The Summerville gazette. (Summerville, Ga.) 1874-1889, July 15, 1875, Image 1

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    TIMELY TOPICS
One of ihr mm v rood poii ts of tbe
new oonstitutin t f Arkansas, ndop'ed
less than a y a- 1 to i* the provision for
the payment of the etatr and >ht. This
provision i i-owhsing ear riel out under
the means provided by the last legist,
ture.
Jared R. Buell, of Indianapolis, and
Susan D. Gilbert, of Athol, Afus., have
“married" themselves hr a written con
tract, which iN to “he iu foree during
our physical lives, provided our mutual
love natures ever blend as now—but to
terminate without prejudice In the wish
of either partv, if love shall ever cease
to be mutual,"
In 1870, New York oit-y had a popula
tion of 942,292, and a municipal debt of
*122 860,780. In 1871, London had a
popnlation of 3,266.987, and a city debt
of 825 918,000. These figures are im
posing. The city and county debts of
the whole union are estimated to Ire to
day 815,000,000; bur as this estimate is
only for those having one million and
over of liabilities, the total may be set
down at a thousand million. Add the
stale aud national debts and there re
s ilta a heavy load for posterity.
Latkii advices from France confirm
previous reports of the frightful oliarae
ter of the inundation along tlio river
G.iroun". Many towns have been sub
merged aril who's sections of country
overflowed. More than a thousand lives
were lost, over two hundred dead bodies
truing fonud in one village. Twenty
thousand people are homeless and suf
fering. President MacMahon has de
parted for the scene of desolalion to
render t-uoh assistance as may he nec
essary. The Gironne rises in the
Pyrenees, ||a the coufines of Spain, aud
is subject to overflow, on account of the
genera l flatness of its banks.
People see things differently. For
instauce, the terrible earthquake that
rec utly destroyed Hni ,Tose -V- Cucnta,
in Columbia. When the catastrophe
most of the inhabitants went
Gown upon their knees and prayed for
relief and mercy. Yet, in the midst of
the scene, when the earth was heaving,
buildings falling, and the dying groans
and shrieks of men, women and children
tilling the air, n wild horde of demon!
sCj*i thieves and robbers swarmed iuL
tie- towns, f ock'Tir- h-.qses. | hur no
bank vaults, and plundering the dead,
and even murdering. If an earthquake
w.ll not quicken a mai's co. science,
there is no telling what will.
The New York World makes the
establishment of a zoological garden in
Philadelphia the occasion tor the pre
sentation of some interesting facts con
cerning the famous Loudon zoological
gardens. The London collection in
18711 included mCWL 1 j r
birds and 225 reptiles, and was at that
time, as yet, the largest in existence.
The first rhinoceros cost £I,OOO ; the
four giraffes £7OO, and their carriage an
additional £700; the elephahtand a calf,
£BOO, anil the hippopotamus, though a
gift, who not brought home aud housed
for less than £I.OOO. The oost. of
maintaining the London gardens is very
: sreat, Put the rec ipts are ample to
l xCef it.
The American riflo team lias achieved
a great victory in lit land over the crack
shots of that country. A match was
shot last wv,k between the two teams.
In the first boat, at eight hundred
yards, tin 1 Americans weio beaten by
one point, but in the *wo succeeding
bouts, at nine hundred end a thousand
,’ards respectively, the Americans came
out ahead, thus winning the match.
The victory of the Americans was to
ceivexl with tremendous enthusiasm, and
they were the recipients of the most
distinguished honors from the populace
and their competitors. The contest has
been marked by the most fraternal feel
ing fin all sides. The American rifle
men have been treated wiM. tiie utmost
e insideralion by their hosts,’ and even
the sting of defeat has not caused any
suspension of the friendly intercourse,
A private soldier of Prof. .Tenney’s
escort, in his geological survey of the
Black Hills, writes that he foned gold
by means of a pick and a shovel, while
the geologists were trying to find it by
scientific principles. His advice is that
those desirous of going gold hunting
should hold themselves in readiness,
and the instant the Indian treaty is an
nulled to hasten on. The party had
encountered three mining camps on
French creek. They were panning out
about 810 a day, each, and were of the
opinion that, when they get their work
ing apparatns in good order, they will
be able to make 850 a day. The soldier
had washed four pans of dirt and got
about live cent to the pan of scale gold,
some of the pieces being a little larger
than a pin’s head. He did not have to
dig a foot down for the dirt, and declares
that all that Cnstar told concerning the
treasures of tire country was strictly
true.
The statistical reports just published
by the agricultural bureau indicate
wide-spread disaster to the fruit-grow
ing interest., as will be seen from the
following notes : Insect depredations
are recorded only in Maine, in some
counties of which caterpillars were
troublesome. In N< w England gene
rally the crops were late, and in some
parts a tendency to simultaneous
blooming excited remark. In the
middle, southern and western states
generally, the climatic conditions were
very unfavorable. The severity of the
winter has not only destroyed the fruit
germs, but also the trees. The cold
SBap in tire spring enlarged the scope
of this injury, and heavy late frosts in
many places destroyed what had sur
vived the winter. lu Hume cases it is
noted that the plums stcod the severity
of the season better than other sorts of
Jlttittmef tifle fafetfe
VOLUME 11.
fruit. Grapes in many cases escaped
on account of late blooming, but the
vineyards of several soedons wore
greatly depleted by the extreme cold.
