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MOTHKB flOOW. Mr SUSAif OOOUMK. • I' H' *»V' 'M nniMCJf lamp* are veiled, and mints la (dftjing In accents low, her mask* to the cradle's swinging, » Now fast, now Blow-- ^ ^ ; of Baby Hunting, soft sad furry * , j. In rabbit cloak; Qt rook-t-bjrtd amid the toes MM! flurry . ;w k. Of wind-swept oak; .-'w Boy-Blue sleeping.with his bora bMidt kktn J of lay son John, r wml to ted (let «U good boy* derid® Um) With stockings on; aweet Bo-Feep following her lambkins straying- .Of Dames in shoes: :<K ton, considerate, 'mid the piper's playing, Which tune to choose. ' * Of Gotham's wiae men bowling o'er the billow, v Of him, less wise, Ufa) chose rough bramble-bushes for a pillow, And scratched his eye^ •he sings, that through (he portal C Soft footsteps glide, «*d, all inviatUe to grown-up mortal, ; At cradle aide Pte Mother Oooee herself the dear old - i' , , And rocks and croons, Ift tones which baby hearkens, but no oilier, • '- Her old-new tunea! , iMnfe it must be so, «lse why, yean after, -\>V Do. we retrace :ilt ring with ahadowy, recollected laughter Vj. ^ Thoughte of that face t .>•;» #»«&, yei utmrn, beaming serosa the ig0:'t : ' S • ' • • B r imfu l o f f un ' . £bd wit and wisdom, baffling all the i Cnder toe snn? A^own-up child has place still, which no other May dare refuse; .«'* ° ,1J grown-up, brio;i thi? offering to our mother, • * .To Mother Oooae; And, atand'ng with the babies at that olden, s Immortal knee, X<Mem to feel her smile, benign and golden,J Falling on me. A BLUE-JACKET'S PERIL. ..My dear old grandfather! I can see him now--alas, that is only in fancy!-- with his tall, spare figure, stooping so dtightly for all the weight of his seventy' years ; his long silver hair brushed up to to a point on the forehead, as it used fto be worn when George IV. was King, and curling low on the collar of his coat behind, his kind brown eyes beaming with love and goodness for twil who crossed Ins path; his tender, loving momth, through which no word of anger or Might save peace and charity e'er had «Kit; and the white regular teeth perfect to the last, with which it was the dear old man's boast he could crack nuts with the best of us. Poor $nd rich, gentle and simple, all loved the old Admiral. Of children the old sailor was the sworn friend and protector, and it was the drollest sight to witness his attempt to chastise a youthful delinquent: he would look at the child with tightly-compressed Hps and a badly-sustained effort to be aeve»e, his brown eyes twinkling the while ; then he would take down his cane (irtrl hold it tlio lioclr of the offender, who could scarcely repress ft snigger which quickly became a laugh, for we all know by previous experience What " Granny's punishment" meant; <hen whiz-z would fly the cane to the 4»ther end of the room, the dear old man •ould join heartily in the Liugh against ; himself, and the culprit filially be re­ flated with bread and sugar and warned ** never to do it again, you young ras­ cal." Well, perhaps it was not exactly Oorrect training, according to Cocker or Solomon ; but, my darling, my darling, how we loved you for it! We would not Willingly have grieved you for all the World, and you knew it. You have been ibid to rest these many years in the pret- 1{y little churchyard where you and I loved to sit, and the grass is fresh and green over your grave ; but not fresher, Hot greener, my more than father, tha.p m your memory in our hearts. Many a happy hour we spent together, Bitting hand in "hand in the long summer evenings on the mossy trunk of a fallen tree in Barna Wood, or'in that same pretty churchyard where my dear sleeps, Jon Sii Alured Gwynne's tomb, with the Hooks cawing solemnly in the great elms Overhead a perpetual requiem, or so I fended it, over the quiet dead at our feet. Many a blood-curdling tale of nau­ ticaladventu ̂and superstition did the pld man there recount to me, until I used to see in every yew standing out grimly in the fading light a sheeted fig­ ure, and oceasionliy (for I did>ot reckon Oven Granny as sufficient protector against the unholy ghosts and bogies ho hod conjured up) take ignominiously to JUy heels at the conclusion of some pecu­ liarly thrilling story, the recital of which was as intensely dreaded as it was earn­ estly begged for. But of all his repertory, which was a comprehensive one, the tale that pleased as children most was one of which he himself was the hero; and, indeed, on first hearing it, so profound was our rev­ erence for himself and the part he had played in the stirring adventure, that we mentally classed him with Nelson, Col- lingwood, and other notable sea-worthies whose portraits, and whose alone, dec­ orated the walls of my grandfather's simple