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Sew York Fashions lor September. The modistes determined to make ev er;,' style fashionable, so that the cosa que nml bafquo are worn as well as pointed and round bodies. The round-waistcd dresses (revived novelties) seem to threaten us as leading on to the short waists worn byourances tois. At present they reach quite to the hips, and only appear short by the sup pression of the basque, but little by little the waist- will be shortened in the same proportion ns they have been lengthened. Skirts retain all their fullness, and most drc?sc3 arc made with bands; full bodies for light dresses, many of them with open bodies, trimmed round with tulle ruche3; high and pointed bodies are worn fur dresses of silk, or other thick material. Sleeves are still worn very full and open; tight sleeves are worn for morning dresses, and small bishop sleeves, with a turned back cuff, are still in favor. Low bodies are much in request, with canezons-either of figured nett or muslin, fastened under the band, and trimmed across the shoulders with a frill of bouil lon e. The Zouave jacket, in ail materials, is in universal favor. As neglige, the long casaque, with skirt of the same material, is much worn, ! either in quilting, chintz, jaconet, steel colored barege, and printed muslins; the casaque trimmed with flat plaiting. i Simple dresses made with four floun ces, trimmed with ribbon of the same color, are much worn; ribbons of differ- j ent colors are abandoned. Jligh-bodied barege dresses, made either with a gielt in front, and pointed behind, or rounded at the waist, with a sash, the bow in front, : are. fashionable. Mantles are going out of favor; shawls of cashmere, luce, silk, muslin, or crape, arc now the favorites. These are trim med with two rows of lace, or with gimp, j fringe, and jet buttons. For the country, round hats arc adopt ed. They aro made of leghorn, bound i with blue or black velvet, and trimmed I with feathers, or hows of velvet, orna- ! mented occasionally on the front with a bouquet of flowers, on which is placed a humming bird, stag beetle, or a grass hopper. We have seen some pretty rice-straw hats, trimmed with white, maueve, or cerise; feathers or flowers to match ; and with a hand oflace fastening a bouquet of fancy grass, ora singlo feather and Em press roses; black and white ribbon is still persevered in. There is a little change in bonnets; light fancy straws, crape and leghorn are worn; these are trimmed with a simple ribbon or flowers, and lace, the inside to match; any becoming color may be worn. — Exchange. -*> of Tyrannical Laws. Mr. Robert Russell, who formerly lived in Schoharie county, N. Y., now resides in the city of Albany, llussell appears to be the victim of unpropitious circumstances. Russell has an unhappy faculty of doing business contrary to law. On Tuesday last Mr. Russell was arres ted for the eleventh time since spring set in. We give his examination: •‘Well, Russell,” said the magistrate, “you are here again, I perceive.” “Yes, sir. The fact is, ’Squire, I’in a wiotim. lllow me, if 1 care what Rob Russell does, he is sure to violate some law or other. When 1 came to Albany, 1 says to myself: ‘Russell, my boy, we’ll take a hunt to-morrow, and try them fox hounds.’ Well, sir, out 1 goes, and what do you think ? Before I got to the next corner, Barney Whalen tapped me on the shoulder, and says, “That’s against the law.” “What’s against the law?” I replies, and he says, “Having dogs in the street, without “muzzles.” “lie accordingly arrested me, and had me brought to the police court. The re sult of that piece of fun was a fine of $5.” “Well, what did you do then?” “Listen, and I’ll tell you. Isold’ the fox hounds to one of Aunt Rut’s friends for S2O. With tho proceeds I bought a sow and five pigs. 1 took them home, built a pen in the back yard, and thought all my troubles were at an end, but 1 was mistaken. Officer Bradwell came upon me the next morning, and says : “Russell, keeping hogs in the yard is agin the law.” “ I doubted it. This riled officer Brad well, who had me arrested again. This time 1 was fined $5.” “And what did you afterwards?” “I sold my cow and my pigs, and bought a horse and cart, and undertook to draw wood. The very first load I put on drew the attention of policeman Sick les, who said that driving a cart without license was agin the law. He arrested me for that offence, which caused me : another fine of so. “What did you do next?” “I sold tho horse and cart, and bought half of a charcoal wagon.” “Well, what success did you meet with after that ?” “The same old luck, sir. The first day I commenced peddling policeman Shooks took mo by the collar, and says, “Russell, that’s agin the law, old fel low.” “What’s agin the law ?” I said. “He replied— “ Selling charcoal in a wooden meas ure.” “That cost me a fine of $3. “Bid that drive you out of the charcoal business ?” “Yes, sir; I sold out, and thought I would try my fortune in carrying baggage between the steamboats aud rail roads. What’s the use ? I only commenced work to-day, and here 1 am again.” “What for, now ?” “For soliciting baggage without a per mit from the Mayor. As I said before, I’m a wictim. If I should save a man from drowning, by jumping into the i whirlpool, dash my vig if I don’t believe the first policeman I met, in coming on shore, would up and say— “lt’s agin the law, Russell, to go over board without a license.” The justice, having heard Russell to the end, admitted that he was a “victim,” and let him off without paying the fine. Russell left tho office saying he would j go and kill himself only for one thing. On being asked what that was, he re-” plied, “that some policeman would dis cover that it was agin the law to commit . suicide, and would undertake to -collect I the fine from his misfortunate children.” Russell’s case calls for sympathy. The Return of McLane. The New Orleans Picayune, noticing 1 the arrival of the Hon. Robt. M. McLane, our Minister to Mexico, adds the follow ing remarks: This intelligence, coming so quickly upon the important news last received from Vera Cruz, and so confirmatory of , it, is sufficiently startling. It is very possible that Mr. McLane has fully suc ceeded in the object of his mission, and eft'ected at last a permanent and honora ble arrangement between the two couu- I tries ; but, so far as the facts have yet been made public, they would lead us* to 1 the contrary conclusion. Since the above was written we learn that Mr. McLane had been quite unwell, and possibly this, with a strong desire to seo his family, from which he lias now several months been separated, was the immediate cause of his return, and not the abandonment of his mission. We learn, in addition, from the same , authorative source, that Mr. Laßeintrie, the Secretary of Legation, remains at Vera Cruz, in charge of the archives. Mr. Elgee, the Minister’s private Sec retary, *we understand, returns to his home in Louisiana. The Brooklyn, the Government Steamer which brought him home, made the pas cage from Vera Cruz to Mobile, in four days. Staves are an article of more import ance in commerce than many persons suppose. The annual report of the New lork Chamber of Commerce gives the fol lowing as the export, in lons, for staves, for the past three years : , T New York. Norfolk, N. Orleans, ending Dec. 31. June 30. June 30. ‘ k 29,920 31.955 13,596 ■ *Bo7 00,840 31,685 22,020 ■IBSB 41.060 32.105 25.816 Additions.! by the llabana. Vera Cnrz, Aug. 25.