THE J31^E^ILLIj JPI^ SS A. - Library of Congress · tell yoQ.frow fondly I love you. but in a...

Preview:

Citation preview

^

THE J31^E^ILLIj JPI^ SS A. '

BY W. A. LEE AND HUGH WILSON. ABBEVILLE. S.'C., FRIDAY».'MAT 12, 1871.;a

.n. . ...>. .I....a._.

SO GOES THE WOELD. V:v.'

Our varied days p«v«s on and on,Our hopes fade unfulfilled away,

And things which seem the life of life,Are taken from Us day by day; r

And yet through all the busy streetsThe crowd of pleasure-seekers throng,

The puppet's play, the showman's calls,An gossips chat the whole day long,

And so the world goes on.

Our little dramas come to nausrht:Our lives may fail, our darling plan

May crumble into nothingness;Our firmest castle fall to sand ;

And yet the children sing and dance,The money-makers laugh and shout,

The stars unmindful, still shine bright,Unconscious that our light is out,

Aud so the world goes on.

The house grow3 sad that once was gay,The dearones seek tbeirBlesSed Home,

And we may watch and wait in vainTo hear their well-known footstepscome;

And yet the sunlight checks the floor,And makes the summer shadows

loug,The roxe-buds at the casement bloom,The bird pours forth his cheerfulsong,

And so the world goes on.

And God goes on, and wltii our woe,Weaves golden threads of joy andpeace,

Guarding with his heart of-hearts,Our days of pain, our days of ease.

He marks thein all.the seed,, thesheaves, }

The dauger's smile, the mourner's,tears,

And keeps them safe.His children all.Through "all the great eternal years,

And so, thank God, the world goes oil

THE MYSTERIOUS ORGANIST.

At* a grand calhedr; 1 overlookingihe Rhine tb.cre appearod a ^iatin-tguishcd organist. -The great coroipo-ser who had played the organ so

much had suddenly died, and every;body, from king to the peasant, was

vvondcrhig wtoo could be found to fill '

liis place, whco one bright Sabbath'morning, as the'sextdb entered thechurch; ho saw a saw a stranger sittingat the crape-shrouded orgftn..He was a tall, graceful man, with a

pale but strikingly, handsome, face,great black melancholy eyes, andhair like the raven's wing for gloss-and color, sweeping in dark^ waves

over his shoulders. lie did not seen*

to notice tht}. sexton, but went on

playing, and such music as he drewfrom the instrument no words of minecan describe. The astonished listenerdeclared that the organ seemed tohave grown human.that it wailed;and sighed and clamored as if its torturedhuman heurt were throbbingthrough its pipes.When the music at length ceased,

the sexton hastened to the strangerand asked:"Pray who are you, sir." I"Do not ask my name," he replied; |"I have heard that you were in want

of an organist, and I have come heroon trial."

"You'll bo sure to get the place,"exclaimed the sexton. "Why, yousurpass him that's dead and gone."

"No, no, you overrate me," said thestranger, with a smile ; then, as if din-inclined to conversation, be turnedfrom old Hans, and began to playagain, and now the music changedfrom a sorrowful strain to a grand'old paean, and the mysterious old or-

ganist:Looklng upward full of gracePlaying still from a happy place.God's glory smote him iu the face,

Jjind his countenance seemed not unlikethat of St. Michael, us portrayedfyy Guido.&ost in tho melodies which swelled !

* * .... j r

around him, he sat with ins "lur-seeing''ejof fixed on the distant; sky, a

glimpso of%hichvKc caught througham open window, -when there was a

stir about the church door, and a

royal party came sweeping in.Among them might be seen a brightyoung girl, wit3a a wealth of goldenliair, <yw iike the violet's hue, an.dlips like wild cherries. This was thePrincess Elizabeth, and all e\'es were

turned towards her as she seated herselfin the velveUcushioaed pew ap-;propriated to the court.;. The myste- jrious organinfixed his eye upon herand went to playing. No sooner hadthe music reached her ears than shestarted as if a ghost had crossed herpath. The blood faded from her tcrimson cheek, her Hps qnivered, andher whole frame grew tremulous Atlast her eyes met the organist in a

long, yearning look, and the melodylost its joyous notes, and once morewailed and sighed and clamored."By faith," whispered the King to

his daughter, "this organist has amaster hand. Hark ye, he shall play.at your wedding."

The pale lips of the princess parted,Trot she could .not' speak.she was

dumb with grief. Like one in a paiufuldream, she saw' the pale man at

the organ and heard the melodywhich filled the vast edifice. Ay, full.well afre&ncw who it was and whytlift in&tpiimrwtt caot>iod hlV.athinff OUtthe agony of a tortured heart.

' When the services were over andthe royalparty; had left tbe cathedral,he stole away as mysteriously as hebad come lie was not seen again bytho sextou till the vesper hour, arid.then he appeared iu the organ loft and-commenced bis task. When he played,a>"v«iled figure glided in, and kneltnear a shrine. There 6he remaineduntil tho worshipper* disappeared,when tho sexton touched bar on tbeshoulder and said:"Madame, everybody has gone bat

you and me, and I wish to close thedoor." .