little dwelling. The incidents of the Irish rebellion were fresh in his mem­ ory , aim he--then a lad of sixteen or sev­ enteen--had been the unwilling actor in •ft remarkable event which very nearly put an end to all chance of our being ac­ quainted. t ?ear, when, as you know, Irish folk, ui addition to their other ter­ rors, were hourly in dread of a French invasion, my great-grandfather, Sir John Hastings, was the possessor of consider­ able property m the north of Ireland and .resided in an old-fashione.l, tumble-down r. ̂ , jmanor-house not far from a well-known ^tering plaoB in the County Donegal. % - iMy grandfather, Arthur Hastings, then ja midshipman m the Royal Navy, had 4 "Contrived to obtain a short leave of ab- '4 . 4 _ 861106 for thft purpose of paying a visit to , his parents on his return from'a cruise of 1,1 * ' ^some months' duration ; and he had not k^Jbeen many days in his old home before 'C-rsjhe determined to while away a portion ' X>f the time, which hung heavily enough 1 ; Joii his hands in that not too lively abode, §by indulging himself with a little of his Ifavorite pastime,, deep-sea fishing. Ac- |cordingly, on© beautiful morning, when Jtlaere wm scarcely a ripple on the water, $he got three of Ms father's tenants, fish- •> : «ermen, to pull Mia out in their boat to a P0S 'V'"" where he would be pretty s.jre of a, l " ̂ «ood day's sport. When they had left Af' r {land behind at some distance they sud- ^N.ti^/denly descried a large vessel in the of- fgT , •?..% ^g» which young Hastings assumed to 1;V y"• »be one of the ^iglish gunboats which pf ?„«; . ̂ cruised about in those waters in that if', iperilous time, ker, with one chance of finding some old friends among her officers ; accord­ ingly he gave the order to £hll with a will, and before very long they found themselves under the bows of a strange- looking man-of-war, about whose appear­ ance there was something strikingly un- English. Hastings began to feel rather tmeomfortabie, and the men looked blankly at each other; but before they hail time to turn the boat's head in the direction of home they were greeted by a shrill volley of words in a tongue which Hastings, knowing somewhat of the language, recognized to be French; a bit of bunting, as to the nationality of which there could be no possible doubt, was quickly run up ; and amid roars of laughter from the Frenchman's deck at the trap into which they had so uncon­ sciously fallen, the unfortunate boat's crew looked up and found a perfect ehevaux de frise of muskets levelled at their heads. The fishermen's blood was loused; and I think they would have made a gallant effort for liberty and home had not Hastings in a few words showed them that the slightest resistance would be not] ling; short of i&stant death to ail four. He nimself stood up in the stern-sheets, and after a short parley with the French Captain surrendered himself and his mers, under protest, as prisoners of war. They were taken oil board the St. Pierre, for so was the French vessdl called, their boat cut adrift, and then they did the best thing they could do, under the circumstances, Oiade friends with their captors, and were consequently very well and court- « msly treated. The French commander assured Mr* Hastings that he quite be­ lieved his story--in fact, were the truth of it not so apparent, he would have been under the painful necessity ol ex­ ecuting him as a spy. He was indeed desole that he could not set M. Hastings and his men at once at liberty, but, as a naval officer of a rival power with which unhappily France was at variance, M. Hastings would easily understand that the exigences of warfare forbade it. That night, a little before midnight, the Frenchman weighed anchor, and with all canvas spread and a steady breeze on her quarter made for the port of Brest. They had fair weather for their voyage, and the French and Irish char­ acter harmonized; wonderfully, though, with the exception of Young Hastings, the men did not understand a word of each other's language. Indeed, had it not been for the thought of the despair into which the poor wives and children at home would be plunged when the empty boat drifted in with the returning tide, they would rather have enjoyed their trip than otherwise. However, it was fated that matters were not to go on quite so felicitously. A few hours before they expected to sight Brest, the man on tne lookout sig­ nalled a sail oil the weather-board. The Capiton looked ihsi thi'ougli Ms tele­ scope, ana then exceedingly grave. The stranger was a man-of war, a three-deck­ er, with the British flag flying, and ap­ parently bearing straight down on them. Should the present wind continue she would be alongside in a short time. Flight, was out of the question ; so the