—Minister McLftue returned on the 22d. He has presented President Buchanan’s ultimatum to Jua rez, which demands an immediate rntifi catiou of the treaty. There was nothing important reported from tlie Capital. Gen. L'egolado had ordered the troops from Tampico and the immediate neigh borhood, to march to San Luis Potosi, which lie intends to be the general ren dezvous of the Liberals. lie intends to attack the Capital in October. All the Pacific coast is in peaceful pos se; -ion of the Liberals. Gen. Viduarie was organising his forces at Nueva Leon, to march against the In dians and Americans. Gen. Pesquera has defeated the In dians at Sonora, after a severe battle. Business at Mazatlan was good. Topic had been recuptured by the Ile actionists, after considerable fighting. Gen. Marqueza is conducting three millions dollars in specie to Sau Bias, front Guadalajara, for the British war ship Calypso. The Governor of San Bias lias resolved to prevent the shipment if the duties were not paid. A difficulty was appre hended. Gen. Sorona left Mazatlan on the oil), ■ to join the Liberal forces in Jalisco, and to attack Marqueza at Guadalajara. Bolton & Barron’s laud claim is a for gery. Later from Havana. New Orleans, Sept. s.—The steamship DeSoto arrived here to day. She brings Havana dates to the 2d inst. Sugar firm. Exchange on London 14 to 15£ ; Exchange on New York to 5.} The DeSoto signalled the sloop-of-war Brooklyn. It is supposed that she is bound for Pensacola with Mr. McLane’s treaty. • ■ - Arrival of the Brooklyn. Mobile, Sept. s. — The United States ! sloop-of-wai Broklyn arrived here to-day. j She has Minister McLane on board ; he - leaves this afternoon for Whashington. ———♦- The Education most Needed —Learn to Labor. The question is often asked, why is it j ; that so few people are successful in busi ness, and why property finds such an un equal distribution ? This man, they say, received tho advantages of a good Eng lish education, and that man was educa ted at one of our best colleges. Both have been industrious, honest and economical, and yet neither of them has been success ful in business. Why is it? asks the i New York Express; and that journal proceeds to point out the cause, and in ! the course of its remarks observes: Tho idea too commonly prevails that a mere knowledge of books is the beginning and end of education. The sons and daughters, especially of the rich, grow up with fhis notion in their heads, in idleness, as it were, with little idea of the responsibilities which awaits them. Their natures revolt at the mention of “ labor,” not dreaming that their parents before them obtained the wealth they are so proud of by industry aud economy. How many young men, college bred though they may be, are pre pared to manage the estates which their fathers possess, and which it may have required alifetimeto acquire? llowmany young women, though having acquired all the knowledge and graces of the best schools, know how to do what their mo thers have done before them, and which | the daughters may yet he compelled to do j at some period of their lives? The chil- ! dren of the poor have to labor or starve, ! and as far as that goes they are educated to be practical. The education that scoffs at labor and encourages idleness is the worst enemy for a girl, man or woman. Instead of en- I nobling it degrades; it opens up the road to ruin. The education which directs us to do what we are fitted to do, that re spects labor,that inculcates industry, hon- ! esty, and fair dealing, and that strips us j of selfishness, is the education we do i need, and that which must become the prevailing system of the country before we can be as people either happy or pros- j perous. ♦ Coal vs. Wood for Rati Roads. The large quantities of fuel used by locomotives has, in the neighborhood of rail road lines, made wood very scarce j and consequently advanced it in material value. So great has become the expense attending wood burning locomotives in the Northern States, that the attention of rail road men has been seriously turned towards providing a substitute. Coal, of course, was the first article which seemed ; likeiy to answer the pui-pose; but a se rious obstacle presented itself in the loco motives which had been constructed with a view solely to the consumption of wood. ! This difficulty, however, was overcome by builuing engines especially designed for the burning of coal. The Hudson River Road made the experiment under the im- j mediate supervision of Mr. Mendes Co- I hen, Assistant Superintendent, who pre- j served and compiled an accurate state- j ment of the comparative cost of wood and coal and has presented it in detail through the American Railway Times. The statistics are valuable, as they pre sent the relative merits of each kind of fuel in an impartial way and with a sole desire, apparently, to get at the truth. The verdict is highly in favor of coal, there being a saving of G 5 per cent, on the Passenger train locomotives and of 71 per cent, on those engaged in the Freight service, the coal costing $4 80 a ton and the wood $6 00 a cord. This knowledge is of much importance to rail road mana- j gers, especially where wood has appre- 1 ciated so much; and Mr. Cohen’s efforts ! to bring the matter in a simple and lucid style before those interested will meet with the recognition they desire.— Savh. Republican. ♦ The Court of Appeals have unanimous- i ly affirmed the judgment of the Circuit Court in this county, in the case of “San ger vs. the Central Rail Road Company.” ! At the November term, 185 G, of the Cir- ) cuit Court of Augusta, Jacob Sanger re- | covered a verdict fo# s6,ooodamages, for j injuries received by the plaintiff whilst a passenger on the cars of the defendant, j The cars were thrown off the track by a large stone left lying near the rail, by the carelessness of some hands in the employ ment of the. contractors who were “balast- j ing” on the road, and the plaintiff had his leg broken. At the trial the company contended that they were not responsible for the acts of the hands in the employ ment of their contractors. The Judge (Thomgson) held that they were, and on this point the case went up. This is the first case iu Yirginia settling the extent of the liability of Rail Road Companies as passenger carriers, and it holds them up to the most rigorous responsibility. ] The judgment amounts to over $7,000 at this time, exclusive of counsel fees paid by the Company.— Staunton Spectator. The Sandersville Georgian of Wednes day, Sept. 7tli, says: During the past week we have made it a special business to inquire of planters, from different parts of the county, to what extent the cotton crop has been in jured by the recent heavy rains - , and have been pleased to hear a much more favoa ble report than we feared we should have. That the crop has been injured there can be no doubt. In some places by low lands being overflowed ; on such lands the cot tog has the rust, as might have been ex pected. Some planters say their cotton is injured by the rot; others that it is shedding considerably, &c., but never theless we hope for a tolerably fair crop, much less, however, than was anticipated some months ago. Some are of opinion that the people will be deceived in their corn crop—that there will be more shuck and less corn. But we are of opinion that the crop will be the largest that has been gathered in this county for many years. j ? ♦ \\ Governor Douglass issued a protest against General Harney’s occupying the 1 island of San Juan, and has sent a mes sage to the Yancouvers Assembly, declar ing that British forces shall be landed at San Juan. There was rather a doubtful rumor in circulation, which states that the British steamer Sattellite had attack ed the Island and killed thirty Americans. The “Disbanded Volunteer” of the New York Times, rusticating in the “na borin rural districts,” has invoked the Muses with the following result: A Fastorial Pieter of Nateral Seenery i Tis airly mornin. Cmn, my mew;;, declare 1 How things apeers. Iteskribc ern as they air. (Mews deskribes things as they air.) The feelds, all kivered with doo-sprenkled grass, Looks like greenbaze stuck full of brokin glass. As es the skylites sum darned retch, for ‘greens.’ Hed, on a bender, smasht to smithereens, j Thf vaUer sun is risin in the yeast. For bred to labor eallin man and boast; While old Sol's beams come down in goblin showers. Inspeetin all the different kinder flours; And purty soon they’ll drain each jooey cup, And make each blade in jooils drest “dry up. - ’ The burds. a flutterin fihm their leefy hums, In songs onseesin jines the cherry burns; For airtli and hevin's kunnected, sum folks thinks, Bv chanes of angels mixt with bob-o-links. Here, for a spell, the mews her curtain draws— Idees is skarse, and hense her silent paws. (Mews, hein refresht by her paws, purseeds.) i From yander gorge's throte a gargling creek Cascades throo rox, and near it stands a Greek, With poll in hand and reddest kinder hair, A ketchin suckers with a brass-wire snail-: Cows, full of milk, is bellerin for the pails. With becknin horns and tellygraftin tails; Down in the meddere flox ofluvly lams, Drors sweet refreshment from a hunderd d—e: The hens is eaoklin over eggs bespoke; The steers is standin reddy for the yoke; ; And hogs, impayshint for the usliil swill, | Music and flagranee both at once distil: | While in the distans, on the mounting tops. ’ Columby's eguls takes thar mornin hops, Capping the climacts of a seen as nice, As the old Sarpint spylt in Pairedice ? Pardin the mews es now she holds her hand, And tries to tarn the Agger here for land; I She’ll sun Vie back, not Levin far to roam, , And then, in coarse, she’ll finish up the pome. On Sight and on Demand. Judge , a well known, highly respected Knickerbocker on the shady side of fifty—a widower with five children, full of fun and frolic, ever ready tor a joke, to give or take—was bantered the other evening by a miss of five and | twenty for noKtaking another wife. She urged that he was hale and hearty and i deserved a matrimonial messmate. The Judge acknowledged the fact, admitted that he was convinced by the eloquence of his fair friend that he had been thus ! far very amiss, and expressed contrition for the fault confessed, ending with offer ing himself to the lady, telling her she could not certainly reject him after point ing out to him his heinous ofl'eDse. The lady replied that she would be most happy to take the situation so unique advertised, and become bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, but there was one, to her, serious obstacle. “Well,” says the Judge, “name it. My profession is to surmount such im pediments.” “Ah ! Judge, this is beyond your pow ers. I have vowed if ever I marry a widower he must have ten children.” “ Ten children ? Oh, that’S nothing,” says the Judge ; “ I’ll give you five now and my notes on demand, in installments, i for the balance.” ♦ — Rather Late. The Committee appointed by the Tammany General Committee to wait upon Secretary Cobb, to remonstrate with him against farming out the labor j of the public stores, after the contract ; had been made, sealed, signed and de i livered, waited upon that gentleman yes i terday at the St. Nicholas, and stated their case. The Secretary listened at tentively, and then informed these gen tlemen it was unnecessary for him to i make a formal speech in reply, for the ! contract was consumated and immedi ately to be carried into execution. Whereupon they all retired, went to the bar of “ Oyster Bay” and took a “ sruile,” and will be prepared to make their re port at the next meeting. Why did not this Committee interest itself earlier in this business if they were ‘really desirous of doing anything.— N. Y. Daily News. “Her Majesty.” The British Ministry, consisting of fif teen highly educated noblemen and com moners, appear unable to write intelligi bly. The Queen’s Speech, read by com mission on the 13th inst., at the proroga tion of Parliament, is scarcely good Eng lish, and at all events, is disfigured by ridiculous repetitions. The Cabinet are the joint authors of that composition. The commencement runs thus : “We are commanded by Her Majesty to release you from further attendance in Parlia ment, and at the same time to convey to you Her Majesty’s acknowledgments.” The repetition of “Her Majesty” is to prevent the Queen being named as she or her, as if she were an ordinary person ! This may seem absurd etiquette, but the fact is as we state it. Here is another sample, with “Her Majesty” thrice in one sentence; “A plenipotentiary would be sent by Her Majesty to assist at such conferences; but Her Majesty had not received the information to decide whether Her Majesty’ may think fit to take partin any such negotiations.” And again: “It will be Her Majesty’s earnest endeavor to promote their internal improvement, and to obliterate the traces of those conflicts which Her Majesty witnessed with deep concern.” Also—“ The financial arrange ments of that portion of Her Majesty’s empire will continue to engage Her Maj esty’s serious attention.” Finally we are told that “The happiness of Her Majes ty’s people is the object nearest Her Maj esty’s heart.” Who was it that said that Majesty, de prived of its externals, was a jest ? He spoke the truth.— Press. ♦ Unfortunate anti Fortunate. A singular freak of fortune happened in New Orleans the other day. A young gentleman of good family, and possessing many amiable qualities, but withal pas sionately fond of gambling, was playing a game of cards with considerable ill luck : he lost all his money, and still persisting to combat fate with the hopeful energy of an inveterate gambler, he pulled out a lottery ticket which he had bought that morning, and offered to stake it. He lost again, and was forced to cease playing. After the game was over the winner, hav ing no faith in lotteries, proposed to throw dice for it, at twenty five cents a chance. This was done, and a bystander, a poor devil who never owned a hundred dollars in his life, and who had been a mere spec tator until he was suddenly inspired to risk his quarter of a dollar, won the ticket. A few days afterwards the Ha vana steamer arrived, and lo ! the ticket had drawn twenty five thousand dollars. The original owner, who had thus thrown away a fortune, on hearing the news was taken with an attack of brain fever, and is even now in a sad condition; it is feared he will remain an idiot. The lucky drawer of the prize immediately in vested a round sum in an assortment of the most flashy jewelry and garments, and has been leading ever since a life of continued revelry; be has become a fast man, and is following fast the road to ruin. Fugitive Slave Arrested with Forg ed Papers. A negro man named Armisted, suppos ed to belong to D. O. Merwin, of Vicks burg, was arrested yesterday and lodged in jail. The negro, when first arrested, claimed to be a free man, and exhibited genuine free papers; but he subsequently acknowledged that he was a slave, be longing to the above named gentlemen, and confessed that he had obtained the papers which he exhibited from a free man of color. Some gentlemen from Vicksburg, who happened to be in the city, recognized the prisoner as the pro perty of Mr. Merwin.