"I am not ready to go yet," was

the reply j "leave me.leave me!"The sexton drew back into a shady

niche, and watched and listened. "Themysterious organist still kept bis post,

aod his head bowed upon tho instrument,and he could not see the lonedevotee. At length she rose from theaisle, and moving lo tho orgau loft,paused beside the oig.inist"BertramI" she murmerecKQuick as thought the organist raisedhis head. There, with the light of

the lamp suspended to the arch abovefalling full upon her, stood thePrincess, who had graced the royalnew that dav. The court dress ofvelvet, with its ermine trimmings, thetiara, the necklace, the bracelets hadbeen exchanged lor a gray serge roheand a long thick veil, which was now

pushed back from the fair, girlishface."Why aro you here, Bertram?"

asked the Princess.""1 came to bid you farewell; and as

I dared not to venture into the palacef gained access to the cathedra' bybribing the bell-ringer, and havingtaken the seat of he dea l organist,let my music breathe out the adieu Icould not trust my lips to utter."A low moan was the only answer,

UMIJ IJ4J CUfillllUCU .

' You are to be married on the morrow?""Yes," sobbed the girl. '"Oh !

Bertram, a trial it will be to stand at

yonder altar, and take upon me thevojvtf which will doom me to a livingdeath."v "Think of me," rejoined the organist.''Your royal father has requestedmo to play at the.:wedding, und 1 havepromised to he here. if I were yourequal I could be the bridgroom insteadof the organist; but a poor musicianmust give you up."

"It is like rending my soul and bodyasunder to part with you," said thegirl. 4,Ta-n.ight I maj* tell you this.tell yoQ.frow fondly I love you. but ina few*hours it wiil bi a aiul Go, go,God bless you."She waved him from her, as if she

would banish him while she had thepower to do so.; and he.how was itwith him! He arose to leave her,then caine back, held her to his heartin a lon.'r embrace, with a half

. d

smothered farewell, left .her.The next morning dawned in (-loudnesssplendor. At unearly hour thecathedralwai throw n open and Lho

sexton began to prepare for the wedding,Flame-colored flowers noddedhy the wayside.-flame colored leavescame dashing down the tree* and layin heaps upon the ground; and theripe wheat waved like a golden sea,and berries dropped in red and purpleclusters over the rocks along theRhine.At length the palace gates "were

Dpened and the royal parfyjappeared,escorting the Princess- Elizabeth tothe cathedral, where the marriageiva8 to be solemnized.

It was a bright pageant .. farjrighfer thnn the entwined foliage andkh.^/ttvia t t>o toi-Pl-i *>f ilium »s

ivliich floated from stately heads andfestal robes that streamed down over

the nousing of the superb steedsHut the Princess, mounted on a snowypalfrey, and clad in snow white velvet,looked pale and sad.; and when, on

heading the church, she heard a gushof organ music, which, though juhi-hint in sound, struck on Jicr enr like a

funeral knell.fiiie trembled andwould have fallen to the earth,, hadnot a page supported her. A fewminutes atterwa ds she entered thecatbedral.v There wilii his retinueRtood the-roy-cl bridegroom, "whern sbehad never before seen. JBu-t herglance roved from him to the organloft, where she had expected thatmysterious organist. IIo was gone,upd she was obliged to return thegraceful bow of the King, to whomshe had been betrothed from motivesof policy. Mechanically she knelt athis side on the altar stone; mechanicallylistened to the service and madethe response.Tuen here husband drew her to

him in a convulsive embrace, -andwhispered:

' Elizabeth, my queen, my wife,look up."Trembling In every limb, she obc}*ed.Why did t^hoseeyes thrill her so?

Why did that smile bring a glow on

her ehceks?Ahl though, the King wore the

royal purple and-many a, jeweled orderglittered on his breast, he seemed,the humble person who had been cmDlovedto teach ortran music, and badv y ^

taught her the lore of love."Elizabeth," murmured the monarch,"Bertram Ilofi'mar, the mysteriousorganist, and King Oscar (the

Royal Free ilason) are one. Forgivemy stratagem. I wished to marryyon, but I would not-drag to the altaran unwilling bride. Your father was

in the secret."While tears of joy rained from her

blue eyes, the new-made q-icen rc!turned her husband's fond kisses, andfor once two hearts were made happyby a royal marriage.r J> rt ^ »? J* 'j ; i ;

Serious affray in urbenvili.e..Wo learn that a difficulty occurred in,Gr<*envHe, on Monday afternoon,which camc near proving a verj* seJrious matter. It appears*" that two

! colored men.one of them a notoriouscharacter.went into the store of a

merchant, named Isaacs, where some' words ocourred, and Mr. Isaacs orderedthem out; as they did not-lwavepromptly, ho started after them withia stick, wheu the i' traders immedi!ately left As Mr. Isaacs turnedaround, one of the men threw a brickat him, which struck him just above

1 in tho elf niltne lempie, uuu iuhoucu ...