St. Pierre was quickly hove to, and orders given to clear the decks and run out the guns ready for action. Hastings afterward said that although all his sympathies were on the other side, still, when he saw the French sailors bustling about stripped to the waist, he and his companions being the only idle hands on that busy deck, it was all he could do to refrain from helping them. At last, by the time their preparations were completed, the English vessel was so close that by the aid of the glass they could count the men on her deck. Then Captain de Condigny walked up to the young midshipman with outstretched hand. " By right yon should have no kindly feeling toward us, mon ami," he said; " but you are sailor enough to know that I have simply done my duty--what would have been yours had our positions been reversed. I think you bear me no ill-will, and yon will at least admit that we have done all in our power to lighten favor the battle was being deoided. So he ran quickly up the ladder and arrived on deck just as the brave old French Captain was carried past dead with a bul­ let through his brain. The English were evidently gaining the day, and the direst confusion reigned on the Frenchman's deck. Young Hastings was on the point of going below again when & horrid sight met his view. A Sailor fear­ fully wounded, the outer wall of his chest being literally torn away by a round shot, was lying still alive close to the bulwarks ; two sailors, almost naked, presenting a terrific appearance from the blood and powder with which they were besmeared, at a signal from the second . T-.j-, ,. .,.-L ^Tl _ __ J i * fi • m • ouiwi, aumiccu, nuu utuijg wi« Uivei- ing body of their unfortunate messmate proceeded deliberately to throw him overboard. The Irish lad with a cry of horror sprang forward to the rescue, but an officer stopped him, saying firmly : " It must be so ; the men are already panic-stricken, and such sights make them worse ; at furthest he could only live a few moments, and it is more merci­ ful to put him out of his agony." The men then raised Mm and with ail their foroe threw him over the side ; but the wretched creature, with an amount of vitality which in his condition Hast­ ings would have deemed impossible had he not seen it, clutched at a zope hang­ ing over the ship's side with the tena­ cious gripe of a drowning man. It was a hideous sight! The poor wretch hung on, his face livid and distorted with agony, his eyes starting out of his head, and the blood welling from the wound in his chest They tried unsuccessfully to shake him off; at length an officer stepped forward with a cutlass in his hand, and, bending over the side, cut the rope across, and with and awful des­ pairing cry which made itself heard above the booming of the guns and the yells of the sailors the miserable creature sank beneath the waves. Sick with hor­ ror the boy, unaccustomed as yet to the active duties of his profession, turned to go below, when--ping--ping I a bullet struck the fleshy peart of his arm, and the limb-fell nerveless at his side. His friend the surgeon quickly extracted the wicked little bit of lead, and with a grace which only a Frenchman could assume under the circumstances presented it to him as a souvenir of his sojourn on board the St. Pierre ; then he bound up the arm, and half an homr afterward the French ship, commanderless, with more than half her crew dead or dying, struck to the English commander. The officers of the Invincible--such was the name of the British vessel-- boarded their prize, and on going below the first sight that met their eyes was the four Irishmen, who on the entrance of their countrymen rdse, scarcely able to contain their joy at this unexpected de­ liverance. But yon may imagine their horror when, instead of being welcomed with open arms as they had expected, their story was received with evident incre­ dulity and suspicion. They implored to be taken before the English Cap­ tain, and their request was complied with; but unhappily for them that indi­ vidual was of a very different aiamp from the courteous French commander. He was one of those tyrannical, hectoring, blustering bullies who some years ago were rather too frequently to be met with in the Royal Navy, who, having as a youngster himself tasted weeviled bis­ cuit and the rope's end pretty freely, had determined, when his day came, that life should not be one wMt sweeter for his subordinates than it had been for him. Added to these amiable quali­ ties he had the bitterest contempt and hatred for his neighbors on the other side of the Channel--in fact, the verv name of Frenchman had pretty much the same effect on him as a bit of red rag on a bull, and as for Irishmen I'm not sure that he did not hate them rather more