Small fruits wore less severely affected
and are reported as producing very
luxuriantly.
Capt. Jas. R. Fades has written n
letter to President Grant and secretary
of war Belknap, advising them of the
progress of the jetties at the South Puss.
The main point in the letter is that pro
visional works, wuo thousand . foet long,
arc already constructed on the line of
theeast jetty, and being pushed seaward
at the ra'e of two hundred feet per day.
Two hundred meoliau'cs and laborers
and four piledriving machines aro at
work and a largo quantity of srone and
other material are ready at hand. Ad
ditional accommodations aro being pre
paid, and iti short the working force
will be largely increased, Telegraphic
communication has been established be
tween New Orleans and the head of the
Pass, aud the line is being extended to
the works at the month of the Pass.
Oapt Eads says the provisional work
mentione 1 is wha‘ is known as sbopt
piiirg, and while it is ouly preliminary
in character, it will temporarily serve
the fame purpose and produce the same
result as permanent jetties. The cap
tain is quits' snre that there will be
j twanty feet of water on the bar, at the
I South Pass, by the Ist of February.
LATE NEWS SUMMARY.
WEST
The Red Cloud and Spotted Tail
Indians have signed an agreement to relin
quish their rights in Nebraska. They want
if 1,600 in ho re* os, SILOOO in c#wh, #2,100 in
ha’neMs, and $2.3(X* in wagon*. All are well
pleased.
SOUTH
A foreign company, with a capital of
$20,000,000, haw been organized for the pur
pose of lnvohting in Louisiana land, and of
pursuing agriculture an a science.
Ou the official report )f the New Or
lean board of health, a proclamation of ten
days' quarantine has been made by Gov. Kol
logg. against the port of Key West.
A dispatch from J. V. Harris, health
ofiicer at Key We*t, reports one death from
ve 1 low fe\er. Dr. Harris adds . lam worry
lo h*vt, to inform you *>f tin- prevalenc of ti w
disease r- an epidemic at ti.i place. g
MIOCULL(A^BOTJS.
The national pablic debt statement
has just been issued, of wbish the following
is a recapitulation :
bonds at 0 per cent. $1,100,865,550
Bonds at 5 per cant 607,182,750
Total 51,707,91)0,300
of.bt beaiuno interest in lawful money.
Lawful money debt .......* 14,678,000
Matured debt 11,425,820
DEBT BEAUIVO JIO INTEREST.
Legal tender notes $ 875,841,687
Certificates of deposit 58.415,000
Fractional currency 42,120,424
Coin certificates 21,706,300
Total without interest * 408,182,411
Total debt *2.232,284.531
Total interest 38,647,550
CASH IN THE TBKASUKY.
Coin * 70.854.410
Ourrenoy 3.973,050
Special deposit held for redemp
tion of certificates of deposit,
as provided by law 58,415,000
Total in treasury * 142,243,361
DEBT LESS CASH IN TREASURY
Debt less cash in treasury *2,128,638,726
Decrease ot the debt during the
past month 1,431.249
BONUS ISSUED TO PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANIES.
INTEREST PAYABLE IN LAWFUL MONEY.
Bonds issued to Pacific Hailroad
Companies, interest payable
in lawful money, principal
outstanding debt *64,623,512
Interest accrued and not yet
paid 1,93m.705
Interest paid by United Stales. 26,2)14
Interest r paid by transporta
tion mails, etc.... , f ....... 013^11
jt&laiAe of interest paid by the
• UnitedHiat.es.. 0.129.171
FOREIGN
The subscriptions pouring in for the
French sufferers by the recent Hoods are such
as to give assurance of generous assistance
for the many thousands left destitute.
It is reported that the latest nows
from Burmah is not satisfactory. The king,
it is said, refuses to allow the passage of Brit
ish troops through bjs territory. It is be
lieved this condition will be set aside by her
majesty’s government,
Hpeeial telegrams to the London
Times say nine hundred persons perished in
the flood at Toulouse alone. 7 here an out
break of epidemic is feared. It is believed
that 2,000 houses have been swept away ins the
town and its environs. The damage there is
estimated at from £12,000,000 to £15,000,000.
The Daily News’ special tays the loweit esti
mate of the flooded districts is two
thousand. It‘ is proposed to bombard and
destroy the St. Cyprien quarters of Toulouse
to prevent danger from the crumbling waUs of
houses that yet remain.' The Standard pub
lishes re]iotts of fearful inundafioDH in Bo
hemia, Moravia, Gorin thin and Bariat, wi h
some 'loss of life and great destruction of
property. Many bridges have been carried
away, thousands of cattle drowned, and crops
in several districts totally ruined.
A letter from Maracaibo, of May 20,
gives an account of the earthquake at. f 'yrcut
ta on the 18th. The first shock leveled every
wall in .the city, burying iu a single instant
8,000 people out of a population of 10,000.