— Memphis Avalanche, 3 and inst. The Louisiana Sugar Flanter says that a young man, employed as overseer on one of the cotton plantations in Missis sippi, recently fell heir to a fortune, by the death of an uncle in Georgia, of near ly half a million of dollars. He had never seen his relative, and had been employed as an overseer, for some ten years, at a salary varying from S3OO to SSOO, in South Carolina. Major David Burford Greer, the Secre tary of State of Arkansas, died on Wed nesday last, at the residence of Capt. C. W. Jackson, near Memphis. Maj. Greer was a native of Tennessee, but removed to the Territory of Arkansas, and upon the organization of that Territory as a State, was elected Secretary of State, which office he held uninterruptedly up : to his death. Advertising. “ Hide not your light under a bushel” is a maxim peculiarly applicable to bus iness mcD. Experience has fully demon strated that where a man, in a commer cial community, iias anything to sell, be must not keep dark about it; lie must hold it up in contact with that universal and powerful reflector and illuminator— the public press; he must, paradoxically, light it up with ink— printer’s ink; and he must not do this.once, or twice, or three times, but persistently, systemati cally. There is as much skill and tact, and, oftentimes, as much boldness, to tie displayed in advertising, ns in conduct ing the most extensive and difficult bus iness operation; and your Louis Napol eon of advertisers will move his forces, now to the front, now to the rear, now on the flanks—sometimes en tirailleur, some times in solid colump—here cautiously, there with impetuosity—“the light of battle on his brows ;” while your Fran cis Joseph will move on at the same old routine, rarely capturing public attention, often driven back by his more skillful and daring competitor. To advertise properly costs money, but it invariably repays the investment a hundred fold. You will find many sens ible men who will calmly utter the para dox, that they have often advertised, but it has never benefiited them an iota. They expect the public to walk into their stores, and holding up their poor, little advertisements, inserted once a month, in some out-of-the-way corner of a big paper, exclaim: “You have candles— give me candles; you have fish hooks— give me fish-hooks !” Egregious error! The main object for advertising is to im press this Mr. Public with an ineffaceable idea of your name and locality and spe cial occupation ; so that, if he ever see or hear the one, he will instinctively, im pulsively, irresistably think of the other. Once this linked sweetness established in Mr. Publick’s mind—and only persist ent, skillful advertising will do it—you can then vary your efforts, go into details, draw up a column of groceries, or a half column of Western produce, or a quarter column of outer and under garments, adroitly calling in, now and then, the | aid of poetry, or mathematics, or history, S or geography, to titillate the palate of the scientific, the imaginative, or the generally well-inGructed reader It would take a column or two of il lustrations to fully explain these priuci | pies. We have neither the time nor the j space to draw them out, but offer these i suggestions simply as hints for enter prising navigators, ready and eager to launch their barks on the ocean of busi ness.—N. 0. Picayune. Hopkins’ Cam Tobacco anil Cotton Pr ess. The Petersberg (Va.) Express of the sth says: We have already informed our readers of the patent of the above press, taken out by Thos. 11. Hopkins, Esq., aud Dr. It. E. Robinson, of this city. That it is one of the most philosophical of mechan ical arrangements, and unquestionably the most economical and powerful, is be yond question. In addition to this, its great simplicity must commend it to general favor, No portion of the appa ratus is more liable to get out of order than the simple straight lever by which it is put in motion, so if it is built faith fully of good material, it will never need | repair, and will last a century. We take : the following deserved notice from the New York Scientific American of Satur day last, decidedly the first scientific journal in the United States: “Invaluable Improvement in Pres ses—This invention consists in giving the follower of a press a progressive up ward or downward motion, by means of two sets of cams with friction rollers be tween them. The cams are arranged on disks, which have spur teeth on their circumference; the upper disk has one more tooth than the lower one. Into these teeth a long pinion goars, said pi nion being moved slowly by a long lever, and as it turns, the upper disk gradually gains upon the lower one, and, conse quently, with the aid of the friction roll ers, rises and forces up the follower with a powerjwl pressure, the gradual elevation being retailed at all times by reason of the causes of the lower disk which has no vertical movement, acting antagonistic to the cams of the upper disk which both revolves and moves vertically up and down. This press cannot fail to operate well; aud as it combines two of the more powerful and effective elements of me chanics for giving motion and power, we think it is just the thing for our Southern cotton and tobacco planteas. An engrav ing will be presented in our column- j shortly.” Tike Great South Carolina Tunnel. A few days ago there was a very large and enthusiastic celebration at the Stump House Mountain Tunnel, on the Blue j Ridge Rail Road, in South Carolina. The , Governor of the State and other distin- j guished persons were present. From a ■ graphic sketch in the Charleston Mer cury we gather these facts : The Stump House Mountain is a high elevation, rising to a level of 1760 feet above tide water, situated in Pickens Dis trict, at a distance by tiie traveled route of 305 miles from Charleston. Twelve miles to the westward runs the Chatuga river, the boundary between tbe States of South Carolina and Georgia. The scene ry from the summit of the Stump House is sublimely grand, embracing tbe North Carolina summits, the high peaks of the Alleghanian chain, Mount Pisgah, Cold, Ball, and Table Mountain, and the Saddle Peak. The tunnel is 5864 feet in length, 4163 of which have already been driven, leaving only 1701 feet to be now worked. The tunnel is cut to a grade of sixty feet to the mile, rising westward, and will re quire the excavation of nearly 70,000 cubic yards of stone. The Middle Tun nel, at another point on the road, is com pleted, aud the Saddle Tunnel is one third through. It is thought that, .in j twelve months, all the tunnels in South Carolina could be completed, and also the road-bed be ready for the track. Appointments In tike Postotlice. Departments. Hugh Francis, Winchester, Tennessee, i to be special agent for the Tennessee and Alabama district, vice General G. P. * Smith, resigned. Salery $1,600. Jonathan Guest to he agent for the 1 distribution of blanks, making and rating ; stamps ami postoffice scales at Washing- ; ton, vice W T . C. Alien, deceased. Salery ! si,boo. ! Thomas B. Barton promoted to a sec ond class clerkship, ($1,400,) vice Jona- \ than Guest, promoted. Aaron Goodrich (temporary) appointed to a first class clerkship, vice Thomas B. Barton, promoted. Robert A. Griffin appointed to a $1,200 clerkship, (temporary.) vice Aaron Good rich. Domestic Molasses. We have received from Mr. J. L. Hun- j ter, Sen., a bottle of syrup made from the Chinese sugar cane. The flavor is very I rich, and the color is about that of strained hoDey. Mr. Hunter, in boiling : the juice, had the advice of an expen- ‘ enced gentleman from Florida, Mr. Hart field, a visitor at his house, who recom- j mended two hours and a half boiling, i and very rapid. He calculates making about one hundred and seventy-five gal lons of syrup to the acre. Mr. M. Ed- j wards who is also trying it with a supe- ! rior article of caDe, estimates his crop at two hundred gallons to the acre. Mr. Hartfield informs us that it is made by ! the most of farmers in his region, and is given to the negroes, young and old, without stint. It exercises a very healthy influence over the negroes, especially the j younger portion of them. —Macon (Mm.) \ Beacon. Munificent Donation. Hon. Oliver J. Morgan, of Louisiana, has presented to Bishop Polk, of that ! State, the handsome sum of forty thous- ; and dollars, as the foundation of a Pro fessorship of Agricultural Chemistry in the “University of the South.” The mu- j nificent donation makes up the entire | amount of five hundred thousand dollars, required by the charter for the establish ment of the proposed University. TELEGRAPHIC ITEMS. Washington, Sept. 2.