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A Linen Bag and Eighteen
Great Seals.
Of all forma of Russian post office
circumlocution the palm, for tedious
ness, incongruity, loss of time and
money, is carried off by the formulas
and processes invoked during the des
patch of a registered letter to the
United Kingdom. You may send
bank-notes and even com in ordinary
envelopes to other Continental coun
triep. Your registered letter to France,
Germany or Italy may be dispatched
without preliminary echreiberei—
oMrflntr only with five official seals,
each about the size of a two shilling
piece. But for money sent to Her
Britannic Majesty’s dominions special
precautions must be taken. In the
first place three printed forms must be
filled up. In one you furnish a gen
eral statement of your intentions,
with special reference to your address
and that of the person who is to re
ceive the money. In each of the other
two are twelve columns to be filled up.
This task accomplished, you hand the
papers to the clerk, insert your bank
notes in a linen envelope, and having
addressed the latter, present it for reg
istration. Alas! you have reckoned
without the post-office authorities.
The envelope, you are told, must be
discarded for something more substan
tial. A bell is rung, a chinovnik comes,
disappears, but finally returns, bring
ing with him a stout linen bag and two
rough pieces of board. The clerk takes
your bank-notes, places them between
the boards, and squeezes the boards
into the linen hag. Thus prepared
for him, the package is handed to the
chinovnik, who spends exactly a quar
ter of an hour in stitching it up. The
bell then rings again, and a second
chinovnik appears. He carries an offi
cial seal in one hand and a stick of
sealing-wax in the other. Sealing
wax is the divinity of the Russian post-
office. You will have to pay for it,and
there is consequently no reason why
it should be stinted. It is not stinted.
With slow and cautious movements,
manipulating the stick in the gas
flame as deftly as a Manchester fancy
glass blower making a vacuum tube
the chinovnik deposits one after an
other, all over the back, partly on the
front, at the corners, and at thesides of
the package, eighteen preposterous
seals. There is just room enough for
the address, and when you have writ
ten that with a careful hand (for ink
spreads rapidly on linen), you think
your troubles are at an end. Not
quite) You first pay for the sealing
wax. Then the clerk, having made
some mysterious marks on the pack
age with red chalk, weighs it and in
forms you that there is 2s, Gd. to pay.
You hand the money over the counter
and immediately rush from the office,
glad to escape after a detention of be
tween two and three hours over a pro
cess which, absurdly formal as it was,
need not have occupied more than
twenty minutes. But you are pur
sued, and it is only after you have
paid the chinovnik 5d more for the
linen bag and the strong boards that
you are allowed to depart.
I give this scene precisely as I have
witnessed it myself. • I give it not
only in the interests of English resi
dents in Russia, but because of the
singular statement which I have
heard made m its justification. Ques
tioning the post-office authorites here
on the subject, I was informed that
most of thecircumlocution and sealing
wax I complained of was English, not
Russian at all—that, in fact, Her Bri
tannic Majesty’s Postmaster-General
refuses absolutely to receive any con
signments of money from Russia un
less they are placed between boards,
thrust into linen bags,and made glori
ous with the wax of eighteen seals 1
Now, I am not going to argue against
a practice which needs so little arguing
against as this. At the same time I
should like to ask to what special dan
gers money packages coming to the
United Kingdom are exposed. Is it
to be understood that there is less
honesty in England among post offi
cials than on the Continent?
Tip Top Pudding.—One pint of
bread crumbs, quart of milk, one cup
ful of sugar, the grated peel of a lemon,
yolks of four eggs, a piece of butter the
size of an egg. Bake. When done spread
fresh strawberries over the top (or if
not in season lor strawberries use a
cupful of preserved raspberries); put
over that a meringue made with the
whites of the eggs, a cupful of sugar
and the juice of tne lemon. Return it
to the oven to color. Let it partly cool
and serve It with rich cream.
Wherever there is power there is
age. Don’t be deceived by dimples
and curls. I tell you that babe it- a
thousand years old.
The Rising of the Nile.
The Cause and Effect of an Egyptian
Phenomena.
