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WW*3. ••• . . • HI* ^ 4 *r.-. -i iiSf^-'ifc* iSS;M&l $ht JRc§cmi| fjlaindtaln; *r J. VAK &LYXE, PUBLISH**. MoHENBY, ILLINOIS ATTBLCULTURA.L AND DOMESTIC. Arownd tin lam. " iww enemy to grain has lately been discovered in a cargo of barley discharged at Amsterdam. It is a small, micro- •oopic maggot, of an unknown species, and, besides the injury it inflicted on the •gram, its presence there produced se­ rious illness and a peculiar eruption on the skin of all who eame in contact any­ where with the cargo. To PACTLITATB the parturition of cows, ' the administration of a few handful# of linseed with their drink for three or four weeks before their calving is strongly !$r»ommended by a writer in the Land- toirth, a German agricultural paper. In over thirty years' practice he has always found it to act beneficially, and, more­ over, ifc increases the secreiaon of milk, decreases inflammation and constipation, and forms a certain remedy in retention of afterbirth. THE setting of shade trees along both «ddesof the roads in the farming dis­ tricts is often advocated by the rural press, as a means of increasing the value of farms, in consequence of the pleasant­ ness of such street when the trees be- oome large. There is no mistake in this opinion, and farmers would do well to crab together and set maples, elms, etc., along tlieir farms, and then ijee that no cattle are allowed to run in the highway. --Farmer's Friend. To DBAiNa depression in a field, where a clayey or hard-pan subsoil prevents the sinking of rain-water, and the lay of the land is unfavorable for ordinary methods of drainage, first dig a hole as if for a well through the impervious stratum at the bottom of the hollow, fill it up to Jlie brim with refuse stones, re­ move the excavated earth so as to allow the surface water free access to the pit, an# standing water will never injure the grass or grain crop in that part of the field. I, IIAST winter, trenched a small piece of ground where formerly nothing but rushes was produced. Throughout the early part of the year it was frequently stirred up and broken with a five-tined fork, at the same time mixing in a good •quantity of soot, guano and sand. I added the sand to make the soil work better, it being a wet, spongy peat. In April the seed was sown, and I must say that I have never seen a better crop of carirots. I write this to show that car­ rots can be grown on what I may term waste land, where scarcely anything else will succeed.--London Journal of Hor­ ticulture. A COMPOST Heap is a good thing on a farm when it is properly managed, but when, as in one instance we recently ob­ served, it is allowed to become covered with a mass of weeds its value is very rapidly decreased. It is bad enough to let weeds go to seed anywhere, but one of the worst of all places is on the com­ post heap. If ripened there they will not remain where they fall but will be carried to various parte of the farm and scattered into the soil, under conditions -very favorable to their germination and subsequent growth. The farmer will find weeds enough to fight, if he does not take paint, to scatter their seeds and hasten their development--New En­ gland Homestead. RAW AND COOKED ROOTS.--Dr. E. Wolff, a German chemist, re­ ports ,the following experiments in feed­ ing" cattle. Two cows were experi­ mented on, which together weighed 1,750 pounds; They received daily, during the whole time, 8J pounds of hay, 31 pounds of oats-straw, 4J pounds of rape-seed, 4$ pounds of lentil straw, and the roots mentioned in the following table, which also gives the -weight erf butter and milk produced in the several cases: 41 80 Week of ex- Milk per Mi'Jr to 1 lb. yertments. Food, week, Butter, Butter, ^ • lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. raw beet 82% 248% Second, raw potatoes.. 82# 382# Third,.co®k- edbeet..*12BX 388# JFonrth,cTrd potatoes.. 82# .248# .9# 27 From the above it will be men that the cooked potatoes greatly increased the butter without adding so much to the volume of milk as the raw ones, which made the milk of a thin nud wat­ ery appearance.--Agricultural Gazette, Butter, lbs. 8# 6# 0.V less of white sugar, half teaspoonful ef pepper and the same of made mustard; then a lew drops at a time of salad-oil, until about one teaspoonful is used up ; at the least one table-spoonful of vinegar. FOB COTTOH AWD OoNstntpnoN. --Melt some resin at night on going to bed, and let the smoke from it fill the room. In­ haling the smoke heals the inflammation, and sleep is often produced when one could not sleep before for much cough­ ing. Persevere until a cure is effected. A change for the better should be felt within a week. EGG-PLANT FRIKD.