Several were not killed, but subsequently died
from fir- injuries, and many were murdered
by robbers who plundered in bands. Tiro
shocks c rntinued, and the fires burned much
property. Thos) saved fled to the neighbor
ing country and escaped. When the news
reacbod Maracaibo two Bteamers were sent
with food and clothing to ihe sufferers by the
American consul ar. and people; also a corps of
physicians and a committee to disburse aid.
The government sent soldiers to pro: e ! the
people. Tie ports from H.tu Cave tens, Santi
ago, Gramolate, Arbo'eda. Cacutella. aud Han
Ciistabel, all aggre, atiug a population of 20,-
000, confirm the previous accounts of the de
struction of life arid property at those places.
The shock was felt at Baerida and other
places, aud iu Maracaibo there have been light
quakes every day since.
MARGARET.
l.
Into th* garden I talked ; ne’or had I seen her be
fore ;
ruder a budding white rose she stood iu the shade
of the door;
Quiet aud pale was her face, but maidenly bright
vero her eye*,
Fair an the mnvly-born moon, when lew in the eas!
u ’.y skies.
There a* I Mood by her side, my spirit grow happy
at and free,
Would I had said w hat l thought, that none would
I marry but thee!
The far-off bells were tolling, for ’Ua* some oue’
fumral day,
Itid iu the meadows close by the nmwirs were
mowing tbe hay.
(i.
Into the garden I walked ; but once bad I seen her
before,
Vacant and still wa the home, wide open was
(standing the door;
Then si eut and listening 1 went up to the curtaiu
less bod,
Where she lay shrouded in white, all wintory,
loue.y, and dead ;
There was h look on her face, as if she’d been think
in / of me.
‘•Dear Mmgaret," theu whisper and I, “ none will I
mari y but thee !”
And the far-oft’ bells were ringing, for ‘iwaa some
one’s we lding and ry,
Ami in the meadows close by the mowers wore
mowing the hay.
UK
silent ami dark was yon lake, as under the desolate
hill,
Lit 1 v no pleim from the skv, it slumbered there;
dreary ami still.
Till, with its swallow like wing, the wind in ith warn
derm* flight,
Touched into tnusie the reeds, and broke in rip
p’es of light.
Silent aud dirk was tuV heart, till suddenly thrilled
by the tone,
Truder ami pur . of the voice, wldoh told me I was
not alone,
Vet how 1 long t> be dead, whene’er, on a calm
summer day,
The far-off bdt-t arc ringing', and the mower.* are
mowing the hav!
MARK TWAIN'S BIG FRlGIir.
\ Mory of Old Times on the iflissisHippl,
>nt in ••* A*lnn*ir Woiithly,
W hile sitting in front of the Southern
Hotel, talking to a future great citizen
ab nit the old steamboat days of St.
Lonis, when captains, clerks aud pilots
ran the town, and rnn it under a full
head of steam, an ancient mariner let
up on whittling the arm of the next
chair, turned toward us, and remarked :
“ You was speaking o f the old river
dies?” “We was," I replied, “l’or
haps, now, yon liav- been reading some
of Sam Clemens’s yams ?" 1 held up a
copy of the Allantic, opened at Mark
Twain’s article, which had really
brought about the conversation. "Yes,
I thought so ; well, ho don’t tell all he
knows,” said the social riverman, reach
ing over for a tobacco-pouch which a
gentleman w..s passing to a friend •
“ There’s one little affair he ’aint work
ed into j rint yet, and it ’aiut likely he
will.”
The social stranger quit off on his
reminiscence at this pout and talked]
1. ** b ■ ; 'll .#> (|i a•% gj4
crops ue.ff ijd niveriAd ji:sadvttnt-| Wa
\.r . ■■.t.'Wwgt.
gin aud sugar would start iiiiiyiiw #]
irjp jv sua led in'o i. . < ntfemervt'b-i.
rfom, aud after noistipf iu three fiug
ers (held vertically), a handful ol crack
ers and several chunks of chef so, he
proceeded with his anecdote, is. turnip!
ing himself a number of times to re
mark to the barkeeper, “The sar- ,
pard.”
“ I was first euylnoor of the Ah Mil
der Scott when Sam Clemens (Mark
Twain) was a cab in her pilot house.
Ho was a chipper young chap, with legs
no bigger’u a casting line, and fuller of
tricks than a mule colt. He worked off
jokes op everybody aboard, from the
skipper down to the roosters (darkey
deck hands), but they wore all taken in
good part, but I lay by two or three to
pay back. About the time Ham got the
run of the river enough to stand alone
at the wheel, the Scott wont into the
lower river trade, carrying cotton from
Memphis to New Orleans. Perhaps,
now, you never see a boat m the Colton
trade burn ? Well, you may cover your
col ton from stem to stern with tarpau
lins, and keep your donkey ngine
steamed up, but, if a spark of fire touch
es cotton, enough to fill a tooth, your
boat’s a corpse. It’s quicker')) gun
powder to bung and no pilot cau reach
the loWi-r deck from the texas in time
to save himself, let alone this Saratoga.
