Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, May 11, 1873, Page 6

THE CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE: SUNDAY, MAY I1, 187 6 J e ________________ LANDSCAPE-ARCHITECTURE. An Interesting Work by Mr, H, W, S, Cleveland, of.This City. Application of the Art to"the Embellish- aent of a Private Estate, or the Laying-Out of &Tawn, . Shall-the Cities of-the fnmre Copy the Biemishes - of ‘the - Cities - of the Present? Benefits of the Artin a Pecuniary Point of View, Some Remarks on Lincoln Pax:k---'!ha __River-Towns of the West. Most people have an ides that landscape gar-’ dening, or architecture, 2s it ought ‘tobe called, bas something todo wWithlaying ont roso-bushes in clegant juxtapoeition, and ‘planning miracul- ous enarls of gravel-paths. Theyloockonitasa Iuzury to be enjoyed, liko other luxuries, in after eans, when, Liaving scquired, after tho Atmerican eystem, 2 fortune. and & premature imbecility, they *rotire” to eome -sbode of rursl felicity, and spend their declining yoars in bedizening & ten-acre lot, yelept s park, and-a structuro of abortivo architecture, yelept & villa. They ex-, pend Jarge sums in reducing their placestoa __ DEAD LEVEL OF DEFORMITY. _ If there is's natural wood upon it, they grub up all' thie underbrush, and lop all the trees into gaunt;*top-heavy scarecrows. If there isa gen- tle swell in their land, giving an sgressble diver- sity to the surface, they will terrace it, or cart it away and fill up some little” hollow, where they might havo, almost for the wishing, a littlé gem | of nlake. Having, by'these ingenious destruc- tions, got rid effcctually of Nature, they feel themselves ready ‘for Arf, and call upon the landscape-architect for some of his ameliorating decorations, They know just what they want, . and with great volubility-.tell.the landscape- crchitect what.he is to!'do. . They want * & fountain garishly displayed for-the admira- tion of every wagfarer on the street; u.rustic arbor or eeat, not where any one. would ever be tempted to maké uneeof it, but where it may most conspicuonsly proclaim_ that this is the sbode of rural felicity ; flower-beds, rock-work, serpentinio walks, all to bo arranged with the szme obvious purpose of display; the idea thronghout being that the place must be dressed up to lock pretty, that the’ landscapé-gardener's Guty is simply to arrange the dreseing, and the test of his skill consists.in .making the most elaborate dispiay of such baby-house furniture 28 the owner is'willing to pey for.” All theso secondary and hopeless applicstions, theso attempts to do with an Art which has been forestalled “what ought to bave been dons by the simple preservation of Naturs, are not land- scape-architecture. They are no .more land- scape-architecture than the attempt to restoro some old, misnscd, unrecognizable portrait of Van Dyke's, which: has' been nsed as a garret- curtain, is painting. Landscape-architectureis s e DISTINCT ART OF ITS OWY, with principles, traditions, and fealties of its ownj it 18 primary, not secondary ; it covers not aloe the besutifying of s private estate, but the arrangirg of -suburban villages, and even the preparatory and fundamental -prearrangiog of whole towns. o It is defined by g ME. I W.'S. CLEVELAND, ‘. of this city, in & charming _book, just published vy Jansen, McClurg & Co., to be **.the art of -ar- ranging 1and 80 as to adapt it most conveniently, sconomically, and gracefully to any of the varie wants of civilization.” L THIS MOST FASCINATING OF THE ARTS, - . Cleveleud explains with great brendth, and, 1t the same timo, , with fastidious and -delicate attention to detail. He takes itup fromitshum- blest upplications in the_sdornment of ® simple front-yard to the massive and- comprehensive work of aoticipating - the flight -of popalation and turning desolate prairies into well-ordered sitesTor towns, central .parks, conveniently ar- ranged stroets, and picturesque.dwelling-places.. Asheseys: It cannot bb dénied that one . mode of. adspting the arrangements'of 3 city, s town, or & priveta estato to the nutural festures of its situation, may.bs.preferabla- 1o snother, 2s s means ‘of securing the utmost con- venicoce, in-the most ecocomical ug well as the most zttractivoand graceful manner. It cannot bo denfed 1hat the infinilely varying clrcumstances of the topog- raply of different gituations, must.invalve a. carze- | eyonding variety of arrangement in order to secure tha best for esch. It cannot-be dentod that the deaign of fsrch arrangements demands the exercise of skill, judg- , mcot, and tssle, equal at Teast to that required for Lho zrchitecture of buildinga. - It secms almost absurd thiat such a conrse of Texsoning should be necessary in order to prove the existence of such anart as land- £capa architectare, but while we continue (o jgnore its existence, and to go on blindly and without_meth in the porformanco of wotks which. obviously shoul Le baeed directly upon”its principles—and with such siunity s Do nation ever Lefore enjosed of divelopivg the theory snd practice. of thoari~am X tin zeeccting its claims, and . demanding, if cniy for the wake of our fature-reputation, that they should Le recognized et s 2 £ lis fundamental idea—one on which he insists with great earnestness—is, that the landscape- architoct’s work 18 PRIMARY, and Liist ho onght to be tha first on the ground “whether the affair on hand is to arrange a garden, or 15 ongof thoso vast Weatern real ostato opers- ticos, by which the sib and courses of & future city &re to be-determined, it ought to be managed with & viow to making the best possi- ble use of netural advantages. . 