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AMERICAS AUTHORSHIP. What it Was, and Wliat it is. ‘ A country which has no national literature, or a literature too insignificant to force itself abroad, must always be, to its neighbors, at Least in every important spiritual respect, an unknown and mis-estimated country.’—Edin burgh Review. So much has been written by the ablest per sons both sides of the Atlantic, upon the sub ject of American Literature, that it seems pre sumptuous now to attempt its discussion ; but the resources of our rapidly growing country, and the station which she holds among the na tions of the earth, render it a topic of daily in creasing importance to all who make any pre tensions to patrotism or literary taste. To form an idea of the science of a nation we must ex amine its various institutions for the instruc tion of its youth ; to learn a proper estimation of its literature we need only make ourselves acouainted with its periodical pre-s. If we take the most cursory view of the monthly, weekly and daily journals which traverse our country from Georgia to Maine, we cannot fail to be struck with the variety of tal ent which they exhibit; however we may complain of them for want of independ ence, party spirit, etc. The fugitive poetry which floats from paper to paper, read, admired and then forgotten, is of a far higher order than that which made the reputation of many a vo tary of the muses in the days of Queen Anne, while many of the slightly sketched tales and essays which are thrown into oblivion, after they have afforded a momentary amusement, are worthy of an Addison or a Goldsmith. But the very abundance of talent causes it to be un dervalued and we examine the pages of a maga zine as we might a cabinet of gems, where the richness of the collection soon makes us too fastidious to pause over anything of less price than the diamond. The reproaches which have been cast upon America for her total neglect of the elegances of life will never more be heard. The young nation has heretofore labored for the means of existence—industry has brought wealth and she is now able to indulge in luxuries. We have our poets and our painters, our architects and our sculptors, our writers and our readers, and while establishing institutions for the pro motion of the fine arts we have but just awaken ed to the necessity of forming a national litera ture. Heretofore there have been two grand obsta cles in the way of the establishment of a nation al literature, viz: the want of literary patron age, which necessarily involves a want of literary industry, and a strange fondness among our writers for foreign rather than American subjects on which to employ their pens. The deficiency of patronage may be better explained than reme died. We are essentially an active, industrious, commercial people, and the merchant who sits poring over his ledger, calculating the riches which the four winds of heaven are daily waft ing into his coffers the settler who takes his axe on his shoulder and trudges off into the wilder ness with the certainty of their building up his fortune—even the farmer who by hard labor pro cures a competence for his family and bequeaths them an estate rich in nature’s bounties—all look with contempt upon the inactive student. To them his habits seem those of confirmed in dolence, for the man who takes up a book to amuse himself during his hour of relaxation from bodily labor can never be made to com prehend the intense and wasting toil of men tal exertion. The page which he reads with so little effort, he supposes to have been writ ten quite as easily, and remunerating an au thor seems to him like bestowing the wages of industry on idleness. He who has courage to devote himself to learning, with its usual attendant—poverty, is pitied by his friends and ridiculed by the world as one who has banished himself from the society of his fel lows, in pursuit of a vain shahow. He will, in truth, find himself alone; there are few professedly literary men in onr country,certainly not enough to form a class with whom he may unite himself. Our professional men make some approach to snoh a class, but devoted as they are to active employment in their sev eral duties, they have but little time tor the pursuit of classic lore or the speculations of abstract truth. All useful labor can demand a high price in America, but we have scarcely yet learned to rank the intellectual above the physical, and years must elapse before our citi zens can live as well by the exercise of the brains as by the work of their hands. The roads to wealth are so numerous and so easily trodden, while the path of science is so rugged and unpromising that it is not to be regarded as a matter of surprise if our youth are tempted rather by the glittering prizes which await them at the shrine of Plutus, than by the laurel bough which grows by the temple of Minerva. The influence of wealth they feel at every step of their progress in life; but time may bleach the dark brown locks and disease farrow the lofty brow before the fadeless laurel wreath can be won and worn. A few gifted spirits may rise superior to the temptations of worldly aggran disement, and straggle successfully against the tide of popular opinion, but how few are they compared with the multitude who, after a