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.< >• '?• . •> y- X ff? Iff ~ ^ - ,r>n, * < i. - V?*0 VW',; fKE. EdtoraM t utl s> er M HENEY, - - ILLINOIS. THERE are 7,000 men at work on DE Lesseps' Panama canal. under 2u jeua « age are in jail in Poiimd, Ore., charged iriHi murder. GEN. FRANCIS A. WALMEB thinks that all the fork of the Census Bureau will be ready for publication by the lst •of nett July. • •'? THE Virginia Court of Appeafe ad­ journed the other 4aJ because Judge Richardson had dislocated a fib laugh­ ing at Judge Lacy's joke. LEARNING a language from a book has its drawbacks. A book designed to teach German students English pro­ nunciation gravely says that in English the name "George" is pronounced "Dschordsck." t f ATHLETIC schoolma'ams are needed in Nevada--scientific boxers and fenc­ ers" preferred. A teacher out there spoke sharply to a child the other day, and the mother of the youngster walked in and knocked httr down without cere­ mony. •' . A BILL has been passed by the prov­ ince of Ontario, Canada, for the encour­ agement of tree planting. It provides that any municipality may pay out of the public funds a bonus not exceeding 25 cents for every tree--ash, basswood, beech, birch, butternut, cedar, cherry, chestnut, elm, hickory, maple, oak, pine, sassafras, spruce, walnut, or white- wbod--planted along a highway or farm boundary line, or within six feet of such boundary line. JOHN H. PARNELL, a brother of the famous Irish leader of that name, owns one of the largest peach farms in the world. It is situated about six miles below West Point, Ga. There are 123,000 peach trees in it, beside a large number of other kinds of fruit trees. They cover over 700 acres. Mr. Par­ nell has planted 500 acres of young trees this year, and reports his business a paying one. This year's crop will be tolerably good, notwithstanding the freezes. AN event of more than ordinary in­ terest is the engagement of Miss Edith Fish, youngest daughter of ex-Secretary Hamilton Fish. This charming young girl has chosen an Englishman, Hugh Oliver Northcote, the fifth son of Sir •Stafford Northcote, once Chancellor of the Exchequer. He is in his 29th year, and is one of eight children, his brother, Walter Stafford Northcote, being heir to the title of the Baronetcy. Sir Stafford Northcote is the eighth Baronet of the name and the head of ' one of the oldest families of commoners ' in England. The family estate at • Hayne, in Devon, is very valuable, .and the hall is one of the finest buildings in Great Britain. Miss Edith Fish is the youngest and only unmarried child of the family, and is about 20 years old. THE population of the cities in the United States increases very much faster than does the rural population of ^he country. In 1790 the cities con­ tained 3.3 per cent, of the total popula­ tion, while to-day the urban inhabitants of the country include' nearly 25 per cent, of the whole population. This gain was made gradually, but the de cade between the years 1840 and 1850 witnessed the most pronounced increase, the percentage then climbing from 8.5 to 12.5. The average number of persons to a house throughout the country was 5.6, while the average number of mem­ bers in a family was 5.04. There seems to be a tendency toward decrease in the family membership, and this decrease seems to follow slowly in the wake of civilization. It is thus noticed that the average is higher in the newly-opened States of the West, and gradually de­ creases until the Atlantic tooast is reached. I THE Superior Couvt of Hartford, Conn., decides that the owner of a house owns from the cellar bottom to the highest roof peak, and has exclusive control of his property. Therefore, a telephone company which persisted in cumbering a house-owner's roof with wire supports had no basis for damages when said owner cleared his roof of wire encumbrances with an ax. The com-: pany had asked permission to put up temporary supports for its wires, for a mere space of four days. Permission was granted. At the expiration of the four days, extension was asked and granted. Thus time ran on for a month, and it dawned on the house-own- er that the wires had been put up to stay. Then he ordered them removed, and, no attention being paid to his be­ hest, the ax and the suit at law and the vindication followed. It is consoling to know that in one city, at any rate, owners of property have rights which can be maintained against corporations. I PASSED William M. Evarts to-day on Broadway, just as he was coming from the Court House with a number of legal friends. Says a New York correspon­ dent. On one sidle he leaned on the arm of his partner, Judge Choate, and on the other he was supported by *a spruce young man who was dressed fashionably in mourning, and stared vacantly ahead of him. It was Mr. Evarts' son. The ex-Secretary of State was smiling and chatting with much an- imation. He is very popular in New York and has hosts of friends. His manners are uniformly courteous and cordial. Most people are disappointed -when they first meet the great states- gsss -:.v $ V . HV* J • eaalppi, and when he wears his hat he il^mbst hidden inclined to think that this peculiar style of bit of his is Ml Affectation. It is a stovepipe hat of the oldest possible pattern, and so large that it comes down to the collar of his coat behind and rests on his ears. It hides the whole c£ biS TcU lunsiitwi, and leaves nothing visible but his shrunken little face and bright, sparkling eyes. He is making a great deal of money now, and not working very hard, either. When I saw him to-day he wore a rusty over­ coat and unpolished boots. The con­ trast between him and bin son. was in­ deed remarkable. GATE'S gossip: I met Jay Cooke early last night. He is in perfect health, as fresh and boyish in spirit as ever, and is the idol of a large family of sons