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the roll call was read over of the Swiss who were that day left upon the field of honor and of freedom, and at the stone which marks the spot where the patriot Winkelried gathered the hostile lance-points into his manly breast most eloquent speeches were delivered by the great men of the republic. But the people's festival only began when all these solemnities were finished. We must leave the spot where Winkelried fell, and the battle chapel, and crossing some fields enter a barrier behind which the whole gentle slope of a hill has been laid out with tier upon tier of rude pine benches, rising above one another, with a more elevated tribune of honor for the authorities of the republic. In front of the spectators, at the very foot of the hill, the orches tra of 600 patriotic amateurs of both sexes is placed, and beyond rises the stage. This has been shaped out of a grassy mound, approached by steps and boarded over, and is of sufficient size to allow two or three hundred performers to move about on it with facility at one time. Other steps lead to the funeral monument of the fallen patriots, for the moment draped with black, and surmounted by a gigantic statue of the genius of the Confederation in the shape of a victory, which to the spectators appears to float in the air against a background of dark pine trees, while beyond the jagged outline of Mount Pilatus looms hazily against the blue sky. Between the spectators and the proscenium is an open space sufficiently large for each of the groups of the play to defile upon before mounting on to the stage.

The actors are all volunteers, mostly peasant men, women, and children from the neighboring villages; the armor in which the warriors are clad has been lent by the museums and arsenals of the several cantons. The official guests had no sooner taken their seats than a herald in the colors of a Lucerne appears and proclaims the opening of the play. Then rises from the orchestra, as a prelude, an air that takes its name from the cow-bells (Kuhreigen), the Ranz des Vaches, which never fails to stir Swiss hearts wherever they may beat. The people of Sempach, men, women, and children, reapers and gleaners, in the picturesque costumes of five hundred years ago, with wagons of corn and shouts of harvest-home, cross the scene and slowly mount the stage, where they remain until the last song is sung. All is mirth and rejoicing at the plentiful harvest. The young men and maidens join in country dances, when suddenly there appears a hunter, who in the course of his wanderings has come across the vanguard of the avenging army of Duke Leopold. Before, however, I tell of the consternation wrought by the news he brought, I must mention the solo sung by the first peasant in the harvest group, the sentiment of which came home to every one of us, "Die Julisonnebrennet heiss ""The July sun is hotly burning"-for the spectators were not permitted to put up their umbrella or parasol, though to touch a metal button or a watchguard almost burnt the hand, The hunter tells the peasants of the rapid approach of the Austrians, and with what scorn the steel-clad knights regarded any attempts at resistance they may make. They comfort themselves with the recollections of their victories at Morgarten and Laupen, and the scene closes with a martial song, rendered by the whole of the great choir, "Wer is ein Held ?"-"Who is the hero?"

The Schultheis, von Silenen, Zumport.
The foremost of our faithful bands
Waxed desperate, with the force of their
Halberds strove in vain to break

Through the steel wall of lances.

Now is it the turn of Underwalden-a strong man.

'Twas Winkelried, I knew him instantly. Grasped in his arms a sheaf of spear points,

And pressed them to his breast *

*

*

He showed a way to freedom, and our braves rushed in.
That indeed was a murderous, deadly, pitiless death struggle.

The fifth group shows the triumphant return of the confederates, laden with armor and spoils, some of which is borne on country carts, drawn by oxen before the scene. Songs of victory rise from the choir, and the warriors kneel to render thanks to the God of battles.

The peasants now retire, leaving the stage to the warriors, who are picturesquely grouped round their wounded. Prominent among them is the dead body of Winkelried, surrounded by the sorrowing confederates.

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The second scene opens with a crowd of fugitives from the neighborhood who have escaped the fire and sword of the invaders. Then passes before the scene and mounts the stage the army of the confederates. Not only are the costumes and the armor in strict accord with historical exactitude, but many of the weapons were actually used either at Sempach or in the Burgundian wars one hundred years later. Here come the brave Schultheiss. Gundoldingen, president of the republic of Lucerne, with the banners and soldiers of his city. Look at the bull of Uri! The coat of arms of the canton is a ferocious bull's head, and not only is it blazoned upon its banners, but at least one of its warriors wears bull's head and horns as a sort of helmet-a terrific head-dress, indeed! The men of Schwyz are dressed in red, with a white cross on their breasts. Unterwalden, Zug, and Glarus also send their contingents, each in its own colors, and with its banner flying. Haste, brave confederates! The foe is advancing upon you! The hour has arrived for you to do or die. From behind the stage in the wood the confused sounds of battle surge up. A gray-headed man, the miller of Sempach, comes forward, and encourages the peasants to hasten to the assistance of the confederates. He says: "Hasten to join them. Oh! young men, how I envy you your youth and strength of manhood. Old age, alas! can only groan and be an idle witness how the Swiss strive after the highest glory, and strive and die for the Fatherland." The peasants arm themselves with clubs, scythes, halberds, and morning stars with their long teeth of steel, and hasten to the fight, with the charge to the old man to care for their wives and children. As the confused noise of battle rolls up to the spectators, Gundoldingen, mortally wounded, is carried on to the stage by some warriors, and he first says:

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At the foot of the tomb his widow is seen in prayer; her children are kneeling beside her. A young lad in red and white mounts the steps to the tomb and lays upon it a wreath; he is followed by twenty-one others, to represent the twenty-two cantons. Each is dressed in the colors of his canton. The final hymn is sung by

the choir, and then comes the familiar strains of our own America, which in Switz erland is set to the words:

There is solemn music and some fine singing from the choir, and in front of the stage some Austrian grooms in steel caps pass in wild gallop on the war horses of their lords; behind them spur in headlong flight some knights armed cap-a pie. A mailed noble at the foot of the stage cries:

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Rufat du mein Vaterland ? (Dost thou call me, oh my Fatherland ?) and the celebration is over.-. -Samuel Capper.