cordially. This individual went through the form of hearing their defense, growling to himself the wMle, " rebels, rebels!" and when they had finished or dered them, with a few choice nautical expletives, to be put in irons until the Hornet, then opportunely stationed at Plymouth, and in addition his father and other relatives hurried to the spot, so that there was no lack of evidence sufficient to satisfy the crusty old Cap­ tain that for once in his life he hfld jumped rather too hastily to conclusions. His conduct was moreover severely cen- 3UT&U wm" AlUUilu&iiJ, " lUooluuCu as through his rashness and pertinacity a very promising young officer was nearly lost to his Majesty's service." In addi­ tion to which well-merited contumely, full fifty years after Death and his jour­ neyman, Gout in the Stomach, had claimed Mm for their own, we children, with infinite gusto, tarred, feathered, and set fire to Mui in effigy, our enjoy­ ment being only slightly marred by the reflection that, after all, he would never know anything about it. Such was my grandfather's story, which he was never tired of telling or we of hearing. Few have had so hair­ breadth an escape, so exciting a personal adventure. Many a time did the dear old man say--it was a favorite joke of his when ne overheard any discussion on the.subjeot---4 Children, don't boasi; remember you've a grandfather who all but hung!"--Belgravia. ' v cd DESTRUCTIVE TAXATION ;» Startling Figure*--One of the Cmues of the Prevalent Hard limes. The Cincinnati Commercial says: The question whether the boasted pros­ perity of America is to be destroyed by taxation is becoming an exceedingly im­ pressive one. Look at these Sgares of the ordinary expenses of the United States Government: 1874. 1800. War Department .».f 40.813,92? $18,472,202 Navy Department 30,932,687 11,014,649 Civil expenses 17,627,115 6,077,008 Misc' Itaneoua 60,506,41* 20,708,233 Indians 6,692,MS 8,991,121 Pensions.... 29,038,414 1,100,802 Foreign interoonrse 1,608,064 3,146,143 Total 4178,618,983 $60,010,158 Interest on debt 107,119,815 8,177,314 Population 44,000,000 31,443,321 Increase of " ordinary" expenditures... ,200 per ct. Increase of population 40 per ct. NEW YOBK STATE. State tax levy in 1875 .$15,727,482 State tax levy in 1860... ••••• 4,H7fl.iB4 Increase................. $11,351,318 Population in 1875........ 4,705,208 Population in 1860 3,880,735 Increase in taxation 360 39 cent. Increase in population. 21$ cent. NKW TOSS CITT. Local taxes In 1874 $14,300,430 Local taxej in 1800 6,085,448 Increase since I860 $18,214,982 Population in 1874... 1,000,000 Population In 1860 805,661 Increase ID local taxes 800 $|cent. Increase in population 36^cent. Now take the Illinois and Chicago figures, furnished by the Chicago Trib­ une : nusoo. State tax levy in 1875 »....$ 8,256,620 Statetaxlevy inl860.. 2,528,536 InereaSS 733,084 Population in 1875 Population la 1860. - 3.,"21,961 Increase in taxation 28 per cent. Increase in population 77Jtf per cent. CHICAGO. Direct city tax in 1874. $ fi,4f,8,692 Direct city tax In 1800...., 373,315 your situation. Now, adieu ; we shall i next daj, when they would be tried by have sharp work presently, and you and | 2aval court-martial for the capital offense your men must go below ; it would be both dangerous and impolitic for .yon to be seen on our deck. If we do not zacefc again, mon ami, you will not think of me as an enemy. Adieu." And the gallant old Frenchman shoot the lad warmly by the hand. Before the latter, with his three companions ̂ was half-way down the ladder which led to the cockpit, boom went one of the Eng- of high treason and iese majeste, in hav­ ing joined cause with the enemies of his most sacred Majesty George III, Arraigned they were accordingly, and in spite of ail that poor Hastings could say--in spite even of the exculpatory evidence of the French officers, which Capt. Bulmer, not comprehending, sneered at--they were found guilty and condemned to be hung, all four, from Increase §,095,377 Population iu 1874 400,000 Population in 1860 109,206 Increase in taxation ..l,M4per cent. Increase in population............... 962 per cent. We are now prepared to look afc Ohio and Cincinnati: OHIO. State tax levy, 1874... $i,«58,087.91 State tax levy, 1860...........*it:.vs.... s,503,712 93 Increase in taxation. $1,844,374.98 Population in 1874, estimated... 2,810,000 Population in 1860 .....*....2,339,611 Increase in population 470,489 Increase in taxation 52 per cent. Increase in population .20 per cent. CINCINNATI. Taxation in 1875 $2,542,372 Taxation In 1860 1,098,100 Increase in taxation $2,444,272 Population in 1875, estimated. 260.000 Population in 1860 ;..161,044 Increase is population. 98,956 Increase in taxes. 