and nephews, and now grandsons. His son, who sat beside him, seemed to weigh half as much more than jet not to be as quick and flexible. When he got to Washington city, Mr. Cooke was awaited by a beaming lot of nephews, at the head of whom was young Harry Cooke, the oldest son of the late Gov­ ernor of the District of Columbia. They took him home to see Gov. Cooke's widow, who is a delightful woman, originating in the western part of New York State. The next day the nephews carried the old banker out to the Little falls of the Potomac river, to fish for perch at the head of tide. He caught about one-half of all the fish they caught, more than 100 in number, and good perch-fishing is probably as fine as Mr. Arthur can find in Florida- Mr. Jay Cooke has changed in no re­ spect since I knew him in Philadelphia, twenty-two years ago, when he began to sell the first Government loans. He has bought back the large house he built, called Ogontz; but I think it. is too large for him and his family. An­ cestral ideas have yielded in our times to experience and common sense. He went into mining in Utah, and made considerable money out of the Horn silver mine. In the meantime his es­ tate, which was perfectly sound, ex­ cept for panic and hostility excited by a variety of events, turned out to be strong in assets; and those who had faith in him and bought up the claims against him have had no reason to re­ pent. . CONUNDRUMS. WHAT IS the center of gravity ? THE. letter V. WHY is the Illinois a lazy river? It lies in bed day and night. WHY does a man sneeze three times? Because he cannot help it. WHAT makes everybody sick but those who swallow it? Flattery. WHAT is that which nobody likes to have or to lose? A lawsuit. WHEN is a pugilist like a man with four hands? When he doubles his fists. WHY do annually-flowering plants resemble whales? Thev come up to blow.. OF all fortune's daughters, which one should a young man avoid? Mis­ fortune. WHOSE profession is at once the hardest and the easiest? The musi­ cian's, because he works when he playB and plays when he works. The Doctors Unmasked. But, if the editors are unmasked to­ night, what shall we say about the doc­ tors? If you are finding out by his poor words and halting manner" how little and unimportant the mysterious "we" of a big newspaper may be, what do you think of your own exhibition ? There are, here present, at least a dozen of you from whom I myself have heard the most solemn and magisterial instructions as to how one should live. Atoid late dinneife; avoid crowded rooms; eat simply; drink sparingly; don't smoke--three courses for your dinner and a single glass of wine; keep your dining room cool, avoid draughts, be sure to have the air pure and fresh, never sit over an hour at table! Ah, yes; those ardtfamiliar formulas. Every one of you remembers them; every one of you has given them a thousand times, and taken a good fee for it every time. Now we've got you, out from be­ hind the screen. This must be what you Meant by it. This is where the fees go. The united skill of 200 doc­ tors, concentrated upoi^the single prob­ lem of hygiene, how to produce for themselves the best and most whole­ some way of dining, has resulted in this. Well, well; it may be naughty, but it's nice; and we are more obliged than'we can tell you for being shown at last, so satisfactorily and on the high­ est medical authority, just what "Plain Living and High Thinking" mean.-- Whitfilaw Beid, at Hoi men' banquet. Burning an Elephant. . The fires were at a white heat and filled with long iron bars. Presently men in red shirts took the glowing irons from the fire. How the elephant roared when he saw the flaming points. He knew what was coming, and his struggles were awful when a hot, hiss­ ing bar was thrust into his mouth. But his rage did him no good. The #only thing he could do was to lie down ana roar. Once, in his rage, Ihe ele­ phant wound his trunk around a spark­ ling bar, evidently to use it as a weapon of defense, but when his beau­ tiful trunk began to burn and fry his courage gave way and the poor beast fell upon his knees and uttered cries like a sick child. "That is •good; now he is coming to his senses," said a pale keeper, as he prodded him around th J mouth with a bar fresh from the forge. All seemed going well, when k new source of disturb: nee was discovered. Some tigers, which the men had neg­ lected to wheel out of a distent part of the arena, .discovered what was going on and joined the "circus" with terrific yells. The elephants replied; lions in an adjoining room opened their mouths, and in less than two minutes I had' an idea of Central Africa that was enough to scare a man out of his skin. The roar of the beasts and the sick­ ening smell of boiling elephant flesh made me feel as if I were within ten minutes of perdition. THB New York State Senate has six ! feeding, with one-half wheat middlings, total abstainers, and the Assembly j Each ewe had of this one and one-half twenty one. , , * * " A *' P*tmnr» doubted fc pains to eomgar* remits tint the most uniform and Mftbfaefatty erops of fruit are those from oreauwta where but lit­ tle, if any, pruning is given to the trees. It is not to be concluded from this that no pruning whatever is the best rule. It is always in order to thin out the tops ui ifee» iimi> uuve Iwtiouiw too- thick, to- trim out dead or weakly branches, or stop unruly growths by shortening such branches when necessary. But the sys­ tem of going yearly through an orchard, removing and shortening branches, and clipping a portion off toe top of every strong growth, is, In the long run, cer­ tain to diminish the bearing capacity of the trees. WHY MEAT Is SMOKED.