THE ROUSTABOUT's Farewell. The last bale of cotton having been rolled on board with many a "Heave ho!" from the darky crew, the happiest hour in the improvident, “devil-may-care "existence of the Mississippi river roustabout is at hand. Roosting on railing, rope coils, and cotton bales on the rear dock like a convention of dilapidated scarecrows, they are waiting to respond to the farewell songs of friends and sweethearts congregated on the levee.

But the grooms have saved their own lives by riding away on their masters' charg
The Austrian fugitives leave the stage on foot pursued by peasants, crying:
No quarter." More Swiss arrive from the field proclaiming victory, and a warrior
thus explains to the peasants how the day has gone :

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Uncertain hung the fortune of the day, Death harvested many bold heroes

"Farewell broders, if yo's gwine fo' to go We'll weep fo' to see yo' face once mo"," wails out a dusky maiden on the shore, and "On de lebee by de riber side,"

roll the united voices.

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Oh! Ja-ru-sa-lem!"

And then the excited crowd sweeps with wild enthusiasm into:

"Shine on! Shine on! All cross ober to Jordan!
Then shine on! Shine on! Oh! Ja-ru-sa-lem!"

Next a woman's figure breaks out from the levee crowd with waving arms and swaying body, and proclaims in a ringing treble:

"Oh, I long fo' to reach that heavenly sho'
To meet ol' Peter stan'in' at de do'.
He say to me, 'Oh! how you do?
Come sit right yonder in de gol'en pew';
Fo' de good colo'd people da go clah froo
To dip in de Gol'en Sea."

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But the swaying, time-beating crowd on shore is now fast receding from view, and the boat's many-voiced crew unites with heart-stirring earnestness in

"I'se gwine f'om de cotton flelds, I'so gwine f'om de cane,

I'se gwine f'om de ol' log hut dat stan's down in de lane;

De boat am in de ribber dat am come to take me off,

An' I'se gwine to jine de ex-o-dus and strike out fo' de No'f."

And afar over the moon-lit waters faint notes of weird melodies came floating like a distant echo of this pathetic strain.-New York Tribune.

LANGUAGE OF WOMEN'S DRESS. From a woman's bonnet to her shoes, there is not a single portion of her toilet which is not a confession, says the Parisian. Riches or poverty changes nothing in this fact. A washerwoman's little cap expresses all her thoughts in the same way in which a banker's wife's bonnet with its feathers proclaims all her ambitions. A look may lie, a smile may be perfidious, but dress never deceives. Generally, ridiculous toilets, historical trimmings, puffs, conspicuous head-dresses, and bunches of feathers and rosettes scattered profusely over a dress, announce great amiability of character, and even generosity. Women who are untastefully dressed in this way rarely have bad natures; and, for the same reason, women who really have bad natures are never ridiculous.

Beware of women who always, and for no apparent cause, wear yellow dresses bound with red, or lilac dresses mixed with green, or blue dresses trimmed with black. They are artful women who do not dare to confess that they are intensely fond of dress. Beware of them, especially if they are not pretty, for they conceal numberless ambitions. They are hypocritical coquettes, who do not understand joking. Tell them quickly that their dress is charming; they will never forgive you for not having remarked it. Do not tell them twice that you like them; they will want to believe more.

Beware of those women who wear high-necked dresses, and who make a parade of severe modesty; they are full of pride and jealousy. They have natures of iron and passions of fire. Nothing escapes their eyes, which they always keep cast down. Beware of women who wear tragical gowns, and who have their heads dressed after a certain type. Such women are possessed with an intense desire for producing effects.—The Phenological Journal.

SOCIOLOGY.

ANARCHY AS A BLOOD DISEASE.-It has come to pass in these days that all of men seem more or less affected with the fever of restlessness and change. The area of contentment, if ever such there has been, is gone. Novelty is the new intoxicant. We are discarding rum for a new drink. To all kinds of milleniums we are on the run, and are vainly expecting to make as good time in going up hill as we might in coming down. It can't be done. Gravitation is not a matter of hysterics. In the beginning it was easier for a stone to fall than rise, and in the end it will move on the same old rule. It is so in the science of progress. "Patience in well doing" is an ancient virtue, but it is far from being mouldy yet, though we simply keep it as we do old china, and drink our tea from another kind of cup. We are playing leap-frog in politics, creeds, and liberties. We are making men temperate by states and moral by legislation, and are seeking riches, not by old methods of patience and economy, but by speculation and in big chunks. In this hot-house straw we provide a warm bed for the anarchist. He is simply a worse form of the same fever, or a blossom from our button-hole bud. He has found political liberty, and

his ambitions are now on the line of social revolution. There is discontent that is not causeless, and poverty that is not without sin. The market is full of remedies. They vary in merits, and are more in number than patent medicines. The majority of men see that the real trouble is nearer at hand than the certain cure, and are willing that investigation, study, and time should remove the evil. The anarchist is not of this patent stripe. To him all slow and legal methods are but postponements and perils. He believes in force; to him it is the midwife of the new era. To this man, to whom time is an enemy, dynamite is a friend. One can blow up faster than he can build. It is a saving of time in converting a stubborn citizen to cut his throat.