Au officer arrested one of the party,but the other ran ofP. As the prisonerwas being carried to jail, a rescue

waB attempted by a number of coloredmen. The whites sided withthe officer, pistols and other weajpom

j were displayed, and for a short timotli^re was imminent danger ofa Moodyaffair. Judge Orr and other influentialgentlemen interfered, the exciterment quieted down, and the prisonerwas locked up. Mr. Isaacs was aliveat last accounts, but no hopes areentertained of his reeoverv..Phoenix.

^

"

GEORGIA'S GREATEST SON.

A Son of the Late Henry J. RaymondVisits the Hon. Alexander H. Steph-t'iiS.

II. W. Raymond, Esq., of theNew York limes, (a son of itsfounder,) has recently visited Hon.A. II. Stephens, at the latter'shome in Georgia. Like all menwho have ever eonie i;; "contactwith Mr. Stephens, Mr. Raymondwas evidently impressed with hisgreatness, lie writes to his paperthat, as the interview was mostlyconfidential, he cannot tell whattook pJace wnue it lasted. lie hadMr. Stephens* permission to makepublic some of his views. Wequote:Warm as was the day, a bright

coal fire was burning in the grate,at.d every window was firmly fasteneddown.Mr. Stephens being a

vk'tim ot that air-abhorring diseaseknown as rheumatism. Two bedsstood against the wall, a Imok-faeein each corner, a few chairs and a

couple of tables littered up with a/utiiliionf) »n n jo 1vuinu.^u lAjavo \si

books, documents (among winch Inoticed a pamphlet speech by SenatorBayard,) and newspapers, madeup the furniture of the room. Onthe floor were scattered, in wildconfusion, copies of newspapersfrom every section of the land.

Air. Stephen's, appearance is familiarmost people; his spore ligtireso very slight and frail, hislarge head and piercing eyes; butto mf» wlin liiiil ripvpr kpoii him be-tore, lie seemed but a mere skeleton.But when he talks the man

is forgotten in the charm of bisconversation. For three hour* anda quarter Mr. Stephens talked withme on almost all subjects, and myonly iegret was thai the time was

tip so soon. Firm in his convictions,emphatic, and at times eloquentin his comparisons, illustratingall points with illustrationsdrawn from a long life of variedexperiences, full of reminiscencesof the old political times whenstatesmen filled the places now occupiedby politicians, Mr. Stephenscould not but be entertaining as

well as instructive. I was amused,during our interview, with the freedomin the manners of the chil-dreu ot Ins household servants.

They came in-and out at wal-l, squattodon the floor ami played withthe dog, or stood before the fireami stared to their hearts' content,took part in the conversation when-1ever they defied, being humoredin everything by their much-lovedmaster.

Mfc. STEPHENS' VIEWS.' I should like very much to givea detailed account of Mr. Stephens'payings, for I know it would beinteresting; but, with the excep-;tion of a few points which I havehis permission to repeat, J must besilent Mr. Stephens adheres as

firmly as ever to the doctrine of;State rights, and sees in its triumphalone the salvation of the Republicfrom a centralized despotism, lieconsiders the thirteenth amend-!meut as having been full}' ratifiedand valid, as the natural result of:the war. The fourteenth amJfif-jteenth amendments he considersas "gross usurpations of power,passed by force and fraud," withseven of the original thirteen colo-!nies unrepresented. lie would not;hear of any such thing as "accept-1ing the situation" with those twoamendments in existence. lie didnot, nor did any one, propose todo away with negro suffrage, but,desired to avoid what now existed.hostility of race to race.

Mr. Stephens spoke of the TammanyKing, New York, as an"abomination" and a disgrace. OfGovernor Hoffman lie said th<it heknew of nothing against him, buthe did not know liim. Of GeneralHancock and Frank Blair he spokestrong terms of admiration, thelatter being a "man of nerve."The conversation turned on State

..:~i1.1. ~iTlglllS-, LUC pUllllUUI IIIIUIC, IMC

next campaign, the condition of theSmith and its needs, &c\; but asMr. Stephens desired the conversationto be considered as confidential,I observe his request. Someof his political predictions, as tothe votes of the States it) the nextelection, I jotted down in my notehookfor future reference, sinceMr. Stephens "staked his heml" on

their accuracy,-and said that hehad never been mistaken iu predictingthe vote of a State since1844' Such a- stake would bewortli winning.

A nolored postmaster, murdered bythe Kti Klux in South Carolina, has

! suddenly nindc hin appearance in Deitroit, Michigan. So we learn from ai Western oxchan^e.

THE DEMONSTRATION IN LONDONIN FAVOR OP THE PARIS

COMMUNE.