--Meat is smoked to preserve it, as well as to- give it a pleasant taste. This taste, as well as the better keeping quality, is caused by the absorption by the meat of creosote, which is contained in wood, and is rendered volatile by heat; orf in other words, is made lighter than the air when the wood is burned, and rises with the smoke and settles on the meat overhead, and enters into it. It is antiseptic in its nature, and arrests de­ composition ; that is, it helps to keep the meat from spoiling by the action of the air. It also performs a mechanical work in filling the outside pores, and aids in shutting out the air, which also tends to preserve the meat. Smoke should be made of either hard wood, such as sweet maple, and the delicate- flavored birch is also excellent. One element of danger is in overheating the smoke-house, and it is best to cover the fire in some way and make an old-style smudge. Stout hooks made of heavy wire are better than cords or strings to suspend the meat. 9 THE SWILL BARBEL.--The back door of the farmer's residence may be kept perfectly clean by a little preparation for that desirable object. The pig­ pens should, of course, be removed quite a distance from the house, but they should be so connected with the house by a board sidewalk that the pro­ cess of getting to them will be an easy matter. If a barrel is hung on two wheels, and the sidewalk is wide enough to run this on it from the house to the pig-pen, it will be an easy matter to convey all refuse, dish-water, vege­ tables and milk to the pig-pen. The best barrel to use is a kerosene barrel which has been cleaned out. The black­ smith can soon rig the iron sling for this, and two old buggy wheels will do for the running-gear. The contents of this barrel may be emptied into stationary barrels at the pig-pen, in which the necessary ground grain which is to be fed to "the hogs should be soaked for twenty-four hotirs. It should not be allowed to get too sour, but a little does not hurt it. Where milk is not abundant enough to fifrnish the hogs what drink they want they should have access to some clean water as well as this swill. ARTIFICIAL FEEDING or LAMBS.--It frequently happens that artificial feed­ ing of lambs is necessary, and to do it successfully good judgment is required. The point is to promote a healthy and rapid growth, and not allow the "lambs to scour. The milk of some cows, es­ pecially Jerseys, is too rich, and should be diluted with a little warm water. Farrow cows' milk, alone, is not a good feed, since it frequently causes constipa­ tion. It may be given by adding a lit­ tle cane molasses. Milk, when fed, should be at about the natural tempera­ ture, and not scalded. Lambs, and es­ pecially "pet" lambs, are often "killed with kindness." Feed only a gill to a half pint at first. After the lamb be­ comes accustomed to have the milk, it may be fed to the extreme of its appe tite. When old enough, feed a little flaxseed and oats, or oil-meal if early fattening is desired. There are various methods of feeding young lambs artifi­ cially. A satisfactory way is to use a one-quart kerosene oil can with the spout fixed so as to attach a nipple; the milk flows more freely from this than from a bottle, on account of the vent. Let ewes and lambs have clean, well- ventilated apartments. When the weather is mild and warm turn them out into the yard. If it is not conven­ ient to let the ewes out, amn^e parti­ tions and pens, so that the lambs may enjoy the sunlight. FLOORS FOR POULTRY HOUSES;--Ex­ perience has convinced us that a large number of poultry men have mistaken ideas about the kind of flooring that should be used in poultry houses. The habit, a» it was years ago, of having boarded floors proved generally ruinous to the fowls, particularly those confined during the warm season. Boarded floors absorb too much of the moisture and volatile proj)erties of the droppings, and no amount of scrubbing can make them fresh or free from vermin and bad odors. Some poulterers consider wood­ en floors better adapted t6 secure dry­ ness, but this is a mistake unless there is a free circulation of air between the ground and boards. If sunlight and air cannot penetrate between there is nothing to prevent moisture from set­ tling there, and nothing to dispel or counteract the unhealthy odors arising from the humidity of the soil and boards. The best and most natural flooring for hen houses, all things con­ sidered, is clean dry earth upon an earth floor. It is better than any solid flooring of wood, brick, stone or asphalt; pulverized loam or road dust, mixed with air-slacked lime, and plentifully scattered over the floor until raised a foot or more above the outside. The droppings by night or day are deodor­ ized by the loose earth, and their fertil­ izing properties are kept fresh and valu­ able. The floor should be scraped at least once a week with a loose rake, and the earth sifted from the droppings. The manure should be stored in barrels for future use or scattered directly upon the land.--Poultrif Journal. GROWING MARKET LAMBS.--In grow­ ing market lambs, says the National Live Stock Journal, the feeder should remember that the lamb must be sus­ tained on the food eaten by the dam, and she must eat enough for two. This consideration shows that her food must be liberal and of good quality. The lamb should increase in weight at least one-half pound per day if growing for market, and this alone requires a fair ration to produce, and therefore the feeder must deal with ewes suckling lambs with a liberal hand. The ewe must produce a profitable fleece be­ side growing her lamb and keeping up her own flesh. We have produced most satisfactory results in feeding suckling ewes upon the following com­ bined ration: Ten bushels' of oats, nine bushels of corn, with one bushel of flaxseed, all ground together in fine meal, and then mixed, at the time of •21 J on straw, liirald0 have two pounds «f «adi a gronal ration on stmw, andr if the straw isoat short, all better. A good afct> fcpr W supposed, m this case, else such growth on lambs as we have mentioned cannot he made on such a ration, ner perhaps on any ration, in cold weather. The Rmall amount of flaxseed has a remarkable effect in modifying the heating quality of corn. It keeps the tanvels in a healthy, active condition and prevents all danger of gargle in the- ewe.,., HOUSEKEEPERS' li£LP% BREAKFAST BOLLS.