A terrible type of reformer and butcher is this self-same anarchist. He has made some red spots on history already, but apart from his wordy terribleness he is generally a piece of living dog in the skin of a dead lion. His danger of hurting lies in too much lager and license, and in using times of public excitement to practice his doctrine of throwing bombs at policemen. The country has this consolation, that he is not numerous and generally not a home production. There is comfort in this, so far as it goes, though the causes of his malformation might in time produce ours. There are ugly indications of a spirit of violence being abroad; life has not its old sacredness, and there is two much bowie-knife yet in Uncle Sam's jeans. Men lick their lips at blood and like the smell of gunpowder, though as a rule it can not as yet be enticed into revolutionary organizations. The instinct of fair play is dominant in the ruling race. The English laborer came through centuries of oppression and has borne the brunt of a grand struggle without a taint of anarchy in his bones. He has never suckled on that kind of milk. Anarchy, true and proper, is a blood disease, and history is a record of its local eruptions. I am no race worshiper, but am not blind to the danger of certain blood predomi nances in this Republic. I am aware that this thought has little or no place in the calculations of many who are otherwise far-seeing and thoughtful; but, as the ingredients in a cartridge or a bottle constitute the explosive force of one and the poisonous liquid of the other, so in line with the law of proportions, if the master race of this continent is subordinated to or overrun with the communistic and revolutionary races, it is or will be in grave danger of social disaster. I hold the fusion of races to be on the divine programme, which, if not outraged by bad statesmanship, will wisely arrange the distribution.-The Age of Steel.

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The Omnipotent Judge

Who in His Justice took from him Righteousness,
by His Mercy restored it to him whole again:

by whose goodness it has fallen out, that we may call that
crime happy, which obtained such and so great
A REDEEMER.

Thenceforth Free-will, which he in happiness used to bring forth Misery,

is used in Misery to bring forth
Happiness.

For if we, partakers of his pernicious inheritance,
partake also of his penitential example,
and lend our ears to salutary counsels, then we
(who could by our Free-will lose ourselves)
can be saved by

the Grace of the Redeemer, and the co-operation of our

Free will.

The First Adam Lived to die;
The Second Adam Died to Live.

Go, and imitate the penitence of the First Adam;

Go, and celebrate the Goodness of the Second Adam."

-Historia Ecclesiæ Antediluviana of Gabriel Alvarez, Madrid, 1713.

A SOUTH CAROLINA AFRICAN CHURCH.-The preacher's desk was hung with white cloth trimmed with black border. In character the sermon was mainly funereal. "Sister Liddy" was dead. This was the "preachin' aftah the buryin':" "Whahsumeber de kahkuss,am, dayah shall de eguls geddah togeddah. Ho! you nig

gah dayah, doan you let dot egul a-cotch you! Dot egul he a-comin', a comin', a-comin', 'n he flop down on dot mizzabal kahkuss, 'n scoop 'em up, 'n rin off wid 'em! Rin away from 'em, my sistah, dayah. Doan you do ebil, or you'll counterfeit all de good-you'll counterfeit it all, bredren-counterfeit it all! Dayah am one kahkus less wid us all, heah, dis mawnin', bredren-one kahkuss less "____

great groans and sighs-" fur whahsumeber de kahkuss am, dayah am de eguls afloatin' 'roun'. Dayah am a penitentiary fer all true believers. Fur dem dat falls in maternitude shell also rise in maternitude." Cries of "Da's so!" "Da's jis' right!" "Amen!" "Bress de Law!" "Pooah Sister Lyddy!" Long-drawn note of woe from all the congregation in perfect harmony, "Oh-h-h-h!" "Dat pooah crippul Lyddy!"-this in a higher tone, with accompanying congregational crescendo burst of woe in the same tone as the preacher's" She done gone up on high!"—"Oh-h-h-h! Ah-h-h-h! Oh-h-h-h!" on still higher tone, base, tenor, soprano, and alto harmonizing beautifully in most plaintive minor chords "She couldn't eben walk heah!" "Oh-h-h-h! Ah-b-h-h!" "Now she kin flew!" By this time preacher and congregation are wrought up to the highest pitch of excitement and the sermon is literally chanted in the weirdest of melodies, the whole congregation, between each rhythmical pause, bursting forth in a heartrending wail, wild yet singularly musical. At the close of his sermon the preacher gave out the "leben-huner' an' fifty" hymn, two lines of which the congregation sung with unconscious blasphemy.

"I'll meet my sweet Excuser there,
And tell him that he lies."

The next hymn contained the following line:

"Thus spake the sheriff, and forthwith."

When "collection time" came the congregation melted away in a very surpris ing manner, some people sliding out of the front, others out of the back of the church most mysteriously.-Bethlehem Times.