1t is tho originl - design that fixes forever the intrinsic charac- ter of a conntry hiouse or & new settlement, and determines whether it is'to be beeutiful and picturesque, a joy forever, or an immortal de- formity. Mistakes made by careless or. ignorant hends In the beginning camr never be refedied. . The following extiact will ‘show how Ar. Cleveland applics kis theory to the case of- - _®i-er A PRIVATEESTATE, g st with & thoroughly practical. provision for com- fort“and tho o of life, and elso with the kindiy eyeof & of Nature who wiches to proserve her beauties from outrage? - : - ** In eelecting the positior for & house, which fa to, bo- come s family homestesd, on an’ cstate comprising the variety of raral scenery, in the form of hills; val-., wood, water, elc., eithcrwithin or immediately adjicent to ita own Limits, it ahould bo remembered that {bo immediate wants of its first occupants com- Twito but 2 eiugle ink in the chain of -circumstances Wlich ehould be tafen into consideration .before mieking the fioni decicion. The Luilding about to'be crected may outlust several generations of occupants, and iz would prove a source of constant annoyance to disrover, when oo late, that an error had- been: made in its potition, fnvalving ‘Gisagreeabla conscquences wwhich might have been avoided, or fulling to -sccura advantages which =uother situntion would baveaf- forded. 7 Such mistskes arovery common, and a conaldera-. tiou of somo of the questions involved will show that the probability of their oceurrence a very great. 1f any coneidersble elevation, commanding an ex- tended prospeet, i6 included in the ares,-tho first impulse of an inexperienced perron will ba fo eelect the summit s the most desirable site for the residence, The_ jmportance of securing such a view from the windows, as conducive to the happincsa of the dally 1ife of thoe occupants, is apt to be over-rated in the cathuisam excited: by its frst contemplation. Moat peoplo bicome indiffereat to it when its novelly is destroved by daily habit, whereas the annovanco attending the access to an clevated position, which at sirst scemed o cheap price for the ure to_ba d, are never diminished by repetition, The Lecessify f climbing the hill at every return to the Louse, in all conditions of weather, thiough rain and elcet, and icy winds and broiling sun; whatever the couditions of roads, mud or dust, ice or slush ; under &l circametanoes f hoolih and temper ; sliffering with 3 hesdache which makes Life a burden 3 harasse sith peity vexations, or burried by unexpected neces- sitiea which no msn escapes, rendors it atter & time so serious an evil thut only the utter hopelessness of relief comsrains tho wutferer to submilt tn silencs. - etter by for to select 3 loss commanding position for the house, reserving the enmmit 28 _an. objective poiat for the evening stroll, when weathér and dispo- £ izing theee tasteful and msking them applicable to tho_presrranging of 0 - e “|"" The recont experience of Boston and Chicago ractical ideas, and i _ TOWNS OF THE FUTURE. With the. cities_and towns which have already been planncd, little more can be done than to partislly alleviate the errors of their original de- 8ign, o, rather, want of design. Their rectan- gularity can be eoftoned by planting trees with gomo regard to position peculiantios of foli- age, by'abolishing:the hideous out-fences ; but anything like'reconstruction i 18 IMPOSSIBLE. ~ - 1 shows that the orrors of the past-cannot be-re- trieved, even with such an opportunity as the utter destruction of & vast area of the mangled surfaco. But, between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, lics & vast region whose' unappropriated plains are_greater than all the Siates east of the Mississippi. Here towns aro sprinzingn\g evary day, where yesterday the In- dian camped. Aro these homes for the countless millions of posterity to belaid out on the monot~ onous rectangular plan of the older settloments ? | Is tho mere convenienco of “‘the surveyor and speculator, who find it easier to.follow the north and south lines of the Government than to.con- gult the lines of -nature, to be allowed to con- demn all future generations to this DNHERITANCE OF HOMELINESS? Unless & change of the presept systom is brought about, the next century will behold & continued series of towns dotting the whole -region from the Mississip- pi to:the Pacific constructed o the one invariable rec- tangular pattern, - Throughout all varieties of natural scenery ; the boundless plain ; the picturesqua blufls, in effcet thesamo as those of ‘tho ocean, whether in the tdea it conveys of grandour by its vast extent, of terrific power-when roused by storms, or of living, sparkling beauty inits ordinary condifion, when ils rippling surface is dotted with fleets of saflaand steam- ers. The shores posscss nons of the picturesque features which areescential t0 give the full effect of sublimity toan ocesn viow. -There.aro no jutting hosdlands, no deep bays, 0. Jslands, or “cold, grey stones ;' nothing in fact but an even line of sandy shore. Tho unbounded expanso.of water, with its ever changing. Dues and moods, comprisesin tself all that conveys the impreasion of _grandeur, in which it is, in nowise inferfor to the ocean except in s single characteristic, and that ia one which would only be. observed by & -practised oye. . The heavy ground gvell which is oficn socn n the ocean when 1o wind is' blowing, and which 1s the result of storms so distant that no other evidence of thiem can be discavered, 18 nover seen in tho laka.. Whils its-starms laat, ita. breskers aro a8 grand and - terrific as thoso of the ocean, but the waves subside with tho winds, and wo never ecg, o on the ocean, 3 surf & . The lake is the one single natural feature which Chi- ©3go can command which possesses intrinsic sublimity and uncessing interest. In arranging a park npon ita barders, theretore, it Should bo the objecive paint of tive rest, the development and exhibition of which it shauld bo the etudy of the artist to secure under such variety of conditions s would tacitly so- Xkuowledge its supremacy. The shaping of the ground snd the arrangement of the treea should have refer- ence to this end, nnd tho drives and walks should 80 arranged as to open views of the Iake from different ints, giving continual varisty by the different fram- ng of hills or folisge through which it is seen, but making {e-always tho csentil point of the picture.: Tnstead of this, the park is cut off from the lake by a low range of sandhills which must be crossed before it can Do