--EigM ounces of ITour, one dunce of melted butter, two •ggs, one teaspoonful of pulverized su­ gar, pinch of salt, grated rind of one lemon,..enough milk to form a batter. Fry like pancakes. Spread jelly and sprinkle sugar em and roll up and serve. FROSTED LEMON PIE.--Juice and grated rind of one lemon, one cupful of sugar,, one cupful of water, velks of two eggs; or use cream instead of wa­ ter, if you want it rich. Bake. Beat the whites, to a froth, with a little sugar, and spread on the pies. To- be made with one- crust. RIPE TOMATO CATCHTTC^--Four table- spoonfuls of salt, four of black pepper, one of cloves, one-half of spice, one of mustard, one-half teaspoonful of cay­ enne pepper and one pint of strong vin­ egar, to every gallon of tomatoes. Put all together and cook slowly for three hours; when eold strain through a sieve. BAKER'S GINGERBREAD.--Two cup­ fuls of molasses, four table-spoonfuls of butter stirred in the butter without melting, two table-spoonfuls of soda dissolved in o»e cup of sweet milk, one teaspoonful of pulverized alum dissolved in one-third of a capful of bet water, one table-spoonful of ginger. Mix very soft. Koll thin. WEDDING CAKE.--One pound flour, one pound brown sugar, one and one- eighth pounds butter, one-half pound candied citron, four pounds currants, four pounds raisins (stoned orchopped), nine eggs, one spoonful each of ground cloves, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and three gills brandy. Fruit should be rolled in flour before straining in. CHOCOLATE CAKE.--Four eggs, two cupfuls sugar, one cupful of butter, one cupful of milk or water; if sour milk is used a teaspoonful of soda; if sweet, use baking powder, as much as required for three cupfuls of flour; flour enough to make a stiff batter. Icing for the same; three table-spoonfuls grated chocolate, one and one-half cupfuls of powdered sugar, whites of three eggs, one tea­ spoonful of vanilla. TAPIOCA PUDDING.--(With preserved apple, peaches, etc.) Prepare one tea­ cup of tapioca with three cups of luke­ warm water and soak five or six hours in a warm place. Sweeten to taste, add mt O* " Ckoo* Old Mm-* v. Bead It is plbasing to* reflect?--says Mc- Master,.in hi* "History of the People of the-United States*--that while our countrymen have been making such as­ tonishing progress in all. that adminis­ ters to tfee comforts and nonvanionxM of life, they have, at the same time, grown charxtable and humane; There is, indeed, scarcely a scrap of informa­ tion bearing upon the subject extant which does not^go to prove bevond a qnestion that the generation which wit­ nessed the Revolution was less merciful and tender-hearted' than the generation which witnessed the civil war. Our ancestors,, it is true, put up a. just cry of horror at the brutal treatment of their captive countrymen in the prison ships and hulks. So great was their indignation that money was t® be stamped with representations' of the atrocities* of which they complained, that their descendants to the remotest generation might hold' in remembrance the cruelty of the British and fee suf­ fering of the patriots. Yet even then the face of lhe> lknd was; dotted with prisons where deeds of cruelty were done, in< comparison with which the foulest acts committed in the hulks sink to a. contemptible insignificance. For more than fifty years after the peace there was in Connecticut an underground prison; which surpassed in horrors the black hole- of Cal­ cutta. This den, known as tftie New­ gate prison, was in an old worfced-out copper mine in the hille near Granby. The only entrance to it was by means of a ladder down a shaft which led to the caverns undter ground. There, in little pens of wood,, from thirty to. 100 cul­ prits were immured, their feet made last to iron bars and their necksehained to beams in the root The darkness was intense; the eaves reeked! with filth; vermin abounded';, water trickled from the roof' and oozed from the sides of the caverns: huge masses of earth were perpetually falling off. In the dampness and the filth the clothing of the prisoners grew moldy and rotted away, and their limbs became stiff with rheumatism. The Newport prison was perhaps the worst in the country, yet in every county were jails such as would now be thought unfit places of habita­ tion for the vilest and most loathsome of beasts. At Northampton the cells were*scarce four feet high, and filled with the noxious gases of the privy vaults, through which they were supposed to be ventilated. Light came in from two chinks in the wall. At the Worcester prison were a number of like cells, four feet high by eleven long, without a window or a chimney, or even a hole in the wall. Not a ray of light ever penetrated them. In other jails in Massachusetts the cells were so small that the prisoners were lodged in ham­ mocks swung one over the other. In Philadelphia the keeps were eighteen feet by twenty feet, and so crowded one well-beaten egg and one teaspoon of salt. Place in an earthen baking j that at night each prisoner had a space dish alternately with the fruit, the first | six_feet by two to lie down in and last layers being tapioca. Bake one hour. Serve with cream. EXCELLENT FRUIT CAKE.--One cup­ ful of butter, one cupful of brown su­ gar, one cupful of molasses, one cupful of sweet milk, three and a half cupfuls of flour, four eggs, one and a half tea- spoonfuls of cream of tartar, one tea­ spoonful of soda, one pound of raisins chopped fine, one teaspoonful each of cassia, cloves and nutmeg, and a little bran if you choose. This makes two good-sized loaves which will keep moist eight weeks, and it is superior to any other. WASHING FLUID.