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JHisccllancous. Visit to the Seraglio Palacet To visit the mosques fend the Serag lio Palahe a firman or permit must be had from the Government, anil that is to be paid for roundly. An officer or two must attend with his sword and stall', and they must, be led well. Then at every mosque and sacred place you visit there are servants to be fed, and if a party get through the day’aexcur sion for forty dollars they do very well. Mr. Brown, the Dragoman of the United States Legation, kindly procured for us a firman and sent his ■own cevasse to lead us. The Govern ment sent another, so that we were well provided with an eseCh-t. Several la dies joined ou»‘ party, and added large ly to the pleasure of that delightful and interesting day. Where the Golden Horn sets up from the Bosphorus the old city of Byzantium stood, and Mohammed 11. selected this unrivalled site for his palace, and laid out the grounds, and prepared a residence that had no equal in the Eastern world. Armed senti nels admitted us by the great pavilion, which is called the Porte —a gate, and from this the Ottoman Empire takes its name. Fifty men are the usual guard at this door. We were at once in the midst of a vast court-yard, (the whole palace grounds are three miles in circuit,) and passing across it we were conducted into the palace. A flight of stairs brought us to the au dience-chamber a wide, apartment, carpeted and surrounded with a rich divan. The throne-room was furnish ed with chairs and sofas, showing a conformity to Western customs. Another and another chamber, and we entered the Sultan’s bath—luxu riously fitted up, but without some of the contrivances for comfort which poorer people enjoy. A brass bar across a door which we were passing, told ns, or at least the guides informed us, that this was the entrance to the harem. No profane foot may cross that thres hold. No man but the husband is al lowed to enter the Turk’s apartments for his wives. But a long gallery opening near, was now entered, hung on one side with engravings, chiefly of Napoleon’s battles; and on the other side, a row of windows looked out on the court. This is the hall in which the hundred and fifty wives of the Sultan are daily assembled for the amusement of their common lord.— Here each one of them may exert her art to win his favor; and it is said that he drops his handkerchief at the feet of the one who has been the most snneessfnl. Through this hall we were led along to the private armory of the Sultan, and while admiring the pistols, swords, dirks, yataghans, cymeters, sabres, etc., of elegant workmanship, adorned with gold and precious stones, my attention was called to an adjoining apartment, the Sultan’s bedchamber. Two jani zaries with bayoneted guns stood be fore the open door, and permitted me to look in, but not to enter. It was reported among the company in the other room, that gentlemen were not al lowed to go in ; and the ladies pre suming on their privilege, hastened to .step in, but the crossed guns of the guards brought, them to a sudden halt on the threshold. We could see the magnificent couch and its gold and crimson damask canopy, and the sump tuous furniture of the chamber, where the most uneasy man in the Turkish empire has often sought in vain for sleep, that comes unwoed to him who earns it with the sweat of his brow, and does not wear a crown. In the gardens of the palace, and near the water’s edge, are many beau tiful but small cottages, which from time to time have been erected at the desire of one or another of the Sul tan’s favorite wives. Fitted up accor ding to tire taste of each fair inmate, we could see in the low windows that -open on trie walks that they were very -elegant, and very oriental. The Sul tan has the range of them all, as cages in which his pet birds are confined. And then we gathered some flowers, for in the last of December the roses were in full bloom in open air, and every thing was fresh and green us May. Underneath the palace was the kitchen, the fires going as if an army were to be fed from the great ranges and furnaces on which the dinner was evfen now cooking. Some of the pas try was served to us, and proved to be excellent, though wc did eat it in the kitchen. Von Hammer says that there are nine several kitchens, and that forty thousand oxen ar# yearly killed here and cooked; 200 sheep daily; 100 lambs or goats, and 850 fowls. But the Sultan docs not reside in the Se raglio; he is at one of his many pal aces along the Bosphorus, and the cook ing now in process was merely for the retainers of the palace. His future residence will be in the marble palace on the Bosphorus. A thousand horses stand in the royal stables, which we passed on our way out; and the harness and trappings, covered with jewelry, are displayed in a rbom over the stalls. It required an hour to look through the old armory, containing one of the rarest