--Out in half-inch slices, salt, and place one over the other, with an inverted plate and heavy iron on top. The salt and weight draw out the strong water. Jt should be prepared at night if wanted for breakfast, or in the morning if for dinner. Dredge with flour and fry thoroughly in beef drip­ pings, lard, or butter. YBAST CAKES FROM ORB CASK.--Dis­ solve the cake in two cuptuls of water; when dissolved stir in flour enough for thick batter, andeftpt in a warm place to rise; when risen well, which will be in from three to nine hours, mix it stiff enough to roll out with white Tmlia»n meal; roll thin, cut into square cakes, and dry on your bread-board. rest , About the Hons*. kid gloves with milk and white soap. DON'T use table-cloths and napkins as dish-wipers. USB lemon juioe instead of vinegar upon raw cabbage. CiiEANijixEss in bedding is indispens­ able to health and comfort. THIS pain from the sting of a wasp or bee is relieved by applying lean, raw neat. IT is not well-bred to lean the arm or the elbow upon the table while eating. BLOW out a candle with an upward in­ stead of a downward current of air to avoid its smoldering. To MAKE home-made camphor-ice melt half a teacupful of mutton tallow with a piece of camphor-gum, the size of large hickory-nut--pour into a little cup or mold. To CUBE WAKEFULNESS.--Take Xnge bath just before retiring; have aty of pulverized borax in the water; rob well with a coarse towel to get up a circulation. To COOK EGG-PLANT.--It must be soaked in salt and water before frying it then dried thoroughly, rolled in beaten egg and bread crumbs, and fried in plenty of lard or beef dripping. To WASH WHITE SILK STOCKINGS.-- One table-spoonful of lemon juice to a quart of tepid water; wash thoroughly, using no soap; dry quickly in the shade the flesh tint will be preserved. To MAKK YEAST CAKES.--Drain all liquid from yeast; press through cloth and spread out on cloth to dry in sun or in a heated room; cut in pieces con venient to turn to facilitate drying. SALAD DRESSING.--One heaping table- spoonful of boiled mashed potatoes, rub in with a table knife half teaspoonful or NATIONAL LEGISLATION* THE KEELY MOTOR. A Wonderful Discovery, but of No Present Practical Value. After a careful and tedious investiga­ tion of the merits of the Keely motor in­ vention, scientific minds have concluded that, while the inventor has discovered a wonderful and hitherto unknown power, it is of value only in a scientific light, and not in a practical way. The reasoning on the subject, as given by a Philadelphia scientist, is as follows. 1. 'The machinery necessary to produce the power that Mr. Keely claims to pro­ duce, and that he certainly does produce with it, is so costly as to place it beyond the reach of ordinary manufacturers. The machine now in use cost more than $60,000, and while subsequent machines would cost very considerably less, as ap­ pliances and methods of construction become simplified, the cost would still be largely in excess of that of the ordinary steam-engine. 2. In manipulating each engine the services would be required, not of an ordinary engineer, but of a man of ex­ ceptional scientific attainments, who would thoroughly understand the theory of its working, and would be prepared to act in sudden and dangerous emer­ gencies. 3. The results obtained are altogether uncertain. Before direct results are se­ cured, preliminary results must be se­ cured; that is, the condition of working is dependent upon the contingency of being in a condition to work, and neither state is wholly within the control of the manipulator. Mr. Keely himself can never predict with certainty the result of an attempt to start the engine into motion; every manipulation that he makes partakes of the nature of an ex­ periment. The engine may or may not respond to his attempt to start it. In short, it is beyond the power of his con­ trol; andallofjjliis efforts to bring it under his control--efforts constantly made dur­ ing a number of years--have been futile. 4. Even admitting that he may over­ come this difficulty, the results obtained are so violent that the snock and jar upon the machinery tend rapidly to weaken it, and necessitate continual ex­ pense for repairs. 