--Put ono ball of The misery of the unfortunate oreatures cooped up in the cells, even of the most humanely kept prisons, sur­ passed in horror anything ever recorded in fiction. No attendance was provided for the sick. No clothes were distrib­ uted to the naked. Such a thing as a bed was rarely seen, and this soon be­ came so foul with insects that the owner dispensed with it gladly. Many of the inmates of the prison passed years with­ out so much as washing themselves. Their hair grew long. Their bodies were covered with scabs and lice, and emitted a horrible stench. Their cloth (ng rotted from their backs and exposed their bodies, tormented with all manner potash in one gallon of.water (remove of skin di8eaaeB and a yellow flesh all of the resin first) and one ounce of eracking open with fiHh. The death- salts of tarter and one ounce of aqua rate often B\ood M bigh „ 60 in l ooa ammonia. When all is dissolved add jf 8UC]i torments were not hard another gallon of water and put away j enough to bear, other8 where hy for use. Now, the night before the day j the half-maddened prisoners. No sooner you wash put enough water m your tub < did a new-Comer enter the door of a cell to cover your white clothes, add half of j than ft rush was made for him bv the a tmful of the fluid. Put your clothes j inmates, who stripped him of his cloth­ ing, and let him stand stark naked till it was redeemed by what, in the pe­ culiar jargon of the place, was known as drink-money. It sometimes happened that the prisoners were in possession of n carefully-preserved blanket. Then this ceremony called garnishing was passed over for the yet more brutal one of blanketing. In spite of prayers and entreaties, the miserable stranger was bound, thrown into the blanket and tossed till he was half dead and ready to give his tormentors every superfluous With the tolls thus exacted liquor was bought, a fiendish revel was held, and, when bad rum and bad tobacco had done their work, the few sober inmates of the cell witnessed such scenes as would be thought shocking in the dance-houses which cluster along the wharves of our great seaboard towns. in and let stand till morning. Put your boiler on as usual. Wring your'clothes out, and soap and put on to boil. The water in the boiler must be cold when you put the clothes in. Now you can put your clothes on right after break­ fast, and by the time your other work is done your clothes will be ready for yog. . . . * An Important Eit«ni A oonductor on a Missouri, tfenwwa and Texas train approached a swell- 1Yt, vunucmuio c,c,, looking colored woman, arrayed in all I t^^Mor1 nTonev the glories that ribbons can lend, and1 g - - y asked her for her ticket. "Go way fum v'ah! Don' bidder me with none yo' foolishness!" she ex­ claimed, bridling with indignation. "Come, give up your ticket!" remon­ strated the conductor. "I tole vo' go way fum y'ah! I done got no ticket, an' I don' want no fool­ ishness !" 'If you don't give me a ticket or pay your fare, Pll put you off the train!" growled the exasperated functionary. "Yo' don, put me off no train, now, I tole yo' fer suali!" retorted the darky. Ise got biziness down yere datyou can't postpone. Ef you put me off de train, yo' done got in a fuss, suah's yo' bo'n!" "Where are you going anyway? 'What's your business?" demanded the conductor, rather impressed by her manner. "Ise gwine to de hangin' a pieoe down yere, and, mo'n dat, Ise gwine, and yo' • can't stop me!" "Who're thev going to hang?" asked a passenger, who had become interested in the discussion. , "Dey's gwine fer ter hang my hns- i band, and Ise ter be de only lady pres- i ent! Go way fum y'ah! Don' fool with me! Ef yo' think yo's gwine ter git me off dis train an' beat me out'n de last chance o' lay in' over that nigga's mudder aud sister, who can't git in and won't stay out, yo' don' know nothin' about de strength of a wife's devotion! Go way fum y'ah! Rudder dan lose de chance of breakin' dem nigga's hearts, I done put dis heel under yo' railroad an' lift it over de State line! Go way fum y'ah!" The conductor let her ride free, but whether to save the railroad or her last opportunity to get square with her mother-in-law, was not apparent cm his retwmfkr-Vrake'if Magazine. the Sparrow Must G*. 18teals wheat, Kits few ĵnofchs, Makes too much rsotoV/,- ; ' Picks oil blossoms, ̂. Eats eatljr lettuce, •', . Drives off useful birds, I Disfigures buildings, I Befools gutters, » I Can't sing. --Courier-Journal. THE Yermonters take kindly to their imported German girls, finding them models of economy and cleanliness. One of the girls at St. Albans even wipes the wooden toothpicks and aaves pounds per day, with about the same ' them for the next meal. Scrambled Snakes' Eggs. Dr. Hermes, the Director of the Berlin Aquarium, made an interesting experiment in dracontoophagy when he served up to his family and some in­ vited friends a dish of scrambled snakes' egg. A few days before, an ln- cian python, lately received at the in­ stitution, had laid fifty-five eggs. From thirty of these Dr. Hermes had the singular dish prepared in the presence ot his guests. They were broken up into a frying-pan containing the requi­ site modicum of melted butter. The eggs have no yelk, but are filled with a grayish-white liqu'd; the shells are neither hard nor brittle, as in birds' eggs, and, after being emptied of their contents, resemble pieces of leather. The taste of the savory plat was likened to that of mashed potatoes mixed with rice. In his "Curiosities of Natural History," Frank Buckland tells an amusing story of his little girl ap­ propriating some snakes' eggs and eat- ting them under the