seen, No_ art whatever has been applied to glvo a pictureaque effect by the use of such accesso- commanding gorgeous views of lake O river scenery ; the sublime ranges of mountains, glittering with snow- clad peaks, smiling with green and . fertlo valloys, frowning with deep canons ; cities,” towdars, and vil- Iages are to bo: everywhero tho game cxcept in sfze. Itisidle to say that *theso matters regulate ihemselves,” They bavenotas yet given euch ovi- dence of a deaire for something better, as is indicated by 5 conciousness of present error ; as witness San Francisco, lsid out in aquares withont tho slightoat ‘refercnce to thé nequalitles of ber sito; witness Den- Yer, 1aid out in squares on a gracefolly round- d 'bill,. commanding - such 3 mountain view is worth crosaing -the - Atlsntlo to see,. but of which no entire viow can be obtained from any one polnt within the city.; whoreas, if a fine boulevard had been arranged circling the hill, it would for fature time bave furnished such & magnificent drive, and such a sits for residences, commanding thie whols ‘mountain chain from Long's to Pike's Peak as wonld have given a distinct character to tho city, and would ‘hsve brought more wealth to it—and what s botter, ‘more men and women of refined taste and culture,— 1han sll the temples of mammon which arp established forever on the site ; and witness the multitudes of towns Jaid out in squares on the bottoms aud bluffs of the Missiesippl sad Misour] Rivars, iho founders of which have bequeathod to all future’ generations of inhabitants 3 logacy of isxation, to prescrve the ‘hideousneas of the original outrage on common senso and uty, when a proper adaption af the strests and subdiviéions o (he natura] ahapo of the ground, would bave made of the now unsighily biuffs the most striking and attractive feature in the general aspectof the towa. e Only a few years since, tho beautiful faland which eured by tho thriving cit of Minneapolis, which over- Tooks it, for a ‘trifling sum, sbd would havo mados park of porfectly unique aud rarely atiractive charac- fer; but. tho opportunity was lost, and is now nover alluded to but with regret, Day after day 1s bringiog similaz opportunities and silently offering them for our acceptance, No flaming advertisements set forth their merita ; 1o solicitations aro made o us to sccure them, We have but to reach out our hands,and they aro given tous “ without money snd without price.” But the solemn proces- slon never atays or falters in its silent course, sud if o mise the suepicious hour, the chance is_gone for-. cver. Woumay cast our longitig eves npon ita retreat- ing form, ond curee our own biindnees and stupidity, but it is 45 utlerly beyond tecall sa. tho day in whoae ‘arms 1t was borne, B ; Like the old Romar who planted troes for pos- terity; -we ought to boled by a lofty and gene- dividesthe Falls of St. Anthony could have been ss- 1 ries as would excite emotions in- keoping with the grandeur or the bosutyof the scene. Tho visitor crosses the hill and the blank sheet of water lies before himinits full extent, and allatonce, No pravious limpaes of portions of i, seen through distant open- ngs between the, bills or under an archway of over- banging follage, awakens curiosily and excites the imagination by the intricacy and variety thus afford- ed; and, indeed so far as any plessure is derivable from the view of tho lake, the park offers no advanta- ges over the wharves of the city. Yet with this magnifi- cent sheet of water st hond to furnish the key-note, of whatever improvements might bo attempted on its ‘shores, the prominent decorztion of the park inan elaborately artificial Inke which secms to have boen constructed for the purpoee of exhibitinga further display of such childish toys asadorn tho squaros. More rustic bridges, s miniature castle, and o grotto of imitation stone’ sdorued with colored glass, the effect of which when lighted up, aa » Ohicsgo paper “gravely informed its readers, “is quite equal to that _of the celebrated grotto in Wood's Museum 1 . Every one who is familiar with the - BIVER TOWNS OF THE WEST will recall innumerablo instances of enormonsl; expensive works in cutting down_hillsides an b iilding up embankments ; of the almost total destruction of building sites ; in one place by their being left in an inaccessiblo position on the top of a precipice ; in another by being exposed- to all the drainsge of & street which is far above. .them, while all the naturally besutiful or pictur- esque features of the place have been destroyed or rendered hideous in the effort to make them conform to o rectangular system,'as if the hu- man intellect were 83 powerless to adapt itself to changing circumstances as the instinct of in- -sects, whose cells are constructed on an unvary- ing pattern.. Tho exerciso of artistic skill and jndgment might often rendor tho peculiar matural featurea of such s sito tho source af its most striking and aitractive characteristic, The level land next the river.is ob- viously the most appropriate situation for the commer- cial and manufact interesta, and tho,bigh lands which overlook it, for the best residences. 'The steep billsides, if preserved in their nataral condition, or de- Veloped intos more artistic exprossidh of their natural characterlstics, by appropriate plmting and calture,- would form u strikingly beautiful feature in the gen- eral aspect of the towa. Advantago should be taken of ravines to secure an easy ascent to the .summit .of the biuff, =and -a fine avenue arranged along its brow, which would furnish build- 1 rous view of our responsibilities to those who are tocomo afterus, tomend our ways; but there'is .a"more_potent appeal than this. Ttis without doubt in this way that largo tracts of Jand can be most advantageously prepared for sale. ‘ - ol ¥ s 1T PAYS. Mr. Cleveland gays: .