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other side, and to the extent of this increased lateral friction is the ball retarded
in its progress on the side on which the increased friction bears. The result of
this changed relation is naturally a curve in the line of its delivery in the direction
of the side on which its progress has been retarded. This is the simple philoso-
phy of the curve of modern base-ball pitching. The application of the theory in
practice is to learn to give the necessary bias or rotary motion to the right or left,
in order to produce the "in curve or the "out curve.”—Scientific American.
EXCESSIVE HEAT IN THE PAST.-In 1303 and 1304 the Rhine, Loire, and
Seine ran dry. The heat in several French provinces during the summer of 1705
was equal to that of a glass furnace. Meat could be cooked by merely exposing
it to the sun. Not a soul dare venture out between noon and 4 p. m.
In 1718
many shops had to close. The theaters never opened their doors for three months.
Not a drop of water fell during six months. In 1773 the thermometer rose to
118 degrees. In 1778 the heat of Bologna was so great that a great number of
people were stifled. There was not sufficient air for the breath, and people had
to take refuge under the ground. In July, 1793, the heat again became intoler-
able. Vegetables were burned up, and fruit dried on the trees. The furniture
and wood-work in dwelling-houses cracked and split up; meat went bad in an
hour.-Amateur Photographer.

starlight"

WHY WE CAN NOT SEE THE STARS BY DAY.-The extinction of " in the daylight is not due to the vapors of the atmosphere, but to the "stronger" vibrations of sunlight, which prevent our eyes perceiving the weaker vibrations of starlight, exactly as a stronger sound, say a cannon shot, prevents us from hearing a smaller noise, say a mouse piping; or, as is well known, a larger disturbance in water extinguishes a smaller one. The smaller noise, the smaller sound waves, and the smaller light vibrations are not perceived by our senses when the greater impressions or disturbances occupy them. There is not the slightest necessity of elaborate theories on "ether," when the limit of the susceptibility of our senses offers a sufficient explanation why we cannot see the light of all and every star in the universe.-English Paper.

NOTES. One of the results of the general election in England is that more Roman Catholics are returned to Parliament than at any time since James II lost the throne. There are now five of such members members; three are in favor of Gladstone and two are Conservatives. Italian papers state that the Pope has purchased the Palace of Mignanelli, for the sum of $300,000, and intends fitting it up as a printing and publishing office. His Holiness has long been engaged in publishing religious works, and the business has grown to large dimensions The Rev. W. I. Gill, of Lawrence, Mass., has seceded from the Methodists and joined the Unitarian body.- -Beecher is creating a furore in England. Great crowds go to hear him, especially the prominent clergy of all sects. His manner is sharply criticised by some, while others confess that they had not heard preaching till they heard him.- -The Rev. J. P. Chown, a prominent English Baptist clergyman, is dead.— -The whole world is now open for the reception of the gospel.The Bible is printed in 250 languages and dialects. There are 150,000,ooo copies in circulation. Twenty-five Woman's Boards, in England and America, are actively engaged in foreign missionary work.- -The number of missionary societies is ten-fold what it was eighty years ago. The number of converts is nearly fifty-fold. The increase in membership in heathen lands is thirty times that at home, in proportion to the number of ministers employed.The Bishop of Albany has received the honorary title of Knight of the Holy Sepul chre.- -The Pope is reported to be very busily engaged in the preparation of an encyclical letter, which, it is believed, will refer to socialism.- -An important decree of the Holy Office declares that Catholics are not permitted to affiliate themselves to societies for the cremation of human bodies, and that it is not permitted even to order cremation, whether it is a question of him who has ordered it or of others who would be made subject to cremation.The Catholic Church at Boucherville, Canada, has a record of births, deaths, and marriages from May 20, 1688, to the present time. The first entry records the baptism of an Indian child by Father James Marquette, Jesuit.The Bey of Tunis has given a choice site of land, worth $6,000, to a small Protestant congregation there, on which they intend to build a church.The Methodists of the West Indies are celebrating their centennial. Dr. Coke, with three missionaries, landed at St. John's Antigua, December 25, 1776, and established the first Wesleyan mission in the West Indies. The old battle-ground at Fort Ticonderoga will be used as a temperance -The American Institute of Christcamp-meeting from the 12th to the 18th inst.ian Philosophy, Rev. Charles F. Deems, D. D., LL. D., president, holds its summer school at Key East Beach, commencing on the 17th inst. During the succeeding ten days many of the most learned men in the country will assemble there to discuss current topics.- -Myrtle street congregation, Liverpool, are trying to raise a thousand pounds for a memorial to their late pastor, Rev. Hugh Stowell -Rev. Alexander MacBrown, of which but one-tenth has as yet been raised.kennal, pastor of the Congregational Church of Bowdon, Cheshire, has been, by acclamation, elected chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales for 1887 by its committee.- -Canon Liddon has gotten back to his stall in St. Paul's for the first time in fourteen months. -Mr. Spurgeon has so far recovered from his recent illness as to resume Sunday service at his Tabernacle." Hospital Sunday" is reported from the Mansion House to have yielded this year about $90,000-a large increase upon 1885.

SCIENTIFIC.

CREMATION BY ELECTRICITY.-An electrical crematory is said to have been devised by a process described as follows: The body, being shrouded in sheets made of asbestos, is laid upon a frame composed of fire-brick, while at the head and foot are large copper plates, to which the leads from specially-constructed dynamos of large E. M. F. are attached. The body apparently occupies the posi tion of the filament in an incandescent lamp, and upon the current being passed through it would be instantly carbonized, while, as the air would have free access to it, the process of destruction, or rather decomposition, would be immediate. The process appears to have the recommendation of great rapidity of action, and immunity from many of the objections to cremation in the ordinary way.-Elec

trician.

