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^ • * ? - s:?V;rt:« * - " : ' - . , • • • • - • • - . ? ' : , , : : . , . - • , * « , « • . • » . 1 • l ( • r . . . . • • . ^hffiii i'•"•• '•' 'jf jPri frtrjj paindraltr. J. Y.VT SLTKE, POTUHH^ through .bbed in HbHENKY, TTXTN"OIS. --^kttSlCULTU 81L AHD DOMESTIC. „ After Five Tears. Rifling? my friend, did i| tnnA yip This word of a woman ?--let fall oa an ear . , - , Too eager forsooth. W the fathered wood-laurel you flung at WS feet, Your swift look of anger was truly unmeet - • For your playfellow Ruth. to the years that are distant we played, it lp true, The winters away, In the enow, making, too, The most of June's grasses; JUw mingled our voices in laughter and song. And striyetl with soft tread through the woodland among Ihe rocky hill passes. Bat for bloom of the May bads one scarcely should •eek When the red beat of snmmer is on the year's cheek, And her flowers are strong; ' Tor the faint blush of dawning one lifts not bis eyea When the san in its shining is high in the sktefl i And the days have grown long. And the yaara have been many since th£ Aay that you passed From the maples of Hampshire to climb Che ship's mast In the Indian Sea; Yea, the years have been mnuy siaoe I COM In U*e morn To Oid you farewell in the yellowing corn . At the foot of the lea. And now •Ou All the mists of the years, vainly groping to pick "The bud that you left on the bush. Ah! a prick Has revealed you the truth, That blossoms and maidens may grow, sir, may grow Into roses with thorns in their keeping, and lo! Such growth is in Ruth. -inM C. Ortm, in N. T. Tribune. id now you return, and remembrance with you; itrunnng disoretion, you plunge a hand through 11 the mists Around the Farm, A CORRESPONDENT says no bird, rat or mouse will eat any vegetable substanoe that is well coated with red lead. He says lie just damps the seeds, and then stirs a little of the lead among them un­ til they get quite red. THEN we determined to try what vir­ tue there was in cats. We intended to get one dozen, but before we had the first three for two months there was not -a rat to be seen or hoard on the place. Now, if your friend still has rats, let him try three cats, and if that don't do let him try six, etc.--Our Home Journal. MB. JOHN C. WISE, one of the grass­ hopper commissioners of Minnesota, is -confident that the blackbirds and prairie chickens do eat grasshopper eggs with great avidity. He claims that in some counties in that State they have de­ stroyed the whole crop, and that they scratch for them as hens do for insects and the like. THE recent storm on the Pacifio coast is said to have been very disastrous in California and Nevada. In the former Btate a great extent of young grain has been destroyed by Hoods, and in the lat­ ter the heavy snow-fall caused the death of thousands of cattle, the generally open winter leading the stockmen to neglect to provide shelter for them. HERE'S a cow in a narrow stall--legs -doubled under quite oomfortably you might think. But look this way. Here's another cow with a seven-foot stall to stretch in. She lays with her hind legs sprawled out like a dog, and comfort ex­ pressed in every line of her face and form. A rabbit at ease will not lie in readiness to spring, and a cow likes to spread and stretch over her bed as well AS we do.--Connecticut Courant. A SUCCESSFUL breeder of poultry says that he feeds Indian meal to his young chicks four times a day, and has not had a ease of gapes for the last six years. He thinks that impure water is the princi­ pal cause of that disease. Corn meal dampened with water, or corn, cracked as, for hominy, and fed dry, is excellent food for chickens. Sulphur will destroy hen lice proper, bnt not what are called "jiggers." The latter look very like small spiders. QUINCES can be raised as easily as apples or pears in the way we shall de­ scribe. There is no secret about ii. Get the " Orange" variety ; see that t^ey are entirely free of the borer be­ fore planting, Set six ©r eight feet apart in rich soil. Bandage the stem With two or three wrappings of old muslin, or any kind of cloth, as far down in the ground as possible, as the roots .start from near the surface. Let the bandages run six or eight inches above the ground, then pack the soil compactly a couple of inches around the bandage, .and renew this every spring. Fine, large, golden quinces, rivaling the largest oranges, will bless you annually. " A MHJCH COW," writes an American dairyman, "should be quiet and con­ tented. She will have to be petted and made much of. This influences her do­ mesticity, and that, in the milch cow, .seems to be allied to the maternal feel­ ing which prompts to lacteal secretion. But whether this is .so or not, certain it is that where a single cow is petted and taken care of there is a great increase in the milk over her former yield when kept in the herd. I have known quite a number of such cases. I never knew one that did not show this improvement. Treat each o£ the members of the herd like the one taken from it and kept as a «dngle cow, and the whole herd would be improved. It would be improved to such an extent as could not well be done fey mere selection. My experience has arevealed to me the fact that our native cows, which form the staple of our •dairies, are capable of great improve­ ment, probably because they came of good blood originally when brought over, but have been abused or permitted to run down. It needs only good treat­ ment to bring them up to a good point." About the House. RICE OMELET.--One teactip boiled *weet milk, three eggs well beaten, tablespoonful butter ; bake to a light brown. Too much cooking spoils it. HAIR RESTORATIVE.--A tea, made by pouring one pint of boiling water on two table-spoonful Is of dried rosemary leaves, nith a wine-glassful of rum added, is ex­ cellent. To "SOFTEN THE HANDS.--Before retir­ ing, take a large pair of old gloves and spread mutton tallow inside, also all over the hands. Wear the gloves al Slight and wash the hands with olive oil and white castile soap the next morning. POTATO SOUP.--Eight potatoes, two turnips, iour large onions, boiled (to- igetiw*, ia beef, mutton, or poultry water) to a jam ; then strained I colaudar, then add butter rubbed flour (a little) with cream or sweet milk, pepper and salt; chopped parsley in the bottom of the tureen ; let soup boil up well, then pour over the parsley. * CUP CAKE.--For cup eake, use three eggs, two cups of sugar, two and one- half cups of floor, three-fourths of a cup of butter, one cup of water, and two tea- spo on fills of baking-powder. Flavor with one teasfeoonful of extract of lemon IF the globes on a gas fixture are much stained on the outside by smoke, soak them in tolerably hot water in which a little washing soda has been dissolved. Then put a teaspoonful of powdered am- xxiords, in of Iuk^wftmn *vno[ With a hard brush scrub the globes until the smoke stains disappears. Rinse in clean cold water. They will be as white as if new. -h '- * or vanilla. For frosting the cake, use nine heaping teespoonfuls of pulverized white sugar to the white of one egg, half a teaspoonful of extract of lemon. The whites of two eggs will* be sufficient for one !sr"6 cute. Beat the whites to a fine stiff broth, and stir in the sugar slowly; beat all together well, and spread over the cake with a knife. Set the cake in a warm place to dry. GKOUND stoppers sometimes stick, fast in bottles or decanters. The heat of the fingers in working them renders them still more fast. If the neck of the bot­ tle is warmed by a cloth wrung out of hot water, the stopper will loosen imme­ diately. Nuts on large screws are some times in a similar fix, and may be re­ moved in the same wav. A nut required to keep its place firmly, if first heated, may be fastened on more securely, and witn less injury to the thread, than by the most forcible screwing. Johnson's Revenge. John Prince Johnson had an object in getting drunk. John Prince John­ son^ wife is not more than nine-tenths angel, according to his story, and he wanted revenge on her. The other day she said to him : i'Get up and dust and go out and work and earn some cash and help me pay the rent and buy wood and keep something in the cupboard." That was a nice way for a loving wife to talk to a fat husband with a bald spot on his crown. He wanted to sit around and get his breath for the spring cam­ paign, but she didn't seem to care if he worked himself to death. He looked at her across the stove and replied : " Florinda Jane, I'll make you feel bad for saying them words," and he put on his boots and went out into the cold world. When His Honor asked the prisoner if he had any excuse for being drunk, John Prince Johnson looked greatly/Jjleased and replied : " None at alL Fine me $5 and she'll have to pay it out of her own money f " That was his plan to secure revenge. His Honor also seemed tickled when he heard it, and he made the sentence for six months or $50 fine. When John Prince Johnson heard the words his legs gave out and his teeth chattered. Me said he had a lame leg, the asthma, a touch of consumption and a taste of dyspepsia, but nevertheless he would go right out and tear