—The man who recently brought from Philadelphia to New York, fifteen young ladies, utiderlhe pretense of taking them South as school and music teachers, and then robbed theta of their money and baggage, was arrested here last night by Chief of 1 o.ice, Goddard, and Lieutenant of Police, Mc- Henry. He was recognized as Hiram I‘. Leslie, heretofore temporarily employed as a laborer in the Patent (Jllice. Some i of our own citizens had been swindled by him. His valise contained a large number of letters from various parts of the country, the contents cf which showed that he had traveled in the South, and was extensive ly engaged in dishonest schemes. He had a wife living in Washington. Two large trunks, claimed by him. are in the Ex press Office, and are supposed to contain many valuables belonging to his victims, lie has been committed to jail to await a requisition from the Governor of New York. Leslie had no person with him when he was arrested. He took lodgings last night with his wife, at her residence, and there is no probability that any of his victims came South with him. Poston, Sept. 2. — The sloop-of-war Cumberland, which arrived yesterday at Portsmouth, left at Madeira, August 8, the frigate C’ nstellation, which was to proceed in a few days to the coast of Africa. The ship Protector, of Poston, from Liverpool, for Aden, put into Madeira August 2, Captain Crocker having been stabbed by a negro seaman. Capt. Crock er was attended by the Surgeon of the Cumberland, and has so far recovered as to proceed on his voyage before the Cum berland sailed. The negro culprit was brought home in the sloop-of war for trial. The Cumberland sailed from Boston June 23, 1857, and had lost but two men during her whole cruise of twenty-six months. Poston, Sept. 2. —Gov. Batiks has ex tended invitations to the Executives of the various States to be present at the muster and review of the entire active Military force of the State, which assem bles at Concord on the 7th. Philadelphia, Sept. 2.—The ladies swindled by Johnson arrived in this city last night and their baggage has been re covered at Washington, whither it was sent by express ; for which purpose the directions had been taken off and the name of Mrs. Leslie substituted. Ex-President Pierce. Manchester, N. 11., Sept. 2.—The re turn of ex-President Pierce to his home in New Hampshire to-day, called forth a lively display of friendly feeling. The Amoskeag Veterans, 100 strong, proceed ed in the morning to Nasbau, and receiv ed the ex President, who was accompanied by Mayor Harrington and other distin guished citizens, at the depot. Here the crowd was very large, and the welcome hearty and enthusiastic. From Nashau a special train conveyed Mr. Pierce and his escort to this city, where a procession, a collation, speeches and firing of a can non were the features of the occasion. In the afternoon the ex-President, es corted by the Veterans and numerous cit izens, proceeded to Concord, where he was received with similar manifestations of respect. On the arrival of the train at Concord, a salute was fired, flags were displayed, and Mr. Pierce was greeted with cheers by a large concourse of citizens. He was escorted by the Veterans to his lodg ings, after which they dined at the Phoe nix Hotel. Gen. Pierce received the congratula tions of his friends this evening, and was serenaded by the Concord Cornet Band. AuGthor Itope Walker. Quite a number of persons assembled at Charlotte yesterday afternoon to see “Monsieur Be Motte” cross the river on a rope stretched from Holden’s Elevator to the warehouse opposite. At the appoint ed time the performer made his appear ance and started out, pole in hand. lie was dressed in white tights, and wore on his head a hat decorated with ribbons. After proceeding tremblingly along to a point about thirty feet from the shore, he lost his balance and fell sprawling into the water beneath, losing hold of his balance pole, which stuch upright in the muddy bottom- Be Motte rose lo the sur face, and was picked up by one of the boats in attendance. lie was brought to shore exceedingly damp and shivering from cold, but not divested of his ambi tion; for having warmed himself some what and pulled on a pair of pantaloons over his tights, he started again, and after many narrow escapes, succeeded in reaching the eastern shore’in safety. He afterwards returned by the same route, and was greeted with applause as vocife rous almost as the shouts of laughter and ridicule which went up when his misfor tune occurred. It is said that Be Motte designs to cross again some time next week.— Rochester Democrat. Crops In Arkansas. A correspondent writing to the Fort Smith Times, from Russellville, Pope county, Ark., says that the crops in that county are superb, and that the yield will be so great that the farmers wiil have to build new barns. The Helena Shield, of the same State, says: . This has been a fine week upon crops. No rain, and the cotton is opening rap idly over the whole region of eastern Ar kansas. The prospect is very favorable for the heaviest cotton crop by far ever raised in the State. Corn, though dam aged by drought in May and June, is pretty good, generally speaking. Saratoga. The Summer is over and so is the Sar atoga “season.” We learn from the last issue (for this year) of the Baily Sarato gian, that the number of visitc s largely exceeds that of any previous yec From June 20 to Aug. 31, inclusive, a t riod of 73 days, the arrivals foot up as follows: Congress Ilall 5,529 Marvin House 2,70S j U. S. Hotel 4,412 Exchange H0te1....1,052 Union Ilall 0.955 Com’l Hotel 634 Columbian H0te1...1.755 All others 1,406 ; American H0te1....1.101 Smith’s Hotel 662 Total 23,064 The-number of arrivals published dur ing the same period last year was 18,4G5, showing an increase of 4,617, or about 25 per cent. When we add to the pub lished arrivals the thousauds entertained at private boarding-houses, and at the Hotels in June and September, the aggre gate for the season will doubtless reach as high a figure as 35,000. The Overland Mail Routes. In reference to the Overland Mail routes, the Washington Star deems it proper to state, as there is such a strong prejudice existing against the continu ance of the routes, costing $1,000,000 annually, with scarcely any return, that it i3 the desire of the Post Master Gene ral to have them abolished, and that he would long since have applied the princi ple of retrenchment in this particular had he not been prevented by the Attor ney General. The decision was, that as the contracts for that specific object was for four years, and did not contain the usual clause empowering the Post Master General to change the service, the routes in question could not be interfered with. Should Congress abolish them, a claim for damages would arise, Swimming the Ohio. A German, “half seas over,” swam the Ohio at Wheeling on Sunday evening last, for a small wager. He accomplished the feat with difficulty, and, not being strong enough to come back the same way, and some cruel fellows on the other side retaining his clothes, he started across the suspension bridgey>r/s natural ibus, and entered Wheeling at a run, driv ing crinoline in wild flight before. He took refuge in an alley, was captured and clothed, brought before the Mayor and fined $lO. Connecticut Tobacco. The tobacco in Connecticut is now ly ing out for drying. This year’s crop is estimated at $1,000,000. Last year the crop was 10,000 cases, and prices aver aged about 17 ceuts per pound. Miss ?I. 11. Btt tils Authoress. The Hon John Forsyth, writing to his paper from Ns*v \ ork, m ikes tne follow ing mention of Miss Martha Haines Butt, after alluding to Miss Augusta Evans : \t the same house i - another \oung Southern authoress, who attracts a large share of attention and admiration M;.