So, you see, everybody in that trade is
on tiie wa*oh, and an alarm of tiro in a
boat loaded with cotton will turn a
man’s I,air gray quieker’n an alligator
can swallow a niggor. „
“ Sam, being a young pilot, arid new
to the cotton trade, was told over and
over again Ih>w the profession would
lose a promising cub if ever'a fire broke
out on the Scott, and the boy got tier-,
vous. My striker and me always man
aged to Ire in the 1 mooli room when Ham
came off watch, and as he came in we
would talk about the number of cotton
boats that burnt in such a year, and how
such a cub would have made a lightning
pilot if he hadn’t got burned up in the
cotton trade; and we always noticed
that Ham’s appetite failed hirn after
tliat, and instead of going to bed ho
would go prowling around Ilia lower
deck and peering about the hatchways,
smelling at every opening like a pup
that had tost its master.
“One day when wo backed out of
Memphis with a big cargo of cotton, I
complained, in Ham s hearing, tnat the
male had loaded the boat too near the
engines. The boy followed me into the
engine-room, ml, without seeming t >
notice him, I told my striker l would
do my level best o keep that cotton
from caching fire, but that it was a
slim chance with bales piled right up
before the furnace doors. Ham got
wliiter’n a bulkhead, and went up to the
texas, where he packed his Haraloga,
ready for any business that might come
before the meeting. When he went on
watch I nested the second clerk to keep
an eye on him. He hid behiudasmoke
stack and saw Ham alone in the pilot
house, bis hair on end, his face like a
corpse’s, am. his eyes sticking out so
far you could have knocked them oil
with a stick. He danced around the
pilot-house, turned up bis nose like lie
was smelling for a polecat, pulled every
bell, turned Hie bout’s nose for the
bank, and yelled “Fire!'’ like aOlieio
kee ludim on the war pnitb. That yell
brought everybody on deck. We had a
big cargo of passengers and the women
screeched, the men rushed for cork pil
lows, and the crew yanked the doors off
their bilges and rushed to the guards,
ready to go overboard at the first mod
eration- qjf weather. The skipper hail
hard woik to make the crazy passengers
believe that tlce wasn't, anr fire, but
he brought them to reason finally. I
paid no attention to Ham’s frantic yells,
SUMMERVILLE, GEORGIA,. JULY 15, 1875.
so the boat didn’t run her nozzle against
the bank he aimed for.
“Tbe captain and pilot anq a lot of
passengers, af or hunting all over the
boat, couldn’t find a sign cf fire any
where outside the fnmaoesf sod. then
they went, for Bam. Ho swore up and
down that tic smelt cotton burning; no
ir o talking to him —ho know the smell
of burning cotton, and, by thunder, he
had smelt it. The first pilot said kind
of soft and pityingly to 3am, ‘My boy,
if you'd told me you was so near the jim
jams I’d stood double watch for yo j.
Now, yc u go and soak yotdf head in a
bucket of water aud take l -good sleep
and you’ll be all right Ijv to-morrow.
Sam just biled over at thru, and when
pretty young woman passenger Baid 10
theskipper, loud enough ntrSwt to lies'.
‘So young and nice looking, too—h w
sad it would make hii, poo- mother
foul to hear how ho drfjks,’ he fairlv
frothed at the mouth. Km a
fellow so toned down ns Sam was after
that, and though the boys never quit
running him, he never 'alked back, but
looked kiud of piiazMil—as though he
was trying to account for that smell of
cotton amok .”
“And what was tlio cause pf the
tmell?” 1 asked mith Ancient,. He
chuckled a full minute and then said:
“ You seo there’s a speaking tube run
ning from the engine .room to the pilot
house. 1 had in mind the tricks Sam
had played on me, and having worked
him to a nervous state about the fire, I
waited till he was alone ,in the pilot
house, and tlieu sot fire to a ’ittle wad
of cotton, stuffed it into the apeaking
tube, and the smell came out right un
der liis nose A tittle s gar on it,
pard."—At. Louis 'ietter.
....'.'“LUO - -
The Great Storm in Paris.
Paris was visitcl'yesterday by a wind
storm of sucli umrinal violence as to
and. serve some espei ial mention. I say
“wind storm,” because, wind played do '
c' dly iSpart di (jennt in it, though j
,b" ) s a conppicuougf feature in -tho
tout btlian, anil tfrarulep and rain also,
the iiit'or, unfortunately, m mnoh too
small proportion]; * Ms part in the uni
versal hubbub v elements. The
appr .ii' hof the hn i, -lie was*ndicated
by i. .#ili'Jg heat, which Bent up the
them meter to between ninety and
pr.v-fy-i/i'e degrees, the highest point it
oiminor. This
ftas 2*ftlock in Hr afternoon.. Towards
3 /dock, the tiky became black with
heavy, iuky,oUuds, and the darkness
was almost (wtteutous. A hurricane of
dry wind, wiCjull, at first, one drop of
rtim irpm tin; Lowering heavens,"th u
mmQum tie*:* 1 *? and suddenly upon the
MMfiEßbdrpt 'A-impleti -.liirlwiad, be
tree "A" nu-.l not. jbo
vlicu to l-tlpit and break ns to dunce
and spin atfpinidrat though about to bo
torn npouß'of the’H il by the roots.