THE LODYGUINE GLOW LAMPS.-These new lamps, now manufactured by Cauderon, of Paris, are distinguished from the Swan, Maxim, Edison, and other former lamps by their higher yield, as they produce the same luminous intensity with an expenditure of force three times less. By their means the electric light will completely vanquish gas from an economical point of view. Time must show whether the duration of the lamps will be as long as a certain part of the public seems to demand. It is, however, as Mr. Preece has shown, a mistake to insist too much on the long duration of lamps, since after 200 to 300 hours of service they yield little more than half their original luminous intensity.-Bulletin International de l'Electricite.

THE SCIENCE OF CURVING A BALL.-The theory is as simple in its rules as it is easy of demonstration practically. It is as follows: The ball, in its horizonal flight through the air from the hand of the thrower-technically known as the pitcher is retarded in its forward motion by the resistance of the air, which not only exerts a pressure on the face of the ball, but also a resisting force on its sides by friction. Now, if the hall is simply thrown forward without any special bias being given it, the friction of the air is equal on each side of it; but if it be made to rotate on its own axis from right to left or left to right, the conditions are at once materially changed, inasmuch as in the latter case one side of the ball's surface is made to move forward through the air with twice the rapidity of the

NOTES. A monument is to be erected to the memory of Thomas Edward, the renowned Scotch scientist.- -The military telegraphers assemble for conference at Cleveland August 18th.. -There is a blacksmith at Patterson, N. J., who will not have an electric light pole in front of his smithy. He has cut down four wooden ones, and now threatens to dynamite an iron one which has been substi tuted for them.Professor Robert von Helmholtz has published in Widermann's "Annalen" the final results of the experiments and arguments on the formation of mist. The air must contain a normal quantity of solid particles of dust, and must be free from bodies that will act chemically on aqueous vapor.-Professor W. Mattieu Williams relates that he once plunged both hands into water containing an electric eel, intending to grasp it, but failed to reach it; but he received a very severe shock when at some distance, probably three or four inches, "the sensational nature of the experiment rendering any approach to accurate estimation of the distance quite impossible."- -Professor A. Vogel has observed that plants do not always contain their characteristic alkaloids when grown under other than natural conditions. Hemlock does not yield conine in Scotland, and chichona-plants are nearly free from quinine when grown in hot-houses. Tannin is found in the greatest quantity in trees which have had a full supply of direct sunlight. Dr. C. Blarez says that the materials used for coloring wine, such as sulpho. fuchsine, are capable of setting up a great deal of gastric disturbance in persons having weak digestion.- -Werkhojanck, in Siberia, latitude 67/20 north, still maintains its position as the coldest place on the earth.- -Farina saw many strange sights during his recent passage through the Kalahari desert in South Africa. Of natural freaks and wonders the supply appears to be considerable. One of them is a bug which, on being touched, emits a perfume, and two or three of which, carried in his wagon, scented it delightfully for weeks.-The first African city lighted by electricity was not Algiers or Cairo, but Kimberley, with forty-two Brush lamps, each of 2,000 candle-power. The current is also utilized there for the killing of dogs, a step suggesting the execution of death-sentences by the same means as proposed in the United States, and in France by M. Charson, a member of the Senate.- -The strongest wood in the United States, according to Professor Sargent, is the nutmeg hickory of the Arkansas region, and the weakest the West Indian birch. The most elastic is the tamarack, the white or shell-bark hickory standing far below itlowest specific gravity, upon which in general depends value as fuel, is attained by the blue-wood of Texas (Condalia obovata).-The Cleveland experiments

The least elastic and the

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of Professor Michelson indicated the velocity of light to be 299,853 kilometers per second. The Washington experiments of Professor Newcomb, using only results supposed to be nearly free from constant errors, gave 299,860 kilometers per second, a difference of but 7 kilometers, or about 43% miles. These experiments are held by scientists all over the world to be of far superior precision to any yet executed.-Experiments made under the direction of the administration of the Dutch state railroads with the various paints on iron plates are reported to have proved that the red-lead paints resist atmosphereic influences much better than those of brown-red and iron oxides. The red-lead paints adhere closer to the metal and possess greater elasticity than the others. was also found that better results were attained if, before the paints were applied, the plates were pickled, instead of being merely scraped and brushed. The test-plates were pickled in muriatic acid, washed with water, thoroughly dried, and while warm carefully oiled.- -By a new process of manipulation, hats more serviceable and finer than anything now on the market are made of wood-pulp. They are impervious to water, and not wanting in flexibility. It is claimed that felt hats will have to take a back seat as soon as the new hats can be placed in the market in sufficient numbers to supply the demand. They are certain to revolutionize the hatter's trade, as they can be molded into any shape or style desired, and colored to meet the taste of the public. They can be made to represent a glossy or nappy appearance.

FINANCE AND COMMERCE.

As

THE BUSINESS SITUATION.-In the business situation no material change has occurred. Some increase of activity among jobbers in the dry goods trade is reported, and certain branches of the iron trade also report an improved demand; but, on the whole, business operations partake of the quietness customary in midsummer. regards the crops, there have been copious rains in many of the drouth-stricken districts, and the position in that respect, therefore, is better than it was. It is clear, however, that corn has suffered some damage from the prolonged period of dry weather which can not be repaired, though just how much the future must be left to develop. Spring wheat in some districts is turning out better than expected. Bank clearings latterly have not been so favorable, the figures for the month of July, as below, showing only 8.6 per cent. increase over the previous year; but with Congress out of the way and an assurance of fair avarage crops, merchants and tradesmen will probably take hold with fresh vim, and the future be invested with a prospect of steady improvement.-The Financial and Commercial Chronicle.