The last files of the English:journals contain full reports of themeeting which took place in HydePark, London, on the fifteenth oflast month. The demonstrationwas intended to express the sympathyof the English republicanswith the present insurrection which <is destroying Paris and disturbingFrance. Though the assemblage jwascomparatively small, the Ian-1 <

gunge of the orators was fierce andvioleut, and unmistakably hostileto the governments of England andother European countries. From (the addresses made on the occasionit is easy to perceive the drift and J

tendency of the thoughts of thesewould-be leaders of the working- 1men of Great Britain. Unfortunatelythe sentiments of these'men t<>o often exercise a dangerousinfluence over the working classes,ana noiwiinstanumg that the ting-1 x

lish press affects to ridicule the:-]the demonstration in Ilyde Parkit is nevertheless true that the agi- 1tation inaugurated in London, ex- jpressive of sympathy with the insurgentsin Paris, is the indicationof a dangerous sentiment prevail- fc

ing among a certain class of British jworkmen. In all large cities therea*re io be found republicans of a Istripe who advocate the overthrow ^of every form of government which *

does not concede impossibilities.London is the very hotln-d of thesemen. They flock there from everyclime, and receive a warm welcomefrom the fanatical theorists \vl o 1abound there. The little croppingout of the Keil element at the IlydePark demonstration mav bt but»i.~ ~«i .init: jncuursor ui uuier aim more rserious exhibitions. It is well tknown tlint throughout Uiecapitals I1ot" Europe there exists combinations j1of ineu-as daring and as reckless a$i 1

those who now fight behind the j(baviieadet? nf Paris. Give them but ^an o{i|H»rtuuity to show their jstren«^t Ii, ai»«l they will do it. View- jing the London demonstration in <jthis light, we do not wholly agree awith the prcssi of Loudon in re- jyarding the democratic display in u21. LV -1 i ^ i f 11 tuju iLugi.su cupiiui as 01 small r

account..N. Y. Herald. tr

.. \

.c

An Execution in Union. iit

Henry Cannon and Taylor Palmer, .

the two colored men sentenced to bo |hung last Friday, for the murder of 11G M. Stevens, on the night of the t:31st day of December last, Buffered [the penalty of the law as ordered by tthe Court. They died without ma--' (

king any disclosures except that on ithe day of the murder it had been ar- ,ranged by negroes in the village to i

meet at or near the place where the (murder was committed and go fromthere to Joncsville, about five miles j tbeyond, to fight the Ku Klux, and ifuthey could not get a fight there they fwere to cail on a respectable citizen fwho lives on the road and "take his ,head off." The prisoners acknowl- ^

edged that they were In thn crowd rwho murdered Stevens, but persisted tin raying they did not commit the ,deed. They pretended to know none ^who were present, except those who (had been taken out of the jail by the r

disguised parties, and three who are ]now at large. There? is no doubt they thad been led to believe they would bopardoned at the scaffold; but. wh<jn |

lint? t Kn an/I ItHV> oivj/pvu U|J\/|» tuv j/ium/1 III t*iivt |the sheriff commenced to adjust the t

rope around Palmei's neek, ull hope |Vanished and he fell to the ground, jThe prisoners were attended upon b}T jGolden Foster, a colored minister, jBefore "the rope was cut the minister ^appealed to them not to die with a lieupon" their mouths, but to reveal allthey knew; to which they replied,"you know all." In a moment afterthe drop fell, and the spirits of lienryCannon and Taylor Palmer weresent from time to enernity.. UnionTimes. (

I(

The feat of enclosing 15.000 ordi- i

nary and 500 8vo pages of official d.is- i

patches in a small quill, and attaching 1the latter to the tail feather of a pig-eon in aneh a manner as not to impedethe bird's flight, or to incommode it, i

and not to cause it to disembarrassitself of its precimio burden, was ac-

cornplisiied in'Puria during the lateseigc.- The result was not attainedby one effort; at first the dispatcheswere written by hand < n the thinnestpaper known, next the manuscriptmessages were photographed microscopicallyon paper; thirdly, the dis-

"iti? h\j in ij 1^1 at, uii;ii

reduced by photography, which showedof greater diminution in sizo, andafforded more legibility when enlarged.Lastly, un important importantimprovement was erteeted by Rendingthe almost imperceptible message onthin films of collodion. These filmswere ten times thinner and lighterthan the paper already mentioned,on *l.nf i> iiitr<>nri WHst pnnliliwl innw viiav u ^ w/ v-ciiijun immensely increased budget withoutany additional weight or volume. in fact, With a diminution of both.The nystem was conceived and workedout by M Steinacher, DirectorGeneralof Telegraphy with* the aidof MM. Boreswell, Blaise, and Lafuil^-e,who were at Tours.

Queens of the Summer.

BY CLIO 8TANLEY.

Queens of the garden are roses,Bonny, and fragrant, and bright;

A red rose and white rose are shining,"With splendor of dew-drnps alight;

Their cool leaves are kissing my eyelids,Their color is soft on the brow:

I cannot grow dull or unthankful.The roses are blossoming now!

Queens ofthe green houghs are birdlinga,Hiding their wealth in a nest;

A.bove ine* about nie, they're flying,Kiriiriiitr fliAir wn-pclpst Rlirt hMr

5ad hours grow fullest of comfort,Blessings come back in a throng;

While under tiie green boughs reposing,I liud the sweet meaning of song 1

'i j' ,v "

; 7Jueens by the brookside are lilies,Slender, and saintly, aiid white;t Iwiiirrlif-. vi'liDM T uMitnhprl thnir nnfnIH.