up ground and throw bricks around and strike a job if the court would let him off. The court wouldn't do it, and Mrs. Johnson, who was in the audience, went out doors, saying: " He may howl, and rave, and per­ spire and expire, but right up there is where he'll roost till his time is out! "-- Free Pre**. ̂ A Slight Mistake. * A slim gentlemen of rather seedy ap­ pearance, with a bag in his hand, called at a Danbury bank on Saturday, and asked to see the cashier. The boy took a good look at the party, whom he saw to be a traveling agent of some kind, and then went into the backroom with in­ formation. He returned and said the cashier was very busy just now. The stranger set his bag dowu, and, leaning against the wall, prepared to watt. He'll have a good time if he waits till Mr. C • • comes out here," whis­ pered the boy to the teller. " You bet," replied the teller with a jocular wink. But tho man waited. Yuaxs of expe­ rience, perhaps, had taught him the wonderful sublimity of waiting. Once the cashier appeared in the door, but seeing the bore still there he precipitate­ ly retreated. Shortly after he fled over to the other bank to tell the cashier of the way he had outwitted the book fiend He had been there but a minute or two when the slim man appeared and asked for the cashier. The official of that bank was obliged to admit his pres­ ence. "I want to make a deposit of $5,000," said the slim man. "I was going to take it to the other bank, but I got tired waiting for the cashier to come in." The cashier for whom he bad waited shot back to his own institution, and when he got hold of that boy he gave him a clearer idea of singing sounds than he ever had before or will, perhaps, ever have again.--Danbury New$. Death of an Unfortunate Sovereign. Leo XIII., ex-King of Armenia, has just died in a state of wretched poverty in a hospital at Milan. This king was stripped of his earthly possessions and banished from his kingdom by the Czar of Russia, who was, at first, charitable enough to pay him a small pension. For some time past, however, the pen­ sion was cut off, the Czar having reached the conclusion that it was best to let his majesty shift for himself in the struggle of existence. Of coiuse, the only shift­ ing tho poor, unacclimated outcast could do was to pawn all the little trink­ ets of past royalty remaining to him, and this he did in behalf of bread. Finally, he had nothing more to pawn, and died, leaving a widow and several very interesting young Armenian ex- subjects. A collection has been taken up for them by the hospital authorities. Yet this poor sovereign was of very high and noble lineage, having numbered among his ancestors no less than twenty- five kings who wore crowns ; five were emperors of the East, three kings of Jerusalem, and seventeen kings of Cy­ press. . A GtqstoiA exchange recently headed a marriage announcement ? " Cramp Kollock." He was the cramp, and she --the other party. THE OSAGE LANDS. > Court. » The United States Supreme court has reoently rendered a decision in the Osage land case, affirming the settlers in their right to lands pre-empted in Kansas. Great exertions have been made by the railroad lobbies to carry this ease. The decision, which releases 960,000 acres to settlers, involves the largest land interest ever adjudicated in an American court. Under certain acts of Congress passed in March, 1863, and July, 1866, grants of land in Kansas were made in the usual form in aid of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas and the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston railroad coiapauica. At the time these grants were made the Osage Indians held a large tract of rich and valuable land in Kansas knoifki as the Osage reservation. The Osages deeded their land to the United States by a treaty proclaimed on January 1, 1867, the Government undertaking to sell that portion known as the Osage treaty land, about 960,000 acres, the proceeds to be applied to the general civilization oi the Indians. Another portion of the land was called the Osage trust land, and this was to be sold for the benefit of the Osages themselves, and the third portion was called the diminished reservation, which remained in possession of the Osages until recent­ ly when by an arrangement with the tribe this diminished portion was also sold and the Osages went to the Indian ter­ ritory. Oh April 10, 1869, Congress passed a law authorizing the sale of the Osage ceded lands to actual settlers at $1.25 per acre, and under this act set­ tlers entered the ceded lands. The rail­ roads then set up a claim that these lands