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l l I a < mMumgh .. ure-r... J Tired Mothers. \ little elbow lennnupon your knee. Your tired knee. that has so much to bear: \ child's dear eyes are lookinglovrnxly From underneath a thatch of tangled hair. ’crhars you do not heed the velvet touch {it warm, mom: fingers. folding yours so tight: You do not prize this blessing over much: You utmost are too tired to pray to-night. But it is blesecdncss! A year ago ldid not see it as I do today. “'e are so dull and thankless. and too slow To catch the sunshine till it slips away. A ml now it seems surpassing strange to me That while I wore the badge of motherhood, I did not kiss more oft and tenderly The little child that brought me only good. And if. some night. when you sit down to restw You miss this elbow from your tired knee. this restless, curlinghead from of? your-breast~ 'l‘his lisping tongue that. chat tors constantly ; I from your own the dimpled hands had slip pod. . And ne'er would nestle in your palmagmn; If the white feet into the grave had tripped, Icould not blame you for your heartache then. I wander so that mothers ever fret: At little children clinging at. their gown, Or that the footprints. when the days are wet, Arc ever black cnoueh to make them frown. If I could finda little muddy boot. 0r cap orjacket on my chamber floor; If I cnu'd kiss a rosy. restless foot, And hearit patter in my house once more;_ If I mend a broken cart. to day. ’l'o-morrow make a kitc--'o reach tho skyâ€" ’flicre is no woman in G od's world could say She was more blissfully content than I. But ah! the dainty pillow infixtmy own ls never rump‘cd by a shining licad: My singing birdlin: 'rom it: must in flown, The littc boy 1 used to kiss is dead l 'The Farm Home’s Fuel. A commonplace subject, you say? Yes, it is. But is it. not the commonplace mat- ters that affect our happiness most, and are of the greater consequence in life ? Eat- ing is dccidedly commonplace. Yet who would gainsay its importance to life. The mention of eating brings me to my text. To out we must have food; to have food we must have fire, and to have fire we must. have fuel. In the majority of farm homes wood is the fuel used ; and sorry I am to say it, but in many of them the housewives have to burn green wood the year round. Of all the vexations that; attend the housewifc’s labor, there is nothing to be compared with having to burn such wood. For one to re- quire a quick, hot. fire in the housework, and have to stand over the stove and poke and punch, nnd‘punch and poke, until onc’s nerves and patience and Christianity ' have all gone out of the chimney, I tell you, men of the family, it is enough to turn a first- class angel into a termagantv. Just how a man who is the head of a family can impose such a burden on his wtfe and such a clog to the domestic machinery, is past, all understanding. There is just one of two thingsâ€"lie is either nnpardonably lazy, or else he is wholly unappreciativc of his wife and home; and in all justice such a man has no right- to have either. Does a man think that. he has less wood to provide during the year by preparing only an armful at a time? And does he think that; green wood is more economical? as I once heard one say. “ Why,” said he “any- body ought to know that. it takes near twice as long for a green stick to burn out; as it; does a dry one.” But if this man had tried to heat an oven for baking, he would have found that it took almost double the amount of green wood that. it; did of dry. The dry wood burns readily and makes a quick, hot blaze, and in r. very short time the oven is heated, while the green wood simmers and spotters and slowly burns. Moreover, the fireplace must be kept full of the green wood in order for it to burn at all. Two or three sticks of dry wood will keep a hot. fire, but a much greater quantity of the green is re- quired, and the supply must. be kept. up constantly, or the first. thing the housewife knows her lire has gone out. I repeat it with all the emphasis of my pen, that the use of green wood is an unjust :cxation imposed on the home. There is a great deal of domestic labor that requires quick, hot fires, and to have to suffer a daily annoyance in securing them is a serious draught. on any woman’s time and temper. loncc visited nta farm home where year after year the fuel was prepared on the fol- lowing plan : A load of green wood was hauled, and each morning the day’s supply was chopped. When the load was gone the farmer would go into the woods and cut down anotlicrload of green trees, some of them poplars, and the same routine of chop- ping each day’s supply at a time was gone through with. The amount. of domestic