impression that that they were big sugar-plums. The same distinguished naturalist had him­ self banqueted upon boa-constrictor, which he found to resemble veal s >me- what. It is well known that the Kafirs and Hottentots eat snakes of all kinds, even the deadly puff-adder, while the Bushman not only regards their flesh as a delicocv, but consumes without hesitation the animals which he brings down with his arrows tipped with the adder's venom. The Australian aborig­ ines are snake-eaters, and in some rural districts in France a bowl of viper- broth is the popular prescription for gout and scrofulous affections. Black Snakes Fighting. I once witnessed a conflict between two racer snakes. Hearing a tremen­ dous thrashing among the leaves on my right, I turned my head in that direc­ tion and beheld a sight which, though calculated to make one's flesh creep, was sufficiently exciting to hiold one's breathless attention. Two of these glossy black reptiles, each four feet long, often with half their lengths tlw nuiiajut' MB lii BL porttaa ««* " * tteltadMHI and TTihiIiii-- tftwuBiatoUw sndu*hatdto» Mary, 150,000; to> meet the onttnarr' Igiuaua ultbeChewtwPnitentiwy. tllOJNO: for STmmwwt relate and tmYrorminto al ' . mm i-icmmm - Mt> --imagt the rules ; H MTO' Ltma Ml a third canted. Tbo- bill DM and a third ttaae aat pawed witb tlie (wntner choc. The Gov. etMr sent In tite Mmiir aomtnsttaiis: Wm member of the Board, of State Chaadtteo, Ma M. Gould, .of'Roek island, to bo his on sncoea «or; rtorTraatceof tlte ftmthem Normal, imfe B. Self, of Ednrdk ooantr. Tin lades. **• signed. Mr. SuadferlsndfrMlI to permit Const# Bapettetendento to> chaos* MM doQar tat Hwi certificate temHi a JnMl wr dabsy- 6SD6BMI! OK CMHftT iMlIUtiL HMML Routine bnsineas wa» alkmod a porttettoftfce morning sMOtaai of tbr low, aal tbo naolft WM tho advancement ot sewna! tflb tromooa order of reading to aaote. lb. Snlttraa** House bill to trtre Gbnntjr Jadgs* tite jor&diotioai of Probate JndgjiH in tt>eir co«aty. whoa tite Probate Judgeship is vacant by death, abaente orother oanse, waa passed b? a larce vote. M fonr votes weir cast aeataot ft. Mr. WeadoWi, bill fot the redistrioting of riili IQH lalO I will one wards, adding six Alderman tft the present: number; was and passed to> a third A bill to change the time at holdtag the Coart in HancoeK counljr was passed. Mr. houps bill to provide means tot towns rits, in otee proximity to make aad xme a oemetet* MpUy passed. Dhe Appropriation bQl thta proceeded with for a fm ooauderfetton of are- MB waA Tuesday, .and1 the twmalailM mt the was spent in throwing paper wada anrosa thy. room, while the dlferk read a few bSk An ad^ joornment was finally reached, tin hoar off* meeting.'being fixed forMonday MSp. m. THK Statabe met on, Monday evening, tbfc' 7th lust.,, and: itnmediaitely adjourned. Th# Honse met at 5:S0 in the evening with a few members*. Speaker Coif ins wan at his post, sajl a very creditable amount of business was traaa* acted during.'the short time that the body In session. Sixteen of the 3K> Mils on the of scconrt reading were rushed through astonishing celerity. The most important these were Fuller'!* Criminal Code 1 allowing appeals hy the people stipulating: terttaonv in cases alleged lunacy.;: MitcheW*s Welghmaeter bill; the Chicago Washlngtonian Home bill, ana, Vanghey's Savings Bank bill requiring report! of bank officers. Mr. Morrison introduced a roa? olution requiring-the-State Treasurer to make a report.of the moneys on hand May 1, theamotniA ot the revenne fund t* bo paid fan by June 3% and the imlsnce on. hand after all necessary eX» penses shall have be^ni paid under existing ap*.*% proprlations. 'r-!Z A FAIKLT full' Senate was present on tha <£» • J • 'jl "J>":' t -«•! i • morning of Ttaesday,. the 8th. and, after the in- > . troduction of a new bill by Mr. Secrcst, to an- <" I • game chiokens, withdranriag,, amd circling arouod > nanh othof, noma timee prone upon the grouttdiaii&egtiiHh with half their bodies erect ia the air, with heads drawn back and j&wB dis­ tended, now and again coming together ̂ with a rush, coiling aad whirling abavt ciGu o«uoi, niuUo Ixioj liiaiieu each •oiher and the ground with their: tail*, the blows sounding like the stroke of. a heavy-stubbed whip-lash. Thw ani­ mated contest lasted probably two min­ utes, when one of the contestants, hav­ ing been sufficiently entertained, darted away, with his antagonist in hot pur­ suit, and soon they passed beyond my view.--Buffalo Courier. John Duncan.. The life has recently been published in England of John Duncan,. weaver and naturalist, who, living in extreme poverty and obscurity, made a study of botany and became celebrated for* his contributions k that science. He was one of those knowledge-seeking peas­ ants of whom Hugh Miller and Thomas Edward are examples, and of whom, too, Scotland produces an unusual num­ ber. He only learned to read at 16, and he did not learn to write until he was past HO. His life was a perpetual struggle for bread, and he suffered bitterly from the unappreciative ignorance with.which he was surrounded. He waa attracted bv the beauty oi flowers early in life, \>ut he was ad­ vanced in life before his attention was called to botany as a science. It then flashed upon him like a revelation, be­ coming thenceforward an absorbing passion and an endless source of in­ terest, delight and solace. While he was pursuing ihis«heervan tions he slept in a loft over a stable, an apartment formed by the slope of a thatched roof, seven feet in length and of only sufficient height in the center to allow him to stand upright- There was no window--only a small opening with: a wooden door, and when the door was closed the room was dark. Hie vil­ lagers called the loft the "philosopher^ den." Here John Duncan kept: his books and instruments, and wrote letters and papers