belonged to diem by virtue of the acts of March, 1863, and July, 1866. They claim that, although when the acts were passed, these lands did not pass under the grant, that the grant attached when the Indian title was extinguished. Atty. Gen. Williams, at the instance of Congressman Lawrence, of Ohio, author­ ized a suit to be brought in the name of the United States vs. the railroad com­ panies to adjudge that they were not en­ titled to the lands. The case was decid­ ed by Justice Miller, of the Supreme oourt, and Judge Dillon, of the District court in January, 1874, the de­ cision being against the railroads and in favor of the settlers, to protect whom the suit was brought by the Government. The'railroads appealed the ense to the Supreme oouit before which it was argued lost October by Judge Black and Mr. Lawrence for the settlers, and OoL Philips and Senator Edmunds for the railroad companies. There are now on these oeded lands a population of at least 150,000 people, possessing schools, churches, and various industrial estab­ lishments. A decision in favor of the railroad companies would have abrogated tho title of these to their property, which was regularly purchased from the United States. On the Battlefield. A recent writer truly says: I believe no two good soldiers will widely disagree as to their sensations during a battle. I take it to be a piece of bravado in any man to assert that he had no fear during tl^p progress of a long and severe en­ gagement. A battle is a veritable hell upon earth; not to be in serious appre­ hension while it >lasts is to be either drunk, crazy or insensible. The highest type of bravery is that of the who realizes the full extent of the peril, but sticks resolutely to his duty. It was my experience, and that of all those about me, repeated a dozen times, that shell firing is not ordinarily nearly so demoral­ izing as that of musketry. It is not often that shell are thrown so that their fragments scatter death and wounds, and their loud humming overhead does not cause that nervous tingling which always follows the sharp zip of the rifle bullet. The peculiar cutting of the air made by half a dozen of these at once is apt to give the soldier the idea that the whole air is filled with them, and that he is certain to be struck by one of them. On Contract. A long, slim colored man rested on his snow-shovel in front of a house on Mi­ ami ?.vemie ?.nd mused: " Jamas, you is a fool! What fur ? Why, for contractin' to keep dis walk el'ar of snow for de season for $5.00." He threw up a few more loads, warmed his fingers, and went on: " You thought you had a soft thing on de contract business when all de snow what fell in 'Cember, January and Feb­ ruary didn't take three hours' work to cl'ar off. Oh I you is mighty peart, you is! Here's half a day's work and snow comin' down by de cart load I" He dug about three feet further, and then suddenly uttered a yell and called out: "James, you'is all right--your head am de levelest kind o' level I It was five dollars for de winter season, while heah de sim has crossed de line a whole week ago, and dis snow haint your business at all! You isn't no fool, James--you shoulder dat snow-plow and walk right home f"--Detroit Free Pre**. the succeeding June. In cases of toes, taking those that rot and are wise Joet, together with the shrinkage, there is little doubt that between Octo­ ber and June, ihe loss to the own A that holds them is not less than tliirtv-three percent V' " *£ Santa Annft in his Old ifflk - He lives in the city of Mexico, in a tjiied rate house of two stories, with courts of not more than twenty feet square, the pavement out of repair, the whole telling the story of' poverty. He was seated on a much-woan sofa, attend­ ed by a smart-appearing Mexican of middle age, and rose, with some difficul­ ty. iu receiving us. He complained considerably of his wooden leg, and also of blindness. He is an old man of eighty years, very decrepit, .yet in full command of his facilities ; lias a good head and face, not unlike the pictures of Humboldt in old age, with broad temples, and an abrupt, square nose, and, at one time, good eves. He had. little to say, but appeared pleased at our visit; and, as we told him cf the four or five general officers of the Mexican war still living, he listened •jeith interest, but showecr no special recognition until the name of Pillow was mentioned, whom he remembered per­ fectly. Over the sofa where Santa Anna sat was the picture of a beautiful woman in her fullness of youth and loveliness. This was his Wife when both led the for­ tunes of Mexico As we passed out the oourt our attention was called to the fig­ ure of a woman of fifty in the window opposite, in plain dress, and devoid of any interesting attribute. This was sne whose pic­ ture had so interested us, Mrs. Gen. San­ ta Anna.