The dust rose in elands, which seemed
to leave only light enough to make
darkness visible ; the air was literally
filled with dry brandies, leaves and
other objects of much more dangerous
character in the shape of chimney-pots,
ral'era, or whatever the terrible blast,
could tear away in i a course. The
seeno was quite awful for some twenty
minutes or so, until at lust rain name to
lay the dust and calm down the fierce
ness of the tempest, But thunder also
came with it, and the papers this morn
ing arc filled with the accounts of ac
cidents produced either by the wind er
the lightning which followed.
The immense scaffolding raised for
the rebuilding of the Hotel de Villi' lias
been in a groat pnrt leveled with the
ground. Some twenty trees in the
Camp Elysees ure more or less injured,
and many also on the boulevards, where
the ligidnjtjg also strust several objects.
A sentinel standing in' the Place Ven
domo, before tho headquarters of the
military governor of Paris fundi r the
e. tie siege), was capsized in his box,
in which he had taken refuge, and kept
there for a considerable time until re
leased. Baths and washerwomen on
the Seine suffered, of course, severely,
being exposed fo the violence of the
wind.
But one of the severest catastrophes
appears to have been that of the im
mense panorama, representing the prin
cipal episodes of the two sieges of Puris,
aojy in the course o" preparation at the
"bonier of the Rue le la Sabliere and
tiie Obaussee-du-Maine, aud intended
for the exposition a* Ilbiladelpliia. The
ciacular erection, entirely of wood,
wherein it was being' carried on, and
which measure* soßitTtbing lil.eone hun
dred and fifty feet iul diameter by sixty
feet high, was eomplfelteiy cut in two I\v
n c.rjHp ilc.vent, and the fragments cav
tcied in ftll directions, like a square of
infantry broken by a charge of cavalry.
Fortunately, however, no bones were
broken nor lives lost, nor any one in
jured. The numerous band of decora
tors and workmen employed, not think
ing their “drum” safe quarters in such
a Blast, had early and wisely taken
refuge in a more solid and less flatulant
construction. The damages in that
quarter are said to exceed 50,000 francs.
Happily, however, the losses sustained
seem to be confined to such incidents as
the above, and to the city itself ; and
not to have extended to the crops and
the country iu the shape of hail, which,
at this season of the year, might have
proved very fatal. A few hailstones
fell, but in small quantities, and of in
ferior size. The rain, all insufficient as
it was, nas yet sufficed to wash our
foliage, and impart at least an air of ex
ternal freshness to our gardens and veg
etation, which already suffered and be
gan to look autumnal from the long
con ti tiued drcrath.— [‘arif^Letter,
Killino Bugs on Vines)'— Cucumber,
squash, watermelon and other vines are
attacked by bugs andother posts, and
the following mixture is found to be an
excellent remedy : To two quarts of
gvpsnm (land plaster) put one table
spoonful kerosene oil; this sprinkled
over tne vines when the dew is on will
generally answer for the season. If the
bugs return repeat the operation. This
is safer and cheaper than Paris green.
—A Scotch peeler completely cowed 1
an irascible Wt simian, who linsisted on
fighting him rii an Inn kitcbeL by going
down on bis Uneesand imploring pardon
for having killed “two men ailready, and
being about to kill another.”!
THE OLD CONTINENTALS.
In tbetr rnpwfctl retfimeutals
Stood the old continentals,
Yielding not;
Wliil“ the groaadiors were lungiujr,
Ami Uko hail fell the plunging
Ouimon-shot;
When the files
Of the Isles
* From Vue smoky night encampment
llore Hie banner of the rampant
Unicorn,
And grumftier, grummer, grammer,
Rolled the roll of the drununcr
Through the morn!
Theu with eyes to the front all,
Aud with guns horizontal,
Stood our sires;
While the bulls whistled deadly,
Aud in streamy flashing redly,
Blazed the tiros;
As the roar
Ou tbo shore •
Swept the strong battle-breakers
O'er the greeu-sedded acres
Of the plain;
And louder, louder, louder,
“ Cracked the black gunpowder,
Craektog amain !
Now like the smiths at their forges
Worked the red Bt. Goorge’s
Oaonoueera;
And the “ villainous saltpetre ”
Rang, a fierce discordant metre
Round our ears.
As the swift,
Storm-drift,
With hot sweeping anger
Came the horse-guards clanger
On our flanks;
Then higher, higher, higher,
Burned the oUt-fashioned tire
Through the ranks!
Tlum the bare-headed colonel
Galloped through the white infernal
l’owder-cloud;
And his broadsword was swinging.
And his brazen throat was ringing
Trumpet loud,
Then the blue
Bullets flow;
And the trooper-,jackets reddened
At the touch of the leaden
Rlfle-bi eath;
And rot nder, rounder, rounder
Roared the iron six-pounder,
Hurling death!
„ (Jay l/inuphn y Mp Master.
THE GREAT STAPLE.
Itcport ol the New Orleans Cntfdn Ki
climiffe The Crop It (‘ported In Ki
eellenf Condition.