on the lid of his chest;: here he used to sit for hours, reading, thinking and studying, and here, without a fire or a candle, he went to bed nightly. He worked at the weaver's loom ,for his bread and gave his spare hours to his studies. Living on the meanest food, he managed to save enough money to purchase the necessary instruments with, and gradually made a wonder­ fully-complete and valuable herbarium,, which is now in the University of Aber­ deen. He was not known beyond; his own neighborhood, and the only rewards that came to him were those which he' found in the pursuit of his science. At the age of 80 he was compelled to>enter the parish workhouse, and he had been an inmate of this refuge for some time when the world discovered, the value of the work which he had done. No complaint ever came from him. When he was asked on one occasion if he did not find the work at his loom wearisome, he replied, "Oh, na; the work wud be> wearisome gin the mind: were tied till't! But the mind's free* like the shuttle* and sae it can rin abootr here and there«. back and forth, ding dang." ^ John Duncan was one of those large souls who care little fbr adversity and cheerfully bear their- lot in life, knowing that, though their earthly tenement is a stable-loft, the mind can make a kingdom for its ell--Youth's Companion. Ball Customs on the Rio Grande* It was 8 o'clock when we arrived a# the house. We found many of the guests had already assembled, as was i $3JKO indicated by the l»rge ™niber of hor»« SS53' hitched to the fence in front and m rear of the house. The strains of a violin greeted our ears as we entered. The dancers were taking their places on the floor. The young ladies, bashful, and blushing through the powder on their cheeks, were dressed in calico' and sashes. The young men were dressed in every imaginable style--some wore coats, the majority were without coats and' wore long boots outside their trousers. Very few wore either collar or tie, but in the matter of spurs they made up for anything lacking in other departments, of their costume. There was one official whom I never before saw at a ball. This functionary re­ ceived the six-shooters and other arma­ ment of the young men as they divested themselves of their artillery prepara­ tory to taking part in the dance, and held the weapons until called for. In dancing there was less ceremony and more abandon than I ever saw. Nevertheless, the men were in their rough way courteous and polite to the ladies, and the ladies flirted with as much energy, and said as many silly things while dancihg on the mud floor as their fashionable sisters do on the waxed floors at Saratoga or Long Branch, and I am inclined to think * J. ^ ' : ;^fS§§S M Vt ' ' t : ' Sip! thorlxe the Trustee® of the Insane Hospital alt Kankakee to sell stone, gravel and land and ton purchase lands with the proceeds thereof , and a report from the Committee on Enrolled and En-< grossed Bills,.consideration was resumed of bills on second reading.. This order of business occd- gied the whole dav. The General ApprorriaMoit ill was finished ui> in the Hou*.\ and ordered ts a third readinsc. Mr. Worthington's ! illtolegal* ice certain drainage districts along the Snjf levee, and the benefits assessed, aad to provida for the purchase of land by snch districts, wail passed without a negative vote with the emerge enoy clfcnso. Immediately after the Honse wan' : oaltad to-order in ths afternoon it wax adjourned ̂ out of respect to the bereavement ot Represent*- tive Thomas. ' ' ' ' ̂ ta the Senate «• the 9Ch Inst alaigemiafe ' berof bills were advanced to second acd thirft ^ reading, and' the following were passed: Making <; J •Impropriations for the support and m&intenancS of the Illinois Soldiers* Orphans' Heme; appropriations for the 8t ite Reform School aft ' Bmttac; to amend the Free-School act: Ineceaa* , »•,* 'L ing the fees ot State's Attorneys to ISO f r a cap- ' Jf % ital conviction ar life sentence. $15 for a eonvic-, i - » » tion punishable by imprisonment less than w • ' - ji» life, .and $5 for all other conviction's # making appropriationH for the 1IU* • nois Asyhirn fer Feeble-Minded Children;. " , ' appropriating fw.ooo for building an addition U •" j* 11: : « the Anna Asylum for the accommodation of .. t . f"- the more-dangermis patients at said asylum, to-" * * Mm- with an anexpended balance left from th* '• i ' v'fll mildiiiK fund of two years ago; appropriattn* $5,01)0 per annnaa for the ordlnary expenses or the State Laboratory of Natural History at th# Normal,, for the improvement of the library > thereof. and for the expenses of the State Sato* molojrist's office; making an appropriation fot. xi; the ordinary expenses of the State Normal > versity and tor additions to the library} * -.5 appropriating $"5,000 per annum for tlifr'i Illinois Guards for the next two yearn{ appropriating $*,000 for the purchase of rt'al es*- tate for the Chester Penitentiary, and SlQ.ntiofof, building a wall, a shop fdr stone-cutters, a er and an toe-bonae for the same; immwitatiac fiooatotheDeaf and Dumb Asylnm at Jfaokaon* ville for the erection of kitchen building and employes* quarters, and $8,000 for the erection ot a refrigerator honse: appropriating for the Jack* sonville Insane Asylum $110,000 per annum fo£ ordinary expenses. $s,ooo per annum for repair* and improvements, for end walls, S1.00S per annum for improvements and care of th# grotzuds, $2,oo i per annum for renewing heating apparatus, aud $l,ooo for a fire-pump} appropriating for the Anna Insane Asylnm* $0,800 per annum for ordinary expenses.;. per annum for repairs, etc., 1 other purposes; making appropriations, in ad-t dition to the one-half of the interest of the col- ' . " lege and seminary fund, for the Curbondaia • Normal University, for salaries, fuel, repairs,. ̂ l i b r a r y , a p p a r a t u s , m w e u m , T r u s t e e s ' e x p e n s e s v ' ' ' ana care of grounds, an aggregate of $1<,1CA.M per annum, and $4tM» for other purposes; ap~ propriatinK f32,000 per annum for ordinary«x-> ' penses for the Blind Asylum, fi.oiM) for repairs* , and improvements, and $],7f>0 tor fence, etc.; ;. appropriating for the Illinois Deaf and Duuil* >• - Institution i:)7,<00 for ordinary expenses, $2,00»*,.