--Correspondence of the Cin­ cinnati Enquirer. Chicago Falls Heir to Several Million Dollars. The Chicago Tribune says : " The news has been received of the death in Rome of Miss Julia. B. Newberry, daughter of the late Walter L. Newber­ ry. Through this event the North di­ vision will some time be honored with a magnificent library. The late Mr. New­ berry left an estate clear of all incum­ brance, consisting chiefly of real estate, and valued even at the present depre­ ciated prices at $4,000,000or $5,000,000. A large portion of it is unproductive, but the inoome is upward of $100,000 a year. One-third of this goes to Mrs. Newberry, the widow, as her dower, and the Ft>mainder, now that the heirs are dead, is to accumulate until after Mrs. Newberry's death, when one-half of the whole estate will be devoted to found­ ing A free publio library in the North Division. 0 Anagram. From the word incompatible the fol­ lowing one hundred and twenty-seven words may be made : I, in, it, imitable, ice, into, can, com­ patible, came, can't, come, Colman, cole, coal, colic, colet, cabinet, cable, cab, cabin, colin, cail, comet, comic, combine, cane, Cain, colt, coma, on, once, one, omit, mope, map, moat, man, men, moan, mint, mole, malt, mite, me, mat, mane, mate, meat, pin, pate, poem, pomace, point, Po, pint, pit, pot, polite, pelt, pole, plait, plate, pen, at, able, Abel, ale, ail, aloe, ant, an, tap, tea, tab, top, tone, tin, ten, table, tale, tail, tiel, to, toe, tie, tame, time, ton, tomb, bit, bite, boil, bile, bloat, blot, bane, bain, boa, be, boat, lin, lame, limb, lain, lane, lie, lint, lamb, lion, ebon, entomb, no, nimble, nice, net, nit, not, nib, nail, name, Nain, note, amen. A Fool and His Gun. There is a familiar strain running through this incident, related by the Barnwell (S. C.) Sentinel: "On Wednes­ day morning last Willie Kelly, son of Mr. James Kelly, of Blackville, went out gunning. Upon his return ha met young Jack O'Neil, who was a clerk in the store of P. W. Farrell, Esq., and who asked him if he had killed anything. Young Kelly drew his gun and remarked good- naturedly, 4 No, but I'll kill you,' and to the lad's horrible surprise his gun went &e»il5 - O'-v.lrs-' - side,' caitsing rat ILL (HOIS ITEMS. # Ax Jacksonville the fact ^ nmnft to light that the water-works of that city do not pay running expenses. The receipts for the year, $3,493; expenditures, $4,- 850.7& THE saloon-keepers ol Bloomington will raise funds to take to the Supreme court a case in which the constitutional­ ity of the late Liquor law is involved, and fti which Judge Tipton has decided that the law is constitutional. HENRY HUNTER, Sr., an old ciHzen of Williamson county, and a veteran of the Mexican war, died at Carbondale reoent­ ly. Hunter belonged to a squad of HharpHiiouierH in Lite buttle of New Or­ leans, in 1815, and it has always been thought that it was the bullet shot by Hunter that killed the British General Pakenham. He was aged ninety-seven years, and a respected old man. MR. GRANT BRUTON, who lives near Centralia, has a ddg which has for sever­ al years manifested a strange affection for one of his cows. The bovine and R*FLL,NN)A OVA _ ILI8CPSR?.BLS CCTUPWUIOFIS* Mary and her lamb were not more so. The dog sleeps by the side of the cow and accompanies her by day and guards her with zealous and untiring care. He will convey com from the crib to her when permitted to do so. THE citizens of Joliet and Will county propose to celebrate the Centennial Fourth in a glorious manner. The pro­ gramme, as arranged, comprises a sham battle, in which over 2,000 " brave boys" will participate, with full accom­ paniment of artillery and cavalry, the erection of a triumphal arch, a general illumination of the city at night, a bang­ ing of bells, and a brilliant blow-out of brass bands, bunting and buncombe. THE count at the Illinois State prison now stands 1,505. It was scarcely ex­ pected that it would ever reach that fig­ ure. It will soon be time to think seri­ ously of another prison for this State, if crime continues to increase as it has for the past six months. The excess of the receipts over the discharges for the last six months, ending April 1, is 127, or about twenty per cent, increase. The labor of all the convicts cannot be profitably util­ ized. A YOUNG lady some sixteen years of age, the daughter of a farmer by the name of