The Committee on Information and
Statistics of the New Orleans Cotton Ex
change, to whom hasboen entrusted the
dul-y of compiling a national crop re
port, made up from rotnrus of various
Exchanges appointed therefor by the
National Exohango, submit the follow
ing for the month of June:
New Orleans, Department of Louis
.aua We have 83 letters from 37 par
ishes, which unite in reporting generally
favorable weather. There has been no
additional acreage put in ootton sinoe
the 15th of May, but there has been
some replanting where lands were over
flowed and to perfect the stands. The
plant has been better cultivated than
for many years, and is growing and
forming well. Many blooms are re
ported. The stands are represented as
very good to excellent, aud the present
condition of the crop is most flattering,
much bettor and abont one week earlier
whon compared with last year.
Mississippi—lo3 replies received.
Average date about the 15th. Weather
nearly universally represented as very
favorable. Stands fine and the plant
forming well, though too early for many
blooms. The present condition is
stated as very good, and much better
wlien compared with last year. No ad
ditional acreage put in cotton. Re
planting lias been done where the plants
wore imperfeot. Labor plenty and ef
ficient.
Arkansas —SO correspondents send in
their answers from 22 counties. Since
the first of .Time the weather has been
hot, and most enough to promote rapid
growth and cause the plant to form aud
square well. The stands are vo■ y good,
and no replanting has been needed, ex
oept in a few exceptional cases. Brad
ley oounty reports the first bloom on
the 8 b inst., but it is only exceptional,
and as a rule blooming bad not begun
at the date of our answer and corres
pondents are unanimous in represent
ing the condition as exceedingly promm-J
ing and far suporior to that of last
year. Planters are encouraged by the
prospect, c:ie of the finest ever known.
Considerable attention and care lias
been devoted to the cultivation <jf
cereals, and owing to the excellent
harvest, a feeling of independence Is
very noticeable in onr correspondence.'
Charleston, Department of South Car
olina—!l7 answers received from 24
counties, reporting weather since May
15 as generally favorable. Homo com
plaints of cool-nights. Very little ad
ditional planting. Stands represented
as good. ‘54 answers say forming well ;
39, say few forms, aud 9no forms. All
agree in stating, no blooms up to date
of answers. Present condition good,
though small, being clean of grass and
some parts compare favorably with last
year. Heavy storms of wind and bail
are reported in six counties since Jnne
7, doing much real damage. Lice aro
reported iu four counties.
Augusta Department, covering that
portion of the state of Georgia not in
cluded in the Havamiab report -Weather
favorable ; no additional planting ; some
little replanting ; stands good ; forming
well lmt no blooms. General condition
good. Crops generally very clean. La
bor plentiful and good.
Havannah Department -Havannah Cot
ton exchange, covering Northern, Mid
dle and Southwestern Georgia and the
state of Florida—Weather dry and gen
erally favorable ; no additional planting
of any consequence; stands good ; plant
vigorous; ge .erally forming well, but
no blooms except in the southern por
tion of the state ; condition good ; crop
clean and well worked ; plant somewhat
smaller and a few days later, but rather
better than at the same time last year.
Florida— Dry and favorable weather
clearing ihe lle’lds of grass; stands good;
plant forming well and commencing to
bloom; condition good aud compares
fa-orably with last year, though small
from dry weather and somewhat later
than last year, promises to be woll
frnited at the bottom, which is the
principal part of the crop.
Mobile, Department of Alabama—
From fifty-two counties, 126 replies :
The weather has been generally favor
able, rather too dry in some places, but
not enough so to injure the plantr
There has been very little replanting or
additional planting. The stands are
good and the plant is forming well;
very few blooms ; the condition as oom
j nared with last year is reported from as
%ood to much better ; there are scarcely
any unfavorable circumstances relative
to growth or condition of the crop:; only
a few reports of lice and grasshoppers,
and complaints of cold nights and
drouth. The crop is clean, in good
NUMBER 28.
condition and bettor cultivg od than last
year.
Missouri—Nineteen counties, 56 re
plies. The weather lias bent geer*lly,
favorable, needing rain in som-'* boun
ties, aud some complaints of cold nights,
producing lice. There has been very
little replanting or additional planting ;
stands aro good and plant forming well;
ouly a few blooms ; present condition of
crop is better than last year at same
period; tlio only unfavorable circum
stances are those noted above; the
favorable circumstances are, the crop
is cleaner, bet or cultivated and more
ndvanoed than last year at same time.
Norfolk and Portsmouth Department
—Fifty five replies from 29 counties in
North Carolina, six replies from two
counties in Virginia. Forty five replies
report weather dry and cold ; 14 say
favorable, and only two represent the
weather wet and cold. Fifty-four an
swers report the stand ns good; some
few complaints ou stiff lands ; some
forms ; no blooms. Seven replies from
seven counties in oastorn Carolina rep
resent the stand as below the average ;
condition very generally stated as good ;
crop well cultivated and free from grass
and weods ; plant smaller than at the
same time last year, and fr m eight to
fifteen days later. Five answers from
five counties in eastern Carolina repo t
condition bad. Correspondents state
that the weather since the 15th of May
has been too cool for rapid growth, but
with warm and seasonable weather a
great improvement is looked for.
Memphis Department—l4s answers
received. Weather generally repre
sented as favorable ; no additional aore
ago put in cotton since May 15; stands
good aud satisfactory ; plant generally
squaring and forming freely ; 12 reports
ot blooms dating from 18th to 20th ;
condition good; fields free of grass and
well cultivated; some complaints of too
cold nights, lice, etc., dating from May
15th to June sth, mostly, remedied by
subsequent favorable weather.
