’I‘IIB GROWING TEREOBS OF WAR. Mil Greater Velocity oi Cannon Balls- Lord Armstrong's Statement in Regard to the node": Weapons, Powder, and SUM. The annual meeting of the shareholders of Sir W. G. Armstrong. Mitchell .3: Co.(Limit- ed) was held in the Eiswick Mechanics’ In- stitute, London, Eug., the other evening. Lord Armstrong, Chairman of the company, presided, and in the course of his address said - "When I last addressed you I referred to the success which had attended the introduc- tion of our quick-ï¬ring guns of large calibre, and I am happy to say that continued trials with these guns, and progressive improve- ments in their manufacture, have ï¬rmly established their advantages. Those advantages will be still further enhanc- ed by the employment of the new smokeless powder, whizb, it may be said. is now certain to be brought into use. With ordinary powder it would be impossible to ï¬re these large guns at their maximum rate of some ten rounds per minute, on account ofhthe hanging smoke from the discharge, w loh RENDERS AIMING IMPOSSIBLE ; with the so~callcd smokeless powder (in which nitrate of ammonia is used as a base) the same hindrance is not experienced, the smoke produced by the discharge being very much less in volume, and dissipating very readily. Excellent results have been ob- tained with it, velocities of about 2 300 feet per second in the 12~centimetre gun (45f inch) being reached, aid in ths l5 centimetre gun (6 inch) the extraordinary velocity of 2,500 test per second has been realized, in both in- stances with very permissible pressures. But even with these powders, though much reduced in volume, the smoke is still present as a partial hindrance, and extended experi- ments are now being carried out to endeavor, if possible, to obtain a powder with a total absence of smoke. We have lately been experimenting with a new powder recommended by Sir Freder- ick Abel’s committee (known from its stringâ€"like form as ‘cordite ’) with much success. With a 6 inch gun velocities of 2,300 feet have been obtained with cordite at pressures somewhat over twelve tons. As yet it would be premature to say up to what size of gun this powder might be used, and its adaptability for the service has, of course, still to be proved by climatic and other tests; but at present the results are very promising. It is impervious to damp, and, above all it is absolutely smokeless, and should the results mentioned above be main- tained, its employment will, in all pro. liability, work a revolution in modern arma- ments, and render the use of QUICK-FIRING GUNS ct only an advantage but a necessity. much for guns and powder. “When last addressing you I referred to our continued success in the production of war ships. and especially of protected cruis- ers ; andI alluded particularly to a vessel of this class we were building to our own designs for the Italian Government. This vessel, the Piedmonte, was then just haunch- ed ; but she has since then passed through both her speed and her gunnery trials, and has, I am happy to say, more than realizrd the predictions which I then ventured to make both as to her speed and power of armament. I said last year that she was expected to obtain o. speed of 21 knots in real- ity she has accomplished 22 3 knots ( qual to ‘20 miles an hour), which is the highest speed ever obtained by any sesgoing ship. She carries on either broadside four 6 inch guns, three 12 centimetre guns, and ï¬ve 0 pcuuders, excluding mitrailleuses ; and with this broadside ï¬red at the msxlmum rate she could discharge some 5,000 pounds Weight of projectiles in a minute. I have long contended that vessels of this class would prove more serviceable in relation to their cost: than armored battle ships, especi- ally in the case of a navy like ours, which has every widespread commerce of incalcul- able value to protect." Tlll'l MOVING TOWERS 0F GRUSON. At the German army marlouvres the other day the Emperor took up the defensive po- sition, which was strengthened by eight Schumann iron-clad towers provided hlï¬h machine guns. These fortiï¬cations are on wheels, and resemble beehives. Inside all two men, one on a saddle like that of a hicyle, the other handing him ammunition, of which 600 shot can be stored within. The turrets contain a quick~loadiog gun, ï¬ring thirty small shrapnell shell or solid shot, the latter for use against cavalry. The turrets revolve and are bullet and shell proof. The chief objection to them seems the difficulty of moving them. Horses were not available and about twenty men, with their auxiliary force of villagers, were rvquired to drag each of the swim runners EMPLOYED into position as the extremities .f the in- fantry intrenchment. Smokeless powder was employed in the guns, but it gave a bright flash like artillery so that the posi- tion of tho turrets, which were painted the color of the soil, could be distinguished. But Maj or von Scheibert warmly advocates them, arguing that even if artillery after much trouble had destroyed one, it would be a slight loss compared with the execution the turrets can inflict. .