few ineffectual attempts either sink into oblivion, or cease their efforts, and float onward with the current. We want literary patronage, such as will enable men to live in comfort; if not af fluence. by the exercise of their intellectual as well as their physical powers. We want a spirit of liberality among all classes of men, such as may enable them to regard the author as a no less useful member of society than a mem ber of some every-day profession. Then and not till then can we have a literary class in so ciety—a class willing to admit all who can show themselves qualified, and which demands no other qualifications than the possession of intel lectual superiority. The disposition which too many of our au thors have shown to travel abroad in search of subjects for the exercise of their intellect, may be, in some measure, attributed to the want of independence which has heretofore prevailed among our critics. Until very recently a book written by an American was scarcely deemed worthy to come under the scalping-knife of crit icism unless it had first attracted the notice of an English reviewer, and if written upon an American subject would have inevitably fallen lifeless from the press. Few have been found prepared to brave the unequal conflict with opinion, and many a young writer who might have been a glory to our country has been allowed to sink into oblivion, while our reading public have been nauseated by the reproduction of myriads of trashy English books, exaggerat ed in sentiment, bombastic in style, and false in delineation. I said few have been found, but America may well be proud of those few. Long before our eyes were opened to see the exhanstless mine of literary wealth which our country held within its bosim, Irving, Pauld ing and at a somewhat later period, Cobper, coined some of its fine gold and sent it forth to the world stamped with the impress of genius. The name of Irving will be loved as long as America exists ' he has associated himself with our most intimate sympathies-he has discovered the sources of our smiles and tears—we have laughed with him till our ■ eyes ran o’er with glee and we have wept with him till our tears fell like rain-drops on his page. How, then, can we fhink of him as the mere author, the nommis umbra ' It is Irvin, the man, the follow citi zen, the friend, whom we love though our eyes may never have rested on his face. And who does not honor Paulding, the keen satirist of foreign fopperies, the true-hearted American author, whose every thought has been devoted to his country ? His pen has ever been employ ed in her service, whether he used its point to sting those who would undermine her strength by luxury, or its feather to paint her exquisite scenery and the workings of human nature in the hearts of her sons. Cooper has done more good abroad than at home. His books were American in scenery and incidents, as sach they were received with avidity in E l rope, and though creatures such as he drew never existed in this or any other quarter of the globe, still they served to keep alive the interest which our literature had now awakened. Many a brilliant name may now be found among our authors who are American in heart as by birth. We have'a Bryant whose soul is filled with images of beauty, and whose words breathe the sweet ness of the ‘ summer wind. ’ His muse was born amid our forest scenery, and though her eye has since delighted to watch ‘ the rnshing of the Barre tried to put parts into a large trunk. The trunk was too small, however, and it was then resolved to dispose of the body piecemeal. The River Bievre, which runs through this quarter of Paris, was selected in preference to the Seine, as its waters are muddy and soon cause putrefaction. The arms and thighs w'*re cut off and done np in packages, and the partners in crime set off for the river. When they arrived on the bank it was still light, and they did not dare to attract attention. They could not stand in the streets with the suspicious packages, »Dd after making a few turns they came into the Rue Bolivean, where they found a room to let. As already reported in the Mercury, the medical student engaged the room, and soon afterwards brought the two parcels. It was their intention to consign them to the river, but both men were seized with fear, and never dared to enter the house in the Rue Bolivean. The rest of the corpse was put into the large trunk and sent to Mans as traveler’s baggage. Here it remained twenty-five days, for, owing to the fact that the station was being painted, Ihe odor did not attract attention. When the trunk Personals. The wife of John Bright died of apoplexy in Gordon on the 13th. Joaquin Miller has written a song and dedicat ed it to Yinnie Ream. General Grant has got back to Paris and the Exhibition still goes on. Kate Field says she ‘is over thirty,’ but won’t tell how much over. Edison has sent a phonograpy to Dom Pedro, and it is liable to raise Sancho in Brazil. Even the Country papers are beginning to decline letters about the Paris Exhibition. Senator Garland has been called to his home at Little Rock, Arkansas, by the death of his son. Ben Harrison, who ran for Governor of India na against Blue Jeans Williams, is again a can didate. Henry Clay Dean is writing letters to the Iowa papers in favor of the abolition