There could be no bonnier sight;t'etthe lilies.oh, strange contradiction!Their giory grew dim in a day,Yhen my darling, With tender grace

blooming . .

Came silently, walking that way!^air queen of my summer is JessieJessie,so tender ami sweet!'lie meadow with melody ringethAt sound of her twinkling feet;

?he sunshine of Love's in her presence.It colors all shadowy things ; ,

Jefore her the moorland grows brighter,Behind her the valley-land sings!

Sweeter than breath of the roses,Bright as a bird on the wing.

>ure a« the sweet-scented lilies,Awake at ihe dawning of spring;

:urer, and brighter and sweeter, -

Is Jessie, the queen of nay heart; "

Lnd from her, come winter or summer,I never.no, never will part!

A SINGULAR CRIMINAL

lie Murderous Philologist.He Petitionsfor a New Trial.

A conlirbution to permanent crimilalliterut 11 re is famished in the petiionjust addressed by Edward II. Rula?..I II .J * iim, now, vujniiiuiiiy ruimu me

learned murderer," toGoveinor Hoffn»n,of New York, written Iron) theell wherein he is confined, under convictionof murder in the first degree,[ he inun himself in a permanent crimnalcuriositj*. He is of marked intelcclualpower, lying especially in thelireetion of ucute, if not profoundinalyhis, und ingenious, if sometimes>erveree, induction. Ilia utterancesire characterized by t>kill und artistisInish. Ili.< linguistic attainments,uo, are of the highest character injoint of range and thoroughnessJpon these he has constructed a the>ryof the progression and perfection-ng of language which is subtilo andnirenio.us It runs c ounter to the esablishedviews upon comparative)l»ilolog}r. He entcrta ne unaffectedy

an entire faith in the soundness andi fierce zeal for at least its perpetuaion.In prison he lias been visited>y gentlemen of professional scientificittuinrneiitH, who have bee" uniformlyluzzled by the man's exhibition of in.elleetualpower and minute, variousind special linguistic knowledge.Professor Mather,of Aniberst College,hus describes Rulloff's appearance:"In jierhon this strange man in

ibout middle height, and of robust)iiild, and is apparently verging on

i.ty year* of age. Be lias a singular'.»Cu, not villainous or groasly sensual,lor is it scholarly. The features are

itrongly ma'kcd and full of sinisterneariing In mannt-rs he is very ur>uneand natural, and he converses,vith great facility and elega> ce. Bis?oice is mellow and pleasant, and occasionallyshowed tones of tendericssBut for all that. I do not beievethe man has any tenderness saveor language." , ... , . >mA significant feature of this singoarchumeter is the apparent absence

»t* what, is understood by the term'moral sense," and ho has endeavored;o solve the problem of life as a proessionalcriminal. Accordingly we

ind him pursuing the calling of sys^cniaticburglary for a number ofrears, during which, on several separiteoccasions, he was overtaken oynisfortune in the shape of a legal conviction,to which he has arison supe*iorbj' ingeniously breaking jailraadjuccirtsfully maintaining a disguiseivhich prevented recapture. He hasbeen suspected of compassing th<Jeath of his wife, but the proofs justifyno more than the Scotch verdict ofnot proven." Once moro he is now

M'itK O/l t in t Ka <micaSLJ'Uggll IJ£ n HII V Wl OJ tJ III bUV

>f u death sentence, after convictionfor murder, and once more his intellectualnature stands him in stead, byinterposing the remarkable petitionibove referred to.Last summer Rulloff and two

others entered a store in which twoL-lerks named Myrick and Burrows,were sleeping. 'I lie clerks awoke andthe burglars fled. One of them, however,was struck down by Burrows,Myrick following up the advantage.1 he prostrate burglar cried cried for....i U.'otiiwv /./.mnunmna Vi*f llt*n-Ur^miilHUlT, mnn.u

ud, and five pistol shots were tired, bydug of' which Myrick was woundedand died. The thr<*e burglars attemptedto swfm Chenango JRiver,All had been wounded und two sanki<nd were drowned. Rulloff reachedthe opposite bank exhausted, was

identified captured and convicted.He is under sentence to be hangedMay 18th. In his petition to the Governorhe tnnkes two points:

I. Ho wi 1' be able to show on

another trial that he did not fire thefatal shot. It is shown that thetwo burglars bad abandonedtho commission of the larcenybefore the fatal conflict. Tho violence

1' 4 " ..l.v..I.A 4/Mitn»»/! tliainKlJOWn oy U1U Cluruo iv/n«iu vnvii

orarade (he hold.-} was an unlawful

violence, and the fata! conflict Was an

attempt to suppress this unlawfalvioIcnce,Under the statute, such malicea« fixes the grade of murder inthe first degree cannot he presumed toattach to a man who bad first abandonedhis unlawful purpose of larceny,huu next returned to. tne spot omy to

suppress the unlawful violence of theclerk?*, and, finally, had not himselffired the fatal shot.