\l sjor von Scheibert is an opponent of all permanent fortiï¬cations. llesays theFrench repent their expenditure on them, and in- stanced the fatal attraction of Metzand Strasburg during the last War for French armies. The turrets were invented by the late Capt. Schumann, and built by Cruson of Magdeburg. The old cliicers call them “ tine, ' or " hand ï¬resngiue,’ which they resemble. So A Sorrowful Census -â€"The Buï¬iloes. Twenty years ago there roamed over the plains and mountains of the for West nearly 18,000 000 buffaloes. To day than are less than 500 head of the animals in existence. There are but eighty ï¬ve head of wild buffalo“, 304 alive in captivity, and about 200 under the protection of the Government in Yellow-st vnc Park. There is also said to be about 550 head in our northwest. O.‘ the otghty~ï¬re head of wild buffaloes which are known to txist, twenty ï¬ve are in Texas, twenty in Colroado. twenty six in \V yoming.teuin identities and four in Dakota, The statistics have been carefully gathered by the all isle of the Smithsonian Institute and it is absolutely known that the number stated comprise all the wild buffaloes of the world. The skeletons of the numerous herds of ascere of years ago are bleaching on the Western lains. atribute to the prowess of the Arm can Nimrod. FRANCE 8 GOSI‘LY A SIATIO COLONY}. i low the French Treat the Annamllesâ€" The Women or Tonquinâ€"Pidgin french. After China, with its hundreds of then- sands of ones who will walk all day up hill under burdens that would break down a European athlete on the level, the Annamiles strike you as a nation of plgmies. Their average height must be under five feet, they are narrow-chested and thin-legged, their months are always stained a slobbering ï¬lthy red with the areca nut and lime they chew unceasingly, and they are stupid beyond the power of words to tell. Whether it is the fault of their conquerors or not I cannot say but they appear to be a people destitute of self~respect. At any rate the French treat them as if they hid none. The ï¬rst time I went into dejeuner at the hotel at Haiphong one of the " boys†had left a dirty plate on the little table to which the host showed me. “ Qu’est ce que tu fais, toi 2" demanded the latter, pointing to the plate, and smack, A BOX 0N Till-Z EARS followed that you could have heard ï¬fty yards off. And this in the middle of a crowd ed dining room. You would no more think of striking a Chinese servant like that than of tweaking a policeman’s nose on Yonge street. Before aFrenchman an Annamite appears to have to rights. Both men and women in Touquin wear their hair long and twisted up into a kind of chignou on the top of the head. In is, of course. always lanky and jet black. Their dress is of the most simple. The men wear a loose jacket and short trousers, and the women a long straight shift reaching from neck to heels. The Annamite man is a very poor creature, and it is only among the upper classes that one sees occasionally a well formed or handsome face, with some eleve- tion or dignity of txpression. The women are much better looking and would often be pretty, except for the stained mouth and teeth, which render them horrible to a European eye. But in ï¬gure they are much the most favored of any I have yet seen in the East, and in the course of awalkiu Hanoi you may meet a dczan who are straight enough and strong enough and shapely [enough to serve as a sculptor’s mode's. Their . native deuce is a burlesque of the Japanese, its the accompaniment of a ï¬ddle six feet long. The few women you see with clean mouths and white teeth are almost sure to be the mistresses of Europeans. The most curious of the surface impres- sions of Tonquin is the language you must learn to talk with the natives. Your car becomes familiar with “pidgin English" bsfpre you have spent aday in the East, an A IIORRID JARGON it is, convenient, no doubt. but growing positively repulsive after a while. But “ pid- gin French," or “ petlt negro,†as it is call- ed, comes as a complete surprise. And it is all the funnier because of the excellent native pronunciation of French. “ Petit negro †is characterized, as compared with French prop- er, by four featuresâ€"omission ofthe auxiliary verbs, ignoring of gender, employment of the inï¬nitive for all moods and tenses, and ab- sence of words taken bodily from the native, like “ maskee,†“ man-man," and “ chop- chop,†in pidgin. The one expression which recurs again and again with an inï¬nity of meaning is “y-a~moyon,â€or “y-apasmoyen." And after this comes “ ï¬ll,†for “ ï¬ni," nearly as often. The “ You savvy †of pid- giu is “Noi conuaitre?" The “My wantchce" is “Moi vouloir.