* Martlia Haines Uutl, ot Norfolk, \ irgini..- \t fourteen, she published a volume .n reply to Cncle Tom’s Cabin. Her fugi tive essays are numerous —light efforts in which she is trying the strength ul her pinions before addressing herself earn j ostly to a more serious flight. It i= refreshing, in these days of rapid female life, of flounces and crinoline, to meet at the same hotel two young Southern girls, fearlessly entering the lists of intellectual combat, and deriving from that whole some exercise the inspiration and happi ness which so many seek in dress, co ciuetry and superficial accomplishments. L praise these young competitors in the field of literary fame, because they de ! serve it. I may have a selfish object, but that proves the sincerity of my re gard for their abilities, and that is, that l am not without hope ot inducing both i of them to let fall some of the drippings 1 of their sparkling pens to enrich tne col j iimns of the Register. - An English writer has recently asserted that an undue proportion of lime in tne | system is the cause of premature gray ’ hair, and advises all to avoid hard water, either for drinking pure or when conver ; ted into tea, coifee, or soup, because hard i water is always strongly impregnated ! with lime. Hard water may be softened ! by boiling it; let it become cold, and then j use it as a beverage. It is also stated that a liquid that will color the human hair black, and not stain the skin, may be made by taking one part of bay rum, three parts of olive oil, and one part of good brandy, by measure. The hair must be washed with this mixture every j morning, and in a short time the use of. j it will make the hair a beautiful black, | without injuring it in the least.. The j articles must be of the best quality, mixed in a bottle, and always shaken well before being applied. A Secoiiil Sam Patch, Almost. Several days ago a fellow hailing from Rockland county, New York, and calling himself Jim Patch, jumped from the mast head of the sloop Sophie into the water below, a distance of eighty five feet, at Albany, N. York. The sloop at the time laid at the lower dock, Sing Sing, in about seven feet of water. At the appointed time, in the presence of about four hundred villagers, Jim made his jump, firing a couple of pistols in his descent. He struck the water and stuck in the mud, and that was the last that was seen of him until a young man made a dive from the dock and brought him up by the hair. By the aid of a boat hook he was dragged ashore. After rolling him on a barrel he was restored to consciousness. Sew York Press. The New York Journal of Commerce complains that many of the papers in that city are “ in the frequent if not con stant habit of publishing letters from their own correspondents, containing statem nts destitute of even a semblance of truth, and inserted for the mere pur pose of having something hi the way of sensation news, with which to startle the public ” But the editor goes further, and says: “If we should av<-w our be lief that much of this correspondence is icril len at home, instead of the places where it bears date, probably we would not be very wide of the facts. It is well that, i country readers should understand some of the freaks of “metropolitan” enter prise in the management of newspapers. Steamship Matters. The New York correspondent of the Charleston Courier writes : The nominal price paid by the Califor nia companies for the Collins steamers was $900,000, but the actual amonnt paid for them was only about $780,000. The Panama Rail Road Company is a stock holder in the new company .purchasing these steamers to the extent 0f5500,000, and the Pacific Mail Company has taken an interest of their company which to-day is quoted at 79. The Panama Rail Iload Company purchased the Atlantic and Baltic (with their liabilities) for $250,000 each, and the Pacific Mail Company got the Adriatic for $400,000. Stock of Sugars in New York. The stock of sugars, now in New York, is said to consist of 73,000 lihds., 23,000 boxes, and 70,000 bags. The Post, of Thursday evening, says : This is a larger supply than we antici pated, and, consequently, some holders are anxious to realize, and have yielded lto ]c. to-day to effect sales. The an ticipated liberal supply, lloth of hogs heads, boxes and bags yet to come for ward before the close of the season, with the stock now on hand, leads many to believe that We shall enter the new year with a very considerable surplus of stock, if prices do not in the mean time rule so low as to induce very free consumption. Operations of the United States Mint. The gold coinage of the United States Mint in Philadelphia, for the month of August, was $95,151.05, in double eagles, eagles and quarter eagles. The silver coinage was $64,487.15, being in quarter dollars and dimes. Os cents $25,000 were coined. The whole number of pieces coined was 2,738,542, of the aggregate value of $174,638.20. The total gold de posits of the month were $111,650, of which $G6,5G6.81 were from California, and $45,083.19 were from other sources. The silver deposited was $64,900. Total deposits for the month $179,990. ♦ ———- Congressional Elections on the Pa cific. According to the latest returns received by way of California, Stout, the Berno- ! cratic candidate for Congress, in Oregon, is elected by a majority of nine votes. The canvass in Washington Territory re sulted in the election of S evens, the Bemocratic candidate, by a majority of 420. The opponent of Stout was one Lo gan, a Republican. Wallace, who ran against Stevens, called himself an inde pendent candidate. Strike oil tlie Michigan Southern Rail Road. Chicago, Sept. 2.—The machinists at Laporte and Adrian, on the Michigan Southern Rail Road, struck yesterday, and refused to allow anything but a mail car and engine to run. , The passengers who left this city yes terday morning returned last evening. The cause of the strike is the inability or refusal of the road to pay the back wages of the employees. No trains have left here on the Michigan Southern road since yesterday morning. Reduction of Brazilian Duties. The State Bepartment is in receipt of dispatches from Mr. Baily, U. S. Consul at Para, Brazil, announcing that “an order has been received at the custom house at that port authorizing the reduc tion of the government export duty to five per centum—a difference of two per centum in favor of the exporter. The order took effect on the 28th of July last.” The reduction has been made throughout the empire. No Readies. As an illustration of the scarcity of fruit in this vicinity the present season, one of the largest cultivators in Borches ter informed the editor of the Bedham Gazette that, on the same trees from which he last year gathered five hundred and fifty bushels of peaches, this year be has found but five specimens of that fruit.