5. It is impossible to produoe the power in volume sufficiently great to run machinery with it uninterruptedly; actu­ ally, the time required for generating a given amount of power is greater than the time that same amount of power will maintain the machinery in motion A sixth disability, but of less impor­ tance than either of the others, is found in the fact that the power is not applica­ ble to an existing form of steam-engine. To utilize it, a new form of engine must be devised, and one of much nioer con­ struction than even the finest of those used in oonncction with steam; the ex­ treme subtility of the vapor requiring a closeness of jointing far beyond any­ thing yet accomplished in practical me­ chanics. Mr. Keely claims to have in­ vented such an engine, but, like the power that moves it, it seemed to be impracticable and valueless for any real •work. A Case of Elephantiasis. A man with his legs almost petrified died at New Haven Saturday in James Featherstone, aged 71, who for many years suffered from elephantiasis ara- bum. He had a "crick" in his back ten years ago and took to his bed, and had never since been out of it. About a year later the soles of his feet began to harden and look like stone, and his legs swelled and were covered with scabs, ulcers and horny excrescences sometimes two inches long, presenting a sickening sight, until at his death they measured some thirty-five inches around the calf and weighed about eighty pounds. The case has attracted wide attention from physicians, and is thought to be the first of the kind in New England. --Spring­ field {Mats.) Republican. They Will Skin Western Farmers. The advance in the rates of freight on grain and flour will not operate to the disadvantage of Eastern consumers. The railroad companies will get better pay for their services, but the grain- producers of the West will have to de­ duct the advance from the price of their product. Having a large surplus in the United States this year, the price at which that surplus can be marketed governs the price of the whole crop. Our markets will strictly sympathize with the markets of the grain-buying people in Europe. The ups and downs in the rates of freight have much to do with the profits of producers and dealers in breadstuff's, but they can have no per­ manent effect upon prices.--Philadel­ phia Record. His MAJESTY the Sultan recently sent for the two children of Osman Pasha to be brought to him at the palace, and presented each of them with the sum of 8,000 piasters as a token of esteem for their father. He also presented the nurse who brought them with 2,000 piasters, and sent to MnRlnm Oraau a further sum ef 10,000 piasters. KANSAS is almost exactly in the WENTE* of the United States. Sontelmportaiift fa- trodueed in Congrew The Geneva Award.--Senator Ker- nan, of New York, has introduced (bj request) two bills to open a way for the distribution of the $6,000,000 of the Geneva award still remaining in the treasury. One allows elnimants to try their luck in the Court of Claims, and thq other proposes to establish a special court for the adjudication of the claims. Bounty Bill--Senator Ingalls, of Kansas, has introduced a bill to equalize the bounties of soldiers who served in the late war for the Union. It is an ex­ act copy of the bill which passed the House of Representatives on the 20th of June, 1876, except that it proposes to strike out of that bill the clause providing for the deductions of the bounty paid nnderState laws, p Confiscated Southern Estates.--Sen­ ator Withers, of Virginia, has introduced a bill for the relief of owners of property in the late Confederate States, which was sold under what is known as the "Confiscation act." The bill provides that the Government of the United States shall pay to the former owners of such property the amount of money roeeived for their land at the sale, and receive in return a quit-claim conveyance of owner­ ship, which can be transferred to the purchaser. « An Additional Article of Wear.-- Senator Plumb, of Kansas, has In troduced a bill to make an additional article of war. It provides that any officer in the army who shall be found guilty of gam­ bling or playing cards for money or oth­ er consideration, after court-martial, shall be dismissed from the service. This bill is strictly in accord with thie views of Judge Advocate Gen. Dunn, who in his last report makes a terrible showing of this unfortunate habit among officers of all grades. The theory of the objection to gambling is that it has a tendency to make the men forgetful of their soldierly duty, and produces both recklessness and dissipation that de­ grades both man and officer. If such a bill were to pass it is believed that scores of young officers who enter the army would be placed outside the pale of temptation, and that the morale of the army would be thereby raised to a high­ er standard. Savings Bahd.--The bill introdued by Senator Wallace "to authorize a long bond for the investment of savings," di­ rects the Secretary of the Treasury to issue, in lieu of an equal amount of 4 per cent, bonds, authorized by the act of July 14. 