Harris, who lives some six miles west of Tuscola, met with a most terrible death on Saturday last. She was out in a field engaged in burning corn-stalks, when her dress caught fire. She ran for the house for help with her clothing all in a blaze. One of the family threw a buck­ et of water over her, and she fell to the ground and died in a few moments. Her body was burned to a crisp. >ly opei id thai mutual company, 156 joint stock panies of other States, sevea mutual < pauies of other States, and fourteen for-* eign companies. Eighty-nix and other mutual fire insurance compan-4 0 ies of this State, organized under the act* t, ^ to govern township insurance companies, have filed statements and authority to continue business sine Jan. 1, 1876. Six companies have or-5 ganized under the Revised Township law, and are authorized to transact busi- ness. The business done the past year*^ . .f by all fire and marine insurance com-; *' panies is as follows: Fire risks written, 8439,297,295; marine, $45,404,747; total, $484,102,042; premiums received, ike,ij«*&« QAQ 100 OH. AOOiH 1 ro n J . i uumiuCJ tO", A tal, $6,245,354.10; losses paid, fire, $1,- , 330,273.14; marine, $240,066.48; total, $1,570,339.62; losses incurred, fixe and?* r<.*!* marine, $1,587,792.90; estimated ex- SMC* penses, $1,856,733.05; total losses in- jijMp* curred and expenses, $3,444,525.75; nety . ,#l. profits to the companies, $2,800,828.35. ^ Reminiscences for the Centennial. ̂ The followiuK facts respecting thefC personality of the illustrious men whdP^ imperilled their property, their liberty,^ and their lives by attaching their sig->S^ * natures to that instrument which estabf--tm{ iished our national independence will ba>,^. read with interest as the Centennial an >"f niversary of the day which •witnessed?-^'*-' the act draws near : ! The thirteen States then comprising4 » the American colonies were wspre^nteaiii<f - in the assemblage that passed the meas-*(J<t|̂ . ure by fifty-one members. Thirty-seven ' \ enjoyed the benefits of eolleariate train-.'r*/fV ing, twenty were lawyers, four wew?^ ' physicians, five were clergymen, threeum fi ' were farmers, and the remainder were engaged in various mercantile pursuits,, except Roger Sherman, the shoemaker, and Benjamin Franklin, who boasted being a printer, yet was a statesman ancP1**'4 . a philosopher. Benjamin Franklin wasrr Y < the oldest among the members and Ed-.f ward Butledge the youngest. Robert,. opulent, the financier of the administration, ne mi- gotiating extensive loans for the use offrf^l the Goven Shamed Him. A woman, who apparently hailed from the rural districts, followed her liege lord into a bar-room yesterday. She wanted to shame him from taking a smile by first ordering one for herself. She laid down a $1 bill, and said that shf? would " take sugar in hers." Her husband said that he would take some of the same, and she drained her glass like a toper and called for another, and that seemed to tickle her palate so that she oontinued to call for drinks. Her husband seemed to be shocked, but took a glass every time the wife did, saying that he would not be outdone by any woman, much less his own frau. After drinking several glasses they staggered out on the sidewalk. She popped her­ self on the top of a barrel, but he chose the pavement for a seat, as that required no exertion to reach. And there they sat, both perfectly under the influence of too much fire-water, a lovely, free- and-easy pair.--Austin {Tex.) Gazette. IT is said that corn loses one-fifth and wheat one-fourteenth by drying. From this estimate it seems that it would be more profitable to the farmer to 'sell un- shelled corn in the fall, at seventy-five cents per bushel, than to keep it until spring and sell at $1, and that wheat at $1.25, in December, is equal to $1.50 - Bl&ukelgi A very eheap blanket can bo innde by stitching two or three thicknesses of newspapers between two sheets. Such & blanket will be as warm as a much thicker one, as paper is an excellent non­ conductor. A large newspaper placed between the folds of a thin shawl will make it as warm as a thick pliawl or cloak. Paper wrapped around the feet outside of the stockings will add much to comfort on a cold day by retaining the natural heat. A paper or two spread be­ tween the covers of a bed in an emerg- gemcy will serve the purpose of an ad­ ditional blanket. The Timber Supply. The forests o£ Europe are estimated as being 500,000,000 acres in extent. In North America 1,460,000,000 acres are covered with trees, of which area 900,000,000 are in British North Amer­ ica. In South America