and richest collections of hel mets, greaves, breast-plates in the form •of stars, guns of strange patterns in use before locks were invented, and implements of war now obsolete, but terribly effective in their day arid very x-urrous now. The stack of arms all ready for use were fast diminishing by the daily demand' for the wars; and probably some of the poor fellows that came on the steamer with me, were by this time equipped from this armo ry and marching to the field, In a aallery was a collection of the famous swords of successive Sultans, from the splendid Dama- ous blade . of. Moham med 11. Here, too, are .the keys of all the cities of Turkey, mounted with gold, and deposited in token of their sealty to the Porte. For days one might be amttsed and instructed among these extraordinary gatherings of an cient and mdetem times.— Prime's Traikb in jEurope and the Minst, f: tiich Men of New York. T referred to the biography of the Wealthv citizens of New York at the time it was severally appearing. It has been made into a readable, but not very reliable book. In it throe hundred and fourteen are put down at one hun dred thousand. One hundred and fifty nine enjoy the distinction of two hun dred thousand. Seventy-nine have risen to the height of a quarter of a million. Seventy-five have reached the grade of three hundred thousand. Eighteen have the rare felicity of three hundred and fifty thousand. Thirty seven have won the commoner glories of four hundred thousand Three in dividuals only have paused at four hundred and fifty thousand, while sev enty have pressed forward to the gran deurs of half a million. Twenty-four have proceeded to six hundred thous and ; five to seven hundred thousand; and sixteen have attained the giddy height of one million. Five have gone on To a million and a half; six to two millions; one to three millions; two to four millions; one to five millions; and one stands, solitary and alone, on the pinnacle of six millions. William B. Astor is our richest man; he inherited his wealth. S. Whitney, five millions, owesJsjs|-,for tune to "speculations in the rise in real estate. W. 11. Aspinwall, four millions, came of a rich family, and gained vast increase of wealth in the shipping business. James Lenox, three millions, which he inherited. The late Peter Harmony, two millions, came to this city as a cabin boy, and grew rich by commerce. The Lor rillards, two millions, came from France poor, and made their huge for tune in the snuff and tobacco business. The late Anson G. Phelps, two mil lions, learned the trade of a tinner, and made a fortune in iron and copper. Alexander T. Stewart, two millions, now of the Dry Goods Palace, began business in a little fancy store. Os those who are put down at a million and a half: George Law, began life as a farm laborer; Cornelius Vanderbilt, as a boatman; John Lafarge, as stew ard to Joseph Bonaparte. Os the mil lionaires, James Chesterman, began life as a journeyman tailor; Peter Cooper, as a glue maker. Os the ten hundred and sixty per sons mentioned in the b ok, at least eight hundred began their career as clerks or manuel laborers. The pill and patent medicine dealers show to great advantage in this vol ume. Brandreth figures up at three hundred and fifty thousand. Sarsa parilla P. Townsend was an honest carpenter once ; he is now worth three hundred thousand dollars. Moffat, he of the Phoenix Bitters, is put down at a half million. Pease, who once sold ginger beer, and afterwards took to hoarhound candy, achieved the mod erate fortune of a hundred and fifty thousand. StraDge to relate, there are some names in this work of interest to lit erary men. George Bancroft, Henry James, Professor Anthon, Thomas McElrath, and Dr. Francis, are each stated to possess a hundred thousand dollars. Edwin Forrest is rated at a quarter of a million; so is Sidney E. Morse, of the New York Observer. William Niblo, it appears, has four hundred thousand dollars; and Dr. Mott, two hundred thousand. Bar num is put down at eight hundred thousand; Bennett at one hundred and fifty thousand. But perhaps the most remarkable statement of all is, that Mrs. Okill, of this city, has made a quarter of a million of dollars by keeping school.