young amine* looked for a moment
ae if her breath was also inclined for a vaca-
tion ; but alio wisely concealed her dismay,
and, being one of the stout-hearted of the
earth, she determined to leap a, few things
of John's mother, and so N. eh t to ber for a
Ion visit the next nap Upon the ter.
zuluationef this visit one fine morning John
reeetemd, to his blank amazement, a little
package oontaining his engagement ring,
accompanied by the following letter:
" I have learned how your mother man-
ages," and I 4111 going to explain it to you,
since you have confessed you didn't know.
I find that she is a wife, n !nether, a
housekeeper, a business manager, a hired
girl, a laundress, a seamstress, a mender and
pateher, a dairy maid, a cook, a nurse, a
•
kitehen gardener, and. a general slave for the
family of five. She works from five in the
morning until ten at night; and I almost
wept when I kissed her hand, it was so
hard and wrinkled, and corded and uukissed.
When I sew her polishing the stoves, carry-
ing big buckets of water and great armfuls
of wood, often splitting the latter. I asked
her why, John didn't do such things for her.
'John!'she repeated, 'John: —and she
sat down with & perfectly dazed look, as if I
had asked why the anatels didn't come down
and scrub for her. 1 Why—John. '—she
said, in a trembling, bewildered way -1 he
works in the office from nine until four
o'clock, you know, and when becomes home
he is very tired, or else—or else --he goes
down tONIM:' Now, I have become strongly
imbued with the conviction that I do not
care to be so good a 'manager' as your
mother. If the wife must do all sorts of
drudgery so must the husband. If she must
cook, he must carry the wood; if she must
scrub, he must carry the water ; if she must
make butter, he must also milk the cows.
Ion have allowed yonr mother to do every
thing, and all that you have to say of her is
that she is an excellent manager.' I do
not care or such a reputation, unless my
husband earned the name also; and, judging
from your lack of consideration for your
mother, I MU qufte mire you are not the man
I thought you were, nor one whom I should
care to marry. As the son is the husbaud
is,
is a sae and happy rule to follow!'
So the letter closed, and John pondered,
and he is pondering yet.
Once no often.
A recent German paper tells the story of
an elderly man who had for a wife one of
those trying persons who, according to their
own ideas, are always in the right, and who
make it a point of conscience to prove every
one else in the wrong.
The poor man was never allowed to Make
any statement without baying it instantly
disputed by his accurate but Irritating
spouse. She had acquired such a habit of
correcting and contradicting him, that, ac-
cording to the story, she one day made a
mistake which gave her suffering husband a
chance to laugh at her.
" Do you remember, my dear," he said in
retrospective mood, " theletter-case em-
broidered with pearl beads that you made
for me with your own hands, when we be-
came engaged? It was worn Out years ago,
but I can still see it very plainly. On one
side there was embroidered a beautiful
butterfly, and--"
"The butterfly was on the other side!"
interupted his wife, in her most decided
And she always complained that Mr.
Underfeld "was fond of telling stories
without any point," whenever he referred
tmthis conversation afterward.
No Charge for Rent.
" See here, waiter, it's an hour since I
ordered my lunch and it hasn't corns yet.
I can't afford to sit here all clay."
Waiter—" That's all right, sir. We
never charges no rent for our tables, sir."
Lena. with .bone, flesh, and shaggy hair
complete Is is Said, that Fferee of the tloh
was gute4 by the mers who deg it out of the
ice. • The natives, from sepesetitioas feels
Mg, refused to pert with it Meta beers,
wolven ansi foxes tote it to pieces, .teed. tileA
.A(19.41h; WAS permitted; to sere the wreck
ansi eouvey it to St. Petersburg, where itt
the Imperial museum the monster skeleton
tette stow be seen, ea it was set up iu junta
positioate that of one of threlergest 'sped: -
tomes of modem elven% 'le ceder that by
contrast lee gigentle dimensions Might be
fully realized by the beholden 'Existing
elepheete hew short scanty heir over tbeie
rough stole The menmene bad longbrown
hair, sometimee ten inches in length, with
tenger Week bristles intermingling„ and a
shaggy MAW. The exietbag seeciee are con-
tuod'ot the trepies ; but the Indian elephant
ItirAt• TAND.WATT OF 211U.1.1t0OF...Nt;
the characteristio of Lite eleplient, or per.
haps even of the mastodon, 'both wonderful
and feareeine beetete to those who beheld
them for the first time.