2. But the prisoner becomes moreearnest in enforcing his second point.the value of his philologic discovery.And herein be only urges thato committee of qualified persons beimmediately appointed to investigatethe subject, to ascertain the value ofhis dincnverv. and to take such Htensas may be necessary it* preservation.In itself it is of infinite interest. Itapplies equally to the ancient Greek,.Latin and 'Hebrew, Sanscrit, Arabic,Celtic, French, German, Ehglish languages.It carries us back to a timein the history if the ancient Greekwhen as yet the letter R was on-^known. Should petitioner perishwithout the means of perpetuatinghis discovery, ages might elapse beforeanother p« rson would make such advancesin this particular line of inquiryas to make this method accessiblefor purposes of general education.Petitioner sets forth a Bampleof whathe elaims to be h's discovery, and of* L. iL «.J iL.. ^2 it.nuie uieinuu en tuc juiruuuvuuji ui tut;

letter R into the etcaeture of theGreek language, tracing some of itsconsequences with raro ingenuity..

Alter a review of the whole caso.however, it appears to be fitly summedup in the happy language of the NewarkAdvertiser .' "Philology behanged."

The Planet Mercnry on Time.

The sky and the atmosphere gavethe requisite condition# for the observationof the planet Mercury on Sun- .

day evening, which having then reachedits greatest eastern elongation, wasvisible for nearly two hours after snnset.It was one of those rare eveningswhich are the delight of astronomers.when not a single fleecy cloudobscured the sky, and not a breath ofvapor dimmed the vision. The cold

-J /Vttltt /I Mil Kanlr 4 /* i Awiiiu was uic umj uian uati\ km iuc

perfection of meteorological condition^Juat-aboutan hourafler sunset the

tiny star made its appearance in theposition indicated lbr the fiery littleplanet. It wao directly in the sun'spath, but so faint and small that wocould hardly believe it to be the gloriousorb for whose long-anticipatedsight we were willing, to watch thewhole evening. But as the twilightwaned tho tiny star grow in size andruddy light, until we knew from it&soft glow that it must be the plane',we sought, and that for the first time,thongh we had looked for. it unsuccessfullyhundreds of times, we sawthe star so shy of showing itself tomortal eyes.A lovely pictaro of starlit plory

was spread out on the dark concaveof the sky; the growing orange twilight,the peculiarly brilliant Mercurythe fascinating Venus, the silver crescentmoon, and the '-star of imperialJove" rising in celestial glory aboveeach other, with ''the red planet"Mars mounting to the zenith in theeastern sky, while they Batik slowlyto the west.

Later in the evening, after the twilightglow had faded away, we had aview of these planets through theProfessor's telescope M< rcury lookedlike a ball of glowing fire; Venuswas intensely bright, reflecting everyTM»iumntii* hiiM vvitii I'pimwn nnH win-v -

let predominating; Mars resembledMercury, only larger and of a more

fiery red, and Jupiter was tbe mostcharming telescopic object in theheavens, with his soft light, his wonderfulbelts plainly visible, and hisfour moons glistening" liko diamondpoints of light. The Moon also puton a lovely aspect. The edge's were

clearly defined against the sky, andthe cusps of tbe crescent shone likostars reflecting their light on the unilluminedsurface, the whole bod3' ofthe Moon being distinctly seen as a

sphere of grayish white.We had a third view of Mercury,

iust before he sank beneath the hori-zon, when il was dark enough to bringout the constellation of the Pleiades,a lew degrees above him, the planetmaking a beautiful pendant to theglittering cluster.

Mer'-ury may«lill be 6een for twoor three evenings, but owing to hisrapid approach to the Sun he mnut belooked for lower down towards thehorizon. After this his light will belost in the Inightnessof the great luminaryuntil parsing to the wost ofthe Sun he will reach, on the 10th ofnext June, his greatest western elonjgution, when ho may again be seenabout two hours before sunrise as

morning star. .A^. Y. Herald.

The Interior op the Earth..Awriter in Soribner's Monthly says:We suppose that Professor DavidForbes, of England, knows as muehabout the interior of the earth as auyinan living. In a !nte leeture he injsisted that all the objections broughtby geology, mathematics or astrono'my againwt the old theory that theearth is a molten mass surrounded bya crust about fifty miles thick, are

quite untenable. He would have usi believe, while the outer layer of inelted mutter, just below tho earth'scruet, may be a kind of glassy slag,that not far below this layer, a salamanderbent on discovery would fiudtho pure molten metals, of which theheaviest.gold, platinum, etc..wouldbo at tho earth a centro, \ «ry .lKeiy

c

the mass of the earth is molten iron;and this view is quite corroborated bythe fact that the broken fragments ofsome disrupted world, which in theform of aerolites, are continually JH1King from the sky, are often metaliciron. But what a tantalising thoughtit is, that just under our feet arecountless tons of the precious metals,nnlir umiiinir fli* .TriHn Whnrnflf f.n Int.us &now the route by which bypassedthrough to China*

useful morxmok*

How .to lay off a Square Acre^QfGround.measure off 2u9 feet oa eaehside, and you will have a square acre,within au inch. ,v -f [ ({ /j if?off *jContents.of an Acre..An acrecon-.

tains 4840 tquare rods... . .

