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Some Fashionable Beauties. The “professional beauty” is no new future of the London season ; and though photography has no doubt done lunch to give publicity to the charms of the loveliest women in the ranks of fashion, yet in the days of our great-grandfathers and great grandmothers the reigning belles ex cited just as much vulgar curiosity and gossip as they do now. Take, for example, the Gunnings, Maria and Elizabeth, who appeared at the Court of Geoige II., one at the age of eighteen and the other of nineteen, and both without a shilling to their dowry. “They are declared,” writes Walpole, “to be the handsomest women alive ; they can’t walk in the Park or go to Vauxball but such crowds follow them that they are generally driven away.” One day they went to see the Hamp ton Court; as they were going Into the Beauty Boom another party ar rived; the housekeeper, in a state of great excitement, said to the new comers, “This way, ledies, here are famous beauties!” The Misses Gun ning thereupon flew into a passion, and asked her what she meant; they went to see the palace, and not to be shown as a sight themselves. The youngest of two sisters became the wife of James, Duke of Hamilton ; he fell in love with her at a masquer ade, and a lortnight later met her at an assembly in Lord Chesterfield’s gorgeous new house in Mayfair. His Grace was so enamored of the lovely Elizabeth that he left the faro-table, where he had staked a thousand guin eas, and “let the game Slide; whilst he paid devoted court to his enchant ress. Two nights later, at half an hour past midnight, they were married by Dr. Keith with the ring ot a bedcurtain in Mayfair Chapel, one of the most hasty and eccentric mar riages on record. In less than three weeks Maria Gunning followed her sister’s example, and was wedded to Lord Coventry, though not with such indecent haste aB in the other case. The two beauties were even greater objects of popular curiosity after mar riage than before. When the Duchess of Hamilton was presented, the ciowd at the drawing-room was so great that even “noble persons” clambered upon chairs and tables to look at her; whilst mobs gathered round the doors of the two “goddesses” to see them get into their sedan-chairs; and such crowds flocked to see the Duchess when she went to her castle that 700 persons sat up all night in a Yorkshire town in order to see her start in her post-chaise the next morning! Lady Coventry was equally run after; at Worcester a shoemaker made two guineas and a half by showing, at a penny a head, the shoe which he was making for the Countess. She had, however, little but her beauty to recommend her: it was she who made the singularly maladroit remark to his Majesty tnat the one sight she longed to see was a coronation. Her husband, who was a sensible man in many respects, though somewhat of a bear in manners, objected strongly to her ladyship’s excessive use of red and white powders and paints ; and once at a large dinner-party, suspecting that she had been “making herself up,” he chased his wife round the table till he caught her, when, before all the company, he scrubbed her fuce with a napkin. When Lady Coventry visited Paris she expected that her beauty would meet with the applause which followed her and her sister through England ; but she was put to .nght by another English lady, still more lovely in the eyes of the Paris ians. A certain Mrs. Pitt took a box at the opera opposite the Countess, and was so much handsomer than her ladyship that the parterre cried out that this was the real English angel; whereupon Lady Coventry quitted Paris in a huff. Not long afterward she died of consumption, accelerated, it is said, by the red and white paint with which she plastered those luck less oharms of hers. Relics of Napoleon. A French collector of bric-a-brac recently in the Bouen curiosity shop stumbled upon two autographs of the first Napoleon. They are enolosed in an oval medallion of black wood and read as follows: “Belie—-Private letter from Napoleon to Prince Eugene. Brought from St. Helena by Dr. O’Meara in the sole of his shoe. Should he see my good Louise, I beg that she will permit him to kiss her hand. The 26th July, 1818. Napoleon.” And on the other side. “1 'hope that ^Lascases will see that this obligation is repaid In some way or anuthei^fi^i January, 1818. Napoleon.” Domestic Tastes of German Birds. It has long become a recognized fact that the small birds, once supposed to be the brigands of the field and the orchard, are really their very best guardians and protectors. The most destructive campaign against the crops of the agriculturist is not carried on by the hundred and odd birds whom he chances to see, but Dy tne millions of grubs whom he does not see, but who never escape the detection of the little winged police. This fact has become a matter of such general acceptance in the fruit dislrictsofSouthern Germany that the cultivator now does his ut most to attract and encourage the very birds which his father and grand- father sought to frighten and destroy. In many orchards, artificial nests are now erected, which stand like “houses to let,” rent free until the end of the season, in the hope that they may be adopted and inhabited by some winged couple in search of a home where they can educate their young, and find plenty of good food