†The native servant is everywherecalledby the English word “boy,†pronounced "boi-ee," in two syllables. And language is further enriched by a number of words recalling the nursery, like “ pcnsse- nousse," for jinrikisha, “ coups~coupn,†for a big knife, and so on. “ Beaucoup" does duty for “ tree†and “ bien," so one is con- stantly hearing sentences like these: “Moi beaucoup vouloir avoir sampan,†“Soupe beaucoup mauvaisâ€"moi donner vous beau- coupbamhou,†and “ Toi beaucoup imbecile. †“ Petit negro" is of course much younger than pidgin; for one person who speaks it a hundred thousand speak the latter, and it is not capable of the flights of oratory to which the accomplished speaker of pidgin can soar. Nor will it ever become what pidgiu has long beerâ€"the vehicle of communication between the vast numbers of people other- wise acquainted with only a score different dialects and tongues. I may add here that “ Tongking†is the same word as “ Tokyo,†meaning “ Eastern capital.†and that the former is the only correct spelling. to express the Chinese sounds. “ Tonquin" is absurd, either in French or English. â€"_â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"‘-â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€" Stanley in Africa- Thc most favourable view that can be taken of the results of Stanley's expedition is that something has been done at the closing stage to promote the ends of civilization. As an organized process of rescue it was a signal failure; but as a diplomatic expedient for extending the influence on the British Eist Africa Company in the interior it may have accomplished some useful purpose. That company is rapidly acquiring a great African l‘l npire. To its original concessions hn re- cently been added the occupation of a coast- line 700 miles in length from the Umha to the port of Warsheikh. Stanley's chief pat- ron, Sir William Mackinnon, is the presi- dent of the company, and his ï¬nancial in- vestment for the relief of Emiu will prove a remuneratlve one if the explorer by diplo- matic negotiations has contrived to enlarge the jurisdiction of the directors, and to open trade routes inland to the borders of Emin's province. This would be a distinct gain for African civil'zstiou, and it is to be hoped that Stanley has succeeded in promoting the material interests of the company. Other- wise, his costly cxpedition has been a mischi- culated failure from beginning to end. Emin, when found, was not in need of rcenforce- was not in a position to help him. The res- cuers themselves were in the worst possible plight, and have only been enabled to return to the coast by Emin’s hearty co-operation and organizsd aidâ€"[New York Tribune. What He Meant. Mr. J:fl‘arsonJacksonâ€"â€"â€I wish fch to git some candy foh a young lady, ssh." Con- fectlcnerâ€"“Yes, sir. Is there any particu- lar kind you would like?’ Mr. Jefferson Jacksonâ€"“Well I dunno. ssh, as deyis." Conftcticnerâ€""How would some of these bou bans suit you!’ Mr. Jefferson Jackson â€"-“I guess or his gimme some of dam dere flesh color candies up yonder." Confec- tionerâ€"“Ah, you mean these chocolate drops." great brown coolies, and its slim in meats and relief, and the shattered column that emerged on the shores of the Albert Nyatzi from the uninhabitable wilderness THE HBROINES 0P TONKlN. A Splendor! Temple Demented to Two Girls Who “'on Enduring Fame, Alittle outside of the city of Hanoi, in Tonkin. is a remarkably handsome pagoda which live twenty women. They lseldotn leave their chosen heme, and they subsist upon the contributions of visitors ï¬nd “POD Email revenues which the temple receives from the Government. Some of them are young and pretty, and in intelligence and nttaintmntatheyare alliabove the common people. They are recluses, and their mission is to perform the work of the temple and to keep alight constantly burning before the life size statues of mm young women whose patriotic heroism is thus honored, and the memory of their achievements and martyr- dom for