Whett the writer peel hia visit to the eleave
village lie truly did not find that many
of the villagers of this day keep mammoths
or mastodons in their backyards or peci-
darks, but he awe aileoled the opportunity
of impeding one of the MO% complete seta
of banes belonging to an extinct monarch of
the foreata of hysgone years that have ever
been uuvarthed in it good state of procrea-
tion. In fact, it may be said to ho particu-
tarty coniplote, as scarce nuything is want-
ing to melte up a ported skeleton of the
deceimed monster. These interesting re.
mains, which are the property of Mr. John
sornetenee Urea, in mammy with nunikeye,
neer the snows of the Himalaya, Mountains.
Themenunoth, on the other hand, tenanted
the temperate aud northern perm of both
tts remains having been foiled in the
British been France, Ctntral and Northern
Europe, Siberia, Aleske, and differset punt
of America so far south as the county
of Kent in this Province of ettnatle,
as Well 49 in the State of Oregon.
In size, generel form, and principal ostem
logical charecteristies, the mastodon resew.
bled the elephants of our day. It is by the
teeth alone that tho two groups are distill-
gnished by naturalists. :Clio range of the
genus in time was from the middle of the
Miocene period. to the end. of the Pliocenein
the Old World, when they became extinct;
THE MASTODON'
Jelly, may shortly be on exhibition in On- i
tam, and therefore an extended description
will not be deemed inopportura. TMs,
however, is not the first specimen of one of ,
the largest of the extinct Aninuile that has
come into that gentleman's possession, for
less than two years ago he securena remark-
ably good skeleton of a mammoth from a
farm in the township of Amaranth, quite
close to Shelburne. Mostof our readers are
tolerably familiar with the appearance of
this variety, owing to the representations
thereof having been so frequeu tlypublished
in the advertisements of Messrs. Thos.
Thompson & Son, the enterprising dry goods
firm of Toronto, who have adoetea itt
as a trade mark. This particular specimen
was disposed of by Mr. Jelly, for a large
sum of money to, 'Messrs. Horton and Har-
rison, of Owen Sound, Ont.
THE MAMMOTH
is a name commonly given to one of the
numerous extinct forms of the elephant
species, technically known 8,s Proboscideans.
The geographical range of this animal was
very extensive. There is scarce a county in
England in which its remains have not been
found. In point of time thee mammoth be -
ones exclusively to the post -Tertiary or
Pleistoscene epoch of geologists, and it was
undoubtedly contemporaneous with man in
France, and probably elsewhere. There is
evidence to show that it existed in Britain
before, during, and after the glacial period.
Remains of the mammoth (Elephae prime -
genius) were frequently found during the
last century in various parts of Siberia, and
about the close of the century one was dis-
eovered frozen in the estuary of the river
but in America several species, especially
the best kuown, owing to the abundance of
its reinains, survivecl quite to a late Pleisto.
one period. The habitat of the mastodon
was very extensive, even being supposed to
have reached to Australia, where no lenge
late mammal bas ever been proved to exist,
The number of the varieties of the masto
donhas been variously put down at from 4 to
30, these differences being based upon some
slight modificatious of the teeth. The whole
of the teeth of this monster, owned, by Mr.
Jelly, eight in number, four in the upper
jaw oma four in the lower, have been found
complete, with this exception that the great
conical tuberosities orrounded processes have
beea worn off. They are composed of den-
tine and enamel, ansi the lower parts are as
fresh looking as those of any livnig
They are eight inches long, and rather more
than three inches and a half broad. The
structure of the teeth indicates that they
have served admirably fer the grinding and
mastication of tough, hard vegetable sub-
stances. The bones are of a brownish color
like those of a recent human skeleton. A
broken piece pf one of the tusks measures
about nine feet eight inches. In its complete
state lb must have been from twelve to four-
teen feet long. It is slightly curved, and
its circumference at the thickest part is 24
inches. It is partly by the tusks, as well as
by the teeth, which have enough mammala-
tions on the surface like those of living ele-
phants, that the mastodon is distinguished
Some mastodons have been found with four
tusks, two projecting upwards and two
downwards, but the lower tusks never reach-
ed any greatlength and were generally shed
early in life, those of the female especially
so. This one was evidently possessed of only
two. These are some of the bone measure-
ments: Hind leg, from the thigh to the
knee joint, 47 =has; circuinference, 35
inches; two fore leg bones—the humerus—
from the shoulder blade to the knee joint,
3 feet 4 inches in length and 3 feet four
inches in circumference. The atlas joint
upon which the head is set has a breadth
of 18 inches. The shoulder blade meas-
ures 3 feet 2 inches by two feet 1
inch in the widest part. The- long-
est rib—and nearly all the ribs have
been found—is 51 inches long, and has a ;fin
cumferenee of 10 inches. The lower jaw,
the inferior maxilliary bone, which is in a
splendid state of preservation, measures 6
seesee
THE BONES OP A MASTODON GIGANTEHS.