- Of late years the attention of Capitalists has been Jargely drswn to the subject of landscape architectura a8 a'means.of increasing the value of guburban prop- erty, by {ho tasteful arrangement of- large arens o render them attraciive a8 bullding sites, In some in- stances,- very large sums have been expended in muking improvements beforo offering the lots for sale ; the roads being constructed ‘in thie most thor ough manrier, snd ample provision made for sewerage, waler, gas, etc.; and the roadsides and public axens tastefully rranged and planted. In other cases, only the principal roads were opened, the lots ‘stsked and numbsred, and. sold by the plot. In one instsnco which has como to my kmowledge, the proprietor has imself built the houses beforo offering the lots for sale. From the best evidenco I have been able Lo obtain, the plan of making all ‘theneedful arrangemenis beforc- band,thongh involvinga large outlay, has proved outhe wholé the most satisfactory in its results; ‘“Supply creates demand,” and parchasers eeing what they ant ready at hand, with the assurance that 5o fur- {her assessments are to bo levied for improvements yet to be made, are ready and glad to pay iliberally for its immediate possession. The advantage of building ‘before selling is that it enables the proprietor to_con- ‘trol tho etyle, and provent the introduction of edifices of an objectionable character. © < o . The success of such an enterprise must in all canes b finally dependent upon the architectural skill dis- played in its arrangement . . . . £ it is found that the Tosds are §0 arranged aa to fit the natural eurface, se- | curing the easiest grades and leaving the best building site i the most desirablo pozitions relative to. them, znd showidg that the 0bjocts for which they will bo ‘principally wanted, whether for business or plezsure, ‘have becn observed in thelr arrangement 80 that they will.obviously facilitate those objects, then the essen- tial clements of skillful arrangement will have been se- cured,’on which the comfortand convenienco of the occuphnts must be daily dependant. - ~'The. increaso of populstion and .consequent in- ‘creased value of real estate in Western cities is 8 mat- ter which may be salil to be almost a5 certain sa tho laws of nature, Differant ratios of growth of course exist, .but it would be hard to find . town of 10,000 in~ Dhabifants that ia likely to remain stationary, and_eeay to designate many which will not stop ehort of five or ten times that number. | Every man who has lived fow yéars in the West can toll of opportunities be has missed of making investments in-land which would ‘have provod very profitable if he had only had faith that the ratio of growth would bo meintained, yet tho infi- “delity'ia not overcome, ‘and the cliances continue to 8lip by-unimproved, - - m]m,;&wi:n clties, not ono of which but would now - pay Iargely o securs opportunities for public improve- ménta which might once have been had for a 50ng, bub whose purchase would then havo seemod & wild scheme. ‘But purcuasa slone i8 not onough.- 1f simply bougat |-ana held for a rise, it may provent neighbioring oc-" cupation, and thus depreciate {n value, Improve- ‘ments must be added of such character as. will -attrect occnpants by giving ovidence that a broad and liberal ‘spirit has been excried in providing for. their welfare and comfort. = ‘Hardly any investmont {8 saferfor capitalists than the judicious purchase cnd tasteful improvement of sttractive sites for suburban additions, and guch in- vestments are bocoming common by individuals and companies in the- vicinity- of many thriving cities, whose governing poters should eccond tho enterpris in ‘corresponding. spirit: by extending connecticg ayenites, and thus s it were appropriating thom’ ns Integral portions of & grand system of elegant-em- bellishment. _ E £ ‘These views are_not only admirable, but - 'PERFECTLY FEASIBLE. Ag Mr: Cleveland says: e “It ig'surcly Hot impoesible, on’ an extended line of railroad, to fix upan. logalities’ poesessing natursi ad- vantages of such o churacter, and bearing such rel tion to the surrounding country, as must render their Inture attainment of <ivic imporiance almost s matter- of certainty, and it wonld certainly tend to promoto tho object if provision were made far fature nosessi- ties' by_thepreparation of a design of arrangeient which ehould secure the most economical aud conven- fent attainment of.tho objects which are of primary importance, and at the same timo best osthetic effect of which-the natural festures wero susceptible, It certainly would roperate s 's-strong inducement to . attract.—i . if such 3 plan were published, . aud : they. “could : 'see ;3 for thenfsélves, | thiat (. thelr ~ ‘fature! wants' snd comfort'hod been provided for, and whiil tho enter- prising aod industrious class, who would. be' the first inbubitants, would - dovelop’ the—resources which would give vitzl energy to tho population, the provision which . had been -reaconably ‘made for. taking such sdvanisge of.paturul featurcs as would give to the splace. n_ distinct character of, refined elegance, by exhibiling an appreciation of them which would never bo atfsined by a vulgar mind; would not fail to attract a8 residents or visitors the cluss of people whose culture -and *intelligence- can_alone confor ‘upon & commuiifs the sterling_stamp which_gives asstred vauo to.weslth." . 8 el &t ~The spology alwuys offered is tho poverty of 8 new eettiement, and the demand for all fhic ‘means at their -disposal to meet the expenses of absoluto necessity, But all thie wind is taken out of that eail by the fact that true tasto would be far less expensive than the presont system, because it would Jeavo undisturbed such natural features s could bo preserved without actual inconveatence, snd thus save much of what is commonly the most costly of the works of public fm- provement. The idea that an artistic arrangement is Decessarily costly, comea from tho ulmost universal misapprehiension of the mezning of the term, which to most minds conveys only theides of elaborate arti- ficial decorztion, when in reslity tho art consists in the development and tastefol siupiation of the natural featurcs-of the place.io tho objects to which they are 1o be devoted. The first cost of designing such ar- Taugement is' more. than that of the rectangalar sye.’ tom but the cost