Galveston Department, Texas— We
have received 120 reports from 69 ooun
ties, embracing the period between
May 15th and June 20th ; weather very
generally said to have been favorable ;
no addition to acreage in ootton sinoe
May 15th ; somo little replanting where
seed failed to come up ; stands repre
sented as good, and in the coast range
reported to be forming aud blqpmiug
well. ’ •
A large majority of our reports agrse
in the statement that the season is from
one to three weeks later than last year,
and that the plant is generally small,
but is clear of grass and in good con
dition. Rains are needed. The oater
pillar is reported in three counties, but
so far lias done no material damage.
Edible Fungi.
Very few specimens of fungi are popu
larly recognized as being edible, while
prejudice in some cases, aud fear of
poison in others, will always prevent
additions to the small number now used
as food. Great caution in undoubtedly
proper in the essay of the untried
species; but prejudice and ignorance
should not stand in the way and prevent
the use of the many esculent species
which are allowed to rot in untold
thousands. Hoience will no doubt dissi
pate these fears and prejudices, and
make to our food crop a large and cheap
addition.
In Great ISritian thousands of people,
particularly of the lower classes, wili
eat no mushroom exoept that known as
field mnshroom, while in Italy and
Hungary a strong prejudice exisfls
against this same species. This preju
dice arises from the fact that other fungi
are confounded with it through ignor
ance, and fatal accidents sometimes
occur which would be prevented by ob
serving that the true field mushroom
always has jitlrplu spores, gills at first
of pink color and afterward of purple, a
permanent ripg or collar around the
stem, and thfit it is never found in
woods, its home always beiDg on the
open plaiss or commons.
Tire meadow mushroom grows in low
land pastures, and has a stronger flavor
than that of the fields. In England it
is sold in great quantities and is there
known aft the “horse mushroom” be
cause of the enormoub size it attains, a
single specimen sometimes weighing
fourteen pounds. In addition to these
two there are forty-nine other varieties
of mushroom that are known to bot
anists as esculent and excellent, some of
them attaining a diameter of fourteen
inches, others five or six inches, and
another, “the nail fuDgus” scarcely ex
ceeding one inch in diameter.
Hills, plains, valleys, fields and pas
tures all over the world are as alive with
these nutritious fungi as the soil of
Nebraska is with grasshoppers. Mil
lions of tons of them are allowed to rot
where they spring up, simply because
ignorance or fear prevents their utiliza
tion as food. It is true that the dis
tinctions between the edible mnsliroon
and some of its uupleasant cousins can
not be easily understood by any but
botanists, and yet this diflu'tlUy might
bo materially obviated if botanic writers
would d> scribe the distinctions in words
that could bo popularly understood, or
that, at least, may be found in diction
aries. The botanical nomenclature may
be as good aB it is ingenious, but to
non-botanists it is as incomprehensible
as the inscription on the Elgin marbles.
Let it be preserved for bookworms, if
need must, but let it be also translated
for common use
Among the remarkable esculents of
this class may be mentioned the “ beef
steak fungus.” It is juioy and fleshy,
and its sections resemble beef in ap
pearance. Dr. Badharn, a student of
fungi, found one of them five feet in
circumference aud weighing eight
pounds, and another wa; i< ud by a
Dr. Graves, uoaily twenty m ■ >
cumfert nee and woighing thirty o ’di
It grews in parts of Germany win re i.
is sliced and oaten with salad, aud it n.
highly esteemed as nutritious food. A
’species of puff ball, botauically kuowu
as tyWbpr.rdtm gigantnurn, when young
is of aneream like consistence and an
oxcellCW addition to the breakfast
menu. A single one is large enough to
fc.d ten or twelve persons, aud some
members of the species are a good sub
stitute for truffles. A specimen men
tioned in the Gardener’s Onroniole
weighed ten pounds and was three feet
Hour inches in circumference. — Haiti
\ more Sun, *
FACTS AND FANCIES.
—Tho construction of a gun weighing
100 tons lias been begun by Sir William
Armstrong in England. This gun is to
be a muzz'e-hmder, 17-inoh bore, and,
if suooossfnl, will be the most powerful
weapon over constructed.
—“ Sir,” said a little blustering man
to a religions opponent, “to what sect
do you supposo I belong?” “Well, I
don’t exaotly know,” replied his oppo
nent, “ but’ to judge from your size,
appearance, and constant bnzzing, I
should think you belonged to the olass
generally called fuseot. ” <
—Ont of 29(1,000 of the last levy of
conscripts in France 25,000 havo been
deolared exempted from both active and
passive duties iu the military line. . It
looks bad when so many men ire not
even fit to be food for gunpowder,
though the fact should bo considered as
a good sign in behalf of peace.
—A Swiss boatman recently pulled a
would-bo-suioide out of Lake Genova.
An konr or two after the boatman dis
covered tho same man hanging by the
neck to a tree, but did not interfere that
time. The magistrate summoned him
to answer why ho did not prevent tho
suicide, but lie replied that he supposed
that the gentleman had only hung him
self up to dry.