fric- tion caused by that, wood was incalculable. On account. of the poor fires the meals would often be late, and then the farmer would scold. As to the poor wife, she was fussing and fretting halt the time over the fires. I did not blame her one bit. What I did blame her for was that she did not go on a “ strike” md refuse to cook a meal until better wood was provided. ' There is a right. way and a wrong way to do everything. The right- way to prepare the farm's fuel is very easy and simple. \\'licu the crop is over and the winter’s lull is at. hand, the farmer should turn his at- tention to getting up a year‘s supply of wood. \thn the hauling from the woods is completed, the wood should then be prc~ pared for the stove, and put in a sunny place to dry. In this way the home will be supplied with good fuel the year‘i‘ound. And behold the advantages of such a plan ! The good fuel will make the house-wife‘s work easier: it will serve as one lubricator co the rough-going domestic machinery, and it will bring peace instead of war. To the farmer himself the advantages are scarcely less. \\'it h a good supply of wood there is no constant stoppage on his part during the busy season to prepare fuel. “'hen the preparation of the wood drags through the whole year, through planting, haying and harvesting, a great. deal of valuable time is lost, which aggregates many dollars in the end. Seasoushle Recipes. Porno Yawnâ€"Three large potatoes boiled in l quart of water : peel, and mash fine; add 3 tablespoons of sugar. Mix the "13.“ into a pint. of water in which the pole- teen have been boiled. Add a tcacup of [mod yeast. Put in astone jar, and in four hours it will be ready to use. Keep in a cool place. and make trash yeast. from it in four days. One teacup of yeast will make one. pan of litigant-oils and one loaf of bread, ll." two leaves of broad. {g ’_ l‘n Srzzw Caterinaâ€"Skin and cut your .l ‘ ~ 'V'QIV “hall plet‘cs. [Ay Ill?!“ in firm water for ten minutes, lilvll dry them uni a twin, or pk! idem in a :tcwpan with some milk and water and Llet.‘ them i l boil until quite tender. Take 1 pint of cream,- one-querter-of‘a d'of‘ butter: and stir until thick. , Allow to stand until cool, then add a little salt, dgill of white wine, a few mushrooms, stir all together. Take the pieces from the, pan, put away what they were boiled in, clean the , and put in the chicken and sauce to’get er. Keep the pan shaking about till they are quite hot,and dish the up . You may add eggs if desired. Tenure Carsonâ€"Take a peek of ripe sound tomatoes, and,- slicing them, put them into a preserving kettle, and boil them half an hour or more. Then press and strain the pulp through a hair sieve. Return the tomato thus reduced to the same kettle, adding a tablevspoonful of salt, and the same-quantity of mace, wh'ch must; be powdered, half an ounce of cloves iiso powdered, a teaspoenful of black pepper and half a teaspoonful of Cayenne pepper, 8 tablespoonfuls of ground mustard. Add 1 pint. of the best vinegar, and a pound and ahalf of'brown sugar. A quart of onions chopped very fine, and ‘2 ounces of celery seed.~ Boil three hours. Bottle hot, and seal up closely. COLD TOMATO Carafeâ€"Have ready 2 quarts of the strained juice and pulp of to. matocs fully ripe but sound. Chop fine 4 pepper pods, 3 green and 1 red, after ex- tracting their seeds, Two teacupfuls of black mustard seed, half a teacupnt of cel- ery chopped fine and the same of silver- skinned onions, halfateacupful of salt, add~ ing a tcaspoonful of powdered mace and cloves. Three pints of vinegar. Store this cateup in glass bottles, leaving room in the neck of each for a teaspoonful of olive oil, which will effectually keep off mould and prevent fermentation. Screen Gimmesâ€"Remove the seeds from grapes as you do for preserves. To 5 pounds of fruit put; 4 pounds of sugar, 1 pint of vinegar, 2 tablespoonfuls of ground cinna- mon and cloves. Simmer slowly for two hours on the back of the stove. This :Iis an appetizing sauce pleasing to the palate. Any well-flavored grape may be usedâ€"Con- cord, Catawba, and even the wild bird grape answers well. . GREEX TOMATO Frommâ€"Slice a peek of green tomatoes, without peeling, and cover them with salt and water. Let. them stand thus for twenty-four hours. - Then drain off the salt water, and having prepared a quart of sliced onions, take a tablespoonful each of mace, cloves, allspice, and black pepper, with a quarter of a pound of mustard and the Same of celery seed. Put the tomatoes and onions into a kettle with vinegar enough to cover them, into which the spices have been stirred, and add two pounds of sugar. Let the whole boil together until the toma- toes are tender and look clear. Two table- spoonfuls of horse-radish are deemed an im< provementi by some persons, but are not ini dispensable. ». .. ‘ . HOT SI.A\V.