of the latter in its ozecution, and the incidental expenses attendant on and resalting {rom 11, in often tenfold what tho former would bava Dee G We will close. our_extracts from this little work with kwo paseages, one'of which is a very kition are favorable, under which circumstances the estended view will never fail to be appreciated and cnjoed. Asa matter of tasto ulso in eccuring the most sgrecable uspect of the place from points of ap- roach, the summit of a hill should be avoided as a nilding rite, since s house thus situated has always & bleaks, exposed Look, especially if seen in whole or par- tial relief sgainst the eky, whereas if the land .rises in the rear of the hoase,, tEe summit crowned with wood, and ‘in front =ssumes the form of 3 gentls” sloping lawn, with groups of trees tastefully ‘arranged to pre- vent the appearance of hareness, the effect will b2 to give a home-like and attractive cxpression,” which every person of good taste - will reco with pleasure. M. Cleveland is equally successfal in general- pungent criticism of the way in which © Teeo - -LINCOLN PARE has been lnid ont, and the other shows what might be “dono _with what appear at first sight to be the most unpromisin oF ali- sites,—thoso of the river towns-of the West : = Tho reservation of the arca now occupied by Line .Park was the earliest and most Jmflcju’u az{cumc:a}f; 1and for the purpose of public recreation,. and it will always possess & peculiar and superior value aad in- terest from the facts of its vicinity and ease of access to the business portions of the city and its position on the shore of the lake, which 1s the only natural featnre | of the whole region around. Chicago which possesses any distinct characteristics of sublimity, These are “one point. I~ing sites for the best residences, overlooking the lower town, and commanding tho views up and down the river. Footpaths could be arranged up and down tho bluff, winding sufliciently (o secure easy grades, and taking advantage of any natural terrace, Or “ coigne of vintage,” to increase the picturesquo effect by the in- troduction of appropriste decorations, 3 a fountain, a monument, or, perhaps, s rustic arbor and a bit of jch lawn, Thus the face of tho bluff, which is com-~ ‘monly rendared s hideous-looking precipice, acarred with gullies, and nnavailable for any useful purpose,. ‘would become a chief ornament and striking feature in the general aspect of the town, The picturceque and attractive character which may e conferred upon & town by thus making aa orus- ‘mental useof arcas which are useless for other pur~ ‘posez, is almost inconceivable to one who has given no Thought to the subject, and this may be very greatly increased by attention to varjous dittle de‘ails, wI aro never even thought of by those to whom the work 18 commonly intrusted. Suppose, for instance, 8s is frequently the caso in the West, that the site of a town iz intersecied by ome -or moro rsviues, beginning a mile or moro from the shore of the lake or river on which the town is situated. In many in- stances these ravines assume an _exceedingly pictur- esque and attructive character, attaining a depth of a bundred feet or moro, sometimes comprising at the ‘bottom o charming bit of secluded lawn, while the al- most precipitous sides are clothed with 8 fine wih of forest trees, and in the spring are brilliant with the ‘blossoms of the trillium, sncmone, blood root, snd other wild flowers, which seem to lovato cluster apon euch poritions as are moat difficult of access. The in- variable custom in laying out land comprising such features, is to place tho roads at euch a distance from the ravine as to admit one tier of lots, the houses on which, fronting on {ho etrect, will Lae their back yards running to tho bottom or across the ravine, the object being simply that tho proprietorsmay g‘et id for the land comprised in the ravine, whi unavaila- “blo for. any useful purpose. 'Tho result is that all effect of natural beauty Is Jost to the general publié, who nover got sight of tho ravine exoept from some point where a road is carried acrosa it, and then its attractivo expression is entirely destroyed by the. fences running across it to mark tho boundaries of the different lots, as well as by its being mado tho dirt- hole in which every family deposits its accumulsting stoce of old barrels, boxes, and battered tinware. 1f, instead of this, tho rouds were carrled on each sile just gm tho odgta of the baaly and buldings only ol owed on o opposite side, the ravine would form an ornamentsl feature between,” on which the Louses on each side would front, and the residents on. cach side would feel a mutual pride and pleasure in kecping it tidy, and adorning it with trees and shrub- bory. It is easy to perceive thatsucha street would form o highly-ornamental feature in & townpthe pic- turcaque effect of which would be grestly iucrcased by the ' occasional {utroduction of @ tastefal bridge, os convenience might dictate. = ; —_— e ‘ONLY RUE. ' Swet,liggard Spring, -~ - What doss thou bring , To compeusate us for our waiting, - ‘Through rain and now, Since, weeks 2go, S T “Thy harbingers of song wers majing 7 T "~ Wasitto flush Withs deeper blush - .+ The roses of the coming June 7 2 Or did’st thou stay . 4 _Tolearnsomelay .. .. .7~ . 