Measuring from the cataracts of
Syene, where the Nile enters Upper
Egypt from Nubia, to the most north
erly points of the Delta, or Lower
Egypt, there are about 600 miles of
country, the settled population of
which peculiarly dependent upon
the great river for very existence, and
every year swayed by hopes or by
fears as the waters of the stream are
sufficient or scarce or too abundant.
The welfare of the Egyptian is, in
truth, intimately bound up with the
annual recurrence of a natural phe
nomenon known as the ‘'Rising of
the Nile,” which has to be taken into
account in all matters affecting them,
and more especially to be considered
in view of any military operations to
be carried on within the limits of the
land of the Pharaohs. The Delta, or
Lower Egypt, is that part of the
country most likely to be affected by
the events of an immediate future, and
therefore any description of what
is termed “the Valley of the Nile,”
may be dispensed with. The river,
issuing from the valley a few miles
north of Cairo, enters the low, wide
plain, which from its resemblance of
the fourth letter of the Greek alpha
bet, received from that people the
name of the Delta. The stream
divides itself into two branches, that
of Rosetta or Canopie, and that of
Damiat or Phatnitic. Between these
two are numerous canals, . large and
small, intersecting the country in
every direction.
The Salt Lakes.
Along the sea coast are the salt lakes
or marshes, called burlos, communi
cating with the .sea by an outlet,
which is probably the same as the
Hebennytic mouth of the ancient
geographers and Meuzaleh. Proceed-
iog westward the Rosetta or Bolbi-
tine mouth is reached, which, with
that of Damiat, are now ihe only two
entrances from the sea into the Nile—
accessible only to small vessels. The
river at Rosetta is about 1,800 feet
wide, and at Damiat nearly 800 feet.
West of Rosetta a salt marsh, called
Lake Etko, has been formed, which
communicates on one side with
the Nile and on the other with the
sea, or Aboukir bay, by an outlet
which corresponds to t he old Canopic
mouth. West of Lake Etko is the
Lake of Aboukir,which likewise com
municates with the sea, and is divid
ed from Lake Mareotis, to the south
west of it, by an isthmus, along which
passes the canal of Alexandria,
known as the Mahmoudieh Canal.
This was used for the conveyance of
passengers by the overland route to
India. From its mouth at Afteh
travelers proceeded aloDg the Nile to
Boulak, the port of Cairo, in steam
boats constructed for the service, and
thence across the desert in caravans
to Suez. The greatest breadth of the
Delta or cultivated plain of Lower
Egypt is about eighty miles from east
to west; its length from the bifurca
tion of the river to the sea is estimated
at ninety miles. The interior of the
country ie covered with fields, orchards
and plantations chiefly of cotton.
The Ri«e of the River.
The rise of the Nile, occasioned by
the periodical rains of Central Africa,
begins in June, about the summer
solstice, and continues to increase un
til September, overflowing the low
lands along its course. The Delta
then looks like an immense marsh,
Interspersed with numerous Islands,
with villages, towns and trees just
above the water. Should the Nile rise
a few feet above its customary eleva
tion, the inundation sweeps away the
mud-built cottages of the fellaheen,
drowns the cattle, and involves the
whole population in ruin. Again
should it fall short of the ordinary
height, bad crops and dearth aretthe
ponsequences. The inundations hav
ing remained stationary for a few days
begin to subside, and about the end of
November moat of the fields are left
dry and covered with a fresh layer of
rich, brown slime; this Is the time
the lands are put under cultivation.
During the winter In England whloh
is the spring in Egypt, the delta, as
well as the valley of the Nile, looks
like a delightful garden smiling with
verdure and blossom. Later In the
year the soil becomes parched and
dusty, and in May the suffocating
khamsin begins to blow frequently
from the south, sweeping along the
flue sand and causing various diseases
until the rising of tbe river comes
again to refresh the land. Showers
are very rare in Egypt .except on the
sea-coast; it rains occasionally at
Cairo, and sometimes in Upper Egypt.
The nights, however, are cool, aud tl e
dews heavy. Strong winds blow from
the north during the summer, at the
period of inundation, and are useful
in propelling vessels up the Nile
against the current.