their country kept alive in the hearts of the people, though they lived nearly nineteen centuries ago. Their career greatly resembled that of Joan of Are. In the year 36 of the present era, Tonkin W18 angering under the oppressive rule of China, who had driven her legitimate kings from the throne. Tonkin was a Chinese pro- vince, ruled by Chinese functionaries and the people groaned under a heavy yoke. Two young sisters of noble family named Chin Se and Chin Eul, took advantage of the widespread discontent to stir up a revolt. Remarkablefor their energy and bravery, and greatly admired for their beauty and splendid horsemanship, they placed them selves at the head _of a volunteer army, and drove the foreigners pellvmell out of Tcnkiu. For a time Tonkin was again her own mas. tar, the sisters were idolized, and the people received them with asclamationo and grati- tude. The news travelled to Pckin of the dis- grace the two women had inflicted upon the Chinese arms, and the Emperor Koang Ti sent a great army under one of his most famous soldiers to teach Tonkln and her famous Generals a terrible lesson. Vt'hcu the army reached Tonkin the sisters and their warriors met the Chinese host on the frontier and contested the ground step by step, performing prodigies of valor. The de- cisive battle ï¬nally took place on the out- skirts of the capital. The Tonkinese at ï¬rst had the best of the ï¬ght. but in the crisis of the battle some of their Generals passed over to the enemy. This treason gave the victory to the Chinese. The two sisters fell from their horses pierced with spears as they were leading a last charge in the vain effort to check the Chinese advance. The memory of their patriotism and feats of arms has been perpetuated in this costly temple. High walls surround it, and only those can enter who have a permit. Within are many carvings and paintings, done in the best style of Tonkiuese art, depicting scenes in the brief but glorious career of the two sisters. A great couch is shown which is supposed to be similar to that upon which the sisters sat when they gave audiences. Specimens of ancient weapons of warfare hang on the walls. There are life-size paint- ings to represent the horses upon which the sisters rode, and one wall is entirely devoted to a painting of the two elephants which always marched at the head of the army of the heroines. The stature of the sisters stand upon bases of stone, and they are richly robed in silks. Before them burns a lamp, and the recluses of the temple are very careful to keep the ï¬rms constantly blaz mg. Sp )sd ofthe Gulf Stream. Three nudes is about the average velocity of the whole stream, though as places it attains as high a speed as 54 miles per hour. As it passes through the Yucatan Channel, which is 93 miles wide, and and over 1,000 fathoms deep, the current does not fl iw at a higher rate than one-fourth of; a mile an hour ; but in the narrower Straits of Bsmlni it has a velocity of from four to ï¬ve miles, a breadth of 50 miles, and an average depth of 350 fathoms. This velocity decreases as we go north, until at New York its speed is not more than two and a half knots, while three miles to the east the velocity of the stream, which has constantly been spreading out fan-shaped, is scarcely per- ceptible. Its speed as a rule is greater in its axis than along its edges. Yet the current, though slow in the Atlantic, is not lost; but its heat is rapidly eliminated. At Newfoundland it is 320 mi'es wide, though still warm enough to cause fogs when it meets with the cold current from the north. From this point: it heads across the Atlantic, widening out, cooling and losing velocity until, in lat. 47 deg. N., long. ‘25 dog. “7., it is 830 miles wide, Here it divides. One of the two branches ï¬cwa to the northeast along the coast of Ireland, Scot‘aud, and Norway, impinges on Southern IOEllnd, and extends round the North Cape to the Kara Sea, where its in- fluence is still felt. and its speed, though re- duced to barely 100 yards an hour, sufï¬cient to land the seeds and fruit of tropical plants on the low shores past: which it creeps. A snail brmch deflected from it swespa along the l“. is: Coast past Cape Farewell, is felt for smie distance along the western shor e of Greenland, on which also the seeds of West India plants and other tropical debris have been thrown. â€"â€"â€"-â€".