- per annum for repairs nnd improvement, aud $500 per annum for a lit,'iarv.,>.$& '^si- Mr. Bhaw s bill that provides for the election by. _ ' • the people of the Be aid of Railway and Warhous'en'i. •» f Commissioners failed to pass by a very closet^ . S'•>. vote. The pending business of the House when ' convened was the passage of Cireea's I ill to re-* vise theinsurar.ee law, whLh wns riad just pre- - , ,* vious to the adjournment. Theb:l!was d.i. . Then the exeitinif measure, the Harper High License bill, was presented on second reading, and a long parliamentary squabble occurred. ̂ r upon the Speaker's ruling that it toi-ld be taken 1 „"f up. A test vote upon the measure f-howed C8 to . j5/ • 60 in its favor, when the opponen's of tlie billiv broke a quorum, and the House adjourned. " J vf •« >< IPS N ^ N '•K ?li i iwsa; •sal? CONSIDERATION of Senate bill 33<.» came T,; as a special order, immediately after the reading- of the journal, in the Senate, on the 10th.. Thi#^,'. 4- is the bill which proposes to allow the-city of, Chicago to levy a tax beyond the 2-per-cent.. limit to complete the City Hall building. After" - discussion, the bill was refused advancement by 18 to 22. > r. Rice's i ill to limit the fee to bet> ' 1 charged by the proper authorities for the of licenses to retail intoxicating liquors to a. ' minimum of not. leas than $500 pxiT ajwutm' w came up as a special order. It was , poet-^ poned after considerable talk. Mv.Bell's wl in "f relation to the levy of t x .is for sewerage -and . 'r'i- • water-works that air. alv may have established that Mustang humanity enjoys itself as ! * system of sewerage ana water-works waat»k»£- y ? v i -A.. up on third leaning as a special order and., . passed. The bill to transfer Clay, KtHagham >, i and Jasper counties from the Southern to thenJir J ^ ^ Central Judicial Grand Division was takeit.up on <' J * *• S/'; third reading and passed. Mr. Hamilton.'1 V obtained unanimous consent to introduce. . , * a memorial from the city of Springfield * ' praying for the passage of the bill to pave the* streets about the Capitol Hu lding. Thttiiarpers License bill took up the whnle day in the House,| and failed to reach a conclusion at adjournment. ;• Several votes were tak n during the day, which t showed the friends of high license tp be in the• ' majority. Discission at the close of the day , was upon an amendm n making the-license of beer sellers $150; of be r and wine vendata^JSO ̂ . -' and whisky dealers $500. •;; 'a?*;/ • much as Mayfair humanitv. "Couldn't I rope vou mto a dance with me?" said a tall man without a coat, to a girl with a sash green and broad as the banner of Erin. "Would you mind cavortin' around with me for a spell?" said another booted and spurred gallant to a blonde with a broad-gauge yellow ribbon wrapped around her. And these men made themselves un­ derstood, and their requests were ac­ ceded to as promptly as if they had worn swallow-tailed coats and had said, "May I have the honor," etc.--Texas Siftings. -The Result of Ambition. Competition is the soul of trade. A case like the following, which happened in an obscure village in Westphalia, de­ serves to be mentioned for its original­ ity, strikingly illustrative of the above axiom. The Selectmen of said village proposed to give to the lowest bidder the privilege of cleaning the school- house and making the fires in the same during one calendar year, a privilege for which the incumbent had hitherto been granted the round sum of 12 marks per annum. This year a com­ petitor came forward, and, after re­ peated underbidding, finally offered to do the work "free gratis for nothing." Unwilling to be ousted, the party "in office" thereupon actually agreed to pay 1 mark into the village treasury--uav, went up to ii marks, but in the end was overbid by the persistent ofiioe- seeker, who offered to pav 2 marks GO pfennigs for the incalculable privilege of cleaning and making the fires, in the sehool-house.--American Req %stei\ HKAtfa to conceive, the understand­ ing to direct, or the hand to execute*-- Junius. ' ^ V" ^ KiJ si Ml syipit';. ».k| '•>?; i *ii •tf 9. ~j'it: The Yalue> of Autographs. The value of the autograph depend*. on many considerations. Ji the men was very great, like Rubens, Martin Luther, William of Orange, Ladovcio> Carocci, Napoleon or Washington,, the ^ letter wholly in their handwriting will -* ; bring $25 "t». $100; simply signed, „ ~ ; written by- a third person, not so much* and a publ£e document signed bv snchi > a personam* may be had from $lfttD> $25. ^ „ ,v<r Very tew autographs or autograph * letters, bring any such. figures. The-. * " average price of letters, written out fill- k \*\ ^ ly and signed by tlie-writer^. like Horace. S Greeley, Chariest Sumner„ Gladstone* D'lsraeli, Douglas Jerrokl, I>urke» " * 1 • Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson, Alex- ***% aniler Hamilton, Mrs. Hemans, Prvai- • dent Hayes, the British Gen. Howe.: I>r. Jenner (who discovered vaccina­ tion), Washington Irving, Henry Clay, Schuyler Colfax, Morse* Paniel 0*Con- nell and President Buchanan range from $1 apiece to $5 at the outside, and average about $3 each. Some of these, however, can be bought for 00 eenta. All the letters of all the men now in the American Congress and in the f Cabinet, in ewrv office of the Govern- ment at home* and abroad, can be , bought for $20 or tan, including Ptest* dent Arthur. , >H ' •' " -u- i r. » i » ( -.Is. ^ V *