Baneful Effect of Low Water.
An extremely low Nile is apt to pro
duce diseases, both in man and beast.
The humidity of the atmosphere is
principally controlled by the rise and
fall of the stream. Fogs prevail during
the first two months of the receding
of the waters. During May and June
the Nile remaius at its lowest. In the
middle of September, at its height, all
the canals are tilled, and the water is
admitted into the fields. Such a sur
face materially alters the temperature,
aud light dews occur about sunset all
through the lower country. As the
river falls, leaving the land wet and
exposed to the action of the sun, ex
halations arise which render the Delta
somewhat unhealthy, the prevailing
diseases then being opthalmai, dysen
tery, diarrfccei and ague. By the
middle of November the river has re
tired within its banks. The Nilome-
ter, used for the purpose of measuring
the height of the Nile, is situated on
the Island of Roda, opposite old Cairo.
It consists of a square well or cham
ber, in the center of which is a gradu
ated pillar divided into 17 cubits, each
about 21 716 inches long. Owing to
the elevation of the bed of the Nile,
the relative proportion of the rise of
water has been altered, and it now
passes about one cubit and two-thirds
above the highest part of the column.
The state of the stream is proclaimed
in the streets of Cairo during the inun
dation, every day, by several criers,
to each of whom a particular district is
allotted. From 24 feet to 26 feet may
be taken as the ordinary maximum of
the rise at Cairo.
The Invention of Quarantine.
Quarantine was invented in Venic#
in the year 1137, all merchants and
others from tbe Levant or eastern ports
being obliged to remain in the house
of St. Lazarus or the Lazaretto 40 days
before they were allowed to enter the
city. Various other southern states
copied the example of Venice; the
habit was soon spread in every Euro
pean country, and was introduced by
the Venetians into Syria at d Egypt.
At Gaza or Beyrout the guardian who
formerly with a long pole, freely exer
cised, kept one Denizen of the Lazar
etto from communication with another
was a Venetian, while the sick were
attended by an idiot of a medico hail
ing from the same part of Italy, who
looked at them from a safe distance
through asaafoetida smoke.
A Weather Compass.
For many years we have had the
“weather-glass” as a foreteller of tfie
weather that is approaching, but the
ordinary barometer of itself only gives
the atmospheric pressure, and it is
well known that this factor, unless
taken into account with the degree
of moisture in the atmosphere and the
direction of the wind, 1b not a trust
worthy guide. The quantity of water
in the air which can be condensed
into rain, and whether the wind is a
cold and dry northerly wind or a
warm and moist southerly wind, are
also important factors in the problem.
A good weather indicator ought there
fore to combine all three observations,
and this has been very ingeniously
done by Professor Klinkerfues, of Got
tingen, in his newly invent'd
“weather compass,” which takes Its
name from its external likeness to a
mariner’s magnetic compass. The
weather compass gives in a very sim
ple manner a prognostication of the
weather to be expected within the next
twelve or twenty four hours, and as its
warnings are said to prove true in a
majority of cases, it is likely to be a
‘useful adjunct to the farmer and a
convenience to almost everybody.
It consists of an aueroid barometer,
which indicates the pressure of the
atmosphere by means of a pointer on
a dial; but the pointer is also
connected to a hair hygrome er for
indicating the humidity of the at
mosphere, and the connection is so
made that a rise of barometer attend
ed by a decrease of humidity, both of
whioh imply fair weather, combine to
move needle or pointer in the same di
rection—namely, that of fair we ther.
On the other hand, if the rise of ba om
eter is attended by Increase of moisture,
the pointer is subject to the opposing
forces of the aneroid and hail hygrom
eter. The direction of the wind is
also made to have a bearing on the po
uition of the pointer and the indica
tion of the dial, but this bearing of
course depends to some extent on ,»e
locality.
Home Economies.
Arne Ritter.—Beat two yolks of
eggs in half a pin,t of milk, cut one
and a half slices of stale bread, pour
over the slices the mixture, and
let them steep one hour ; fry in butter
a light brown. Eat with jelly or
lemon froth sauce.