forests occupy 700,000,000 acres. The proportion of forest 'and to the whole area of "Europe is computed at twenty per cent.; in America twenty-one. Supposing, there­ fore, twenty per cent, to be the propor­ tion in Asia, Africa and Australia, the grand total of the forests of the world cover a space of 7,734,000 geographical miles. A Riyer of Ink. In Algeria there is a river of genuine ink. It is formed by the union of two streams, one coming from a region of ferruginous soil, the other draining a peat swamp. The water of the former is strongly impregnated with iron, that of the latter with gallic acid. When the two waters mingle the acid of the one unites with the iron of the other, form­ ing a true ink. We are familiar with a stream called Black brook in the north­ ern port of this State, the inky color of whose water is evidently due to a like condition.--Scientific American. GEORGE BEEDI«E shot at Sheriff New­ ton, in Afton, N. ¥., the other day, but a law book in the Sheriff's hands stop­ ped the bullet after it had gone through fifty leaves.^ Law books are good for something, after all. ter and the frequent rains and thaws is, that throughout the State there are mil­ lions of acres of corn-fields from which last year's crop has not yet been gath­ ered, because it has been and is almost impossible to drive wagons through the fields to haul it off. Most of the corn is down in the mud and water, and, with the present wet weather, there is danger that millions of bushels will rot before the ground will be in such condition that the corn can hauled from the fields. THE Bureau of Weights and Measures at Washington has forwarded to the Sec­ retary of State a set of the metric stand­ ards of weights and measures under the metric system, as legalized by Congress in 1866. This act provides tnat it shall be lawful to employ this system; that "no contract dealing or pleading iu any oourt shall be deemed invalid or liable to ob jectiou because the weights or measures expressed or referred to therein aro weights or measures of the metric sys­ tem." Of course the use of this system s not compulsory. THE Adjutant-general hag commis­ sioned Gen. William E. Strong, of Chi­ cago, as Inspector--general, with the rank of Lieutenant colonel, of the First Brigade of Illinois State Militia, on the personal staff of Gen. A. C. Ducat, com­ manding. Commissions will also be is­ sued to the officers of Company A, Chi­ cago Light Cavalry--Captain, George M. Miller; First-lieutenant, Louis Mrochlich: Second-lientenant, 0 Frank Schvradiow. j"- Adjt ,Gen." Loiia, ol IV&D illy wrifas Adjt. Gen. Fairmount Park, and near the Exposi­ tion builJingii, liavo been aet apart for the militia organizations of the uo»eral States visiting the Centennial. He in­ quires what Illinois milit'a organizations propose attending, and their numbers. Adjt. Gen. Hillard is unable to encour­ agingly reply, because 'the high rates fixed by the railroads have operated to deter Illinois organizations from carry­ ing out a desire to attend the Exposi­ tion. ON Thursday of last week two coal- miners named Patrick Lamb and Thomas Reams were drowned in Raymond & Co.'s coal mine, near Canton, under the following circumstances : A number of miners have been endeavoring to bora a tunnel or drift under a small creek near Raymond's distillery, with a view to opening a bank on the opposite side of the creek, and connecting the two banks by a subaqueous channel. They had progressed about thirty feet under the bed of the stream when the water began to leak through. Nothing was done to prevent it until the day previous to the accident, when the gang of men were sent out to prop up the roof of the tun­ nel. The men worked at the job all day, and at 6 o'olock four of them went home to supper, leaving two, Patrick Lamb and Thomas Kearns, in the mine. About 9f 'o'clock, on returning to the shaft, it was discovered that the creek had broken through and that the mine was flooded with water, the unfortunate men being buried beneath the water and sand. THE first part of the annual report of the State Superintendent of Insurance has been completed, and is already in the hands of the State printer. The re­ port states that the capital stock of the Mercantile Insurance Company of Chi­ cago became impaired and the company went into liquidation. Its risks are re­ insured in the Globe Insurance Company of Chicago. Since the date of the last report authority to do business in this State has been given to thirty-four fire and marine insurance companies not previously doing business in Illinois, and this brings the number complying