7. o charm the seasons into tuno 7 <+ And dost thou hold, In blue and'gold;” X The pansies that sweat tiought expresa ; Rosemary too, ... - * And bitter rue, e poppies of forgetfulness 7 2 With Give me, I pray, To wear one.day, , 3 Tiosemary for remembrance sweet ;- “Then poppies red Shall crown my bead, In lethean coronal complete..” Or dost thon bear s Some flow'ret xaro, . -Some bud of hopo to blessom et -2 Abalm for pain, For loss some gain, To recompense me for regrot? ¥ The tearfal sky ! . . Made d reply, E Trom clouds that dropped in chilling tes “ No flower for you _ Save bitterrue, . ° : thro'all your life'sTong yeire Stus, D, M. J i “To wear RicaxoxD, Ind. Toothache, and What Came From It . . The New Brunswick Times'says: A citizen of New Brunswick ' who had -beex ‘afflicted with a ninfal toothache for o long time, concluded at length o have the tooth pulled.. It haddecayed somewhat, and & very emall hole was visible at This was extremely minute, and nothing_less than a very vision could plainly discern it. He called at a dentist’s office, and had the tooth extracted, rolled it in -a sheet of note paper and took it home with him. The ‘pain had been so intense. and protracted that he concluded to examine very thoroughly the tooth-which had annoyed hiz 50 much. A very. carefal inspection of 1t revealed nothing strange or peculiar. It was apparently sound at every point but one, and sominute was the perforation: that it wonld not admit the insertion of a doli- cato needle. Ho finally took's hammer, struck -lightly with it, and the tooth was broken—but what-a sight! It was perfectly hollow, and snugly ensconced within it was a nondescript much larger than an ordinary ant. Upon expos- ure to the light it took to_its legs (six in num- ber) and ran scross the table with' great apeed. 1t seemed to have no eyes, for it ran against every object that he placed before it.. At length it ran off the table, falling fo the carpet, and in trying to recoverit he accidentally stepped upon and Lilled it. - He describes it 28 being a most wonderful looking object, and differing essen- tially from anything ho hed ever before seen or hoard of. Hes confident that itcould not have made 1ts way into the tooth, and feels sure that it was generated in the decaying dentine sube stance. He presumes that small atoms of food may have made their way through the perfor- ation and served to_furnish_eustenance to the- gfiar lno!?p oh‘}ict. Hadla;h the -utmost cer~ a0 indubitable instance spontaneous gereration, s il THE LAKESIDE MAGAZINE. The Romance of Commerce---Another : Poem by Joaquin Miller. “The f.l‘rnnsport:}flon Question---The Story of Atlantis---Thoughts on Language, ¢Identified with the romance as well aa the trinmphs of commerce,” says Andrew F. Lawson in his gaper on L i | - YR BOMANCE OF COMMERCE,"- - “wehave to remark ita mutations. ‘Carrying coals to Newcastle * has been experionced within & six-month ; and the'sonding of wheat from San Francisco to Chicago, the great grain market of the world, is an - exemplification of commercial mutation,—the former city baving shippod 8t bo | lenst 5,000,000 centals of that cereal to Europe, but still seeking Chicago as the source through which to dispose of & portion of the surplus. ‘Again ; the opening of the Suez Canal o suc-. cessful'traffic bids fair to restore the old cities of the East tq some of ; their sancient. commercial importance, whild at the same timo enriching the great citics of Northern and Western Europe and Ameriea; and thus'the once seat of empire hopes” to blosgom again into prosperity.” - . Indeed wo ara told that, perforce the law of com- ‘merco secking the straightest Toutes, the ancient eer- §9, o€ Ltaly buarecently manifested 1taslf by the organ= tion of the Messaggerie Maritima Italine in Turin, which contemplates the establishment of & line of steamahips to ply betwoen Genos, Venlco, and other Ttalian cities, via the Buez Canal, and Ci Indis, and Australis, including a weekly line to Now York. It will be 'remembered " that~ tha - lato - ex-Emperor Na- poléon IIL.aided the construction of the Suez Canal with & viewof making the principal mart of the Eastern trafiic ; but England circumvented the en- torprise by making the wide dotour of theBtraits of, Gibraltar. ~The construction of the Suez Canal, unit-- ing the Xed Ses and the Mediterranesn, promises to be followed by cutting s -passsge- for ehips through the Isthmus of Panams, thereby uniting the Atlantic snd Pacific Oceans ; aud - whenever this s accom- plished— contingency which is cortain—tbe commerce of the world will be revolutionized. Places on the Pa~ cific anfl tho Atlantic will become great commercial cities, and other changes may be wrought, the aignifi- canca of which wo dare not prodict. e A railrond to evade the rapids of the Madeirs, which are the only cbstacle to a continuous Davigation of 4,000 miles of the Amazon River and its tributaries ; & telegraph cable between Rio |Janeiro and the. Portuguese coaat ; the canal, now almoct finished, to bring Amsterdam within two hours of the ges, and thus restors its: ancient commercial splendor; ~a ca- nal ncross the Peningula of Jutland, to 'relieve the outlet of the Bal- tic trade; a telegraph between Europe and Asia, through Behring's Straits; a cable between Cal- ifornia and Australia; an Asistic railway, run- ning from Burut to India; a tunnel through the Himalayas; another tunnel through the Alps, botween the Swiss cantons of Uri and Tessin, by which Germany and the northern States of Europe. will draw their Japanese, East Indian, and Chinese merchandise principally through the Itclian ports, instead of by the long water ronte of the Atlantic and the North Bes,— all- these, projected or dreamed of, are the moans by which & growth of the world’s com- ‘merce is to be achieved that shall throw a halo of romanos about the prosaic calculations of the unideal business men who are the unconscions elfs and gnomes in this magie work. =1 JOAQUIN MILLER has o poem, “In Exile,” which must be resd with ' respoctfal sttention. Americans have ‘been given to understand by English crit- ica tbat Joaquin Miller—Mrs. Miller's revela- tions abont the rh‘fiming dictionary to the con- trary notwithstanding—is a great poot. Hehas been taken to the bosom of the great Tennygon, and snffered to tarry in his honse et the Isle of Wight for & full week,—a condescension. that can only be appreciated when one knows that Tenuyson sbominates the generic American. And yot, ‘after hearing theso testimonials to Josquin's ‘poetio scope, one finds himeelf unablo to detect anything in his verses but tho music of language : ‘Whose ill had I dovised, with evil done, That I was bidden to arise and go? . 