feet rotted, from the one condyle process to
the- other. and the width of the jaw is 22e
Mehes„ One of the nasal hones, which is
tolerably well preserved, is, 2 feet 1 inch
loog, %ad the olefeetory channel is 11 evesches
by 3. The *Me of tkie Vertebra aerike
the hoofs of a draught horse, and the elem.
nel of the spinal column would. forte 4 bed
for a three-inch water pipe. The lengthof
the aubeal gauged by the, meaeureenents of
the berms already foiled, mad allowing for
those that have not yet been discovered, is
from the point of the nostril to the root of
the tail about 22 feet. This is greater than
than that of the celebrated motodon agart-
ton discovered near Kewberele, New yerk,
in the summer of 1845, and theilerten as it
whale is larger And more complete than any
that has been found in Kentucky, Ohio,
Mineoure California or Oregon, where the
remains have been in greatest abundance.
What led to the extinetioe of the mastodon
is one of the unsolved problems of nature.
It could hardly' here been the climate, for
Milted through climatic charigee greater
than any that now exiat, and all that ou be
said with truth is that it succumbed to
some imperceptible hostile influence which
first made it rare and then finally exterrni-
oated. it. The maetodon And the elephant
hews been known to live through two elwebs
of the world's history before the mammoth
with hie hefty, sbeggy coat Warne their
contemporary. An American acieetiat, Mr.
11. Macau, anther of a Mamie of the
Antiquity of Man, save M a work relating
to the mastodon, that 4' It lived for 'untold
ago, eed it has berme extinct. In Burope
ceased to exiet twig before the bietericel
period—probably aou,000 or 450,000 years.
In America it ;survived until a, comparative.
ly remit period." Ilow tee elephant tribes
fauna their way to the American continent
not quite certain. They possiely
einigreted front Mime or Ada to
North Almelo, and thence to South
Amerio. The ineetodone began somewhat
earlier, and prebably remained longer in the
new world than the elephauts, baying per-
haps fOUTtfl a refuge in inershy regents after
the elephants had been exterminated from
the tweets by big caruivora. Theedveut et
tigers awl ot man, the most predacious of
animels, and the deforest ing of many regime,
alone, with alterations of climate, doubtless
contributed to mitre their exterinivation.
Even the African elepliaute ere now extinct
In the southern coloeice of that continent,
aud the Asiatic species is proteetea only for
the purpose of being enslaved by dominent
man; but the pereint of ivory in the one
country and the advent of steam machinery
in the other promises /soon to terminate thew
existence, until, like the bison of the great
plains of I`Torth Amerio, they will /Alertly
live but in the memory of the "oldest in.
lielntant." The slow Hierene cf the rue,
the ereallnese of their families, and their coil-
spienems bull; all combine to eneuro their
annihilation. They were at ono tune the
lords of the herbweed continuous, and even
dominant over both worlds, Now they
have only a few our etvora in the battle
of life, and these are driven to inac-
cessible lurking places by that more domi-
nant primate who exterunnates every beast
widen he does not deign to enslave. The
Immo which aro now to be seen at Sheltie=
were dug out of a farm belonging to Mr.
Jan Reyeraft, in the south-easterly part of
Lot 8, Con. 6 of the Township of Orford in
the county of Kent, a loolity near the
village of Highgate and rather over forty
miles west of St. Thomas on the Michigan
Central Railway. When Mr. Jelly had them
on exhibition last year he was offered $5,000
cash for teem by an Arnerioan showman, but
could mot part with them without breaking
certain engagements rilready made. It is
possible they may be shown at the Industrial
Exhibition met fall.
Natural Fighters.
"It may be worth while, now that there
is so much talk about Russia's preparations
for war," saisi the army officer, to recall
the fact that Russians are natural fighters.
Doyen recall the war stories svhichappearecl
whileago in one of ounnagazines ? Here the
discipline of the czar's army and thekve for
fightingwereshowninmost convincing ways.