with the laws and doing business in Illinois up to 187, divided as follows: Nine joint stock companies of Illinois, one Government upon his personal credit. He died in prison, having been incar­ cerated for debt; a beautiful commen­ tary on those laws that made no discrim­ ination between the honest but unfor-^'1 tunate debtor and the convicted felon J#- * Daniel Adams was the most needy, his*, ift impoverished condition being well|J ^JJ known. The management of his pe-|-- . cunisry affairs made it necessary for r him to seek a burial at the public ex-^t>; 1 pense. Josiah Bartlett was the first to wf vote for the measure, and first afterlJW President Hancock to sign the docu-«j ment. Two of the number, John Ad- - ams and Thomas Jefferson, were subse­ quently Presidents. It is a remarkable!*1*®* fact that these two men, having been' Presidents, associated on the uwmmitte®»s% that framed the Deoliumioja ol inde­ pendence, and the first recognized lead­ ers of two great political factions ofL_ our country, died on the same day, th«p? 4th of July, 1826--the fiftieth anniJt«»> versary of the day upon which they ha<) ,n« contributed so much to the welfare ol^ their countrymen. Charles Carroll w« . the only member that added Ms place of residence, and the reason of its beingf**'* done in this instance is somewhat pe*l*V culiar. The patriots that formed tha|(iw convention knew full well that by thei action on that day they hazarded th< lives. When Carroll was signing somu one near him remarked, "He will gel n' off; there are so many Carrolls thejrui} will not know which to take." " Nofchj so," replied he, and immediately added "of Carrollton." He lived to see all tho memorable men with whom he actea on that eventful day pass away, and exi^'0' joyed the prosperity of his country* w until 1832, when he died in his ninety* fifth year.--Boston Journal* , « ' It Was " Porous.*5 ^ While a clerk in a Detroii"1im3waf«|?-w store was one morning setting things t4 > w rights for the business of the day, a citi».,, zen with gray locks and self-satisfied look dropped in and kindly asked : " Have you any four-quart porous ketK'H ties?" " Porous kettles t"" rawed the .» " I never heard of them." ' :j,s. "Whatdo-vou/caU thu^r*.tiaprnded^ tlus.-aroniK! uiiu HeLi - » up a kettle. -• "'That'sa 'porcelain kettle, sir," ^ the xwi/ly ; "that's what you want,i»uJ it!" ^ "That's what I want if it is a porou» a kettle," said the citizen. / v, "We call 'em porcelain," replied the ' clerk. "What right have to call them so I Why don't you call a dog a oat ?" " But how can iron be porous f" * hnmbly inquired the clerk. 'a . " How can a young man be a fool Im S shouted the citizen. " It has oome to pretty pass when a boy of your age abm tempts to teach a man of my years anyj^ thing 1 Don't you suppose I know thi.. difference between porcelain and ]>6- * rous?" "Yes, sir." it "Well, then, here's your seventy-five i cents for this porous kettle, and I'd lik^\ to have it sent around to the house righ^. awav." The clerk had to submit. He sayi* that a rich man can do anything, while a poor clerk is kept down.--Detroit Fnie Pre**, ̂ - ,• > The Silver Mil. The foUowing is the tett of the bill for the issue of silver coin in plam ».•#' fractional currency, whuch recently passed both houses of Congress : Be U enacted, etc., That there be. and beretyf is, appropriated out of the money in the treas­ ury. not otherwise appropriated, the sum of.. $163,000 to provide for engraving, priutipg, and other expenses of makiug and issuing TJoit®d Stsiee notes, the further eum oi $48,000 to provide for the engraving and mint­ ing of National b&iik notes, to be dishorned un­ der the Secretary of the Treasury. 8EC. 2. That the Secretary of the Treasury* in hereby directed to issue silver coins of th®. United 'States of the denominations of ten, > twenty, twenty-five, and fifty sent? of standard value, in redemption of an etjuM amount of ' fractional currency, whether the same be no«t * in the treasury awaiting redemption, or when-, ever it may be presented for redemption, aiut the Secretary .of the Treasury may, trades? the regulations of the Treasury department,-- provide for such redemption, and issue by tmfc-* stitution at the regular Hub-treasuries and det vositoriee of the United States until the wholo amount of fractional currency outstanding shall be redeemed, and the fractional correztcjt redeemed under this act shall be held to be » part of the siuking fund provided for by the existing law, the interest to be computed there* on its in case of bonds redeemed under the acti| relating to the siuking * IV