— Boston Transcript. An Agricultural SUte. Illinois, it appears, is taking the lead of all the other States in agriculture. The index of this fact is not alone the grain crops, but the number of her agricultural societies. There are eighty eight agri cultural societies in that State, or twenty more than any other State in the Union. Anew Baptist Church was dedicated at Loachapoka, Ala., on last Sabbath. The dedication sermon was preached by the Rev. J. H. DeYotie, of this city. Instrumental Music in Chnrcli> The New 1 ork Herald teds fchi- an eedotc: Thomas Coles—more familiarly known, fr< in ins great, amiability and good na tmv.'its Tommy Coles —was a consistent :n inb -r ot tl.i-‘ Society of Friends. At the • iUni vi hee f Glen Cove, Long Is-a .and. wh ■•••• in- resided, the Episcopal eongrep.iition h-d just erected in the church a very sw ei toned organ, which wis ilie a i• >n nor only of the mem bers. Inn o many others who were at tracted to the seiviee by the eloquence of ltev. Mr. Malluby, the rector. On some particular occasion our venerable friend Tommy Coles took a seat among the con e-rogation, and his opinion of the organ was gathered from the following conver sation a few days afterwards: “Friend Maflaby, I am pleased that thee has got a fine organ in thy church.” “But,” said the clergyman, “I thought you were opposed to having an organ in a church.” “So l am,” replied Friend Tommy ; “but then if thee worship the Lord by machinery, I would like tlice to have a a first rate instrument.” Very witty, doubtless. But what says the inspired Psalmist, the “sweet singer of Israel,” on this point ? “Praise His name with timbrel and harp.” “Praise Him with the timbrel” —“with the sound of the trumpet”— “with the psaltery and liarp”—“with the loud cymbals”—“the high sounding cym bals;” and “Praise Him with stringed in struments and organs /” And then, again, read, in the 88th Psalm, and. see liow God, the King, wont into-the sanctuary: “The singers go before ; the players on in struments follow after; among them are j the damsels playing with the timbrels.” : &c. Cost of Lauil In New York. The New York Sun says: It may be curious to many of our read ers to know that land on Broadway, 100 feet in depth, is worth at the present time about S4O for each one-sixtnfiptli part of an inch ; SBO per quarter Jjnch ; s3soper entire inch; $4,00i) .per foot; SIOO,OOO for a decently fronted lot ; | $200,000 for a moderate show,-and a#out $1,000,000 for a “ splurge.” The cost of j sites and structures together, of some of 1 the principal buildings, is as follows : St. Nicholas Hotel $1,200,000 i Bowen & AlcNamee 320.000 A. T. Stewart & Cos 300,000 Astov House 300,000 Metropolitan Hotel 250,000 International Hotel 225,000 , La Farge House 200.000 ‘ Lord & Taylor .175,000 Broadway Theatre Building... 150.000 Haughwout & Cos 125,000 j Brook Brothers 125.000 Wood’s Theatre 65,000 Tiffany & Cos 45,000 In the above list, at present prices, the ; Astor House should be placed at about ! one million of dollars, and Stewart’s at about eight hundred thousand dollars, but each of them cost an immensely less sum. The Astor was built of plain mate rials, when property was comparatively cheap. Stewart’s store was built upon a less valuable lot, but at greater cost of i decoration, when property had greatly | enhanced in value, but long before the rage for dry goods stores on the west side of Broadway had so enormously increased the value of property on that street. Arrival of tlxe Steamsliip Ilabana, New Orleans, Sept. s.—The steam ship Ilabana has arrived below. She j brings San Francisco dates to the 20th ult., and Manatitlan to the Ist, inst. The steamer Sonora and Cortez brought ! over two hundred thousand dollars in | specie, and one thousand two hundred passengers. The British man of war Pyladcs had arrived at Panama; she is supposed to have brought dispatches for England, concerning the San Juan dispute. No arrivals were reported at San Fran cisco. Business had improved. Pro visions had an advancing tendency. Candles advanced ]c. Sugar firm ; re ; fined at 11] cents. Money easier. Gen. Harney, on the 9th uli., ordered four companies of artillery from Fort 1 Washington, to re-iuforce Capt. Pickett, who still occupied San Juan unmolested. ; Harney badforwardeddispatches to Wash ington. Horace Greeley had addressed a large i Pacific Rail Road meeting. Additional by ilie North Briton: The Belgium Chamber of deputies have agreed to fortify Antwerp. The LeNord 1 ! contends that the project will endanger | the neutrality of Belgium. A defensive league has been formed by the States of Central Italy. The result of the National Assemblies | of Modena and Parma were received with joyful acclamations. New Cider Mill. The editor of the Richmond Morning News visited the warehouse and machine shop of Mr. H. M. Smith, of that city, a few days since. Among other things, he gives the annexed description of anew article of husbandry: Among the innumerable new and useful articles of husbandry to be found in Mr. Smith’s warehouse, we noticed a most j complete machine for making cider. It 1 is about the size of a small-sized wheat fan. On one end the grinding mill is so arranged that by turning a crank the ap ples are completely mashed passing through three rollers, and falling into a box. On the other end is a complete press, with iron screws, and beam with follower, working into a lattice tub or curb. To make cider no straw or previ- ; ous preparation is required. A single person may grind and press a bushel of ‘ apples in ten minutes, and the whole ope- , ration is as complete as though more were ground. The capacity of the mill is about : ten barrels a day. We think the intro duction of this machine calculated to pro- i mote the farmer’s comfort and add a lux ury to his household, with but trifling cost. The price is $43. Several might own one in partnership, as a small turn bler-cart can carry it easily. Habeas Corpus. Michael Collins, who was committed for trial in default of SI,OOO bonds on Monday last, for shooting his wife with intent to murder, was brought before the City Court yesterday, and a motion male for his discharge from custody, on the ground that his wife, who is the only witness, could not be forced to testify against him. Judge McKinstry overruled this plea, and the wife very reluctantly gave in her evidence against him. The amount of the bond was reduced to SSOO. lie gave it. —Mobile Register, 4th. Exports of Ciibaii Sugars. The total exports of sugar from the ports of Havana and Matanzas the tirst seven months of the present year was 1,- 018,018 boxes. The same months in 1858 they were 1,021,682; in 1857,878,570: in 1850, 802,091 ; in 1855, 1,090,241 boxes. Os the exports of the present year, 273;794 boxes came to the United States, 388,219 went to Great Britain, 179,433 to Spain, 105,112 to France, 12,- 408 to the Baltic, 19,857 to Hamburg and Bremen, 11,917 to Holland, and the rest in about equttl proportions to the smaller Buropean ports. A Twenty Mile American Horse in England. The Northern Times, of Aug. 12, says: The hitherto unaccomplished feat of trotting twenty miles within an hour (in England) was performed yesterday by a horse called “Jack Rossiter,'’ (an Ameri can.) He was handled by a Yankee jockey, especially brought over for the occasion. In Cincinnati, on the 24th ult., the in fant child of a Mrs. Burns was placed at a window in the second story of a house. While its mother was absent, the child fell out of the window and struck upon the back of a passing dog. The dog broke I the child’s fall, and the child broke the dog’s back. The child’s life was saved, but the dog’s was the sacrifice. Mr. A. Ilaygood has recently com menced running aline ofllacks, tri-week iy, between Union Springs and Clayton. The Secret of Blantlln’s SuccVs.i, The wonderful power that Blondin po>- esses of balancing himself is the poin: of curiosity and amazement to the ci.