In the paper on the Russian army the story
was retold of an order given to Russian regi-
ments to take some hills then in possession
of the enemy. The regiments started with
a rush, and thrice the order for retreat was
given. But by some misunderstanding one
regiment failed to receive the orders. When
it was learnedtbat this regiment was missing
the weole Russian army received orders to
advance and to take the heights. When
the sun rose the next morning it was dis-
covered that the ono missing regiment had
taken the heights, licked its own army on
the one side and the enemy on the other.
That's the Russian idea of fighting."
" This same war article," the speaker
added, "bus of another night attack. The
enemy fell upon the czar's ttoops when they
were making a forced march at night. They
were in confusion, but they stood still and
allowed themselves to be shot down nntil
they could form. And how do you suppose
this was clone? The first man of.the first
ompany fired and the company formed,
each man finding his position by the flash
of the preceding man's rifle. The first,
company once Milne, the second formed in
the same way, and so the whole army by the
flash of gunpowder in the blackness of night
found its position. When daylight came
the whole army was seen to be stretch-
ed across the plain in a line as true as if
drawn with a rule. The Russian is a natur-
al soldier, and the discipline which he under-
goes makes him a superb fighter."—{New
York Tribune.
Canadian Railways.
The report of the Minister of Railways
and Canals shows that the Dumber ef rail-
ways, including the Government roads, in
actual operation was 50. The, number of
miles of railway completed, irrespective of
sidings, was -13,325, of which 12,539 were
laid with steel rails. There were 12,628
miles of railway iu actual operation. The
paid up capital amounted to 1760,576,446.
The gross earnings of all these railways
amounted to $42,149,615, una their work-
ing expenses to $31,038,045, leaving the
amount of net earnings $11,111,570. 'They
carried 12,151,051 passengers and 17,928,-
626 tons of freight. The total number of
miles run by trains was 38,819,380. Dar-
ing the year ending Juue, 1890, the Do-
minion Government paid out $1,678,195 in
earned subsidies to railways, arid in the six
months betweeu that date and the 31st of
December last, $683,089 more. The total
payments since 1883 amount to 88,424,076,
notincluding the°. P. Ie. subsidies, nor the
subsidy to the Canada Central, nor the
subsidy to the Quebec Government for the
line from Ottawa to Quebec.
It is a fact that within a year a lady fo
fashion has engaged as a maid a prepos-
sessing young woman of excellent education
and enviable acquirements whose grand-
father employed her grandfather as his
valet. The lady of fashion does not know
this, but her maid does. --allow Orleans
Picayune,
LATEST FROM EUROPE.
Abatement ot the Influenta—geeting of
the Coaxal African Mission—no Ger-
man Fmperon
The deetetre seein to be agreed that the
virulence of the influenza, epidemic is abat-
ing, anal that it will have disappeared by
the end of the month. The menoendernent
would be more eonsolatory were it not ae.
ereopenied by the expression of opinion that
the disease is likely to become a regular
spring vtor to this country. The Prime
of Wales, by the way, lute not been offer-
ing from iutluenze, as was popularly sup
posed, but from varicose veins int the legs.
The mutual meeting of the Ceetral African
Mission wee held here yesterday, an,d proved,
more interoting then there was reason to ex.
pout. The printed report distributee in the
audiencedenounced the Sultan of Zanzi-
bar'., anti -slavery edict promulgated last
August
as a gigantio imposture. The feete
etify the strength of this laueuage, but
the funey foetus) of yesterdayn gathering
wa,s that among the greatpeople on the plat.
form 15714 COL Sir ChAtieS EVAU SMithl HOW
British Minister to Morocco, but formerly
British, Consul-Geeeral at Zanzibar' and the
real author of the mucleabused edict. Pee-
sumably he had, pot am the report,
and when the paragraph denouraing
his pet measure was read, his face wee
A, moat tuteresting study. Ile drove neer
fully to he calm, however, until hie
Guru came to epeele and then he
eases1 bis teenage to tho great discomfort of
the goad Bishop/4 tOissitnAries, and ladies
present. /Le suggested that missionaries
would do well to keep within tbeir legitimate
bowie and to steer clear of those delimit()
questions weigh very often led to political
complications, and deelared tittle the refers
encee in the report to the auteslavery ediet
were "eroesly unfair." Fortunetely for
peace and zood will, 4 disereteu was caused
by A stalwart twenty.yeer-old Central Afri-
can, graudeon of Kimarri, the 15ghtiel.n
of Untha, recently baptized as Peter „Linden
Ile told the story of Ids conversiort with
some eloqueuce and emelt goateed:dime and.
brought the meeting te a frame of mind in
which they could conecientiously sing the
Doxology.