of the jury system. Arrowy Rhone,’ yet does she turn with una bated love to her native shores. Halleck, too, has followed no foreign leader in his flights of fancy. His feelings are the impulses of an American heart, and his Satire leaves us only causeto regret that its local merit cannot be most uflly estimated beyond the broad Atlantic. The Dismembered Woman. Confession of Iler Butchery--The Latest Parisian Mystery, and How It was Unravelled. The murderers of Madame Gillet, who are the two individuals who hired a room in the Rue Poliveau, have been arrested. A man named Barre, who was formerly a lawyer’s clerk, had for some time been speculating in stocks, and generally had lost. A sum of 3.0U0 francs, which he received from his father, was the last money he had, and tnis soon went the way of the rest. Shortly previous, however, he had been introduced to Madame Gillet by a ‘medi um.’ Barre conceived the design of getting into the woman’s confidence and using her money. He found the woman too suspicious, however, bnt he confesses that from this time he had resolved to obtain her money. He en gaged her to bring him milk every morniDg, thus obtaining an easy opportunity of carrying out his purpose. He was so hard up imme diately before the murder that he was continu ally borrowing sums of ten francs from his for mer messenger. This man, named Demol, was afterward employed, by Barre to dispose of the valuables found in the apartments of the mur dered woman. Barre did not feel himself equal to the task of carrying out his murderous plans singe-handed. Among his acquaintances was a young medical student named Liebiez. The French Academy of Medicine deny that there is any medical student of that name on its books, and doubtless the man was merely an amateur ‘Sawbones.’ Barre went to him and unfolded his plan for the murder and robbery. Early on the morning of March 23, Liebiez went to the lodgings of Barre, where both waited impa tiently ior the arrival of Madame Gillet. The woman entered out of breath from her anxiety to be in time for her customers. Scarcely had she entered the room, however, when Barre struck her A TERRIBLE BLOW on the back cf the head with a heavy, iron-hand led hammer. The woman was felled like an ox, but she uttered a smothered cry. Barre then knelt down and pnt his hand over her month, while his partner proceeded to finish the mur der. All was done coolly and methodically. The instrument used was an erasing-knife, but of a peculiar make, and it was in fact a sharp lancet Liebiez took this instrument and struck her in the breast and heart. He actually “gouged” the heart, and two mortal wounds were given here; the woman was also wounded in the lungs, and in all seven blows were given. When the bloody work was done, Barre took the keys from the body, and went to the lodgings of Mme. Gillet, where he soon possessed himself of the different securities. The murderers were now confronted with the corpse, which had to be got rid of. It was disembered by Lebiez and Wallace, the Actor. was opened a few weeks ago the head of the missing woman was found between the two limbs, from which the shoes and stockings had not been taken. A smaller trunk contained the bust and the rest of the body. Barre left his lodgings immediately after the murder, and, curiously enough, went to live at No. 3 Rue Rochebrune. Exactly opposite, in No. S, re sides Monsieur ltoch, the French executioner, whose name is as terrible in France as was that of Calcraft in England. Barre was now out of his difficulties. He immediately began to nego tiate the securities and sent Demol to different money changers. The evening after the mur der he called at Demol’s and paid him 120 francs which he owed him. He was in such good spirits that he invited Demol to go with him to Lebiez. When leaving that young gen tleman, Barre turned round to Demol and re marked: “You can’t imagine how much that young man has to cut up. He is very busy at present, but what is most singular is that his mistress, who lives with him, is not at all afraid.” On the 30th of March Barre sold secu rities to the amount of 3,225 francs. Now, how ever, the Paris police were on the alert. Barre had gone too far. The diff erent money-changers were arrested and examined, and Demol’s testi mony conclusively established the guilt of the man. Lebiez had not changed his manner of living in the least, but his partner seeing him self lost denounced him. When Lebiez was arrested his landlady and her husband would not believe in his guilt. “Such a nice young man could never have cut up a woman.” He was very popular in the whole neighborhood. He took the arrest quiet ly, and stated that he only dissected the body to save his friend. The French law puts a very crucial test to murderers. On April 24, both Barre and Lebiez were BROUGHT TO THE M ORGUE and silently put in presence cf the mutilated remains. The effect was terrible on both men. Lebiez was completely overcome, and had to be j supported. He confessed His guilt. Barre was also deadly pale, but firm, and took some notes in a diary. He, too, had to be held np as he i came out. The evidence is, of course, complete against both prisoners. Camel Breeding in Texas. Mr. Lanfear, a man engaged in breeding cam els in Texas, says of them that they are no more trouble to raise