A square, uiile contains 640 acres.Measures and distances.A >iuila is

4280 feet,-op 1860 yards ia length.-.. - ^A fathom is bix t'eet.A league is three miles.; t, , : Crf>A Sabbath .day's journey is 1144

yards. tbis is eighteen- yards lesstuau two-thirds of a mile. ,

-

... .jA day's journey is 33} miles.A cubit is two feot.A band (horse-measure) is 4 inches.A palm is 3 i'eet. r. y,Barrel Measure.A barrel of flour

weighs 196 pounds. \..yA barrel of pork, 200 pounds.? -

.

A barrel of rice, 60i> pounds.A keg of powder, 25 pounds,A tirkin ot butter, 56 pounds.A tub of butter, 84 pounds* ,H ;

BushelMeasure..The following areitnM hir *rp\tr\it. n«r lui^tml'"IU J * ""© V J/V§, VMWUVI

Wheat, beans and clover seed, -60pounds to tho bushel.Corn rye and flax seed, 66 pounds.Buckwheat, 53 pounds.Barley, 43 pouuds.Ool», 32 pounds.Bran, 20 pounds* w.Coarse salt, 85 pounds*Various We ghts and Measures..

» . c 1 1. -tj\ « .rA ion oi rouuu uiuuer w tew, vi

square limber, 54 cubic feet ;A commercial bale of cotton is 400

pound*. '

A peek of wool, 240 pounds.' '

A section of government land is646 acres, or one mile..,,A liquid ton is 252 gallons.

- A box 16 by 16$ inches and 8 inchesdeep contains a bushel. -

Under the head of "Useful, Factafor Grocers," the American Grocergives tbe following information : "

A sack of Liverpool salt should contain224 pounds. '

A bushel oi Turk's Island salt-willweigh from 70 to 75 pou rds.A box of lemons will average a*>out

330 in number, a box of oranges from200 to 250.A case of preserved ginger contains9 jtirs.A-frail of dates weighs from 150 to

200 pounds*A dram of figs, 2, 4, and 8 pounds

each..A cask of prunes, 1300 to 1800

pound*, averaging about 1500 pounds.A box of raisins contains 22pounds

net.Currents como in casks of from 275

to 300 pounds. aCitron comes in small boxei of

about 25 pounds eaob. Tare, two totwo and a half pounds. '

Peanuts are usually sent to market»*> fio«.|/o /.Mnfniriin/y oKAiit. 5 hiwKnlaJ IJ COVy UCj vviibtuii4,'& ui/vu V V vmvmwaw*

Dried applet and peaches come inbarrels, generally from 150 to 225pounds.

Blackberries come in barrels. .

A quintal of tish is 112 pounds*.Virginia peanuts weigh 22 poundsto the bushel,. Wilmington do., 28to 28 pounds. African do, 32pounds.

THE NEXT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONWHAT THE SOUTH ASKS.

The South has ho negro issue tomake in the coming election. Allher views are national and conservative.We think we know thetemper and opiuions ;of her peopieon that Question, and. at the risk

A ** ' T

of a note of dissent from a fewextremists, we now take occasionto embody them in the followingpr .-pcwitions, which, we believe,will meet the cordial assent ofninety-nine out of every hundreddemocrats in the South.First.We regard African slavery

as abolished, finally and forever.Second.Equal civil right to

every class of American citizenswithout distinction.Third.While we hold that republicangovernment, to be wise

and safe, must rest upon the virtueunci intelligence ot the people, andview with serious apprehension theincorporation of a large servileclass of unlettered peraous, whollyunfitted by previous education,habit or association, for an intelligentuse of the elective franchisewith the voting population of* theUnion; yet, as suffrage withoutdistinction of race, color, or previous.condition, has become engraftedupon all of the constitutions,State as well as federal, we

accept the change as law, and, repu-dinting all responsibility therefor,will give it a fair trial, leaving tothe fatnro to determine, by thelight of experience, whether acontinuance of the system ahajl orshall not be safest and best forthe country. ~

These propositions, in our judgment,embrace the views of thegreat bocty of intelligent Southernmen on the negro question, and ifthe Jacobin leaders can make any-tning ny tnuing issue with tliemthey are welcome to the victory.

: .« -.'-?l i#!'JT - I:W '(IP'I'.:t<- -scraps...c ?.:> " '.»df f «?5»!

rf* Over,seventy Germai writer*)^"al present engaged in laanuiVwjturli^Y,war novels.' The United States Goveriment expensesfor Anril ««ra tvuiva ^ «

half millions? "loi.<v A. .The California Vintage for this «eft*eon is estimated at ten million gal-41lontJ. ^'"*"" " »..