222 per cent. Increase in population 61 per cent. These figures are positively alarming. They reveal one of the great causes of persistent hard times. We must react on this, and get back into the good old ways, or property will be confiscated; there will be little employment for labor, and with an impoverished soil and squandered resources, we shall enter upon the downward road traveled by the nations that have decayed. # • •vt ' - : ' s\\ His Lucid Explanation. A Chicago woman, ..ho had been read­ ing about the whisky frauds in the paper, turned to her husband last night and in­ quired: " My dear, what do the papers mean by saying that the man has 'squealed'?" lishman's guns, carrying away a portion . the yard-arm! " ' { -..A ̂ replied the man loftily, of the Pierre's rigging, and laying two j You can imagine the consternation of they mean ̂ some membeI of 0x6 of her seamen dead on the deck. Boom j the unfortunate fellows, who had indeed --boom! went the St. Pierre's guns in i fallen from Scylla into Charybdis. In answer ; and then the^ action began in j vain did the unhappy Hastings protest earnest, and the cockpit was soon full of : against the injustice of the proceeding, the dead and dying. ̂ ̂ stating that notwithstanding the wound The fishermen, who in ail their lives j he had received, which was one of the had never beheld such a scene, crept with i points on which special stress was laid white faces into a corner, their clothes j by his accusers, despite the suspicious red with the blood which spouted from ; appearance which he and his companions the several arteries of the wounded men. j by this time necessarily presented ̂ he Hastings, half suffocated^ with the stench j had the honor of wearing his Majesty's of blood and powder in that narrow j uniform and serving his country as trulv space, had taken up his position on a j and faithfully as any officer on board. water-barrel, just tinder the port tlpough I To each of these asseverations the only which the little current of air in that answer he received was, " You lie, sir! ' stifling, polluted atmosphere managed to until, half frantic with indignation and creep. The surgeon, whose hands were | despair, he and his companions were full enough, looked up from Ms work-- ! sent back into irons until their sentence the amputation of a sailor's arm which { could conveniently be carried into el- had been smashed into atoms by a mus- i feet. •i" ,.> The midshipman thought it would be good fun to puU ont to her and board ket-ball--and said dryly: " lou had better aesoend from there, my friend, in case of accidents, for I shall not have time to attend to you." The remark was well-timed, for scarcely had Sailings vacated his seat than--- bang --crash--smash!--came a cannon-ball through the port, smashing the barrel into atoms, mingling the water with that other liquid with which the floor was already saturated, until the crimson sea rose above the Irishmen's ankles, and saving the surgeon a job by putting three of hie patients out of their misery. He looked up with a grim smile. » "Mille tonnerres, Monsieur, but yours was an escape 1 Look there I fie is a better operator than I; he does his work cleanly--he I" he said, pointing to the three dead bodies. At last Hastings could contain himself no longer. Boom--boom I went the guns overhead, and with every moment increased. The atmosphere of the cockpit became oppressive and sickening, the stench so foul that he was determined come what might, to have one breath of fresh air, and at the same 1 time, H possible, discover hi whose The First Lieutenant, who was the only soul in that great ship who eviMuetl the smallest compassion toward them, luckily happened to pay the unfortunate prisoners a visit in the course of the day, with a view to their safe custody. Though strictly against orders, he could not re­ frain from speaking to young Hastings, who had a bright, attractive face, and asking him how on earth he found him­ self dans cett-e galere. By dint of cross- questioning in the cjurse of conversation it came out tliat not only had the fami­ lies of Hastings and Ashburtons--the name of the First Lieutenant---been con­ nected in olden times, but that actually Hastings' mother had interested herself in obtaining for this same Ashburton his commission in the Royal Navy! There was now no doubt that Mr. Hastings was bona fide the person he represented him­ self to be; so Ashburton went to the Captain and terrified tho old sea-bear into granting a reprieve, sorely against his will, until the arrival of the Invinci­ ble in port. Accordingly when the man- of-war anchored off Spithead, Hastings obtained permission to be confronted zing has s peached' on the rest. ** Peached on the rest?" exclaimed the wife; " now what does that mean?" " Why, it means that he's--he's 4blowed on 'em.'" "Blowed on them?" " Yes; you see he's given 'em away.'" ** Given them away ? '•Why, of course--dummit! Can't you understand anything? Do you think I'm an unabridged dictionary ?" continued the husband impatiently. • * It means he's--he's let out on 'em'--' gone back' on his 'pals'--'squealed'--you know?" The woman did not seem quite satisfied with the man's lucid explanation; but, not wishing to appear ignorant in her husband's eyes, she remarked, "Ah, yes; I see!" and forbore further ques­ tioning.