PAYING ONE HUNDRED CENTS FOR THE TRADE DOLLAR.-The proposition to take the trade dollars from the dealers and speculators who hold them and pay for them at par is a piece of monstrous injustice to the taxpayers of this country. The poor people who had them in hand when they were refused any longer circulation sold them to the bullion dealers chiefly at eighty-five cents to the dollar. It is said that there are between seven and ten millions now awaiting a market. If the Government bought them under the Bland law at the market price of silver, the holders would receive (if there are ten millions of them) the sum of $7,400,000 for the lot, which is all they are worth in the market. Some jobber has inserted in the Morrison resolution a paragraph proposing that the Treasury shall be compelled to buy them at par-that is, shall pay ten million dollars for them, making the holders the handsome present of over two and a half million dollars! If such a job as this can pass both houses of Congress, there ought to be no difficulty in securing any legislation a corrupt clique may desire. We think the President could not be induced to sign such a bill.-New York Journal of Commerce.

EXPORTS OF MANUFACTURES.-Our manufacturers have made little progress during the past year in finding foreign markets for their wares. Gain in certain directions has been quite offset by loss in others. In the twelve months ended June 30 there was a noteworthy increase in the exports of cotton goods and paper, but a no less remarkable falling off in the shipments of refined sugar, of leather, and of numerous mechanical contrivances. We published two weeks ago the returns of exports of cotton manufactures down to May 31. The statement for the complete fiscal year, in comparison with 1884-85, is as follows:

Colored Uncolored.

Totals

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193,842,353 147,544,718 $12,368,943 $10,150,237 This statement shows an increase of 46,000,000 yards, or 31 per cent., in the quantity of cloth sent out of the country, but of only $2,200,000, or 211⁄2 per cent., in the value of the stuff. Inasmuch as there has been no material change in the quality or kinds of goods exported, the returns go to confirm the assertion of merchants in the foreign trade, and the manufacturers of fabrics for China and South America, that the business has been done of late at low values and on slender margins. The exports of writing paper show the handsome gain of 71 per cent. in 1886 over 1885. In the earlier year they amounted to $77,418, and in the later to $132,227. The shipments of other kinds of paper rose in the same time from $793,057 to $897,221, or 13 per cent. The writing paper industry is one of the least protected of the great manufactures, and one of the best able to withstand foreign competition in the home market and to compete with foreigners abroad. Nothing in the world except lack of inclination hinders the American paper trade from securing extensive and permanent outlets in other lands. In some other important lines the shipment of goods increased last year as compared with the year

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It is a curious fact that while the foreign demand for American watches almost doubled during the year, the outlet for clocks was smaller than the year before. American sewing machines are considered superior, and our agricultural implements are pronounced unsurpassed by those who are acquainted with modern devices. Nevertheless, there was a shrinkage in the value of exports of each of these classes of merchandise. In the absence of full explanation it may, perhaps, be taken for granted that the setback therein is only temporary. The loss of a large part of the foreign market for sugar refined in the United States is a more serious It is due in great measure to the phenomenal cheapness of sugar the world over, and to the efforts of certain European countries to promote refining at home at whatever cost. The comparative figures for quantities sent out, as well as values, make a startling exhibit. A full statement of the exports of this commodity in June and in the fiscal year is presented herewith: -Fiscal year.

matter.

Pounds Values

-June.

1886. 1885. 1886. 1885. 9,841,630 44,529,414 164,339,868 252,579,077 $626,342 $3,053,215 $10,972,729 $16,071,767 Bradstreets.

SNAIL CROP IN FRANCE. We learn from a contemporary that the snail harvest has just begun in France. The “ 'poor man's oyster " is so appreciated that Paris alone consumes about forty-nine tons daily, the best kind coming from Grenoble or Burgundy. The finest specimens are carefully reared in an escargotiere, or snail park, such as the poor Capuchin monks planned in by-gone days at Colmar and Weinbach, when they had no money to buy food, and so cultivated snails. But the majority are collected by the vine-dressers in the evening from the stone-heaps, where the snails have assembled to enjoy the dew. The creatures are then starved in a dark cellar for two months, and when they have closed up the aperture of their shell are ready for cooking. According to the true Burgundy method, they are boiled in five or six waters, extracted from the shell, dressed with fresh butter and garlic, then replaced in the shell, covered with parsley and bread crumbs, and finally simmered in white wine.-Scientific American Supplement.

THE COUNTRY'S GOLD AND SILVER.-The report of the Director of the Mint estimates the production of gold in the United States during 1885 at $31,800,000, an increase of $1,000,000 over the year before. The increase in the silver production was $2,800,000, the estimated yield being $51,000,600. Colorado produced the most precious metals, California ranking second. The face value of the coinage at the mints was $56,926,810. Of this $27,773,012 was gold, and $28,962,176 silver. Of silver dollars, $28,697,767 were coined. The coin and bullion imported into this country amounted to $23,645,311 in gold and $17,772,718 in silver. The exports of gold and silver were $11,417,207 in gold and $33,280,542 in silver. The report estimates the amount of gold coin in the United States on January 1, 1886, to have been $533,485,453; of silver dollars, $218,259,761; subsidiary silver, $75,034,111, or a total stock of coin of $826,779,325. AMERICAN AND RUSSIAN PETROLEUM.-Petroleum in Russia was first produced in 1832, some seventeen years before Colonel Drake made his famous discoveries in Pennsylvania. Since that time, up to 1885, the total production has amounted to 55,471,000 barrels, against an out-turn by American wells since 1859 of 269,383,000 barrels. Last year the quantity produced by all Russian wells was 12,500,000 barrels, of which one firm alone, Nobel Brothers, controlled 195,000,000 gallons.-Age of Steel.