1870, a sum not exceeding $100,000,000 United States coupon bonds, in denominations of $25, $50, and $100, in equal sums of each denomina­ tion, redeemable in coin of the present standard value after sixty years from the date of their issue, and bearing interest payable semi-annually in such coin at the rate of 3.65 per cent, per annum. These bonds are to be exempt from all taxation. The remainder of the bill is as follows: "The Secretary of the Treasury shall keep said bonds for sale at the different sub-treasuries of the United States, and shall dispose ef the same at par and accrued in terest for coin or for United States legal-tender not* s at the rate which they may then stand in the market, and such legal-tender notes shall be reissued, but their proceeds and the coin received for such bonds shall be applied to the redemption of the out­ standing 5-20 bonds of the United States." Neio Silver Bill.--Senator Jones, of Nevada, has introduced a bill entitled " An act to authorize the coinage of a dollar of 4121 grains standard silver, and for other purposes." It is as follows: SECTION 1. Be it enacted, etc., That BO HOOD as possible after the passage of this act there shall be from time to time ooined at the mints of the United States, conformably in all re­ spects to law, a silver dollar, the standard weight of which shall be 412% grains troy, and the owner of silver bullion may deposit the same at any coinage mint or the Assay Office at New York to be coined into dollars for his ben­ efit, upon the same terms and conditions as gold bullion is dtpcwilcd foi* cci&££2 ende; ex ­ isting laws. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That said coin shall be legal tendor at its nominal value for all sums in payment of debts both public and private, excepting such as under existing contracts are expressed to be otherwise pay­ able. SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That no charge shall be made for the coinage of stand­ ard silver bullion into the dollars authorized by this act. SEC. 4. Be it further enacted, That all acta or parts of acta inconsistent with the provisions of tins act are hereby repealed. A Goloid Currency.--Senator Wal­ lace, of Pennsylvania, offers a bill pro­ viding for the coinage of money from a composition metal called "goloid." The preamble of the bill recites that an alloy of precious metal for commercial coin termed " goloid " has been discovered, and was patented May 22,1877, by W. W. Hubbell, the inventor, consisting of 1 pound of gold, 24 pounds of silver, and 2$ pounds of copper, constituting a unit of value of both gold and silver, 258 grains of which are equal in standard value to either a gold dollar or a silver dollar as prescribed by law. said metal possessing an advantage also in size, weight and density for commercial coin in addition to that of a unit value, and composed of precious metal largely pro­ duced in the United States, and not cor­ rosive. The bill proposes to authorize and direct the Secretary of the Treasury to cause to be coined at the mints of the United States the sum of $400,000,000 in the value of said coin metal, 250,- 000,000 pieces to be dollars, 200,000,000 in half dollars, and 200,000,000 in quarters, each dollar to weigh 258 grains, and the halves and quarters to be in exact proportion there­ to, and to be caused to be stamped there­ on suitable words and figures denoting their nature and value. Section 2 makes this coin a legal tender in payment ot all debts, public and private, and declares ihat it shall be interchangeable with legal-tender notes or lawful money, and receivable for all dues by the United Gtates. Section 8 provides that the Secretary of the Treasury shall also cause to be reissued as lawful money $400,000,000 of legal-tender notes in place of the legal-tender notes now author­ ized, and shall keep $350,000,000 of the same out of the treasury in circulation. It also provides that this metal shall be supplied to the mints, and bonds of the United States,in denominations of $50 and $100, with coupons attached, bearing in­ terest at 4 percent, be issued to run not less than ten years, nor more that twenty years. Section 6 provides that the sub­ sidiary silver ooin now insued shall be re­ tired, and be exchangeable at the Treasury Department for the coin authorised by this act Illegal Sale of Postage-Stamps -- Senator Edmunds, of Vermont, has introduced a bill, prepared for him at the Postoffice Department, to prevent Postmasters from increasing their sala­ ries by the illegitimate sale of postage- stamps outside the limits of their office. This abuse has been extensively adver­ tised during the past summer, and Sena­ tor Edmunds' bill, which is as follows, will probably become a law : SECTION 1. That- no Postmaster or Deputy Postmaster or other person intrusted by the United States, the