Caledonia Cream.—Two ounces
of raspberry jam, two ounces red cur
rent jam, sifted loaf sugar, the whites
of two eggs. Put all into a bowl, and
beat with a spoon for three quarters of
an hour. This is a mixture that is
much used in Scotland as a delicacy.
Tip Top Cake.—One pound of sugar,
one cupful of butter, four eggs, one
cupful of milk, one pound of chopped
raisins, half a pound of chopped figs,
half a grated nutmeg, one small tea-
spocnful of soda, one teaspoonful of
cream of tartar; flour t > make it of a
proper consistency
Lemon Froth.—The yolks of four
eggs, slowly beaten up with half a
pint of hock over the fire, juice and
rind of a lemon, sugar to taste. Do not
let it boil, or it will curdle. Beat the
whites of the eggs to a solid froth, add
them to the sauce directly it is taken
off the fire, and beat all together for
five minutes. Half the quantity suf
ficient for a sms!' number.
Broiled Mackerel.—Split down
the back and clean. Be careful to
scrape all the thin black skin from the
inside. Wipe dry and lay on the
gridiron. Broil on one side a nice
brown, then turn and brown tfe e other
side; it will not take so loDg to brown
the side on which the skin is. All
fish should have the side on which the
skin is turned to the fire last.
Vermicelli Scur.—The stock for
vermicelli soup is better made of
chicken or veal than of beef; both
chicken and veal may be used to
gether. Add anything to the stock
ycu may prefer, and boil the vermi-
ce111 In the strained soup until tender,
which should be in about twenty min
utes.
Duck Croquettes.—Stuff a tender
duck with Dutch stuffing, and roast
it, basting it well. When cold, mince
tbe duck and dressing very fine sepa
rately and mix them well together.
Season highly with cayenne pepper
and salt. Moisten the mixture with
tomato catsup and stiffen it slightly
with bread or cracker-crumbs. Add a
well beaten egg. Make the cro
quettes pear-shaped (they may be
moulded in a wineglass), and serve
with a sprig of parsley in the end of
of each.
Crab Salad.—Take the picked
meat of twelve boiled crabs, or one
well-drained can of crab-meat. Set
this away to become cold, then arrange
it upon a bed of crisp, tender lettuce.
Work quarter of a pound of butter to a
cream, then add the well-beaten yolks
of four eggs, a dessert spoonful of mus
tard powder, cayenne pepper and salt
to taste. Mix these ingredients well
together, then siir the mixture over
the fire, and add vinegar until it i* as
acid as you wish it. Continue tc htir
it until it thickens like boiled custard,
then remove it from the fire and set it
away to become thoroughly cold. The
dressing must not be poured over the
sfiad until the time of serving It.
To Can Corn.—For every eight
quarts of corn cut from the cob take
an ounce of tartaric acid; cook to
gether and can. Last year we put up
thirty-five cans for family use and all
kept well. We have used this recipe
for years.
Cough Troches —One ounce Span
ish licorice, two ounces refined sugar,
two ounces of finely-powdered gum
arabic, aud extract of opium one scru
ple. Beat the whole together, make
into small troches ; to be dissolved in
the mouth when the cough is trouble
some.
Peppermint Drops.—Mix half a
pound of sifted sugar into sufficient
lemon-juice to make it a proper thick
ness. Dry it over a fire, gently stir
ring in, at the same time, 120 drops of
the oil of peppermint; after whioh
drop the mixture upon white paper
well greased.
Little Cakes for Lunch.—Two
quarts of flour, two cupfuls of butter,
three cupfuls of BUgar, the yolks of six
eggs and one dessert spoonful of soda
dissolved In a tablespoonful of salt.
To be flavored with mace, oinnamon
or nutmeg and out into little shapes.
Bike on flat tins.
Mushro"M Catsup.—Throw salt on
them and Bet them by a slow fire;
then strain the liquor; add garlic,
•sbalots, pepper, rnaoe, ginger and
cloves to taste; boil slowly, skim
well; bottle and cork tightly ; in two
months boil again, adding a little
spioe and stick of horseradish.