â€"Ch0p or slice very fine a firm white head of cabbage, and sprinkle lightly with pepper and salt.‘ Meanwhile, mix to- gether in a saucepan a. piece of butter the size of an egg, with half a teacupful of vine- gar only moderately strong. Put these over the fire and heat. Mix together 2 raw eggs, 3. smallcupful of rich milkâ€"or, better, creameand half a teacupnt of sugar. Stir these klovvly into the heated vinegar, to .which the cabbage must; now be added, I until it is well scolded. It should‘be tender, and heated through and through. Some persons greatly prefer 'slaw prepared thus to the cold process. ‘ ____ All About Tables- As we are always willing to accept some- thing new, especially in liouse-furiiisliing,'I shall try to give several ways in which tables may be constructed at a very small out- la . ‘ ' 3f’rocurc aboard, 18x24 is a very nice size, and nail four round legs to it. ’ad tbs top with cotton. and cover with plush to harmonize with the room in which it is to be used. The next step is to purchase twenty~five or thirty feet; of clothes-line rope. Double a length which reaches from the table to the floor. cut and unravel. Take a small wisp, double it and stitch it; to a narrow strip of clot-h, which is long enough to reach around the table. Take wisp after wisp until your strip is in”, then tack around the table. For a heading take rope, tucking it on in diamond design with brass-headed tacks. Three rows will be quite sufficient, and the ends of the rope can be concealed under t e table. Trim the ravcllcd rope a few.inches from the floor. The legs may be wound with rope or left; in the plain wood. Another table, which will be a. reminder of long strolls and leafy dells, and is a good imitation of inlaid work. is made as follows Gather leaves, grceiiLand at; different. stages .,.~ .‘ ,.,\.o..-_-v dieler Yahoo-venue) and Land (toâ€" Presperons Nanntmort‘onlented Work lumenâ€"nuclear! mm or the ('erp- , well Cottage Farm System; All who are we . be: of the Province of British Columbia no. knowledge the important part the exten» sivecocl fields of Nanaimo are bound to play in the future of the country, being one of the principal sources of its permanent. economic industry. In times past the wealth and profits of the Nanaimo coal fields were dissipated in building up other 'lacalitte.s at its- expense. Happily, how- ever,ithis undesirable state of affairs under- went a change for the better during the last couple of years and is still progressmg favorably: The advent of the New Van- couver Coal and Land Co. altered the state of things generally and inaugurated a new era in the annals of the city of Nanaimo and its extensive coal fields. Almost im- mediately the new regime gave an impetus to trade and commerce, and wealth ex- tracted from the bowels of the earth which previously vented in the wrong direction is now expended in measures for the improve- ment I and development of the surface ground of the vicinity. Nanaimo has con- sequently prospered and advanced percep- tibly,.not only in the paths of trade, COMMERCE AND ENTERPRISE, but also iii these indicative of refinement, taste ' and culture, emerging at. a bound from the crudencss of a mere mining camp into the full fledged dignity of a city, con- ‘ scious of its own wealth and importance, worthy ’of its picturesque situation and the - incstiinable value of its mineral resources. The able, energetic itiunagemcnt of the Van- couver Coal 'Co., has not only started the city on the road to commercial greatness, enormously increased the output of coal and dividends, but also expended and is expend- ing, large sums of money in reclaiming from nature the lands of their heritage. The first was achieved by a. master stroke of shrewd business policy,delivered at the proper time, by which the market was at once wrested from the grasp of powerful rivals and su- premacy for the products of their collieries ‘ firmly established in the markets of the Pa.