1 hear the cloar Columbian waters run, 1 sce the white Pacific flash and flow Below the swaying cedar trees that grow On pesks pre-eminent; but never mino _*Again the wooded way on steed of snow, The freeman’s mountain camp in cloud or shine, Or pure companionship of meck-eyed mottled kine, What wonder that T swore a prophet’s cat Of after days. . . Ipushed the boughs apart, T stood, looked forth, and then Jooked back, all ‘loth To leave my shadowed wood. I gathered heart ¥rom very fearfulnesa; with sudden start I plunged in the arena ; stood 8 wild TUncertain thing, and artlessallinart, . . . Tho brave approved, the fair leaned fairand smiled— ‘The lions touch with velvet touch a timid child. But now enough of men, Enough, briet dsy ."Of tamer life, The court, the castlo gate . Enat opsned wido slong » plessant w3y, o gracious converse of the kingly grea o e another guad snd well date 3With hope. A world of thanks; but Tam grown Aweary. . . . Iam notof thiscstate; - The poor, the piain brave border men alons Wero my fifst love, and these I will not now disown. Who loves the least may oft lament most loud = 1 stand muto-mouthed upon a far gray shore; Tho soul Hifts up, a lone and white-winged cloud, And liko some eea-bird back and then before _ The storm of seas, it secks my land once more} And here about the peaceful pesks, as whito ‘As stops of God, until the fates restore My fect, shall it abide: the sea ot night Tz feshed reflections back from foamy flelds of Ught, i .. CHRISTINE G. BROORS' STORY, “Two or Three Blundérs,” containg material for two or three good stories. There is a sug- géstion of unconscious power in the writing of this author, which promises fruitful results.to careful training. . Ex-Gov. Bross has a brief article on z * THE TRANSPORTATION QUESTIO: it which he asks and answers the que From what source can the farmers of the orth- -| west hope for rclief from the enormous freight harges that now literally rob them of nearly all the proceeds of their tofl ?_The answer i in tho language of the lats Capt. Hugunin, whom the writer ouce | Beard say, with tioging emphasls, that “The great God, when he made tho vast, alag the great lakes’ and the mighty Bt. .carry thelr commerce to ocean, & .chapnel made by the thaeu un{ accommodate &l -2 B 5 * millions of prosperous freemen who now live, or who ‘may bereafter live, west of Lake Michigan, Tmn‘ thero are great obetacles thrown directly across thal channel, but without them we could not have our great Inkes and the Jong reaches of navigable water in the Detroit River and the 5t, Lawrence, Already there are canals around all of them, but the West has outgrown them as it has all other means of transit, zs well as the predictions of its most enthusiastio statisticiana, The, Dominion Government is now engaged in enlarging’ Welland Canal, 80 28 to pass vessels of 1,000 tons burden; and the St. wrence canals Wil be enlarged to the same capacity aa rapidly as cir- cumstances will permit, The round-about way by Take Ere and the Welland Canal will, doubtless, in a teeming Wost, made Lawrence to e .” Here 18 Almfghty ~himself, the wants of the fow years be superseded by the Huron and Ontarlo Blip Canal, a distance of only 100 miles, and requiring Jess than 40 miles of close canal navigation, By this route nearly 400 sniles would be saved, and the tedious pavigation on the Detroit and Et. Clair Rivers, and TLakes 8t. Clairand Eric, avoided. ~As soon a8 the en- largement ‘of the Welland and the Bt. Lawrence Camals i3 completed, it 18 demonstrable that tho' frefght on corn and wheat will be re-- duced to 14 cents, and moat likely 0 12, betwoen Lok Michigan and tide-water, We have no definite state~ ‘ment a8 to the time it will require to completo these improyements, but three to four years will see this great work. fully sccomplished. “Let our farmers, therefore, possess their souls in patience. To lay down & bushel of grain at tide-water st from 12 to 14 cents, will be equivalent toadding from 20 {o 25 per cent. the value of their farms for all time to come, . .. .: . .. THE STOBY OF. ATLANTIS, byiJ. W. Foster, views the discussion whi though old as Egyptian tradition, is still pursue -with fresh interest by students: of ethnology -and geography, 88 to whether the inscrutable waters of the Atlantic do flow over & submerged Atlantis, the former seat of a mighty empire and gource of the most ancient and splendid of earth’s civilizations : * Among the most zealous sdvocates of the truth of theold tradition {8 the Abbe Brasssur de Bourbourg, ‘who has brought out these traditions in his translation of the * Teo Amoxtili,” which is the Toltecan mytho- logical history of the cataclysm of the Antilles ;- and the Iate George Catlin publiehed a little work in which this theory is vigorously maintained. Among the In- dian tribes of North Americs, Catlinfound the tradi- Telate that the waters wers scen coming ‘mountains from the east, and of the tens of thonsands Who ran for the high grounds to the weat, according 1o some traditions_one man only, and sccording to others, two, and stlll according {0 others, seven, suc- coeded in resching places of safoty, and from these Dave descended the present races of Indians. 4 The tribea in _Central America and Mexico, in Venezusls, and in Britishand Dutch Guines, distinctly doscribe these cataclysmas, onis by water, oo by fre, and the third by winds, Tho tribes nearer the vicinity of the terribls convulsions were cognizant of the whols effects of fire and winds, when the remote tribes wero sensible only .ofithe flood of waters which went to the ‘base of the mount » From amidst * the thunder and fiames that came out of the ses,” Whilst ¢‘mountains were sinking an Tising,” the tarror-atricken inhabitants sought every n 3 -} deeds expodient of eafety. Some fled to the mountains, and somo launched their rafts and canoes upon the turbu- lent waters, trusting that a_favorable current would land them pon a hoapitablé shore, and thus in this elemental strife this ancient civilized people became widely dispersed. 