--Chicago Journal. ° A Man Li ring with a Broken Neck. On Sunday, Jan. 2, a man named Joseph Fooltz, aged 55 years, living at the corner of California and Eighteenth streets, fell down a flight of stairs, a dis­ tance of fifteen feet, receiving serious injury about the neck. Fortunately, a German doctor happened to be at the house at the time, and he, suspecting that the mail had broken liis neck, had him carefully picked up and laid on a bed without moving his head more than was actually necessary. Other physi­ cians were called in consultation, and they unanimously pronounced that the man had actually broken his neck--that the bone connecting the head to the body was broken. The patient has been kept in one position all the time, being strapped to an appliance to prevent hinr moving in the least. If he moves hi*, head an inch in any direction, he is, to use the language of our informant, "a : consultation of European physi- MS ended, and the " Sick Man*' is goner, " but on the other hand, if he keeps perfectly still, he will, remarkable to relate, lecaver inside of two months. with the omoers of his own ship, the I --Omaha Bee. PASSISH EYESTS. Tan National Committee of the Dem­ ocratic party will meet in Washington on the 22d of February, to fix the time and place for holding the Presidential Convention. MB. CHARIJBS O'CONOB is eo far re­ covered as to be able to turn his atten­ tion to professional matters. The most alarming symptom at present is that he has consented to obey the directions of his physicians. THE divorce suit of Mrs. Charity Hay- ward against Alvinza Hayward, of San Francisco, is one of the most curious on record. The husband and wife have lived together thirty-two years. For nearly ten years they struggled together against extreme poverty in one of the interior counties of California. They a»e now worth about $10,000,000. Th wife praj s for an equitable division of the property, and the husband joins in the prayer. The ground of divorce is desertion, though the husband and wife are living but a few hundred feet apart. They are "both past 60 years of age. f THE Washington correspondent of the Boston Herald has been otudying the Presidential question, and comes to the conclusion that the nomination on the Republican, side now lies between Mr. Blaine and Senator Morton, with a large possibility that Gov. Hayes may come in as a, compromise candidate. Senator OonkJing, he thinks, is only strong in " the ability to derange the plans of those who he deems his rivals." The correspondent adds: " The two men to whom the Democratic nomina­ tion to-day is possible are Hendricks and Thurman." THE dans has , to take the medicine prescribed by Count Andrassy. He will make wry faces, but down the nauseous mess must go, not because anybody cares particularly whether the patient feels jvell or ill, but because should he die now there would be great trouble over the distribution of his effects. Indeed, it is a German no­ tion that considerable robbing of the Sultan as he lay on his back has already been, done. A German comic journal re­ cently contained a cartoon to this effect, showing the doctors at work at the poor fellow, while Disraeli creeps to the head of the bed, stoops and steals from under it a box labelled " Suez Canal." LIEUT. CAMEKON, the Scotch explorer, has made for himself a bright name in the record of African discovery. It looks very much as if he had located the head­ waters of the great Congo in Lake Tan­ ganyika, on whose banks Livingstone lived so many years. He found a large river flowing southwestward out of the lake, and traced it toward the West Coast, through another great lake, but, was ^oMpelicd by iiostiie Iriri-inris to abandon it before absolutely establishing its identity as the tremendous equatorial river. The best of it is that he proposes to go back and complete his geography. It is odd, by the way, that many of Liv­ ingstone's reports and inferences are proved erroneous by his younger and more thorough successors--Stanley, Gor­ don and Cameron. AOCOBDING to the annual report of business failures during the past year, just issued by Messrs. R. G. Dun & Co. 