— N. Y. Correspondence of the Charleston Courier. Religious Denominations in the United States. The number of religious sects in the United States is twenty, without counting the Buddhists in California, or sundry minor Christian denomina tions. The whole number of edifices is 36,000, capable of accommodating 14,000,000 millions of people. The total value of the church property held by these twenty denominations is nearly $90,000,000, in exact numbers $86,416,639. The average value of each church and its appurtenances is $24,000. These facts, which are de rived from official tables for the census, explode another false notion, which is that there is too much luxury and wealth in the American churches. The most numerous sect in the Uni ted States is the Methodists, the second the Baptists, and the third the Presby terians. The first has church accom modations for over 4,000,000 of wor shippers; in other words, the Meth odists have houses of worship for one sixth of the entire population. The Baptists have accommodations for more than 8,000,000, and the Presbyterians for more than 2,000,000. The fourth sect, in the extent of its accommoda tions, is the Congregational, the fifth the Episcopalian, and the sixth the Roman Catholic. The number of churches belonging to the three lead ing denominations does not always fol low this proportion, however. The Methodists, for example, while they can accommodate but twice as many worshippers as the Presbyterians, have three times as many churches. The Roman Catholies, though sixth on the list-as regards accommodations, stands seventh in the number of their church es. Os the principal sects, that which has the smallest edifices for worship is the Methodist, and those which have the largest are the Unitarians and Dutch reformed. The smallest de nomination is the Swedenborgian, and the next the Mennonite, There are no less than 52 Tanker churches, and 85,000 worshippers. The Friends, so numerous in this city, have accommo dations for about 300,000, or but little more than one hundredth of the entire population of the United States. Th? richest denomination is the Methodist, which is set down in the census tables at $14,085,(150. The next is the Presbyterian, which is ra ted at The Episcopal, which in number of churches stands fifth, ranks third for its church proper ty, being estimated at $11,261,970. I 1 he fourth is the Baptist, $10,931,882. The fifth the Roman Catholic, $8,973,- 888; and the sixth the Congregation al, $7,978,962. Os these various sects, the two which sympathise the most in doctrine are the Congregatioiialists and Presbyterians—both adhering to the Westminster Catechism, and dif fering only in their form of govern ment,, the one being republican, the other democratic. Together these two sects have over six thousand churches, can seat nearly three millions of wor shippers, and hold church property to the value of more than $22,000,000. The sect whose average value of property ranks highest, is the Unita rian. Next comes the Dutch Reform ed, and next the Jewish. The Sweden borgians, Roman Catholics, and Epis copalians follow in the order named. Os the leading denominations, the Methodists stand the highest on the list, and the Baptists next, while the Presbyterians and Congregatioiialists hold a middle place. [Philadelphia Leader. Catching a Lion Alive. Many years ago the people of Doo masansa (a town on the Gambia,) were much annoyed by a lion, that came every night, and took away some of their cattle. By continuing his depre dations, the people were at length so much enraged, that a party of them resolved to go and hunt the monster. They accordingly proceeded, in search of the common enemy, whom they found concealed in a thicket, and im mediately firing at him, were lucky enough to wound him in such a man ner, that, in springing from the thicket towards the people, he fell down among the grass, and was unable to rise. The animal, however, manifested such an appearance of vigour, that no body cared to approach him singly, and a consultation was held concern ing the most proper means of taking him alive; a circumstance, it was said, which, while it furnished undeniable proof of their prowess, would turn out to great advantage, it being resolved to convey him to the coast, and sell him to the Europeans. While some pro posed one plan, and some another, an old man offered a scheme; this was, to strip the roof of a house of its thatch, and to carry the bamboo frame, (the pieces of which are well secured together bv thongs,) and throw it over the lion. If, in approaching him, he should attempt to spring upon them, they had nothing to do but to let down this roof upon themselves, and fire at the lion through the rafters. The proposition was approved and adopted. The thatch was taken from the roof of a hut, and the lion hunters, supporting the fabric, marched cour ageously to the field of battle ; each person carrying a gun in one hand, and oeafing his share of the roof on the opposite shoulder; in this manner the3 r approached the enemy, but the beast had by this time recovered his strength, and such was the fierceness of his countenance, that the hunters, instead of proceeding any further, thought it prudent to provide for their own safety, by covering themselves with the roof. Unfortunately the lion was too nimble for them, for, making a spring while the house was letting down, both the beast and bis pursuers were caught in the same cage, and the lion devoured them at his leisure, to the astonishment and mortification of the people of Doomasansa. at which place it is dangerous, even at this day, to tell the story, for it is