- I cific coast, thereby vastly increasing the consumptionof British Columbia coal. It. must; be borne in mind that these important results were attained at the time when the labor' market was agitated and disturbed, not by cutting prices, nor yet; by cheese- puring infringements on the earnings of the toiler,.but solely by a. simple acknowledge- ment of the justice contained in the great fundamental principle laid down by Capt. Druinmond for the guidance andinformution of the landed proprietors in Tipperary 50 years, ago‘ ‘that capital has its duties as well as its rights.” Avoiding conflict with the sentiment of local labor organizations, al- though, perlia‘ps 5sensible of the fact which has lately been proved, that local organiza- tions are a. source of weakness instead of a tower of strength to the cause of labor, and» by a few judicious concessions, the manage- ment of the new corporation succeeded in establishing a good understanding FOR MUTUAL BENIFIT and cemented thereby a firm bond of lasting ! amity between them ind their numerous ' employees. Having their Welfare, comfort and prosperity at heart, besides a. conscien- tious belief in the saying that one contented workman is worth a dozen discontented ones, they introduced a few years ago, under the direction and, it; is presumed, on the recom- mendation of the manager, Mr. Samuel M. Robins, the Cornwall cottage farm system. That gentleman being personally cognizant of the beneficial effects of this system to the minch of the Stannaries in the land of “Tre, Pol and Pen,” was not slow in putting the scheme into practical form. As an experi- ment 9. large tract. of forest. land to the . northwest and immediately outside the city limits proper was surveyed off and blocked out into five acre lots, with cleared roads, one chain wide. at: convenient distances. These lots were leased, With the option of purchase, at a nominal rent on condition of clearing, improving and cultivating them. , And now, whata few years ago was almost {impenetrable forest, the home of the deer, ‘ the bear, the wolf and the panther, presents to the eye the pleasing prospect of rural felicity. W'ell cultivated gardens and orchards surround the neat comfortable homes of these hardy sons'of toil, the joyous shouts and laughter of merry children “just; out; from school” resounds where the STILLNESS OF NATURE S SILENCE once reigned supreme. Satisfied with the unmistakable results beneficial to the work- ingman by a trial of the system another large tract. of unbroken forest land near Chase river is, it. is understood, to be simi- in their autumnal glory, mu} press with a larly laid oti‘. The first allotments will soon moderately hot iron upon which spcrinaceti be embraced within the confines of the city has been rubbed. This preserves their tints limits. Schools have been built. and 93ml). and prevents their wrinkling, which they will do if placed between leaves of a book. The table may be oblong or round and as the writer prefers round, we will deal with it accordingly. Stain it black or cherry. lished by the Provincial Government and with the roads running through these sub- urban localities a little more improved, then may Nanaiino boast of the most. pictur- esque rural scenery and sylvau drives on the Arrange your leaves in :1 )vrcmh or two liulf- island of Vancouver, rivnlling even those of wreaths, sticking them tightly to the table famed Victoria, intensified by evidences of with glue. Purchase a half pint; of white varnish. Varnish your table, letting it dry, and continue to varnish it until your leaves are vanished in and your table is quite smooth. A pretty one may be made by using pansics instead of leaves. The varnish brings out. the colour, and if neatly done is quite effective. Another can be made by using a cheeseâ€"box lid and three broom- sticks. Secure the sticks in the middle, crossing them: wrap with wire and fasten with screw nails. Fasten the top on with screws; stain,and when draped with a dainty scarf, it. is charming; used for holding a rural prosperity and contentment, the homes of sober, moral, horny-handed, in- dustrious, law abiding people, standing out in marked contrast as an example to other localities as a place, where the exciting, in- sidious vaporings of restless spirits or the insinuating, honeyed agitator is wasted on desert air. ~ Not content with holding out, induce- ments to their employees, to, in their leis- ure moments, seek healthful exercch away from the rum mills, in improving and culti- vating the surface land, the company, in order to seta good example, have under. taken the gigantic task of clearing some card tray or a blooming plant. Tie a bow of hundreds of acres immediately adjoining ribbon to hide the wire which fastens the legs together. Still another suggests itself to my mind, not no substantial perhaps, but quite a novelty, ’l hrce oroomstickn are used fast- ened together as just described, and for a top use three plain palmleaf fans, one for each rod. Secure in place with screws. Decorate with bow: of ribbon. I V Old stands and tables that have sulserved their usefulness or those bouglitat an auction the first allotments. The work is carried on under the immediate personal supervis- ion of manager Robins. The incessant re- ports as the gigantic stumps of the monarchs of the f0f98b are blown