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NOTES. The world's tea supply amounts to 245,233,000 pounds, more than three fifths of which goes to Great Britain.- -The frozen-meat business with Great Britain continues to increase. A single cargo of 30,000 carcases of mutton lately arrived in good condition and were immediately sold.- -It is stated from Paris that eight torpedo boats, which were sent across the Atlantic, have gone down in mid-ocean, with their crews, numbering fifty men.- The people of Eng. land who want to "drink" without "drinking,' are informed that, at last, their need is met by "a strictly non-alcoholic, unfermented wine, made from the famous Kentish Morello cherry." Seven-pence for still and eighteen-pence for sparkling samples.- -The Queen proposes, among other things, to signalize her approaching jubilee by changing her medallion portrait on the coinage of the realm from the youthful figure, which has for so many years adorned it, to one which shall show her in the maturity of her years and honors.—The supreme court of Ver

mont has decided that a promissory note to pay an ounce of gold for value received will not stand good in law, because it is merchandise, and, therefore, lacks quality of negotiability.- -The Dominion Labor Congress will meet in Toronto, September 14.--The Victory, of Petchili, has made a contract with the house of Jardine & Matheson for the supply of tools required for a large arsenal at Port Li. The contract represents an outlay of about $28,000,000.- -The Pittsburgh Associated Banks have extended an invitation to the American Bankers' Association to hold its next annual meeting in that city.- -P. T. Barnum has written to the Boston Journal offering $20,000 for the skin of a sea-serpent.

MEDICAL.

SLEEPING WITH THE HEAD LOW. Few persons, we suppose, sleep without a pillow or a rest of some sort to elevate the head a little above the level of the body, and very few, if any, would think of habitually going to rest with the feet raised higher than the head. Yet if we are to believe the writer of an article in Pfluger's Archiv, Nos. 7 and 8, 1886, the latter is the only rational and proper position during sleep. Dr. Meuli-Hilty is the advocate of this plan. He was engaged in studying the physiological effects of such a reversal of the normal position of the body, and found, among other results, that the circumference of the neck was increased nearly two inches, by reason, chiefly, of a swelling of the thyroid gland. He frequently fell asleep while in this position and occupied in his studies, and found that he always awoke earlier in the morning, felt greatly refreshed, and was capable of much better work during the day than after a night's rest taken in the usual way. He has now slept with his feet higher than his head for the past four years, and his experience leads him to commend the method most highly. He says in this way the brain receives a more plentiful blood-supply and is consequently better nourished, while there is no danger of so much blood passing to the cerebral structures as to cause congestion. This danger is obviated by the enlargement of the thyroid gland, which holds back a certain portion of the blood in its dilated vessels, and which also acts as a regulator of the cerebral circulation by exerting pressure upon the carotids, and thus diminishing their calibre. Another advantage which Dr. Meuli-Hilty claims for his method is that it is prophylactic against pulmonary phthisis. The apices of the lungs, being dependent, receive a more plentiful blood-supply, and are thus rendered stronger and less liable to become the point of origin of tubercular disease. The writer's assertions may be correct, and his method may, as he claims, be the only rational one, but it is likely to be a long time before he can induce mankind to regard pillows as a useless and harmful part of the bed furniture.-Medical Record.

MEDICAL INCOMES IN CANADA.-There is only one medical man in this city who last year earned $5,000 from his profession, combined with the interest he received on his previous savings. There is not one man on the list who had $4,000, and only four who touched $3,000. When we come to the comparative modest and moderate $2,000, we naturally conclude that we shall have a full legion. But no, we have fourteen only, all told, who come up to this figure. When we come to between $2,000 and $1,000, the number becomes encouragingly large. As many as fifty-one of the best-known and greatly-sought-after doctors of our city are put down under their own hands and seals as having last year lived on from $1,000 to $1,800. Some of these are professors. There remain only the unfortunates who worry along with from $800 down almost to zero. Of these, we are sorry to say, there were last year thirty-six.-Toronto Globe.

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the disease.- -According to an eminent scientist, every full-grown'ass in Great
Britain is afflicted with entozoa in the blood. To this statement the Boston Post
adds: "If it is a fatal disease, we should like to have it introduced into this coun-
try. There is an abundance of material for it to work upon."- -The cholera is
virulent in Barletta, Italy, where 132 new cases and 42 deaths were reported
August 7. -M. Berger has lately treated a patient on whom he was able to make
an artificial heel by means of a large lump taken from the opposite leg. The graft
succeeded completely, and the heel is now perfectly restored..
There is a good
deal of anxiety among physicians and others in regard to the poisonous effects of
ice-cream, and chemists are employed to discover wherein the poisonous elements

exist.

RAILROADS.

LEGAL HINTS for Travelers.—A railway company is not an insurer of its passengers, according to the law in England, but is responsible for their injuries, according as it or its servants have or have not been guilty of negligence.-13 Pet., 181.

But the fact that any part of the car breaks raises the presumption of negligence. -2 Camp., 79.

And, indeed, if any of the means of transportation, whether connected with the engine or train, or with the roadway, gives way, and you are injured, it is presumptive evidence that the company has been negligent.-18 N. Y., 534.