's Mercantile Agency, it appears that the number of failures in the United States was much larger than in previous years, while the proportionate liability is somewhat less than the average. There were 7,740 failures in all; gross liabilities, $201,069,353; average lia­ bility, $25,960. Of the failures, 1,335 occurred in the New England States, with total liabilities of $40,015.164; 2,395 in the Middle States, liabilities $82,522,346; 2,336 in the Western States, liabilities $36,473,864; 1,333 in the Southern States, liabilities $36,277,- 777. There were 630,000 business firms in the country during the year, and only one in every eighty-two were unfortu­ nate, which, all things considered, is not very bad. ICELAND has just unveiled its first pub­ lic statue. The novel event took place at Reykjavik, tho little Arctic Capital, on the 19th of November, in the pres­ ence of his Excellency Hi!mar Finsen, Governor-General of the island; of the Right Rev. Pctur Pctr.rcson, Bishop of Iceland; of many lesser dignitaries, and of nearly 3,000 unofficial spectators. The pretty public square, newly inclosed and laid out, in which the memorial is placed, was gay throughout the day with scores of Danish and Icelandic flags, and was illuminated at night with Chinese lanterns, • Two of Iceland's most noted poets, Matthias Jochuiasson, the trans­ lator of Shakespeare, and Stein grim Thorsteinsson, wrote odes for the occa­ sion; and it is noticeable that, at so high a latitude and in so cold a month, the speeches were spoken and the songs sung in the open air without any physi­ cal discomfort. THE Railroad Gazette publishes its annual statistics of construction, from which it appears that the number of miles of railroad built in the United States during the year 1875 was 1,483, against 2,025 miles in 1874, 3,883 miles in 1873, and 7,340 miles in 1872. A closer examination of the figures shows that the work was in its most depressed condition since the war in the early part of last year, and that subsequently there was a very slight revival. Nearly all the new roads are short lines, intended to serve local wants, the average length of each construction being only 17 miles.. In the South, railroad building has al­ most wholly stopped. In the Northwest it has fallen off 90 per cent, since 1872. In New England the amount is very little less than last year. New York built more than any other State last year, namely, 200 miles (against 125 miles in 1874). California came next with 174 miles, apd Illinois third with 172. The States of Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minne­ sota, Mississippi, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, and all the Territories except Utah, built none at all. The first of the rail­ road States is now Illinois, with 6,931 miles. Pennsylvania is second with 5,805 miles, New York third with 5,450, and Ohio fourth with 4,405. i A FRENCH correspondent writes that when Moltke is offered a pinch of snuff in Parliament, he stuffs it up his nostrils as if he was loading a double-barreled gam WALDEMAR'8 COURTSHIP. r*lnee Wsldemar strode through bis wwtt; And swore by the ocean and the land. That he would wco, and win as well. f The daughter of Reginald von der Bell. He would woo hnr by loy«, and if she dedNata In him a true husband forever to And, « ® WO . d,wo° l*er by fire, by lanoe and bp nc<t> Ana gain her consent by terror and fear. SoZMuce Wsldemar set Out at the head of US nNfe Ah, how many r»>tiin.)ec! not again ! And he marched with trumpets and flam flyioff fltee, 0fi ReKjnaW» down by the sea. . Surrender his daughter ! " No, never," replied The true-hearted fire of the coveted bride; To give her to Waldemar he could not e'er do, For »he now had a lover both faithful and Int. BT0re,]'? 8e* the laad. That only to him should be given her hand! And he drew out hie troops in fearful array. And BO thrre commenced a tcrnblo frav. But no eHort of Reginald ever BO bold," Could make old Prince Waldemar loosen ^ IftflttL' And no smoke and no ike reached Von dttttis hall, • Much less the white flag's surrendering «« v And the light grew fiercer. It would only tekei Over Sir Reginald's ramparts to climb ; And Sir Waldemar laughed--right -willing ma To wait a little for hi* bride of the sea. But the order wae given, and as the first i>«t To the top of the wall unresistingly sprang, A maiden in white appeared fiom the door. "She comes,' laughed Sir Wildeyiar, " p!o?*,w The maiden ran to the brink of the MM Instantly into its waves sprang she: : Never again did Sir Waldemar nee The daughter of Reginald of the sek. Only in dreams noxcetimeH, from the door, He »sw her oome, no grica to implore, ' And saw her spring into the water blue, And knew that his courtship with her WM 81r Waldemar learned it wag best in the en£. Never a woman's will to offend, And compel her to do what she does not plgMS- booner make water in Quito to freeze 1 There is always a sea in wMofa she will go>, And little ehe cares when the waves o'erSow. So, men, don't you try it, for what do yon gatet Only, lilie Waldemar, dreams for your pads. --Country Gentleman. Pith and Point. BORROW trouble if you' ferae wm enough already. A iiimiE editor is a '? we " thing.