up resound along the valleys and reâ€"echo from the distant hills and mountains, breaking on the still- ness ofthe forest something like the can- nonadiug of; besieged City. For the pres- entv‘rit is presumed the land thusreclaimed lwill be worked and cultivated by the com- very cheaply, can be mode to out-rival the puny as a farm fertile mafhtenance of their expensive ones in furniture stores, by and. papcriog all roughness off and applying two coats of white paint, and touching up here and there with gilt, and then varnishing. W Corpseâ€"“Well. M Ride, is there as much billing and . toing .is there was before marriage?" Mclixidcâ€"“Tlie lilling has inguinal largely.” numerous stock. Whether it will rove ‘a profitable undegakingefrqxn ;a . social point. of vicw’is open to question. seeing the enormous initial torture: more ‘ru'juired to bring the land under the plough. . ,Be that. asit. may it is a worthy undertaking in every respect and smdsgut _l_ a , in, ( ' isnoLbahfIflr‘" ” J “ (“auction- to furnish additional employ- uainted with the recent. r t , ) . n s r», ‘ ment and one which other corporations .mlxht..,..imitate.mwith profit .-.to “the. country, present and future. It. is a‘ptning evidence, if nothing else, of un- bounded faith in the future of Nnuaimo. Thus under ground and over ground the work‘of pro and improvement goes on uninterruptedly without ostentation, the only “boom " is the boom of the continuous blasting of-tbe stumps or the uever~ceasiug buzz of the impecuuious Victoria real estate man seeking whom he may devour. Certain- lya small city’of 5,000 inhabitants, whose earnings fioin wages from one source alone average from $20 to $2.") each per month, for every man, woman and child, especially nowadays, the most. likely place on the coast. where the cliiuk in the pocket of the unwary gladdcns the ear", holds out special inducements for the cvcrcise of the suave blaudishments of the ubiquitous, well-shav- en, shabby gent-eel mud peddlcrs who re- cently adorned a counter and a plate glass window way down in Gotham by the sea. This substantial city of Nauaimo, with a solid backing, not of inflated real estate tone or the oping of fashionable city, simple, pure and unrefined,“ comfortable and warm as the product of its mines, only some 30 miles distant across the Gulf of Georgia from the Terminal City of Vancouver, will court with that city a much closer trade connection in the near future than at pres~ eat. And why not? Sooner or later Na- naimo is destined to be a manufacturing and industrial centre. Its magnificent bay, UNRIVALLED NATURAL FACILITIES for the construction of graving docks, ship- building, and the hundred and one indus- tries in connection with iron, these probabil- itiesâ€"certainties in a measureâ€"cannot. be lightly ignored. That a vast volume of trade will spring up in consequence is to be expected and is well worth while look- ing after in time. The all-rail connection be- tween San Francisco and Vancouver will change the commerctal route for California produce and the position of Nanaimo guar- antees it to be the distributing point for the island portion of that trade. Possxbly the time may come sooner than expected when the C. P. R., in self-defence, will be forced to secure a. more expeditious route for their Oriental mails and passengers. A shortliue of railway from N anaimo to Beautiful creek in the vicinity of Cape Beale, Barclay Sound, and a swift 23-knot ferry across the Gulf to Vancouver, would ensure a saving of from 24 to 30 hours, if not more, in the existing transit. Such are the signs \of the times visible on the horizon of the futureâ€"‘- the prosperity of the one city will add to that of the other. Nanaim'o is on tlicrmove, andaspires to; that commercial and manufacturing distinc- tion inseparable from its inexhaustible col- licrics. Many entertain great expectations from the Canada Western railway; Per- haps so; but then the tailors of Toolcy street failed in their attempt to voice the people of England. Any scheme, however, calculated to open up and develop the country, whether on Mainland or Island, will benefit. Nanaimo and add to her pros- perity. Nanaimo has no rivals, and con- sequently no petty jealousies to hinder her, ' and wishes like wealth and prosperity to her neighbors. Marvels of the Under-World- The mystery of the under-world appeals with irresistible force to the. imagination. Tales of the wonders concealed in caverns and hidden under the ground have always interested the inhabitants of every country. And the strange and splendid scenes fre- quently discovered in such places as the Mammoth Cave, the Luray caverns, the sea caves of Bermuda and the Blue Grotto of Capri have lent wings