become the subject of laughter and derision in the neighboring counties, and nothing will enrage an inhabitant of that town so much as desiring him to catch a lion alive. Strychnia and its Antidote. In the last number of the Medical and Surgical Journal, published in Richmond, Va., we notice an article in it on the above powerful and sudden poison, by Dr. Tcwkesburg of Maine. He says: “The frequency with which strychnia is used for poisoning pur poses, has attracted the serious atten tion not only of medical men but the public generally. The deadly certain ty with which it acts, the ease of ad ministration and the difficulties which surround every attempt to prove, with positive certainty, its presence in the stomach, all unite to give this drug a dreadful notoriety. Dr. T. then pro ceeds to mention instances of his be ing called to see persons who had taken willfully, and taken by mistake, doses of strychnia, and that he had given them about two teaspoonfuls of satu rated solution of camphor, with man ifest effect and prompt relief. He also tried the experiment on dogs, and found that whenever he could adminis ter the camphor speedily enough lie was successful in preventing the pois on from causing death. Mechanics. The following beautiful extract is from Buiwer’s celebrated play, entitled the “Carpenter of Rouen.” It is a high compliment to the mechanics: “What have they not done ! Have they not opened the secret chambers of the mighty deep, and extracted its treasures, and made the raging billows their highways, on which they ride as on a tamed steed ! Are not the ele ments of fire and water chained to the crank,."and at the mechanic’s bidding compelled to turn it? Have notme chanics opened the bowels of the earth, and made its products contri bute to our wants ? The forked light ning is their playthings, and they ride triumphant on the wings of the mighty wind. To the wise they are flood gates of knowledge, and kings and queens are decorated by their handi work. lie who made the universe was a great mechanic.” Good Things from the Knicker bocker. “ An old soaker who lives in Wes ton, Missouri, took it into his head one day that it was necessary for his fu ture weltiire to be “born again,” and forthwith repaired to the Rev. Mr. p ( the respected pastor of the Baptist denomination of the town aforesaid, to obtain light. He was re ceived with urbanity, and forthwith the following dialogue ensued: ,' Old S.—lt’s your doctrine, boas, that a feller to be saved must suffer immer • shun , isn’t it? Mr. B.—Yes, Mr. S., it is a funda mental doctrine of our church, that a man to be regenerated, must repent of his sins and be immersed. Old S.—Well, boss, after repentin’ of his sins, and been slid under , if lie flashes in the pan, then what ? Mr. B.—Although backsliding is much to be deplored, still, if he sin cerely repents of his sins, and is again immersed, the church will receive him again. Old S.—Well, s’pose he ag'in kicks out of the traces, after the second time, (for you know what critters there are in this world, boss,) then what’s to pay? Mr. B.—Notwithstanding all this, if he will seriously repent, and solemnly promise to amend his future life, the church will again receive him into its bosom after being immersed. Old S. (after a few moments of deep thought,) proposes the closing interrog atory. —Well, boss, wouldn’t it be a blasted good idea to keep sick fellers in die soak all the tire? My informant didn’t say whether Old S. joined the church or not, but I incline to the opinion that h e didn't. A Romantic Story. “ Petrarch relates of Charles the Great of France, that this monarch was so fondly attached to a fair lady, that, after her death, he carried about her embalmed body in a superb coffin, and that he could not indeed forsake it, because, under the tongue was a gem “ enchassee ” in a very small ring. “ A venerable and learned bishop, who thought a living beauty was prefer able to the remains of a departed one, rebuked his sovereign for his irrelig ious and strange passion, and revealed to him the important secret that his love arose from a charm that lay under the woman’s tongue. Whereupon the bishop went to the • woman’s corpse and drew from her mouth the ring ; which the emperor had scarcely look ed upon, when he abhorred the former object of his attachment, and felt such an extraordinaiq’’ regard for the bish op, that he could not dispense with his presence for a single moment, until the good prelate was so troubled with royal favor, that he cast the ring into a lake or marsh. The emperor happen ed to be attracted to the sight of the submerged ring; and, in consequence, founded upon it a palace and church, which gave birth to Aix-la-Chapclle. ” “ The Germans have a legend which they connect with what must have been this ring. It runs thus: Cliarle magene, although near his dissolution, lingered in ceaseless agony, until the archbishop who attended him caused the lake to be dragged, and silently placing the talisman on the person of the dying monarch, his struggling soul parted quietly away. This talisman is said to be in the possession of Louis Na poleon ;but it is described as a small nut, in a gold filigree envclopement, found round the neck of Charlemagne on the opening of his tomb, and given by the town of Aix-la-Chapelle to Bona parte, and by him to his favorite Hor tense, ci-devant Queen of Holland, at whose death it descended to her son.