Meat that has gathered moisture in
the refrigerator should be dried in the
oven before being sent to the table,
even if it is to be eaten cold. Meat is
often wasted just from a lack of this
care.
Keep a cup of powdered borax on
your washstand; it will do wonders
in the way of softening the skin. If
you have been working in the garden,
or doing things about the house which
have tended to make your hands
rough, when you wash them dip your
fingers in the boiax and rub your
bauds well with it.
A good way to bake apples or pears
is to first put them in a small jar,
cover them with water, and bake
slowly for at least two hours. If you
choose, scatter sugar over each layer
of fruit before putting the water on.
The juice will then be ready to serve
with them, but you can add the sugar
afterward and let it come to a boll.
Queen’s Drops.—Take a quarter of
a pound of butter, a quarter of a .
pound of sifted sugar, two or three
eggs, according to their size, six ounces
of flour and a quarter of a pound of
currants. Prooeed as for pound cakes :
drop them out on paper placed on a
baking sheet a little larger than
nutmegs, and bake in a hot oven.
Squash Cakes.—Boil the squash
thoroughly in salted water, and, with
a smasher, after the squash is strained,
make as smooth as possible ; half a
pint of sifted flour, a pint of milk and
two eggs, four tablespoonfuls of white
sugar and a teaspoonful of salt; mix
these all together, having first beaten
up the eggs ; add to this last two cup
fuls of the squash ; if not thick enough
add a little more squash, and beat it
all up until it is smooth ; half a tea
spoonful of cream of tartar makes it
lighter, but If the mixture is well fried
in small, thin cakes it is light enough
as it iB. Eat with powdered sugar. •
Spiced Grapes,—The Catawba
grapes are especially nice in this way :
Take fifteen pounds of grapes, three-
quarters of a cup of vinegar, two
ounces of ginger root, three teaspoon
ful each of cloves, cinnamon and all
spice ; take the pulp out of the skins
and put by themselves, then let the
pulp boil until the seeds separate
easily, strain through a colander, rub
bing the grapes, if necessary, to free
them from the seeds; when this is ac
complished add the skins and boil an
hour and a half; when nearly done
add six pounds of sugar; seal in glass
cans or bottles. An excellent substi
tute for jelly.
Varnished Melons —A lady has
discovered a plan to keep watermelons
in their natural form and flavor for an
indefinite length of time. She has
successfully tried it in past seasons,
and, as a consequence, has been able
to treat her family to a watermelon
supper at Christmas time. The plan
is an inexpensive and simple one, and
consists in giving the melon three or
four coats of varnish to exclude the
air. She says they not only keep
from decay but that the flawr and
sweetness are retained, and when
eaten at Christmas or New Year’s the
fruit seems to be wonderfully im
proved in these particulars.
Quince Marmalade.—Six pounds
ripe yellow quinces; pare, core and
cut in bits; to one pound cut quinee
one-half pound sugar; put parings
and cores in kettle with water enough
to cover; boll slowly to pieces and
strain through a cloth ; put in this
water quinces ; put in bit of cochi
neal, and boil all over quick fire till a
quick, smooth paste, keeping covered,
except when skimming—always after
skimming; stir up from the bottom;
you can, when cold, put this in glass
jars or in deep plates covered with
biandled paper; set in lukewarm
water when you wish to use it, and the
marmalade will turn out easily.
Quince Preserve.—After paring
and extracting the cores, quarter and
lay in scalding water closely covered
for one hour or till tender; this will
prevent them from hardening; put
parings, seeds and cores into a pre
serving kettle, cover with water in
which you coddle the quinces and boil
one hour, keeping closely covered : to
every pint of this liquor, one pound
of sugar, wnicb, having dissolved in
it, put on fire; boil it up aDd skim;
when seqm has ceased rising put lu
quinces and boll till they are red, ten
der and clear all through, but not till
they break; keep kettle closely cov
ered Jf you wish your quinces to be
bright eolored ; if you wish them to
be red put tiny bit of oochineal in a
muslin bag ; when done take out aud
spread on a large dish to cool, th«^
put in jars; give syrup another, bej
up and It will be like fine Jelly ; p£ur
it hot over the fruit.