But the fact that an accident has happened does not always raise a presumption of negligence, for the accident may be imputable to a trespasser, for whose conduct the company is not liable.-18 N. Y., 534.

Out of regard for the value of human life, and in view of the danger that besets a railway traveler, the law makes it the carrier's duty to convey the passengers safely, so far as human care, skill, and foresight can do it.-14 How. (U. S.), 468. As fast as new and improved means and methods are perfected and found prac ticable and more safe than the old things and old ways they must be adopted.64 Pa. St., 225..

It is a first principle that a railway company must employ competent inspectors to make proper examinations of its rolling stock. For instance, it has been laid down that every test known to science and recognized by experts must be applied to boilers of locomotives, to ascertain their condition. But if there are defects which such tests would not bring to light, and which experts could not discover, and, by reason of such defects, an explosion occurs, the company is not liable.--20 Blatch. (M. S.), 338.

The mere fact that an explosion takes place, where such tests have not been ap plied, raises a presumption of negligence.-Id.

And, likewise, car wheels and other parts of the cars must be frequently inspected. It is no excuse that the cars were bought, ready made, of a reliable carbuilder, and that the defect which caused the accident was a defect in manufac ture which could not be discovered after the car was completed, provided the defect could have been known during the process of manufacture.-13 N. Y., 9. When an accident is caused by a broken rail, the company can only relieve itself from responsibility by showing that the rail was sufficient in size, free from defects, and properly laid down and spiked on sufficient cross-ties.—74 Ind., 462.

If a bridge gives way, it is presumed that the company has been negligent in constructing or locating it.—2 Col., 442.

But if the bridge gives way and the train plunges into the water because of an unusual and extraordinary flood-something unknown to common experience in that region, and which could have not been reasonably anticipated by skillful en

is not liable.--53 Texas, 46.

And so if the track is undermined and weakened by an extraordinary freshet, but the engineer is in a position to notice such an extraordinary condition of things and take precautions; if the water is so high as to afford suspicion that the track or bridge may be out of condition, he must stop and test it, or he will make the company liable for the consequences of an accident.-76 Mo., 518.

Allusion is made to the acts of a tresspasser for which the company is not responsible. Thus, if a shot is fired into the car and you are wounded, the railway is not bound to pay the bill.-27 L. J., 155.

Nor is it liable if an obstruction is suddenly thrown across the track, or a switch maliciously opened, and your train rushes into destruction before the employes have time to right things.-Id.

NOTES. The Washington correspondent of a Western daily says: Congressmen get queer letters sometimes. The other day a Western member showed me the following: Dear Sir-My children have been afflicted with the scabs all winter, and the medicine given them by the doctor here does not seem to do any good.gineers the accident may be attributed to "act of God," for which the company I see by the papers that there are some very fine doctors in Washington connected with the Government, and if it does not cost too much I wish you would ask them what is good for the scabs and write me by return mail.'". -Dr. Moxau, the celebrated London physician of Guy's Hospital, is dead.- -The report of the commissioners of lunacy for 1885 shows that there are now 80,156 lunatics in Great Britain and Ireland, being a ratio to the population of 1 to 349. In the last year the number of lunatics has relatively decreased.- A public disinfection institute has been opened in Berlin under governmental direction. There are chambers capable of completely disinfecting the clothes of two hundred families daily. All conceivable apparatus for thorough disinfection are provided. A London paper states that it is proposed to establish an association for the purpose of dispelling the ignorance that prevails regarding the homoeopathic system. The title of the new organization will be the Homoeopathic League, and its objects are, in the words of the prospectus, first, "to give a popular explanation of homoeopathy, and to show that it is founded on reason, science, and experience; second, to defend homoeopathy from the misrepresentations of its opponents, and to obtain fair treatment for it.- -In Leicester, England, out of 2,500 children born, only 300 have been vaccinated. The authorities decline to apply coercion, it being evident that the greal bulk of the population would resist the law. There are said to be 5,000 patent medicines of American concoction now on the market, and the trade amounts to $22,000,000 per annum. Of this, $10,000,000 are expended in advertising, and the net profits are set down at $5,000,000.- -A congress, colonial and international, to consider the question of cure for inebrity, is shortly to meet. The Boston Advertiser says: "A physician of large experience remarked the other day that when he began the practice of medicine he was worried because people put so little confidence in him, and now he was troubled because they trusted his judgment so implicitly. He seemed to think that to be thought infallible was far more burdensome than to have one's fallibility emphasized as in his -Two cases of cholera are said to have occurred at Chippewa younger days."Falls, Wis., it being stated that both patients died with well-defined symptoms of

And if the train is derailed by a tornado of unforeseen violence, that, too, would be considered an accident caused by "act of God," relieving the company from liability.-3 Neb., 44.

It is not always that a company escapes liability for the consequences of an accident caused by a misplaced switch, though. If not suddenly thrown open by a tresspasser, in front of a moving train, the company must show that by no human skill or foresight could the accident have been averted.-6 Am. & Eng. Ry. Cas., 139.-Myron T. Bly, in Pathfinder Railway Guide.

DRAMA.

NOTES.-Henry Irving, Ellen Terry, with Ellen Terry's daughter, arrived in New York on a pleasure trip Tuesday, August 10.- -This is what Macrady wrote in his journal, 30th August, 1837: "If I had a sufficient property to leave each of my children a moderate allowance on their start into life, and to give them

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