,.Over twohundred 'delegates^^)iStmedical convention fro n the Eastern

States are in San Francisco.^ * . IS-"''" TKli MlWAtt# TifrtnilaW'- ««.»«« «.vvuj.w»vj5« rwi uvnu

the schooner Ada A.' AndwWs, from - ;Alejwiciria .fqr, Boeton, wj^i ooij., >Tho erew were 6*ve{l. .. , .,:.'£! V3:. & U .rifThe Beppblicftn exeoptlv#, copwniV i

tee of New.York City bas tadoptedresolutions against the annexation jdfSan Domingo. : Jii}l ::t3'L * ! ®'-f

'

A dispatch from ^ff«<npt»is-«lafcii* a#that a hail storm did fnuch1damageni l> '

JNortb Alissiaaippi, Jloodagr-:!'^.r: pi v'iW. W. Corcoran, th*Wasbfinikidnc;1philanthropist, is better, and hopa»/<

are entertained of hiSireeovqrjv^ 01fn>Deer Creek earned off tiifttrwstta?*

from the crevasse, saving; the rich ,

Deer Creek Valley of Bclivar an<tWashington Counties, Mississippi. ' * '

^ General Spinner has been Treasurer., ,of Che United' States for lo 'yeara>.and" hat bandied in that? time th« 'r

very large anm of $50,000,000,OQOu. m;.>The* ladies of tlie BuItanVikraW

hold are reported to have read 93,00# h !worth of French novels laet year. n;; fThe bpanreb government bsfl jofcJ

given oal a contract forington rifles, to be delivered as /soon

.

«ooh as po6sibie, for 'shfpmeottbCuba. , . .<a q l\, \T.lUt

A man at Sairry/Termont,cased of having whipped bis dugSkter, aboat welre jeanpld, so:me%: ;fy as to CMU80 her death, ^ ^- The Washington, Chromclft gives tcurrency to a rumor.that-Minister,Cnrtin has tendered his regittnitionand will soon return from Rtnrtia.'v,fI f

Needles were first made in' England''by a Spanish negro'-io-tb^ reign of ;

klury. ;jQit hit) deaths bu art was Jott .

nnlil 1566. when JBlias Groroao, aGer.iJ..... .' u

man, re-discovered th«u same. *

,JlfiiT ' no ffO:.: <ii _!«>*!»> »

The fonr richest men in Virginia ..

are William T. Soatberiin, of .Dan* '

ville; James Thomas, of Richmond,1'Joseph Anderson; of : Richmdnd,> andFranklinSt«arns,of. Richmond., _T.;, ,

An Illinois undertaker advertiMi £that he keeps on hand ' an ^leg*H&stock of neat and nobby 'shrouds, !warranted "to give satisfaction to thftmost particular. ifF %' {James Tyson, now living near tfcr

AA _l_ 1 !_ I,« » .. »

a.r», Arit., ciairns la nave iongnr if*sixty battles and' skirmishes on" tb»bide of the rebellion, and to have' rwi;ceived more tl^ii) forty woundsis still able to manage a small farm. 4>;;Cashmere dresses, colored arid7

b1ack> are worn this spring over-Bilk'dresses, end are elaborately' embrold*ered or braided and edged with lao&-The sack is cut ap at the sides awj'back, and with very loag sieves,. Abotrimmed with lace. / <-v*;;

The cotton merchants at Htmafter long deliberation, have resolvedon adopting in the^lassiflcation ofcottonthe designations employed in 1

in America and Liverpool, instead, ofthe French ones heretofore employed*

A .«L.l *l>.(-i- . -J.a j'UUiig Itiau ouyo bu»l mew Bay

have been Mich a thing &s real -trttfrlove in old times, bat now the notioais entirety obsolete, and if yoo aak .* :lady now-a-daya to 6harevyo«ur lot,she immediately wants to; know hot* jlarge that "lot" is.

Frederick Kapp, one of the po?ftKcal refugees from Prussia of 184%.was lecoived by Emperor William, atthe palace in Berlin, with tho greatestcordiality;, as the representative ofthe Germans of America. -> ,

'

,'iM .. . V.! . ...»o l.o* O 1

JUTm* 4Ug « ov* uivu )«oir

Plymouth Church, on 'Ages toCome/Rev. llenry Ward Beectrer indignantlyscouted, the theory ol the teaurrectionof the body.In consequence of the great consumptionof perfumes by Americas

soap manufacturers, it is now foundprofitable to go into the coltivatiooofsome of the vegetables, especiallywinter-green, peppermint and berga*mot. iI GlfI1C U- ' V> ^

Eugene Webb, in Agricultural Parkat Sacramento. Cal., yesterday, rodeone hundred miles on horseback infour houra and thirty-four minutes.Ho agreed to perform the feat in fbnrhours and forty minutes for a purseof $1,000.On Thursday evening at 6 05 Sam

Collyer, the well-known light-weight,left Richmond on foot for Petersburgon a wager of $200 that he couldreach it in three hours and fifteenminutes. Ho arrived at 9.15.fiveminutes wilhin time.winning thomniinir

r.Mrs. Fair, tho deliberate slayer ofa Mr. Crittenden, of San Francisco,will not be sentenced until the 29th of

1 May, her counsel desiring a month'*I time in which to prepare his motionj for a new trial. IJe makes only fortyexeeptions to the rulings of the courtduring the trial. The verdict in the

: case of Mrs. Fair is generally approv.! ed by the press of California, and, wemay add, by the press of the - wholecountry.

Recommended