for themselves and their nestlings. The practice has become so extensive that the Hildes- heim Society for the Protection of Animals, which has been a pioneer in the protest against the cruel and mis chievous slaughter of these voluntary helpers of the cultivator, has issued a very interesting publication upon the architecture and location of artificial nests. The farmer is first of all re minded that different birds require different sorts of houses. The presence of starlings is found to be of inestima ble use in the orchards. The chief de mand of this little householder is to Lave a door opened toward the east or southeast. The starling seems to be a sun-worshipper; in any case he de lights to thrusts his head out of the flug-loch-his door of flight—and sing his morning hymn to the rising sun. If the awkward human architect has built a nest with a flug-loch opening toward the west, he will either find that the house remains “unlet,” or that the tenant will hastily vacate it upon the first heavy rain as the rain drives into the interior with the west winds, and drenches the inmates. A starling, also, is easily satisfied; he will not object to inhabit one among a terrace of nests. He goes long dis tances in search of his food, and rarely comes into conflict with rival hunters. Consequently, whole rows of artificial ne‘ts for starlings may be built, with a probability of their being inhabited. The proper site for a terrace of starling’s nests is at about twenty to thirty feet from the ground, on a house wall or a large tree. With nearly all other species of small birds, on the contrary, a de tached villa is greatly in demand. As a rale, they object to neighbors. This is particularly the case with those who seek their food close to their own home. They look upon every neigh bor as a potential poacher. If the architect is drawing up a plan for a tom-tit’s house—the tom-tit being a very desirable tenant for the lord of the orchard—he must pay special atten tion to the size of the flug-loch, or front door. Unless the door is made exceed ingly small, that winged burglar, the sparrow, the most unprincipled of all the small birds, iB sure to force h1s way into the tom-tit’s house. A neat for a tom-tit should never be built in an open situation, nor on trees which are late in their leafage, such as the acacia. The Hildesheim Society recommends the fig-tree as the locality most likely to attract the t- hy little bird. The nests should not be placed higher than fifteen feet from the ground. The red-starts, fly-catchers and water-wagtails demand very open houses, and scarcely anything like a door. They prefer light and open places, and nests intended to at tract them should be built upon the house walls. The Hildesheln^Sooiety reminds all builders that the principal enemy against whom they have to be on the watch is tbe cat; hence it is ab- vised to cease the construction of nests upon palings, which is now so widely adopted. ^ A Cow Sold for $2500. Bertha Morgan, of Wawa Farn, Bought by a Canadian. Wawa Farm, at Junction Station, fifteen miles west of Philadelphia on the West Chester and Philadelphia railroad, recently received special dis tinction from one of the best judges of fine-bred oattle in all Canada. Mr. Edward Worth, the proprietor of Wawa, is a Philadelphian and an ad mirer of Jersey cattle. He has col lected quite a choice herd, headed by a grandly-bred bull, son of liegina 2d, one of tbe beet oows ever bred upon the Isle of Jersey. Another one of the animals was Bertha Morgan, whose get promises to be in consider able demand. The latter cow Mr. Worth highly prized. Tempting offers have frequently- been made for her, but they were as often refused. Mr. V. E. Fuller, the President of the Cat tle Club of Canada, however, saw in Bertha Morgan qualities rarely pos sessed by nny Jersey. Negotiations were at once made for her purchase, and finally the cow was sold to him for $2501). The family antecedents of Bertha Morgan are rather remarkable. Her dam has a record of 18 pounds of butter in seven days; her sister, Molly Brown, 16 pounds; her daugh ter, Lydia Darrach, 16 pounds, while Bertha in a full test made 19 pounds 6 ounces butter in seven days and gave 44 pounds of milk a day. The whole family are alike in soft, thin skins, silky hair, deep carcass and well- formed udders, and are undoubtedly deep, rich milkers. . Bertha Morgan is about 9 years old, of solid color. Her sire was Lopez, a bull imported by Lopez Barnes, of Connecticut, and her dam was Patter son’s Beauty, owned by Mr. John Pat terson, of this city, and proprietor of the Glen Cavin farm, in Wallace township, Chester county. The dam is an unusually fine cow. # Benuty was sired by imp. Bijou (65, R. J. H. B.), dam imp. Ariene. Tne latter was im ported by Colonel Patterson, of Balti more, about fifteen years ago, and with Beauty, who was imported in dam, was sold to Mr. John Patterson for $1000. The Christian Heroism of De L.o„.g and his Men. loo often happens that discipline a a lahes among shipwrecked men, and that the selfish desire for life leads to inhumanity, if not to actual crime. There is no such stain in the story of the crew of the Jeannette. Lieutenant De Long seems to have maintained his authority unquestioned to the last, and his men evidently shared his generous spirit. For days they dragged a sick comrade with them lashed to a sled, and never