â€"â€"-â€" The Prictions of Life. “Can’t you give a man a little room '3" said a stout old gentleman to a man who seemed to be in his way in getting off a crowded platform of a Brooklyn street car. “ Of course I could give a man room,’ said the person addressed, “but I am not expected to make way for any old behemoth of the forest. Go all and reduce some of the surplus, you old blubber, and don't be smash- ing people's toes here like a load of gravel." The stout old man hurried away. The aggrieved person on the car. in a loud voice, called attention to “the gait of it," and the stout man, being unable longer to stand the abuse of the other, turned and called after the moving car. "Bring back that fragment. that dot, that speck, that molecule, and I'll brush the thing off the face of the earth." But the car was two blocks away, and t 10 a earth is still encumbered with both the mole- cule and the fat man, and will be till they meet strain, The C median Paciï¬c Railway Company is surveying in the Crow's Nest Pass, some people think with a view to building a new line through the Rookies to the coast. The present line runs through Rogers' Pass and Eagle Pass, and is a hundred and ï¬fty miles north of Crow’s N est. A line No Crow's Nest would give a straighter through route and a road running closer to the American boundary. It ishardly possible, however, that the company can contemplate a second line through the mountains. Possibly it has in view a branch into Washingtcn ‘ Territory.--[Ex. ELECTRICAL BXPBBIMBN TS. ASimple Apparatus by Which Electricity Can Be Generated. Although the generation of frictional elec- triciw, from a practical point of view, is not nearly as important as the generation of galvanic electricityâ€"thanks to the wonder- full disccv.-ries and inventions of the nine- teenth centuryâ€"still experiments of this kind are of great interest, not only to the learned who work in physical laboratories, but also to the educated laity. The appara tus described in the “Elektronischen Echo," (Leipsic, O. Leiner), should, therefore, be of universal interest. means of this apparatus an electric spark can be obtained in the simplest way imaginable, by any one, with very little expense of time or trouble. Astrip of tin fall is fastened around the centre of a common lamp chimney, and then a straight strip of the same material is pasted on the chimney from one end of the same to within a centimeter of the ring, then a piece of silk is wrapped around a brush, to clean the chimney, and the interior of the chimney is rubbed briskly, but the ï¬ngers must not touch the tin foil. If this is done in the dark, each time that the brush is withdrawn from the chimney a bright electric spark will be seen to spring from one piece of tin foil to the other. Many other experiments of this kind can be tried with this simple ap paratus. For example, it may be shown that poor conductors can be electriï¬ed by rubbing,furthcr that good conductors can carry the electricty from an electriï¬ed. body to one which has not been charged with electricity and ï¬nally the power of bodies charged with the some kind of electricity to repel each other be illustrated in the following manner: Bind a woolen thread (or better still an iron or brass wire) over the tin foil ring. and on the end of this hang little strips of thin paper. If the interior of the chimney is now rubbed, the silk covered brush being introducsd at the opposite side to that into which it was formerly placed, the ring of tinfoil is charged with electrioty. which is conducted by the thread (or wire) to the strips of paper, which fly apart. As in all such experiments, the loss of elec- tricty through dampness must be avoided. This can be done by thoroughly drying the brush, the silk and the chimney at the ï¬re, before trying the experiment. Prodie‘ious Memories. There have been stupendous memories enough in ancient and modern times to stag- ger beliefâ€"such as those of Theodectes and Hortensius and Cineas, of whom Cicero speaks, and. in our later days, Pascal, who, it is said, never forgot anything he had seen, heard, or thought; and Avi- cenna, who repeated by rote the entire Kc. ran when he was ten years old ; and Francis Suarrz, who Strada tells us, had the whole of St. Augustine in his memoryâ€"enough, one would think, to destroy all his mental power of digestion; and Justus Lipsius, who on one occasion othred to repeat all the “ History†of Tacitus without a mistake on forfeit of his lie ;and, in our own days, J edediah Buxton and Zerah Colburn among others, who had such a prodigious power and rapidity cf calculating in their minds. Colbum, it is said, could tell the number of seconds in ï¬fty-eight years almost before the (location could be repeated. The story is told that Jedsdiah Buxton was once taken