than horses or cattle. The colts, for the first three or four days, are rather tender, and require close attention, but after that take their chances with the herd. They feed on cactus and brush, eschewing all grasses that cattle and horses eat, if the favorite cactus can be had. The females, with proper care, give a colt every year, and the price at which they are sold, the ease with which they are rais ed, their extreme docility, and the adaptability of our climate to their nature, would seem to indicate that camel-raising is a profitable busi ness in Texas. Mr. Lanfear says there is one camel in the herd that has traveled one hundred and fifty miles between sun and sun, and that almost any well-broken camel is good for more than one hundred miles in a day. Charles H. Morgan, of New York, who died on Wednesday, was the owner of twenty-one iron steamships. Mr. John T. Raymond was arrested at Wheel ing on Tuesday, for a broad bill contracted in 18<35. He paid it. The late Chief Justice Chase was the origina tor of the term ‘greenback,’ as applied to the currency. Lawrence Barrett refused to give a recitation for the benefit of a clergyman at Detroit. He said his profession owed nothing to the clergy. The Hon. James Pollock, of the class of 1831, will deliver the annual oration before the litera ry societies of the College of New Jersey on Wednesday, the l‘.*th of June. General Butler told a reporter of the New York Express yesterday that he didn’t know anything about Mr. Hayes’ title; didn’t care anything about it, and had nothing to say about it. ‘Ouida’ complains that the spirit of modern improvement is ruining the natural and artis tic charms of Italy. It is a pity the spirit of modern improvement can’t get hold of ‘Ouida’ for awhile. Flotow, the composer, is said to be a splendid- looking man, with snowy hair and flowing beard, eyes as brilliant as Madame Sautz’s, and a head Raphaelite in its noble proportions. At the last Election in Ohio Bishop, the De mocratic candidate for Governor, carried four teen of the twenty Congressional districts, and the Wooster Democrat doesn’t think there is any necessity for reapportiontment. The New York Telegram sees a coincidence in the fact that simultaneously with the news of the presentation of Minister Bayard Taylor to the Emperor William occurs the novel ship ment of a large quantity of American beer to Germany. BretHarte, who acquired some fame as a poet familiar with the ways of the Heathen Chinee, will cross the deep, rolling ocean, and accept consul-ation in Crefeldt, Germany, as a repres entative of the United States Government. While Booth was playing Othello at Balti more a few evenings ago, a scene not down on the bills happened, to the intense amusement of the audience. When he kissed Desdemona he left the imprint of his painted moustache on the lips of his wife. She tried to wipe off the black mark, but only spread it over her face, and for once the wronged wife died amid up roarious laughter. ‘Gum logs’ is the latest and best Americanism recorded. It was used by the llsv. Dr. Winfield of Arkansas, who objected to the appointment of evangelists on the ground that all the ‘gum logs’ would want the position ; and when called upon to define the nickname, he said, ‘well, sir, they are those fellows who won’t do for any thing. They won’t split; you can’t work them into any good, sound or square work, such as we want. They are knotty, and are not worth bothering with.’ ‘Resolutions endorsing Hampton’s adminis tration and demanding his re-election, have been adopted by every county convention that has assembled in the State. Some of the papers are making a to-do about the opposition to Hampton. We know of none worth notice. Not one in a hundred in South Carolina has thought of any one else for Governor, not only for the next two years, but for as long a time as he will serve the people. It is a pity we could not have Hampton for Governor all the t-'me. His place in the Gubernatorial chair can be filled, but like Washington, he will never be supplanted or superceded m the love and admiration of the people. The union of the Cameron and Sherman fam- lies yesterday by the marriage of Senator Came ron to Miss Sherman, is a social event that nat urally attracts very general attention, not only because of the distinguishad parties to the nup tial contract, but also because of the almost ex ceptional political power wielded by the families in their respective States, where they are nota ble for the honors they have attained in the nation. The senior Senator Cameron is one of hut two men in the history of our government who retired from the United States Senate and bequeathed his seat to his son. The elder Sena tor Bayard, of Delaware, and the present Senator, his son, were both elected to the Senate on the same day by the Legislature of Delaware ; the father for an unexpired term made vacant by his own resignation, and the son to succeed the father for the full term, which the father declined The elder Cameron had been chosen to the Sen ate four times by the Legislature of Pennsylva nia; the first in 1845 when he acted with the Protection wing of the Democratic party, and the last in 1878, when, for the first time, his election was uncontested after the Republican sweep of 1872 under his lead; and in 1877 he