seemed to have thought of abandoning him in order to increase their own chances of reaching a settlement. The officers and men never manifested the slight est hesitation between duty and self ishness. They clung together and helped one another loyally while liv ing, and so long as the survivors had strength their dead comrades were given Christian burial. There was apparently no difference in the bear ing and devotion of De long the Amer ican, Erick the Dane, or Ah Sam the Chinaman. Every man of the little band was a hero, knowing how to do his duty and doing it with unflinch ing faithfulness. in their distress the shipwrecked men turned lor help to God. In De Long’s diary there is constant men tion of religious services. When the faithful Alexy was dying the surgeon baptized him, and when all hope had gone we are told that “ all united in saying the Lord’s Prayer and Creed.” The humble, cheerfnl trust in God and submission to His will, of which De Long’s diary gives constant evi# dence, shows us that it was a band of Christian heroes that perished in the Siberian snow. Bitterly as we may at first sight re gret that so mauy noble lives have been lost, the men of the Jeannette’s crew did not die in vain. Their fate suggests that beautiful passage in the Prayer Book where we thank God for those who have departed this life in His fear. De Long and his men have made us prouder of our humanity. They have shown us to what sublime heights ot heroism educated officers and ignorant seamen can alike attain. They have given an example of calm and cheerful performance of duty which is without price. They have shown us once more that faith in God can survive all suffering. Let us thank God for the life and death of these heroic men. It is impossible that their heroism can fail to bear its priceless and perennial fruit. A novel plan for setting celery and cabbage plants, which has several de sirable points to recommend it, is to place them between the rows of your potatoes or sweet corn after the last hoeing. The growing corn or potatoes will afford a partial shade, which is very desirable at the time of setting the young plants and until they get fully established, and yet ripen, and can be removed in time for the«i to oooupy the ground as a second crop. Two crops on one piece of ground with $10 worth of labor and manure will afford more profit than one crop on whloh $5 is expended. How Arthur Sullivan Bought a Car ^t. He bought a carpet in Alexandria, and the purchase took him three months. One morning, so runs Dr. Sullivan’s narrative, he was passing by one of the bazaars where tapestries and such things are sold, when a par ticularly handsome and rich fabric caught his eye. He went in, and, after pretending to look over a lot of things which in reality he did not want, he said to the man who solemnly presided over the place. “And what is the price of that carnet?” “That,” responded the dealer, “is not lor sale. I purchased that particu lar carpet at a great cost, to feast my own eyes upon. It is magnificent— superb. I could not part with that. No, by Allah!” or words to that effect. “Will the English gentleman have a cup of coffee ?” The English gentleman would. He would also have a cigarette. After tnat, he went away. In a day or two he came around again, and once more made the pretence of look ing through Macdallah’s stock. He had obviously failed to fool the sly Egyptian before as to the article he really wanted, so he took more time to it upon this occasion. As he expec ted, the sedate owner of the bazaar finally approached him. “I have con cluded, after several sleepless nights,” said the merchant, “to part with that carpet. It grieves me very much to do so, for I have become very fond of it. I had hoped that it would be the light of my eyes in my old age. But the Prophet has counselled unselfishness among his people, and I will sell to the English gentleman:” “How much ?” y , “One hundred pounds.” “Nonsense. I’ll give you £5.” The Egyptian’s dignity was ob viously wounded. An expression of absolute pain crossed his face. But he forgave Dr. Sullivan, and they had another cup of coffee and cigarette to gether. Then Dr. Sullivan went away, as before. In a week or so he dropped around again. After going through the regular business of looking ove r the stock, he was again approached by Macdallah. “I have concluded, after much thought,” said that worthy, “that I asked you too much for the carpet the other day. When Macdallah feels he is in the wrong, be is quick to ac knowledge it. The English gentleman can have the beautitul carpet for £90.” “Now you acknowledge your error,” replied Mr. Sullivan, “I will confess that I was wrong in offering you only £5 for your carpet the other day. I did that in joke, of course. I didn’t mean it. Bless you, no. And siuce you are prepared to make confession, I will do the same. Instead of £5, I will give you £6.” More coffee and another cigarette. The next time Dr. Sullivan went around, the merchant took off £5 more, and the purchaser added £1. 