— In the German legend it is said to have been framed by some of the magi in the train of the ambassadors of Aaroun-als Raschild to the mighty Emperor of the West, at the instance of his spouse Fastrada, with the virtue that her husband should be always fas cinated towards the person or thing on which it was.” Trifles and Consequences. If, in the world of spirits, the conse' quence of every trifling act an iudivid* ual shall be plainly visible to hirm how great will be the remorse of those whose evil works and words are numerous as the sands of shore. Who is theie that cannot trace back to the most trifling incident or accident the cause of an entire change in his whole life ? Some have been made immensely rich by the turning of a feather, their children educated, given influence, and perhaps charged with the destiny of a nation ; while another has become poor in consequence of some slight and almost imperceptible incident. Poverty has brought on dis ease or dissipation, and a vagabond’s fife or a drunkard’s grave become his portion. Some of our richest and most influential merchants, sons of farmers, can trace their coming to New York to the meeting of a play fellow in the street, or the running away of a colt, or perhaps in an in stance we have heard of, the breaking of a bowl. Had these boys remained at home, and been farmers, how differ ent would have been the situation of their familes. Their daughters, in stead of flaunting in silks iu Broad way, and enjoying a seat at the opera, might have been engaged iu the wor thy occupation of making butter and cheese. Steamships that now form reg ular lines to different quarters of the globe, and effect the destiny of nations, would not have keen built; wars might have been made or avoided, as subsequent circumstances have dicta ted. Thirty years ago, two boys in New Hampshire quarrelled about a box of blacking. To get rid of one of them, he was sent to New York, and is now one of our first shipping merchants, a director in a bank and owner of a line of steamers. A dispute about a tin dipper with the steward of a. steam boat, resulted in a lawsuit that it cost a thousand dollars, and laid the founda tion of a fortune of one of our milliona ries, who now owns more tin dippers and steamboats than any one man in the world —-once a deck hand of a boat, now the captain of the “ upper ten. ” An incident made him, an accident may unmake him. Napoleon, became a soldier in conse quence of one disobedient act to his mother.—then General, Consul, Empe ror and exile ! Washington became, in early life, a favorite with men of in fluence and power, because of his diso bedience to his mother. An accident made this known to one who never lost sight of the obedient boy, which re sulted in his becoming the head of the American Army. One single vote sent Oliver Cromwell to the Long Parliament, Charles Stu art to the scaffold, revolutionized Eng land, and made Great Britain free. Four votes, in the city of New York, made Thomas Jefferson President of the United States; one vote gave us the Tariff of 1842 ; and one vote made the Tariff of 1847. One vote gave us Texas, made war with Mexico, slew thousands of our people, and purchas ed California, turned thither the tide of emigration, and will change the des tiny of the world.— N. Y Day Book. Tight Times in the Provision Market. We thought, says the Atlanta Intel ligence)r, we could tell a sufficiently do lorous tale of suffering” when we not long ago quoted corn meal at a dollar and a quarter per bushel, and other things in proportion, but our co temporary of the Savannah Morning News eclipses our account entirely, and by giving us a peep into the provision stalls at the seaboard, makes us think we are living in “ flush times ” up here in the interior We truly com miserate the condition of our friends below, but let them stay their stom achs on cat fish for a while longer and we will soon come to their rescue. The News gives the following account of a visit to the market: With the exception of cat fish, gou ber peas and turnip greens, there was nothing to speak of in the market. What little there was abundantly made up in prices for the deficiency in quantity and quality. Here and there were to be seen a few pieces of miserable beef at 15 cents per pound —and no grumbling about the bones. If you didn’t like it, you could let it alone. Fowls were hard to obtain at SI a pair. We saw two game chickens tied by the