to the theatre to see Girrick, and that he was observed to pay an uuremitted attention to the great actor throughout the play. \Vhen he went out, his friend, who accompanied him, asked him how he had been impressed by the acting, and J edediah answered by stating the number of words and syllables that Garrick had spoken. H is mind had been interested solely in this enumeration. I dare say it was a purely mechanical operation of mind with him, and Irather think that with all these great memories is is the same. As I have not a good memory, I wish to decry it, out of pure envy. I wish ,I could say that: great men never have great memo- ries. Unfortunately, it is not true. The names of Pascal, Avicenna, Scanger who committed to memory the whole of the Iliad and Odyssey in three weeks: old Dr. Thomas Fuller, whose memory was equally remark- ableâ€"to say nothing of Cyrus, Hortensius, Mithridatesâ€"aro so terribly against me that I give up such a proposition; and I have serious thoughts myself, despte its disgusting ingredients, of resorting to the learned Grataroli of Bergamo's recipe for improving my own memory. He gives several, but one above all others as efficacious and com- forting to the memory. It is this: To make a mixture of mole’s fat, calcined human hair. cumin and bear's grease, and swallow apill of them of about the size of a hazel out at bedtime. New Conspiracy. The conspirators responsible for the mur- der of Dr. Cronin of Chicago did not believe the body of the murdered man would be found and a new conspiracy was formed to extricate suspected parties from the net- work of circumstantial and other evidence thrown about them. Those engaged in this conspiracy declared for the beneï¬t of the public that there had been no murder, but they did not base their hopes on more braz- enness of assertion. This was to open the way for the work of the real conspirators whose obj eclivo point was the jury. While the lawyers for the defence were on parade or engaged in bold adventure or adroit man- euvre to catch the eye of the public, the real workers for the defence were employed in a scheme of intimidation on one hand and bribery on the other. Possible witnesses for the prosecution were driven from the line of action marked out by their own impulses, and possible jurors were plied with btibcs. The scheme of intimidation was so well ordered that men retired from active ,par- ticipation in the prosecution without being able to assign reasons even to themselves for their action, and the scheme of bribery contemplated not only the buying of jurors but the corruption of the cï¬icers of the court. The conspirators did not believe that their machinery could fall them, but, as in the case of the secreting of the body, exposure has come, and for the second time they are in extremity. The developments of last week brouvht to light one of the boldest plots in the history of criminal conspiracy. The special grand jury, made up of leading citizms, has already returned indictments against two court bailiï¬'s and several others charged with attempt to bribejurors. There is no room for doubt. The details of the shameless conspiracy are in the hands of the prosecnticn, and, through the prompt action of the Court, the several agents are under arrest. Acct or step has been taken in exposing a the most mysterious crimes of the cattery, and the astounding developments serve to illustrate the scope and character of the original con- spiracy to murder. BIG THINGS OF THIS WORLD. The largest university is that of Oxford, England. It consists of,twenty ï¬ve colleges and ï¬ve balls. The largest pleasure ground in America is Fairmouut Park, Philadelphia, which con- talus 3,740 acres. The most extensive park is Deer Park. in the environs of Copenhagen, Denmark. The inclesure contains 4,200 acres and is divided by a small river. The lagest inland sea is the Caspian, lying between Europe and Asia. Its greatest length is 760 miles, its greatest breadth 270 miles, and its area 18 000 lquare miles. The largest suspension bridge in the world is the one between Brooklyn and New York. The length of main span is l 505 feet 6 inches. The entire length of the bridge is 5980 feet. The loft-inst active vole mo is Popocatepst (Smoking Mountain), thirty-ï¬ve: miles south- west ci Pueblo, Mexico. It is )7 784 feet above the sea level, and has a crater three miles in circumference and 1,000 feet deep. The largest bell in the world is the great bell of Moscow, at the font of the Kremlin. Its circumference at the bottom is nearly 68 feel, and its height ‘21 fcs'.