voluntarily retired to private life to mako his son safe in the succession. The Sherman fami ly have gathered the highest honors from State and nation excepting only the Presidency. There are three brothers—one of whom is the Goneral of the Army of the United States, an other has been Congressman, Senator and now Cabinet officer, and the third was United States Judge until he resigned a few years ago. It is the daughter of the latter who yesterday be came the bond of union between these two dis tinguished families. The bridegroom has been Secretary of War, and the youngest man who ever filled the offioe, and is now one of the youngest members of the Senate, with a re-elec tion assured if he can give victory to his party in the coming campaign. Being a gentleman of national fame and elegant fortune, and the bride coming from the highest social and political circles of her State, he has wisely ap preciated the attention the occasisn would legit imately command, and, while studiously avoid ing everything approaching vulgar ostentation, has rather aided than attempted to restrict pub licity. However earnestiy and even bitterly many may antagonize the political efforts and pretensions of Senator Cameron, all will joih in sincere well-wishing to him and his house hold.—Philadelphia Times. Humor. A resident cf Fourteenth street writes as fol lows . There is a tfoarding-house, Not far away, Where they have onion hash Three times a day, 0! how the boarders yell, When they hear the dinner bell, 0 ’. how the onions smell, There, every day. This is the way one of the ladies who be longs to the Atlantic Monthly’s Contributors’ Club remembers things: “General Forrest was buried the day my new hat came home. Hayes was inaugurated the spring I made over my old silk. Dickens died when Jennie was a baby. Lincoln was killed when Mary was creeping. The King of Spain was born the year I was married.'’ “John,” said a poverty stricken man to his son, “I’ve made my will to-day.” “Ah!” “Yes, John, I came down handsome. I ve willed you the whole State of New York—to make a living in, with the privilege of going elsewhere if you can do better.” It must be admitted that it ia discouraging to a colporteur when he enters a Mississippi village to inaugurate the work of salvation and distribute tracts, to find that the pastor of the place has had to take to mule-driving for a living, and that the entire population is temporarily out ou the street observing a dog fight. She never told her lover, but she roped him in for half a ton of ice-cream, all the same, and as much candy as two sugar refineries could turn out in the course of a year, and now he says if any worm in the bud is going to prey on her damask cheek, it would be advisable to let the contract out to a sea-serpent, and then bet on the cheek. Brown tried to quarrel with his mother-in-law the other everung. Ho married the eldest of seven girls. Said she, “Brown, my boy, I’m not going to ruin my reputation by quarreling with you. Wait till all the girls are married. At present, as a mother-in-law, I’m only an amateur.” Sarah Ann: “0, ain’t my brother a clever boy, Eliza Jane . He’s only been to school two months and he’s got the catechism.” Eliza Jane: “Wot’s that! Why, my brother’s only bin to school two weeks and he’s got the measles !” A demoralized soloon-keeper while bewailing to a friend the bad state of his business, looked to ward a new spire creeping heavenward, and with a wave of the hand said: “Them’s the things that’s ruinin’ the country. There was a period of over one thousand years in the history of this world when doors had no key-holes, and a citizen could be seen feeling all over the door without exciting the least suspicion against his social standing. An exchange says : “A beautiful example of force of habit is to see a disciple of Murphy fill his glass with water, and dreamily blow the froth off the innocent water before drinking.” A Man of Iron. The Joints of His Body Have All Grown Solid. New York, May 3.—Jonathan R. Busb, of Cam bria, Niagara oounty, has not a joint in his body. He went to bed in 1857 and has never been out of it since. He cannot move even a finger. He ran as captain of a canal boat be tween Buffalo and Rochester in 1850, and was getting stiff then. When he conld not do any work he had to quit canalling, and then went to book-keeping. His joints kept getting stiffer and stiffer. The doctors could do him no good, and at last he had to give up, and, after twenty- one years, he has been abed at the farm home stead of his family, between Lockport and Lew iston. His trouble commenced with a pain shooting through the bottom of his right foot, that tumbled him to the ground. The foot com menced to swell and got to be almost twice its natural size. Stiffness in the joints followed. Now Bass is literally a bone man. There is no more bend to his legs, arms and body, than there is to a marble statue. His arms are as fast to his sides as if they were nailed there. For eight years after he went to bed he could move his arms, but the joints finally became solid bone. They have to feed him with a spoon. His jaws are as immovable as his other joints. There is a space between his teeth that is just wide enough to get food through. In I8G9 he became blind: His mind is sound, but he speaks with difficulty.