-- JV. O. Republican. WHBN is a thief like a seamsteonf When he cuts and runs. Go FOBTH in haste, with bills and paste, Proclaim to all creation: The men are wise who advertise In the present generation. EVANGKIJST SAXKBY'S song, " Ninety and Nine," is so popular that it wiQ probably be up to par presently. BUD--Mamma, are people ashamed to say their prayers ? Parent Stalk--Why, no, child; what put that into your heo41 Bud --Well, what do they hide their eyes for, then? SOMEBODY ia a Georgia Oourt M ap- plsuded/' whereupon the Judge indig­ nantly remarked : "Now dry up; I will let you know that this is no camp meeting." AN editor, wishing to be sever© upon ai\exchange, remarks: "The subscriber of the in this place tried, a few days ago, to carry home some lard in a copy of that paper; but. on reaching homet found that the concentrated lie bad changed it to soap. " Yes, sir," remarked a sanguine speo- ulafcor to a capitalist whom he was en­ deavoring to captivate for an invest­ ment," " yes, sir, my project is the weightiest on record." "No doubt," "drily replied the moneyed man, "and that's why you'll find it hard to carry out" "JOHN," said Mrs. Smith, "what smell is that?" "Cloves." "But that other smell ?" "Allspice/" '"But isn't there another?" "Yes--apples." "And just one more?" ."Cider, my dear." "Well, John," said she, "if vou'd only drink a little brandy now, you d make a good mince pie." "MABOH of refinement," 1875: Bro^m (behind the age, but hungry)--"Give me the bill of fare, waiter." Head Wait­ er--"Beg pardon, sir?" Brown--"The bill of fare." Head Waiter--"The what, sir? O!--ah?--Yes!--(to subordinate) --Ghawles, bring this--this--gentleman --the menoo !"--Punch. " WHAT would you do," inquired a Police Commissioner of an applicant for a position on the force, " what would yoti do, if a burglar should turn on you and point a pistol at your head I" " Do? why I'd beg him not to shoot, and then hurry to the station-house for reinforce­ ments." He was rejected. AN American in a Fronch hotel asked for a toothpick and was told that they were not to be had. Expressing sur­ prise at this, he was effectually silenced by the explaiitttiuu of the waiter, that the supply had been discontinued be­ cause customers were so «unscrapul<nis as to take the toothpicks away with them. IT would seem from the following that there is much need of a school board at Wear dale. A doctor there was lately summoned to a cottage at Harwood, in Teasdale, and found a bey patient in need of his services. "Put out your tongue," said the doctor. Th© boy stared like an owl. "My good boy, * requested the medical man, "let me see your tongue." " Talk English, doctor," Eut in ^he mother, and then turning to er son, she said: "Hoppen thy gobbler and push out thy loliker." The boy rolled out his tongue in a moment.-- Liverpool Times. THE NICK UTriiB! OONOEBS. 'Leven little tuberoses all in a row, Leven little neckties aU white as snow, Xeven little chains and leven little lockets, ,Leven little watches in 'leven litUe pockets. *Leven little clawhammers, with eleven little tails, Xeven little pair of legs all straight as rails, l^even little bodies and 'leven little throats, 'Iieven little pair of eyes looking at the notes. Tie von little pair of hands and leven pair of glove*,' 'Iieven little pretty men, sweet as iittie loves, 'Leven little ditties and 'leven little bows, 'Iieven little encores which vanity allows. 'Leven little baskets and leven hundred i Given to the ladies to titillate their noses, ""Leven hundred ladies and 'leven h indred gents Patronise the concert regardless of expense. --Omaha Herald. The Bullion Product. The following approximate table, show­ ing the precious metal product for the year 1874, has been carefully prepared from the latest statistics and reports of Consular and mint offices: Gold. United States $40,000,000 Great Britain 8,000 France 79,089 Germany............ 87,242 Spain 7,800 Austria ...... 2,123,180 Sweden 12,860 Russia '21,552,020 Italy 90,000 Africa 1,01 >0,000 Central and South America. 6,000,ooo Mexico 3,000,000 Honduras 50,000 China and Japan 4,752,008 United States of Colombia.. 1,800,000 Austria aud New Zealand... 35,000,000 East Indies 4,000,000 Total. $32,000,000 <560,000 MP,545 T^W,780 450,000 2,476,089 96,89 1,000,44 360,000 19,000,00 IT,000,00 400,000 2,400,000 600,000 320,0 00 12,000 .$121,612,191 $08,999,758 4 - {' •