legs with their necks trimmed and their heads pecked till they were entirely out of shape, offered for a dollar. The owner had “ fit ” ’em until they couldn’t come to time, and now he offered them as “ provisions ” at that price, but he wouldn’t abate a dime. Pork, ordinarily good, was selling at 12 1-2 cents per pound. Eggs at 25 cents. Shad, of which there were ve ry few in market, went off readily at 50 to 75 cents a piece. Irish potatoes at the rate of $6 per bbl. or about one cent a piece—small ’taters at that! — But cat fish were on hand by the cart load—cat fish from the size of a tad pole to something less than a porpoise —sold at prices according to size—gen erally cheap, and were taken off by the colored population will avidity.— We thought, what a blessiug are cat fish to those who take to them. Cat fish are still between us and starva tion ! The Deaf made to Hear —An Impor tant Invention. We were shown this morning, says the Philadelphia Bulletin, anew con trivance to relieve the deaf, which ap pears to us admirable adapted for the purpose for which it is designed. It consists of two small metallic'shell like affairs, with small ivory tubes fit ting into the cavity of the ear. The instruments are held together by a light spring which passes around the back part of the head, and which, by means of si ides can be graduated to suit the size or shape of the head. The instrument is made with metallic plates of great vibrating power, and their strength can be increased to such a de gree that persons unable to obtain re lief in any other way have been made hear readily by their use. The “ Acoustic Auricle, ” as the instrument is styled, is graduated to suit different degrees of deafness. One of the most prominent advantages of this inven tion is the fact that the} 7 can be worn constantly and with perfect comfort; they are so small as scarcely to attract attention, and their weight is so trifling as not to be noticed by the wearer.— Ladies who aie afflicted with deafness can effectually conceal the Auri cles ” with their hair or cap. This discovery in accoustics is of re cent date. It is the invention of an accomplished English Aurist, and it has already attracted much attention in England. We have seen a letter from a highly respectable and intelli gent lady in this city, who has for many years been afflicted with deaf ness. She speaks in the most unquali fied terms of the advantages she has enjoyed from the use of the “ Auri cles. ” As we -are blessed with excel lent hearing, we are unable to judge practically of the new instruments, but so far as* neatness and comfort to the wearer are concerned, they are as much superior to the old fashioned, bungling ear trumpet, as a pair of modern spectacles would be to a ship’s telescope, or the habitual use of the near or weak sighted. Mr. George C. Bower, the well known Druggist, at Sixth and Vine sts., is the sole agent in this city for the sale of the “ Auri cles. ” Those who are afflicted with deafness can readily satisfiy themselves of the efficacy of the instrument, by paying Mr. Bower a visit, and they can receive the address, of the lady re ferred to who has worn them so satis factorily for several month*. Adversity ovefeofne, is the bright est glory ; and willingly undergone, the greatest virtue. Sufferings are but the trials of valiant spirits. Edgar A. Poe and the Raven. We are pained to see, that an effort has recently been made in England, to deprive Poe of the credit of-th s ex traordinary Poem. The charge is, that lie borrowed from the Persian.— Such a charge is inherently ridiculous. The distinctive idea of the Poem, its retrospective sadness, its melancholy refrain, its muffled movement among the dread mysteries of our higher na ture, are such as could have occurred to no Persian. Every thing about the Poem bears witness to those deep workings of the human mind, which only a Christian age and a mature civi lization create. But apart from this fact, all who know the history of this unfbitunatc and gifted man, can trace his own mournful life in these touch ing verses. As one of his relatives, residing in this city remarked tons. “It is just like him. ” Poe himself has left on record (see Vol. 2, Page 159) the biography, s ) to call it, of this great creation of his genius. Men ought to be ashamed thus to trifle, with the dead. Indeed it is worse than tri fling, for of all robbery, deliver us from that, which stretches out its hand to pluck the chaplet from the brow of departed genius. —Southern Times. Gun for Firing Chain Shot. One patent was granted last week to Christopher Wolter, of Bridgeport, Conn., embracing five claims, for guns to fire chain shot, to which the atten tion of Lord Raglan was directe I. The invention relates to the employ ment of two barrels, adjustable at dif ferent angles to one another, for the purpose of firing chain shot at various distances, to extend the chain between the two