Postoffice Department or the Postmaster General with postage-stamps or stamped envelopes shall sell or dispose of the »ame otherwise than in the regular course of official business, at their face value, and for cash on delivery. SEC. 2. That* any Postmaster, Deputy Post­ master, or other person who shall violate the provisions of the preceding section shall be deemed guilty of embezzlement, and shall, on conviction thereof, be punished by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or by impris­ onment not exceeding one year, or both said punishments, in the direction of the oourt. SEC. 3. That every Postmaster and Deputy Postmaster making a quarterly return, as re­ quired by law. shall make, subscribe and at­ tach thereto an oath or affirmation in the fol­ lowing form : "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I have not, since making my last quarterly return, disposed of any of the postage-stamps or stamped envelopes in my charge for sale, other­ wise than in pursuance of law." SUPREME COURT DECISIONS. RAILROAD LIABILITY. Pratt, etc., vs. The Grand Trunk Rail­ way of Canada, error to the Circuit Court of the Eastern District of Michi­ gan. This was an action to recover of the company damages for violation of its duty in respect of property shipped from Liverpool to St. Louis, and carried over its road from Montreal to Detroit. The goods were stored by the company upon their arrival at Detroit in the freight depot there, and were destroyed by fire the next night. The question was whether this was a good delivery to the Michigan Central railroad, the suc­ ceeding carrier, as claimed by the de­ fendant. The court held that where the carrier allows goods to be deposited in such a way without notice, the deposit of the goods amounts to a notice, and is a delivery ; hence the succeeding road Was in charge of the property, and de­ fendant was entitled to judgment in his favor. Affirmed, Justice Hunt deliv­ ered the opinion. LOUISIANA TAX CASK. McMillen vs. Anderson, error to the Supreme Court of Louisiana. In this case it is held that the constitutional provision that no State shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property does not require that persons taxed by the law of the State shall be present when the tax is assessed against him, nor does it require that taxes shall be collected by a judicial proceeding ; also that a statute which gives the taxpayer a right to enjoin its collection and have the va • lidity of a tax decided by a court of justice affords process by law, notwith­ standing it requires the party to give security in advance as in other injunc­ tion cases. Affirmed. Justice Miller delivered the opinion. REAIj ESTATE TRANSFER. The New Orleans Canal and Banking Company vs. Montgomery et al., appeal from the Circuit Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. In this case it is decided that where a deed of trust re­ fers to lands as in certain range, and it appears subsequently that the number was a wrong one, and in the meantime another deed of trust is given on the same property under the right descrip tion, a court of equity will not reform the former deed by correcting the de scription, and make it a first lien on the propertv notwithstanding the other deed, and this is so because the grantees of the later deed, having no notice of any alleged mistake in the earlier one, cannot be deprived of the lien created in their favor without a violation of the plainest principles of reason, justice, and law. Reversed. Justice Sws^ne delivered the opinion. RAII(Itl>AL> BOND CAS®. Hatch vs. Coddiugtojj, error to the Circuit Court for the Southern District of New York. The question in this case v.*as whether the President of the Minne­ sota and Pacific Railway Company was authorised by the company to sell or hypothecate first-mortgage bonds of the company for such sum or sums as he might think for its interests, and to bor­ row money on the company's behalf at such rates of interest as he might think proper, and whether, therefore, his dis­ position of certain bonds to Coddington bound the company. The oourt say it would be difficult to see what words would have been more comprehensive for the grant of power claimed than those used, and affirm the decision made below in his favor. Justice Strong de­ livered the opinion. A Bog, a Man and a Mule. A North Carolina wagoner sold his dog to a Laurens county man the other day for half a barrel of sorghum sirun. The dog, however, refused to be sold and took refuge under the wagon. The Laurens county man crawled after him with a piece of meat in one hand and a rope in the other. Although there were several spectators of the scene that en­ sued it is difficult to get at the facts. All agree that there was a scuffle under the wagon, accompanied by yelps and yells ; but no one is willing to affirm that the man had the dog or the dog had the man. Finally, the dog, as it wculd seem, brushed up against the hind legs of the off mule and then all was still. It is not certain what killed the dog. One of the spectators said he thought he heard a trace-chain rattle, but when he went around to Examine the mule she was asleep. The man had lost his hat, his coat and the greater part of his trousers, and subsequent examination proved that the dog died with one ear and a handful of hair in his mouth.