to the fancy which pictures still more marvellous spectacles “ underneath the ground.” _ As a matter of fact it is probable that we are as yet; acquainted with but comparative- ly few of the spacious caverns that. exist. at no great depth beneath the earth, and which, filled with air, are capable of being explored by men. The explorations of Mr. E. A. Martel in France, have recently addi ed very largely to our knowledge of what has been called the “subterranean geog- raphy” of that. country. Similar work in other countries would undoubtedly produce many surprising revelatious of what the earth contains. _ It is well known that. a vast quantity of water exists beneath the surface of the ground, and that even considerable streams are flowing there. Mr. Baldwin Latham has lately called attention in England to a very interesting method of tracing the courses of these underground streams. At certain seasons, especially in Septem- ber and October, peculiar lines ,of fog may be observed close to the ground, and he says these indicate where streams of water are flowing at. a. considerable depth beneath the surface. During the greater part. of the year some of the strata between the surface of the earth and the underground water are sufficiently cold to condense the vapor aris- ing from the water and thus prevent its ap- pearance at the surface. But. in the autumn the soil is frequently warmed so deeply that no condensing stratum of cold exists, and then the vapor reaching the surface forms lines of fog following the course of the concealed streams of water underneath. Ir. is suggested that here is another of those curious provisions of nature which benefit the living formsinliabit ing the earth; for the vapor which proceeds from streams deep underground, being ordinarily con- densed not for under the surface, may serve to sustain the life of plants during seasons of_drought. Mr. Latham thinks that this is the case on the great chalk downs of England. An Island of Salt- A mass of 90,000,000 tons of pure, com- pact rock salt, lecated on an island 135 feet. high, which rises from a miserable sea. marsh on the route from Brash or to New Iberia, La., is one of the natural wonders of the world. How this island ever came into existence in such a locality is a matter of conjecture. Vegetation in prolific, the scenery being beautiful and varied. In the center ofthis island. which is the only solid spot in the vast expanse of sea marsh, which extends for miles in all directions, rises SaltPe3k, the largest body of exposed rock salt in the world. Having never been eurveye'dpiu exact extent is, as yet, on. known ; however, those who have visited the locality say that there is not less than 90,000,000 tons of pure crystal salt. in a? vlit. Itis needless teeth! that c can ‘ , mess eszlo Peak is in striking coagulate the“. iodier lagodns, ' bayous, and salt. marshes which surround it on all sides. 913.5 Architsssf alert: and Bravery Bewerded and Du- henrsty Very Severely "Hubert. ~ The customs and regulations meet. com~ manly observed on board a buecancer are worthnotiug. Every pirate captain, doubt. less, had his own set of rules; but there were certain traditional articles that. seem to have been generally adopted. The cap- tain had the state cabin, a double vote in elections, a double share of booty. On some reads it was the captain who decided what. direction tosail in, but. this and other mate ters of moment. were oftener settled by a vote of the company, the captain’s vote counting for two. The officers had a share and a half or a share and a quarter of all louder, and the sailors one share each. ooty was divided with scrupulous care and marooning was the penalty of attempt.- ing to defraud the general company, if only to the amount. of a gold piece or a dollar. Every man had a full vote in every affair of importance. Arms wore always to be clean and fit. for service, and desertion of the ship or quarters in battle were punished with death. 0n Roberta’s ship a man who was crippled in battle received $800 outof the common stock, and a proportionate sum was awarded for lesser hurts. Lowther allowed £l50 for the loss of a limb, and other captains instituted a sort of tariff of wounds which extended to cars, fingers and toes. In chase or battle the captain’s power was absolute. He who first spied a sail, if she proved to be a prize, was entitled to the best pair of pistols on heard her over and above his dividend. These pistols were greatly coveted, and a pair would sell for as much as £30 from one pirate to another. In their own oommon~ wealth the pirates are reported to have been severe upon the point of honor, and among Roberta’s crew it was the practice to slit the