80 it went on, with haggliug and coffee, until Dr. Sullivan had finally agreed to give £12, at which price he took away the carpet. It would have cost about $250 in London. He says that the kind of business mentioned is considered the strictly proper thing in Egypt and Turkey. But Americans, he adds, are spoiling the trade in this direction. While he was in Alexan dria a gentleman named Morgan, from New York, came along and visited the bazaar of Mccdallah. Three carpets struck his fancy and he priced them. “Three hundred pounds,” said Mac dallah. “Well,” replied Mr. Morgan, “that seems a fair price, and I’ll take them. Here’s your money.” The next time Dr. Sullivan saw the mer chant he was almost tearing his hair with rage against the “dog of a Chris tian.” He explained the matter in an injured tone to the sympathizing Englishman, adding that Mr. Mor gan’s method was not “business.” The‘‘Easy Chair’s” First Book. On reaching his legal majority he decided to go abroad, regarding travel as one of the best means of culture, and within six months he sailed for Europe. He passed a year in Italy most profitably, and then visited Ger many, entering the University of Berlin, and witnessing while there the revolutionary scenes of 1848. The two years following he wandered over Southern Europe and through Egypt and Syria, taking many and careful notes of all places visited and all peo ple seen. Having returned home he prepared a volume, “Nile Notes of aHowadji” —howadji meaaning traveller in Ara bic—and published it when he was but twenty-five years old. The book was issued by the Harpers, to one of whom the author showed his manuscripts with eager confidence, only to receive the chilling reply* “We’ll look at this, although we’ve already published sevtral books on the same subject.” This touched the sensibility of the author, who colored as he said: “I do not wish to force my work upon you. I think I’ll take it elsewhere.” “You would better leave it for our reader. The fact that we’ve published books on the same subject would not prevent us from publishing another, if it’s good. You must not be so sensi tive, young man ; and- you won’t be, I’m sure, when you’ve lived a little longer. This is your first book, I daresay. Isn’t it? Yes? I thought so. First books, like first babies, are always great events. We haven’t learned, then, how many books and babies, all equally wonderful at some time to somebody, there have been in the world before ours. I’ve no doubt your book is fresh and interesting,, and if it is we’ll get it out for you in good shape.” The words naturally smoothed the ruffled plumage of the aspiring scribe, and he went away in high spirits. He must have smiled very often since at his remark about not wishing to force his work on the Harpers. He obvi ously did not know the firm then. That professional call was his intro duction to the house with which he was afterward to be so long and so in timately associated. Fashion Briefs. Ficelle lace in wide fan-pleatings with smaller fans above of ivory- white pleated lace are worn as throat bows. Venetian lace three inches wide forms a flat border for neckerchiefs of light silk. The scalloped edges are turned upward. Large fichus of mull are embroider ed in Irish point designs, having one edge much wider wrought than the other. New full-dress gloves are undressed kid, embroidered with chenille and decorated with minute butterflies in gold or silver thread. Dotted and plain mull are very pop. ular this season; so also the striped mull in white. Tinted mulls are not so fashionable as white. . Daffodils, dandelions, yellow tulips and buttercups are the fashionable' flower of the hair. White lilies are the choice for house decoration. A few sateen dresses have appeared with painted flowers and some .with cretonne, and stamped velveteen flowers cut out and applied skillfully with silks. Velvet grenadines, showing great roBes or peonies of black velvet on sheer armure grenadine, are made up over geranium red satin, with flounces of real Spanish lace. Irish point embroidery in ecru or whiter tints is much used for turned- over collars, with a neck ribbon and bow of colored moire. The cuffs to match have smaller bows. % Sateen and fine French cambrics are more in demand than summer goods of any other description. Ging hams are reduced in price and very attractive in colors and patterns. A new grenadine gauze woolen fabric reproduces all the popular de signs in Spanish lace. It is used for overdresses. It is only half the price of the real Spanish piece lace. A flat scarf of Venetian lace is formed into a graceful fichu by being placed straight across the back, gath- ered at the throat by a moire bow, and having the ends flat and hanging in the front. . ♦ # ♦ . 1 .1. Ducks and Potatoes. We find from the Newfleld (New Jersey) Item, the following valuable iuformation, that while it may not bear upon the interests of this year’s production, will be found good refer ence for the future crops : “Mr. Leon ard H. Down of our vicinity had a patch of potatoes,that, to make a rough guess, covered the fifth of an acre. He turned four duoks into the field and he had no occasion to use Paris green, as the qulfck of the ducks struck more terror to the bugs than did the appearance of the honest hus bandman with his sprinkler of Paris green. Chickens may eat the larvae but the duck takes them all in, little and big. Hence we argue that ducks and a good crop of potatoes are synon ymous, and we are convinced, in this instance at least, that there is some good in “quacks” after all.” Newly imported French woven un derwear of all kinds, white or in pale tinted colors, fit the form perfectly, and are without seams or one unnec essary fold or even.wrinkle.