-- Atlanta Constitution. PURINO the last ten years nearly 1,000,000 acres in G«^t Britain, formerly under grain crops, have been converted into pasture, meat having become so paying an article to raise; but in the last Board of Trade report it is remarked that this conversion of arable land into pasture has received a check M it result of the large importation of Amcrioau meat. ILLINOIS ITEMS, QUINCY wants to sell her old county Oourt House. J THE next annual meeting of the Illi­ nois State Teachers' Association will be held at Springfield, commencing Dec.26. CLINTON is laboring to raise $10 000 the amount necessary to secure the re­ moval of the Illinois Central shorn from Wapella to that place. WILLIAMSON COUNTY'S indebtedness last year amounted to $25,7%. 10. Dur­ ing the past year, by good management, it has been reduced to $6,995.94. ANOTHER Chicago savings bank has gone to the wall. This time it is a small one, and its deposits and liabilities are happily small as its assets are diminu­ tive. The Chicago Savings Institution and Trust Company is the institution heie referred to. DIPHTHERIA in its most aggravated form is raging in the region of Monticel- lo, Piatt county, afflicting both adults and children, in one instance a child of John Hood and wife died one night and another the next night; two others are lying at the point of death, while both the parents are dangerously ill with it. CHARLES SMALLHOUSE, a brakeman on the Wabash railway, was instantly killed at Attica, a few days ago, while coupling cars. He lived in Fort Wayne, where his remains wera sent. He 'was a mar­ ried man, and leaves a wife and one child. Deceased has a divorced wife in the lunatic asylum at Columbus. He was about 30 years old. ONE of thirteen prisoners whom the Sheriff of Sangamon county was escort­ ing to the penitentiary escaped by jumping from the train while it was in motion, about six miles south of Joliet. He managed to free himself from the chain to which the prisoners were shackled, and jumped from the car win­ dow. The Sheriff offers $50 reward for his recapture. EUGENE DORREMUS, a boy about 7 years old, was killed at Englewood, the other day, by being run over by a wagon loaded witn hay. He ran out to pull some hay from tne wagon as it passed, and fell between the wheels. The hind wheel passed over his breast and killed him. No blame is attached to the driver of the wagon, as he did not know of the accident until some time after. THE receiver of the collapsed Fidelity Savings Bank, of Chicago, nas made his report to Jmlge Moore, of the Superior Court. He finds that the total liabili­ ties of the concern amount to $1,315,- 054, and that the total assets amount to $945,537--excess of liabilities over as­ sets, $369,517, or about 27 per cent. The next thing will be to realize the cash on the assets, $421,445 of which is in real estate, $261,960 in bonds and mortgages, and $132,555 in collateral loans. A COUPLE of sales of farms in the vicin­ ity of Washington, Tazewell county, have just been made which give an indi­ cation of the value of farm lands in Cen­ tral Illinois. M. K. Cairns has sold his farm, one and one-half miles north of Washington, of eighty-four acres, for $61 per acre, to John Weeks, and gives possession on the 1st of March. John Weeks, who lives five miles northeast of the city, Bold his farm of seventy-seven acres to Christian Shertz for $60 per acre, cash. THE Board of Directors of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, at a recent meeting, elected W. Iv. Acker man, Esq., to the Presidency of the road. Mr. Ackerman has been Vice President and acting President for several years. Mr. C. C. Cilark, the General Manager of the New Orleans branch of the road, suc­ ceeds to the Vice Presidency, Mr. Joseph Tucker retaining the position of Master of Transportation, and Mr. E. T. Jeffries continuing to discharge the duties of General Superintendent. THE Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of this State was in session last week at Chicago, and elected the follow­ ing officers for the ensuing year : Most Puissant Grand Master, J. J. French, of Chicago ; Deputy Puissant Grand Mas- ser, P. W. Barclay, of Cairo; Grand Thrice Illustrious. A. A. Glenn, of Ml. Sterling; Grand Principal Conductor of Work, A. A. Murray, of Decatur ; Grand Captain Guards, John O'Neill, of Chi­ cago ; Grand Conductor, John W. Page; Grand Treasurer, Charles Fisher, of Springfield ; Grand Recorder, G. W. Barnard, of Chicago ; Grand Chaplain, H. G. Perry, of Chicago; Grand Stew­ ard, John P. Ferns, of Chicago; Grand Sentinel, Arnold R. Robinson, of Spring­ field. THE Illinois Postmasters' nominated last week are as follows: D. L. Phil­ lips, Springfield; Partridge, Waukegan; Cadwallader, Linooln; Stewart, Maren­ go; Tompkins, Mount Carroll; Hum­ phrey, Vandalia; Hall, Shelbyville; Munson, Sandwich; King, Paxton; Wil­ son, Elgin; Vernard, McComb; Rich­ ards, Jerseyville; Campbell, Litchfield; Huntington, Salem; Mr, Schultz, Salem; Hevenway, Moline; Kendall, Geneseo; Perley, Henry; Mann, Gilman; Eggles- ton, Gibson City; Benson, Maywood; Moore, Metropolis City; Qehermerhorn, Lena; Shenbarger, Kirkwood; Dow, Hyde Park; Beidler, Mount Pulaski; Hunt, Odell; Phelps, Oak Park; Mrs. Eastman, Piano; Manuville, Ran to id; Vastime, Wheaton; Wilson, Virginia; Van Buren, Evanston; Ralph, Rock Falls. THE Auditor, in reference to back taxes, says, in a circular letter to County Clerks: •4 In making up the tax books for the current year, you will bring for­ ward all unpaid taxes, whatever their kind or condition, exoept in those cases where collection has been perpetually enjoined, or the courts have in any other way decided adversely to the validity of the same. Even in cases where such de­ cision has been made, if an appeal has been taken to a higher court, the tax should be brought forward every year up to the time of final decision. The enforcement of the payment of back taxes due from railroads has, in a number of instances, been defeated by reason of the gross neglect of Clerks, either through failure to bring the back taxes forward, or through th(p omission of the proper warrant for collection." THE Commissioners of the Southern penitentiary have awarded the contract for the construction of the prison at Chester to Boltis & Nelson, of Fort Wayne, Ind., at their bid,and to the Joliet penitentiary for out-stone for the 200 . i, M6£STJ» cells for $14,000. This appears to have have been a sort of compromise award. both the Joliet penitentiary and Boltis 4 Nelson claiming to be the rawest bidden f >r the entire construction, hence a di­ vision of the work satisfactory to both. T •! acting the $14,000 for oell stone, the? aw. rd to the Fort Wayne firm to "Wj stauo. the building is at the prioeoc $85,000. The contracts are already be- ing drawn up, and the Commissiooeii say the work will be at once entered; % upon. The contractor agrees to employ' prison labor at 65 cents a day on the building, and to immediately put up a two-story brick, 40x200 feet, afterward,,., to be used as a work-shop, in which tip accommodate 200 convict laborers, b*r; •" Christmas time. Only the Warden®' ' house and cne wing of cells axe expect^,1 J,! ed to be built now out of the present aiifov.fi propriation of $200,(100. THB following circular of the Stato Board of Charities was issued a few davit' ago : v ; £ _ STATE or Imson,1) BOAHDOF I'DBlHTUHAUmM, V , ' _ .. _ . BMIMOFUMt, Oct. 2». 1877. ) the Tractaea and Superintendents of the StoU , Charitable Institutions and the SUte Reforta School: T?, • Gzsmms: The following statement at tho niiMc r1 management and condition of tlw ' mstitu^ons _sa!)|ecfc to the supervision of tfat#... •' State Commissioners of Public Charities is l&JA before you for your information. The period ^ of time embraced in this statement is the focal1 ; > . year 1877, from Oct. 1, 1876 to Sept. 30, 1877. The record of the past year is creditable to tUp institutions and the 8tate, but, with united ef*u v foit, the record of the coming vear mav b* made still better. 7 • -' • The total amount of money to be aoconntdt1 for by the institutions, at the close of the focal- year, was $2,201,607.40, as follows : Cash In hands ef leoal treasurers, Oct. X, I87S. f «3,190Ja . Appropriations ef 1875, undrawn Oct. 1, Appropriations of 1877, in effect July 1, 1877. . , . . 1 ,590,699.19 Pfetit receipts during the year, act from State (sales, etc.). 6,940*91.^ Total debt .tS,a01,607J» Of the amount just stated the following dis­ position has been made: Expenses of 187% unpaid Oct. 1,1876, since paid $ 4,914M. Paid on expenses of fiscal year 1877.. . 806,966.9S In hands of local treasurers, Sept. 30, MOT «S,T88JlJ? Appropriations of 1875 undrawn (lapsed sept. 3o> mM Appropriations of 1877 undrawn (in SUte treasury) 1,29*,24040 Total credit $1,201,607.» The total expenses of the past year, as r»» Sorted to this office, have been : rdinary expenses $482,082.84 Special funds (building and other pur­ poses).... 