The report of this missionary soelety de-
anee3 the Portuguese as "poseessed of that
martuess which precedes destruction, and
acting on the principle of making things as
unpleasant for everyone all rounn as they
eau. The description, although savoring of
uncharitableness' seems to be Justified by the
• facte na relatedat numerous missionary
meetings held in London this month. A
feeling akin to dismay hes therefore been
aroused, by tee announcement that the newly
signed convention, has Itanded over to Portu-
gal, quite unneccesarily, 50,000 additional
square mikes of promising roiseionary terri-
tory north of the River Zambesi, while
further concussions will, it is belies -ed,
seriously hamper and perhaps entirely
block communications 'between Various
portant missionary centres.
The German press is discussing a pam-
phlet, supposed to have been *mired by
l'rince Besmarek, Assailing the Emperor s
tendencies toward absolutism. The papers
-argue that tee Ministers alone ought to be
responsible and that the 'sovereign ought
specially aavoid rhetorical declarations, as
In the proportion -Mathis fallibility becomes
obvious will respect for him suffer. A
chapter on "The Kaiser His Own:Minister')
blames Chancellor von Caprivi for not using
his influence to prevent the Emperor's in-
judicious public) utterances, compares Ger-
many to a rudderless ships and accuses the
Emperor of consulting private advisers bo -
hind tee back of his Ministers. It urges the
latter to res;gn rather than to carry out
measures opposed to their convictions. The
wide and free discussion, of the pamphlet
marks the rapid progress of constitutional-
ism.
The Illimafle society.
According to the last report of the Amer
icon Humane Association there are 250
societies in the United States and Canada.
Statistics of the work done by 50 of these
show that 18,393 complaints of cruelty to
children were made, 4,303 prosecutions in-
stituted, and 4,117 convictions obtained ;
whiie eelief was given to 20,250 children.
There were also 19,139 complaints of cruelty
to animals, 1,291 prosecutions, and 1,189
convictions; and 38,542 animals were re-
lieved. If the 200 societies that failed to
report did needy as well as these, the sum
of the pain ana misery of helpless crea-
tures iu this pert of the world bas been very
greatly diminished, and the assoeiation is to
be congratulated. On the cover of the re-
port is the picture of a horse, with this bit
of history :—" Nine years ago this horse was
valued at over $200, and °because he ran •
away, the owner; for revenge, shut him up
in his barn and has never permitted him to
leave his stall. Strangers were excluded
from entering the barn.. Mr. D. G. White-
head, agent of the Milwaukee Humane So-
ciety, faired this once beautiful sorrel horse,
with fine bony head, large hazel eyes, and*
intelligence like a man, 'covered. with bed-
sores, reduced to nothing but skin and bohea,
and the hoofs grown loftg and rocket -shaped.
When the animal WAS untied for the -first
time in nine years he hobbled out into the
,sunshine to nibble the green grass, and
showed his gratitude by a low whinny. The
owner of this, cruelly treateii animal was
only iihed $25 and costs." • -
Last of the Herein&
The announcement of the death of the
last of the Borgias might be thought matter
of historical interest, if the person last bear-
ing that ill-ornened name had been other
than whet he was. Even as it is, one finds
it deserving of more than a passing mention.
The line began with a Pope, and at the end
of four hundred years ends el a street beggar
in a small German town, near Salsburg, his
wife a washerwoman, and both in the last
stageSsof destitution, There is no bluel: er
name on all the list of bad men int the ix pal
chair than that of Rodrigo Boreal., who m
1492 became. Pope Alexander VI. Amcng
detestable characters in history, there are
few with so little to relieve the clerk record
as that of bis natural son, Caner Borgia, a
man guilty of almost every kind of base and
cruel deed in the calendar of crime. The
family name which has so long- been in
history the synonym of basenesssand cruelty
now clisappea,rs from the roll °Hiving human-
Viseries qf 'Wealth.
Mr. Pinclipenny—aa I worked. and slaved
many a -rag yeas: Ter in money, anly to find
•at bait that wealth d oes net bring hapent',aes."
Mr Slimpurse-- Doesia- it? '
Mr, Pieclipenna--" No 1 can.'1; speea
dollar without putting money aeto some one
else's poeaet.