—The college orator is now abroad in
the land. His volte is heard from the
four quarters of tho earth, telling of
tho efforts he has made for distinction
in the past, and his hones and aspira
tions for the future. He is
fnr more sanguine, than ho will dra
few years hence, when he shall Kftvo
encountered and been conquered by
some of the stern realitiesof life. <Thus
far his education has been only theoret
ical; in the future practical.
Whether tho former shall tit the sub
jects for the latter, the future alone can
determine.
—King Kalakaua, of tho Sandwich
Islands, will send his feather cloak to
tlm centennial exposition at Philadel
phia. This article will represent more
labor than any other nrticle on exhibi
tion. Its manufacture was commenced
over a hundred years ago, under the
auspices of some of the ancestors of
Katqehaha. the first king of tho islands..
and upwards of fifty years of time were
required for its completion. It is made
of the feathers of a peculiar speeies of
bird, eaoh bird only furnishing two
feathers, one from under each wing.
In size the cloak is a little over asqnare
yard, and its color is a golden yellow.
It used to be worn by the king on state
oooasions, but of late years it served
only to adorn the reoeption room of tho
palace. ,
—A Brnsseks paper gives a painful
account of the ex-Empress Charlotte of
Mexico. Her physical condition is good,
but her mental condition is hopeless.
She lives in constant communication
, with imaginary beings, and dislikes the
preserce of any living person.- She
Bpeaks only when obliged to do so, and
gives orders to her attendants in writ
ing. She dresses herself without per
nfitting assistance, takes a fixed walk in
the park every morning when fine, fre
quently plays on the piano-forte, and
sometimes draws and paints wjth de
cided taste. She rcoogmzesmp,visitors,
noteveifher brother, Kihg uK'poM or
the queen. The latter always accom
panied the physician on his monthly
visit, when, in reply to his iaqttirios an,
to her health, the empress ooWly says,,
she is well, and immediately retiree.
She (use bcooae•wMrtWk, wvjiliow*.
tendency to corpulency, bnt ot present
it is stated that this lias ouly increased
her beauty, which is now truly striking.
—lt has been justly said that tho
greatest discovery of our lives is that
the world is not so bad as, in the first
di appointment of youth’s extravagant
expectations, we aro disposed to regard
it. The passage from boyhood to man
hood is “over tho bridge of sighs ;”and
our first exporiences of life as it is,
resemble the flavor of the forbidden
apple—we are enlightened and misera
ble. Gladly would we command the
secret of feeling us we once did ; but,
alas, every day takes from us some
happy error—some charming illusion
never to return. Wo are reasoned or
ridiculed ont of all our jocund mistaken,
till we are just wise enough to be miser
able, aud we exclaim with Lady Mary
Wortley Montague, “To my extreme
mortification l find myself growing
wiser and wiser every day.” But a
time comes, at length, whon our views
are more just. We leave our imaginary
Eden with "solemn step and slow,” and
begin to appreciate the good qualities
of those whose friendship we thought
hollow, and the necessity of that labor
which we deemed a curse. Wo ex
change ecstasy for content, and, “ for
getting the four rivers of our ideal
heaven, open our eyes to the manifold
beauties of earth—its skies islanded
stars, and its oceans starred by islands,
its sunshines aud calms, and the good
ness of its great heart, which sends
forth trees and flowers and fruits for
our benefit and exultation.”— Professor
Mathews.
An Oyster’s Heart.
Near the hinge of an oyster is a cavity
which leads to its stomach. It may bo
called, with a little license, its month ;
not that it has teeth, or that in any way
it masticates food, or that it indicates
the place of the head, for the oyster
belongs to a division of mollusks known
as the accphalaku, or headless ones.
Hilt it is functionally a month, and it is
like mouths in two important particu
lars. It is the entrance of the food to
the alimentary oanal, and it has oeitaiu
lip-like organs with wh oh to control
the i ntering of food. If, then, the
oystei’s mouth is thus situated near the
hinge that part of the creature should
be known as its anterior or forward end.
The opening end, tbat which the oyster
men call the “ nib,” is therefore really
the post* rior extremity. Evoryono
knows that in opening an oyster the
knife has t > be passed through a stout
organ, wrongly called by many the eve;
for the oyster is eyeless. Borne call it
the hoart. This, also, is incorrect. It
is the great abductor muscle, with which
the animal draws together its valves.
But the oyster has a true heart It is
situated near to and forward of the ab
ductor muscle, that is, between it and
tne mouth. If a linger of a glove wore
cut off and inflated with air, being
closed up at the end, and then a thread
wore tied round so as to constrict it at
the middle, we should have something
resembling the shape pretty nearly the
oyster's heart. This small organ is
divided by the constriction into two
lesser organs, an auricle and a ventriole;
a receiving and distributing reservoir of
the pale, opalesoent blood—its true life
current, which animates every part of
this complex little being. If an oyster
be opened with sufficient taot and care,
the heart can be seen at work, beating
much as our hearts beat—a true rhyth
mical pulsation. Indeed, with watoh ip
hand, the beats can be counted, as who
a physician makes a diagnosis of one’s
pulse. As death nears, so slow'the
throbs of the oyster's heart.