shot without the danger of breaking it. The firing of chain shot is not of recent date, neither is the use of two gun barrels set at different an gles, each to receive a ball, and to have them connected together, but to accomplish this perfectly has hitherto been impracticable. For example, a chain shot fired out of a double can non—with the barrels at a certain an gle, to distend the chain—snaps the chain when the distance reached goes beyond the certain angle for which the barrels are set. This improved cannon embraces devices to regulate the angles of the barrels for any dis tance, su that the chain will not be dis tended beyoid the base line of the an gle when it reaches the object. It is in tended to sweep down jvhole ranks —a perfect war mowing machine. Appearance of Sebastopol. Camp before Sebastopol , Feb. 21. We went up to the French picket house first {lt Maison cV Eau or Maison Blanche of the plains,) and had a view of the left or the town, looking down toward the end of the ravine which runs down to the Dockyard creek, the buildings of the Admiralty, the nortli side of the harbor, and the plateaux toward the Belbek and behind Inker man. As the day was clear, one could see very well through a good glass, in spite of the dazzling effect of the snow and the bitter wind, which chilled the hands so .as to render it im possible to retain the glass very long in one position. The little bridge of boats from Admiralty buildings across to the French side of the town was covered with men, who were busily engaged passing across supplies, and rolling barrels and cases to the other side of the creek, showing that there is a centre of supply or some kind of de pot in the government stores behind the Redan and opposite to the fire of our batteries. Several large lighters, under sail and full of men, were standing over Irom side to side of- the harbor, and dockyard galleys manned with large crews of rowers all dressed in white jackets, were engaged in tug ging flats laden with stores to the south western side of the town. A tug steam er was also very active and spluttered about in all directions, furrowing the surface of the water, which was scarce ly “ crisped ”by the breeze, so com pletely is the harbor landlocked. The men-01-war, with their large white en signs barred by St. Andrew’s cross flying from the peak, lay in a line at the north side, between Forts Sievernaia and Constantine, the top-gallant yards and masts of two out of four being down ; a two decker with bare top masts lay on the south side, with her broadside toward the Ville Civile, and the white masts of three vessels peered above the buildings of the town further away on the right toward Ink ermann. The inner part of the town itself seemed perfectly untouched, the white houses shone brightly aud freshly in the sun, and the bells of a gothic chap el were ringing ont lustily in the fros ty air. Its tall houses running up the hills sides, its solid look of masonry, give Sebastopol a resemblance to parts of Bath, or at least put one in mind of that city, as it is seen from the declivity which overhangs the river. There was, however, a remarkable change in the look of the city since I saw it last— there were no idlers and no women vis ible in the streets, and indeed, there was scarcely a person to be seen who looked like a civilian. This may in some measure lead us to believe the re port that the governor has ordered all the women across the North side, and out of the place. There were, tiowever, abundance of soldiers, and to spare, in the streets.— They could be seeu in all directions, sauntering in pairs down desolate look ing streets, now chaiting at the corners or running across the open space from one battery to another ; again in large parties on fatigue duty, or re lieving guards or drawn up in well known grey masses in the barrack squares. Among those who were working on the open space, carrying stores, 1 thought I could make out two French soldiers. At all events the men wore long blue coats and red trou sers, and as we work our prisoners and make them useful at Balaklava, where I have seen them aiding in , making the railway. I suppose the Muscovite commanders adopt the same plan. ,- ¥ Outside the city, at the verge of thn good houses the eye rests on Rre , walls of earth piled up some 1 0 0 m feet: and 18 or 20 feet thick, indented at regular intervals with embrazure"in Winch you can just detect the blaol dota which are the throats of cannon These works are of tremendous strength. lor the most part there is I very deep and broad ditch in front of them, and their fire is so far from bciiii/ direct that, whenever the ground at lows of it, there are angles and fishes which admit of flanking fires along the front, and of cross fires on centre points of each line of attack or approach. l u front of most of the works, on both the French and English sides of the town, a suburb \>f broken down white washed