‘ its weight has been computed to be 443,772 pounds.â€" [Uuited States Statistician. The largest tunnel in the world is that of St. Gothard. on the line of railroad between Lucornc and Milan. The summit of the tun- nel is 900 feet beneath the surface at Ander- matt and 6 600 feet beneath the peak of Kastelhorn, of the St. Gothard group. The highest monolith is the obelisk at Kar- nak. Egypt. Karnuk is on the east side of the Nile, near Luxor, and occupies part of the site of ancient Thebes. Its whole length is 122 feet, its weight 400 tons. Its hï¬ight, without pedestal, is 180 feet 10 in- c es. The largest body of fresh water on the globe is Lake Superior. Itis 400 miles long, 160 miles wide at its greatest breadth, and has an area of 32,000 square miles. Its mean depth is said to be 200 feet and its greatest depth about 900 fathoms. Its surface is 635 feet above the sea. ' The largest library is the Bibliotheque National, in Paris, founded by Louis XIV. It contains 1.400 000 volumes, 300,000 pamphlets, 175,000 manuscripts, 300,000 maps and charts, and 150,000 coins and medals, The collection of engravings ex- cecds 1,300_000, contained in some 10,000 volumes. The Chinese wall is the largest wall in the world. It was built by the ï¬rst emperor of the Tain dynasty, about 2'20 B. C., as a pro- tection against: Tax-tars. Its length is 1.250 miles. Including a parapet: of ï¬ve feet, the total height of the wall is twenty feet ; thick- ness at the base twenty-ï¬ve feet, and at the top ï¬fteen feet. » The largest empire in the world is that of Great Britain, comprising 8,557,658 square miles (more than one-sixth of the land of the globe), and embracing under its rule nearly a sixth part of the population of the world. In territorial extent: United States ranks third, containing 3,580,242 square miles, in- cluding Alaska: ihpopulation it ranks fourth, with its 00 000,000 people. Russia ranks sec- ond, 8,352,940 tquare miles. Early Histo: y of the Saw. According to a recent writer (says London Iron), saws have been discovered in Germany and Denmark, which belonged to the bronze age. The metal of which they were com- posed wao castiuto a thin shaft, and serrated by breaking the edge. Equally interesting discoveries have been made in America. It has been found that sawe made of obsidian, which is a kind of glass produced by volcan- oes, were used during the stone age in Max- ico, and saws and knives of the same material have been found in the alluvia deposits of New Jersey, probably carritd thither from Mixico ty the action of the water. The l’huezzlcians are among the earliest nations which are supposed to have used the saw. The scholar is not surprised to ï¬nd a very pretty story accounting for the discovery of the saw in Grecian myth- ology. Here the inventor is said to have found thcjiw bone of a snake, which he imitated by gagging an iron plate. The lacuctrino and other early inhabitants of. of Europe are credited with having made saws of flint, and the natives of the West India Islands ilati saws made of notched shells. PEARLS Ot' TRUTH. Censure is the tax a man pays to the pub- lic for being eminent. There is no virtue that adds so noble a charm to the finest traits of beauty as that which cxcrts itself in watching over the tranquility of an aged parent. Despair makes a despicable ï¬gure and de- scends from a mean original. 'Tis the off- spring of fear, of laziness and impatience ; it argues a dcfcct of spirit and resolution, and oftentimes of honesty, too. The pleasantest part of a man's life is gen- crally that which passes in courtship, pro- vided his passion be sincere and the party beloved, kind, with discretion. Love, de- ire, hope, all the pleasing emotions of the soul, rise in the pursuit. Dissipation is absolutely a labor when the round of Vanity Fair is once made ; but fashion makes us think light of the toil, and we describe the circle as mechanically as a horse in a null. Au Interestins incident. The New York Tribune tpzcisl says :â€" An interesting incident connected with tie departure of the Hon. Frederick J) Juglass for his ciiicialnost as Minister to Heyti, from the New Yard yesterday, was the courteous visit of J onicr Lieutenant Edward Lloyd to Mr. Douglass and his family before the Kear- sagc sailed. Lieutenant Llo d is aucflicer on the new cruiser Boston, an is a great rand- son of that Cilaucl Edward Lloyd w 0 was the owner of Mr. Douglass and his mother when they were slaves, and is a son of the present owner of the old plautatiouin Talbot county, Maryland, where Mr. Douglass was born. c {l ; x: casement»: can. she. Hanna my