-y, ! By explaining a little of the philo-o: -i . of this feat we may’ lesson the naton ment of some people, an I perhapr urn the chief difficulty to a rational amount , f self-culture, resulting in an improvement of the nervous system. The common n,v, of a man spinning on the point ot a v-i: . explains the whole mallei'. Ih • cet of gravity is lowered to the base, 1 there it is easily preserved. The use of the pole answers the same purp sc.—. Blondin’s pole is thirty-four feet long, and weighs forty-six pounds, lie -i below the middle of the body, it bin: gs his centre of gravity sufficiently near to the rope, to be easily controlled. Avery slight elevation of one end and a cafu-s ----ponding depression of the other restores the balance of the body. The skill to govern the position, by an exact movement of the pole to the requir ed extent, and not an inch further, r suits from practice. Those who have seen “the infant phenomenon” of the Ravel troop on the tiglit-rope, must have - observed the imperfect management of the pole in less experienced hands. Philo sophically, Blondin and his pole constitute one body, and the extension laterally of its weight is equivalent to lowering the centre of-gravity, or enlarging the b.-.se on which he walks. The most perilous exploit of M. Blondin is that of carry ing a man on his back. Here lie runs a frightful risk, because he cannot com mand the nervous system of another person. To this experiment he will fdl a victim, if he persists in it. The slight , est trepidation of nerve in the carried i body will imperil his centre of gravity , and put it out of his command, in spite of the skill with which he adjusts the weight to rest as much as possible cn his hips, aud as little as possible on his shoul ders. I Travelers over the mountains are warned by their guides to sit passively n the mule, without attempting to direct the animal. This is what the man mint do who rides on Blondin’s back, liis own command of nerve must be equal to i that of his master, or he endangers both. The fact of dismounting several times proves that it was so, and that he did not avail himself of any trick in shutting his eyes from the abyss below. This is the whole explanation of M. Biondin’s seat —his lowering of the cen tre of gavitv near to the base, and his amazingly skillful government of it. We would not advise any one to try hazard- I ous experiments; but the truth of this ! explanation may be tested by walking a the odge of a board firmly fixed in the required position on the ground or floor, i and by using or dispensing with the bal ancing pole, or other weight, to control the centre of gavity.— N. Y. Century. From the Charleston Mercury. Aurora Borealis. Camp Geological Surwey, S. C.,) In Eastern Abbeville Bist., Sept. 2d. j Mr Editor: A distinct aurora borealis as far south as our State is not a very usual occurrence. Very probably others may communicate to you a statement re garding the one of last night; hut, in case they should not, permit me to call your attention to it. I awoke about three o'clock in the morning, and (my tent facing the north) observed the whole sky to be beautifully reddened. It was not exactly’ the glow of a fine sunrise, but it was flushed with a ruddier tint, more like the refraction of a large fire. The most brilliant stars were barely visible, yet it was still bright er, lam told, before I saw it. It must have been a glorious sight in more north ern latitudes. The farthest south that I have known an aurora borealis to have been observed was the one in the fall of 1851, noticed by Br. LeConte in Florida, and by iny self in Itawamba county in north-eastern Mississippi. It will be interesting to hear how much farther south this one has been observed, for it was quite dis tinct enough to have been perceptible in in much lower latitudes. Respectfully yours, OSCAR M. LIBBER. Tkc Manufacture of Coal Oil. The manufacture of kerosene and oth er oils from coal is generally supposed to be very profitable, and so it probably is, though we doubt whether such fabu lous sums have been realized from it as many imagine. A Mr. Gould, of Roches ter, N. Y., has recently written a letter concerning this branch of manufacture, which a correspondent informs us abounds in misstatements and fallacies, the wri ter showing his entire ignorance of the subject. Mr. Grant assumed that a bushel of Pennsylvania cannelgcoal, cost ing five cents, yields a gallon of crude oil worth thirty-five cents. This seems a large margin, to pay for transportation, cost of labor and fuel in retorting and distillation, but in point of fact coal suitable for makingjoil cannot be obtained for five cents a bushel. Western oil is in bad repute here, the character of the* coal being such that it is impossible to get a good burning oil from it. The large manufactories here pay S2O to $25 per ton for coal from Scotland, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, which yields a good oil. How much profit they make we are not informed. With the present demand for the oil, the profit is doubt less handsome; but the great demand and high prices invite competition, and this will ultimately reduce prices and lead to more economy in the manufacture. —Boston Journal. Signature of tlie Cross The mark which persons are unable (o write are required to make instead of their signature, is in the form of a cross (f): and this practice having formerly been followed by kings and nobles, is constantly referred to as an instance of deplorable ignorance of ancient times. This signature is not however, invariably a proof of such ignorance. Anciently, the use of this mark was not confined to il literate persons, for amongst the Saxons, the mark of the cross as an attestation of the good faith of persons signing, was re quired to be attached to the signature of those who could write, as well as to stand in the place of those who could not write. In those times, if a man could not write, or even read, his knowledge was considered proof presumptive that lie was in holy orders. The word clerical or clerk, was synonymous with penman; and the laity or people who were not clerks did not feel any urgent necessity for the use of letters, The ancient use of the cross was, therefore, universal, alike by those who could and those who could not write ; if it wa3 indeed the symbol of an oath, from its holy associations, and generally the mark. Ou this account, the editor of the Pictorial Shakspeare ex pression of “God save the mark,” as a form of ejaculation approaching to the character of an oath. Opening of Trade. j We congratulate our merchants and all f readers interested in the trade and pros perity of Charleston, on the bright and early opening of the Fall trade. The closing days of the last week gave i abundant and unmistakable evidences of increasing activity, and of tbe openii g of the movements of the Fall trade. This was especially the case in the dry goods departments, and with the leading houses of that line, which are found in Hayne street, and’near Ilayne in Meeting street. Those of our merchants who have been absent for personal examination of their supplies, have generally returned, or are on their way, and selected additions to their stocks already large and well as sorted, are receiving by every arrival. Our countr}’ friends have begun to visit us, and we have now reached a stage of the season at which the most cautious need have no apprehensions as regards health. Charleston Courier, 5/5. Kansas advices, state that one of the kidnappers concerned in the adduction of Dr. Doy has made full confession. J. J. Huzzy, a New Ilamshire man, was the party who betrayed Doy and his friends into the bands of the Missourians. One of his accomplices, named Whitley, was induced to turn informer. Col. John J. Long, an old and va.ued ■ citizen of Washington county, died at bis residence in that county last Monday.