350,743.VP Total expenses 4832,825.4* The ordinary expenses of the fiscal year 1876» were $488,791.01, a decrease, in 1877, of $8,- 708.37. Of the expenses of the past year, $23,- 839.51 was outstanding and unpaid at the cloM of the year, viz: bills, $23,645.48; orders, $194.- 08. The money was on hand, however, to meet this indebtedness, and the year closed without a deficiency in any of tho institutions, , ; The surplus, Oct. 1, 1877, after the payment of all indebtedness outstanding, was #60,664.31 v the surplus Sept. 90,1877, was $100,231.96--aa increase of $39,667.68. Of thin ampins, $68;- 916.47 was in the hands of the local treasurers, and $30,315.49 was in the State treasury, ject to the draft of the institutions, this amount of indebtedness having accrued on special appropriation account. The number of d&vs, board furnished to in­ mates in 1877 was 758,852; in the year previous it was 754.427. or. a daily average of ^Ofl^ against 2,061, an increase of 18 in the average number of inmates. The per-capita cost la 1876 was $237.16; in 1877 it was $231.7»-a de­ crease of or about 10 cents a week, th* weekly cost during the past year having been $4.45. In other words, tne review of the year just closed shows a decrease in the total and fea the average ordinary expenses of the institu­ tions, an increase in the average number of in­ mates. ami ft very large increase in the surplus < at the end of the year. This is a movement in. the right direction. In the figures given above the local treas­ urers are charged with $93,763.11, cash on hand. This figure may have to be diminished. Mr. W. N. Mitchell, of Marion, the Treaurar for several yaars past of the Southern Hospital f«r the Insane, at Anna, was displaced from office by the new Board of Trustees appointed last spring, and, on attempting to make final settlement with the Trustees, paid over to his successor the sum of $12,418.98. The Trustees • claim that he should have paid $15,415.03, and they will bring suit against his bondsmen for $2,996.10, the amount of the defloiency. It is believed that his bond is good, and that DM money can be recovered. Ihe new wing of the Southern Hospital for the Insane is nearly ready for oooupaney and-' use. The additional wing for male patients In the Central Hospital will be completed before the opening of the new year, probably. The cottages at Elgin are under way, and also the other improvements authorized by the General Aw'orably. New shope are go!«?t at the In- ' •' stitution*for the Educetion of the~ Deaf and. Dumb. AN additional builolug at PoBtlac, for . the State Iteform School, is nearly uompleted ; also the dispensary building for t!.-.c Br» aucl Ej<r Infirmary at Chicago. Ji!ma building at Lincoln, for the feeble-miniei, is completed and occupied. The architect em­ ployed by the Trustees of tho Eastern Hos* pital for the Insane, Maj. It. WiUet, of ChiM^ go, is engaged upon the plans. The oommis* aion to locate that hospital gsleatesi Very respectfully, ̂ , QIOBOK 8. Bosnraos, ̂ « ̂ JOHN N. MACqbd, M, D., ,. J. C. COBBOS, M. D7 WILLIAM A. CIBIXSHAW, ^'LI' :1 J. M. GOULD, I RED H. Wants, Secretary. Sbtf• ! : . The Importance of One Kite* By constructing a esaal about three- fourths of a mile in length, from Big Stone lake to Lake Traverse, steam­ boats from St. Paul could navigate both the Minnesota river and the Bed river of the North to Lake Winnipeg, a distance of 700 miles! The counter traversed bj these rivers is surpassingly fertile, ana capable of sustaining a dense popular tion. Lake Winnipeg is larger than Lake Ontario, and receives the Sas­ katchewan river from the west The Sas-katch-a-wan river is navigable to a point (Edmonton House) near the lioaky mountains, 700 miles west of Lake Win­ nipeg, and only 150 miles east of the oelebrated gold diggings on Fraaer river, in British Columbia. Tho dig­ ging of that one mile of canal would, therefore, enable a steamboat at New Orleans to pass into Lake Winnipeg; and from thence to Edmonton House, some 5,000 miles ! A bill has been intro­ duced into the Senate which makes pro* vision for the building of the canal. Probably there cannot be found in- other spot across winch the digging of so short a would effect a result so prodigious. And, what is equally markable, the ground between the two lakes is so low and level that it is said the water flows in times of freshets from one to the other.-- Washington Chram- icle. THEY are at work now on jhd -- of Dover tunnel. The tunnel will be­ long to its proprietors for thirty years; then the two Governments will be able to take possession of it on oertain tions.