cottages, the" roofs gone. the. doors off and the windows out,’ h as been left standing in detached masses at a certain distance from the batteries but gaps have been made in them so that they may not obscure the fireofthe batteries. The image of misery presented bv the suburbs is very striking—in some instances the havoc has been commit' ted by our shot, and the houses all round to the rear of the Flagstaff Bat tery, opposite the French, have been blown into rubbish and mounds of beams and rnortar. The advanced works which the Russians left on the ad vance of our allies still remain, and it is hard to say whether there are any guns in them or not, but they are com manded so complete by the works in their rear that it would be impossible to hold them, and at present they would afford a good cover to the Russians, while the latter could fire through the embrasures of the old works with far greater ease than the enemy could get at them. The Russians managed their withdrawal very well. Thev threw up their new earthworks behind were finished they withdrew theirmen from the cover of the suburb ; when the the outer line, blew down and destroyed the cover of the and opened fire from their second line of batteries. r l heir supply of gabions seems inex haustible—indeed, they have got all the brushwood of the hills of the South Crimea, at their disposal. In front of the huge mounds thrown by tne Rus sians, fore-shortened by the distance, so as to appear part of them, are the French trenches, moundsof earth lined with gabions, which look like fine matting. These lines run parallel to those of the enemy. The nearest paral lel is not “ armed ” with cannon, but is lined with riflemen. Zigzags and covered ways—that is trenches cut at angles from one parallel the other— lead down from trench to trench.— The troops inside walk about securely, if not comfortably. The covering par ties, with their arms piled, sit round the little fires, and smoke and enjoy their coffee, while the working parties, spade in hand, continue the never-en ding labor of the siege, filling gabions here,sloping and thickening the para pets here, repairing embrasaures and clearing out the fosses. Where we should have a thin sergeant’s guard at at this work, the French can afford a strong company. Fashionable Mournings. Those who wish to express in their dress the “ deepest affliction ” in a fash ionable manner, will read with interest the following description of what may be termed fashionable mourning: The bonnets are as becoming as those made of gayer colors, and the style and finish may compare favora bly with the best. The Eugenie is made of lavender crape, laid plain upon the foundation, and this is covered with dotted black lace. The crown is point ed front and back, and on each side there is a graceful fullness, which leaves room for a profusion of trim ming that narrows as it reaches the front of the hat. Another hat of the same style is composed of white silk, covered with black lace, embroidered with white floss, black and white pearls, forming a most appropriate outside trimming, and around the face with clusters of white cape flowers. The Pauline, a very beautiful hat, was formed of black crape, and trimmed on the outside with crape ribbons and jet blackberries, glancing, as they swayed to and fro with the slightest motion. In the inside with a profusion of lilac blossoms, “with purple silk pyramidal,” contrasting beautifully with the surrounding black lace. The Virginie is intended for deeper mourning than those already mention ed, and admits of no relieving color. The materials used are bombazine and crape laid on in alternate folds. The outside trimming is new and peculiar; a cape divided into several points, coy* ers the front, the points almost touch ing the edge, and fastened down by a light embroidery of bugles; in the in side a plaited bandeau of crape, re sembling the present style of wearing the hair, passed over the forehead and connecting the side trimmings. Deep mourning hats are composed most ex clusively of crape, and trimming with crape ribbons. The crape is laid on the foundation, fold over fold, and small bows of crape proceed from the centre of the hat, gradually in creasing in size till they reach the cape. The “Lucretia,” a Spring Mantilla, is formed of the moire antique, and trimmed with broad folds of English crape. The skirt is full and box plait ed, and a cape cut square in front, de scends in a deep point to the edge of the trimming at the back. The “Ma ria Theresa” is a scarf-shaped Mantilla, bordered with two flounces and trim med with several rows of narrow silk braid. Quite a number of Mourning Mantillas are made of anew material called “barathea,” which is silk dives* ted of its lustre, and is, therefore, em inently suited for deep mourning. Words written with a colorless so lution of the nitre of silver become quite black if exposed for a few min utes to the light of the sun.