ears or nose of any sailor found guilty of robbing his fellows. * Such feeble interest. that; new attaches to what was once the formidable fame of the pirates is not even msthetic, it. is merely comic. No imaginative essa ist. discusses piracy asafiue art; but. Paul ones is resur- rected as the hero of a musical burlesque. Poor Paul 2 And he is almost the only one of the whole buccaueering race whose story discovers a trace of the legendary gallantry of piracy. I’aul, whose father had been head gardener to Lord Selkirk, plundered the Selkirk mansion'of its plate, which be sub- Sequently returned in a parcel to body Sel- kirk with a letter of polite apoloy. A Remarkable Tree- Growing near the baths of Alliaz, in the Canton of Vand, Switzerland, almost. with- in o. stone’s throw of the most popular ho- tel, 4500fect above the level of the sea, stands the most. remarkable tree in the world. The trunk of this curious-tree is 10 meters, or a. little over 30 feet in diameter at the base. About: two yards above the ground seven off-shoots put. out. from the south side. Bent and gnarled at. their place of starting, these side-trunks soon straighten themselves up and rise perpendicularly and parallel to the main stem. This feature alone is not, perhaps, unrai'alleled, but another most; curious tact; is that; the two largest of the side trunks are connected with the main tree by sub-quadrangular bracesresembling girders. These beams have probably been formed by an anasto- mosing of branches, which, although, com- pat‘ati‘le common among ngospcrtns, has never before been reported in a conifer (the remarkable subject of this sketvli being a fir). The places where the side girders enter the main trunk are so smoothly bark- cd over as to make it impossible to ascer- tain the manner in which nature formed the remarkable union. How a limb (originally intended to growfrcc and bear foliage) could have been absorbed and converted intoa living girder is a mystery which affords a new illustration of the power of nature to adapt itself to any and a lclrcum- stances. nuts and Vampires. At sunset, in the forests of Guiana, th. bats also flit from their hiding places, some taking the place of the parrots and flocking l round the fruit trees, while the horrid vain- l pires-wandcr far and near in search of‘eomc sleeping animal, or even man, in order to obtain a meal. Cows, goats, hogs, fowls, as well as game birds and quadrupeds, all suf- ' for from their attacks if not secured in well latticcd pens, while the traveller most. not; be surprised when awaking to find blood oozing from a wound in his foot or temple. In some places domestic animals cannot. be kept at all, as they are so weakened by re- peatcd attacks as to ultimately die of ex- haustion. Fortunately, however, the vain- pircs are not very common, and with proper care may be excluded from dwelling houses and stockpcns. When the West Indies were first discov- ered hogs were put. on some of the islands; these in time increased wonderfully, so as to become vast. herds. affording a supply of fresh meat to the marinersick of theecurvy. In Guiana, hOWever, these animals never become common, but, on the contrary rc- quircdthe greatest care to preserve lhom from the vampires. Domestic animals, like man, sleep at. night, and here the hats have the advantage of them, while the wild quad- rupcds of the forest range and feed at. the same time as their sangumary enemy. Hence it has followed that pcccariea roam securely and are quite free from the vam- pires, while their domesticated coudnomust e housed and caged. “ What, sir, you call me pretty 7” Why I am an old woman, my hair is turning white, and look, here is a wrinkle!" “ A wrinkle! No, madam, it is a smile that. has drifted from its moorings ‘3” “ Life in this country," said the philoso- pher, “in a heap like goin to the circus. Soon as a man gets to the rent all the fcl~ lows on thcback seats insist on him sitting down out of the way.” During the times of George I. and H. the weddingwing, thouin placed upon the usual finger at the time of marriage, was some times worn on the thumb, in which position it i~ often seen on the portraits of the titled ladies in those days. It is now absolutely necessary to use: riu at the English mar- riage service. The p acinq of the ring. on the book is a remnant of the ancient custom of blessing the ring by sprinkling hel water in the form of screen. This is still one by the Re i an Catholic priest. The Puritans attempted the abolition of the ring. The .Qpaitcrs don't use a ring at the sorgfeo be- cause of its heathenish origin : but man wear them afterwards. The Swiss Prom â€" ants do not use a’ ring either at the service or afterwards. $13.1?!“