1t 15 claimed that by this eatastrophe, an area larger than that of the Kingdom of France became engulfed, including "the Lesser Antilles, tho oxtensive banks at. thelr eastern Dase, which at that dsto were vast _and fertile plains;’ the peninsuls of Yucatan, Honduras,- Guatemals, and . the st estuaries of tho Caribboan ‘Ses and ' the ulf of Moxico, With' the peninsulus of Yucatan and Guatemala, went down the splendid cities of Palenguo snd Uxmal, and others whose sites are now in the ocean bed, with most of thelr living {nkabitants ; and tho Continent has since riscn suficlently to restore many of thess ancient sites. 5 The Abbe Brasseur boldly asserts that he has found proofs that tho frat civlization of tho earth s on 0 ground which sank in the cataclysmof the An- tilles ;¢ that the first coromonial religion commenced thoro as wll a5 the firat Ago of Dronze, which sproad over the two hemisphares; and that there we have the beginning and baals of American othnology. 7 Ho appeals to comparative philology to his yiows. “The words Atlas end Atlantlc have no satis- factory etymology fn any go_known to Europe, Thoy aro not. Grock, s cannos bo, referrdd 0 any Imown languago of the Old World, Bat in the Nahu- atal (or Toltecan) language we find immediately tho radical a, atl, which signifies water, man, and the top .of tho head, From thia comes & scries of words, such ‘a8 atlan—on the border of, or smid the water—{rom which we have the adfectiva Atlantic, “Wo have, alao, gtlaci—to combat, or be in agony ; i mexns also, to hurl or dart from {ho water, and in'the preterit makes atlas. : Prof. David Swing has . '*A PEW THOUGHTS ON LANGUAGE,” in which he says these timely words : The victory of education, so far ss worda bring in- formation, 18 to be gained mot in tho study of many Ianguages, but in the mastery of cne. The sonl casts ‘but one sbadow of jtself. It hus but one image of ita s a0 fecliugs sad thoughts. ' The English lan- gusge, the German language, the French Hre okt the pictare of obo tafhg, man; and though we may know & bundred names for '“{riendship,” they all indicate one and the same sentiment; & hun- dred names for “slavers,” wo have learned in all thess only one fact. , Henc the chief sspiration of each stadant should bo 1o muster some oo of theso three great languages, in which world’s past is trossured up without losa of thing or - thought. If other languages sre studied, it shonld ‘be that additional light may be shed upon the singlo ono n which we are to live, move, and have our being. Many a beautiful gir} comes from our seminaries_sble 10 apeak the word “ friend” in- French, Italian, Span- ish, end Epglish ; but the mesning of the word friend, 15 Fevealed from the days of Christ down to the bosom of her own mother, has escaped her inquiry. Coming from the cleasical college, wo can_express the word “ liberiy” in Greek and Lotin and Sanscrit ; but we are strangers 1o al that (mport which tho Lumsn 1aco has'seen in that term, regardless of vowels &nd ‘Con- sonants, Whether this word terminated in * faa” with the Latins, or “tad” with the Spsnisk, {8 an inv -tion of small import compared with the deop study of the ides in tho sufferings and longinga of the human race, The deepest study of the mind secking development can never be found in the acquisition of many tongues, but of many ideas within the same o. To cxpress’one thought in ten langusges is not eo desirable 23 in some one lan- gusge to expreas ten thoughts, To possess & knowl- edgoof many forms of specch from Groek to tho French, is only to.bave 4 gallery all the portraits in Which are of ono hero or Madonna. We ssk you if you have a portratt of Ceesar, and Marcus Aureilus, and Pliny the younger and elder, and your answer is, & o but I have fve portraita of Boerates:"—an fn- tereating fact, but not the best form of {act, Ten tongues are ton photographs of the same face. The highest education will slways bo found in developing tho re- sources of some ong of the three vast ipstrurients of. the spirit, English, French, German, They may all ba tudied indeed, but only that one into which the soul appens to have bsen born msy reveal all its treasuree, ang become & medium of the mind in relation to itself s0d 0 its fellow-men, an atmosphere in which thosoul can fiy to and fro to all the accossiblo heights and depths of its vast world. s Inasmuch a8 the nincteenth century surpasees all be- fore it, and fpasmuch aslanguago must b a fuithful ‘pictura of tho soul, it follows that the English, sud Gerinan, and French tongues are esch mOre OXpres- sive, as t0 quality and quantity, than the tongues that. Iny like s beautiful vesture upon Alhens or Rome. Each one of thess modern tongues includes Groecd, and ‘then reaches beyond. Tue soul having grown o the shadow it caste argor le the duap thit enwrape it. nguzge posscezes a fow {otividual traits, but look into tho mighty English alone, and there is the record and picturs of humanity up tothia hour, in all ita joy and sorrow, strength and ‘beauty. THE OTACR CONTENTS ARE 44 What the River Said to 3fe,” by Eato Seymour Mo- Lesn; “ Our Adjutant,”” Ly Egbert Phelps; “March. ing with » Command,” IL, by Josepline_Clifford ; “Atlantic” (heretofore’ published in Taz TRIDUNE] by Benj, F. Taylor; *The Fall of Eve,” by Matilds M. Turner; *In Port,” by Carlotts Perry ; “ Fiith, Hope, Cherity,” by Willism G. Rrown; * . 8, Dodge ; * The Doctor in Love Reviewer.” B ALLIGATORS. Some Florida Yormge Enterprise (Fla.) Correapondence of the New York Sun, This morning Capt. Tom Recves went ’gator hunting. He returned about aa bour ago in very bad humor. It seems that about two weeks since, Capt. Tom discovered a very large alliga- toron a marsh fronting Mr. de Bary's boat, house. The old Captain kept his discovery to himself. Every morning ho has risen with the sun, taken his nifle, and gneaked off alone in his little boat in hopes of securing the big alligator. - Ho tells his story as follows : 4 Yell, this morning, I got down opposite de Bary's boat-honse just after the sun popped up. 1 1aid down in tho marsh flat on my belly and waited for tho 'gator. I laid there abont two hours. Then I heard a noiee and the big cuss begen cravling up out of tho water. 'He was only sbout twenty feet from mo. When ho. got his shoulders up on the marsh ho began to smell around and growl to himsolf as if somehody had told him that old Tom Reeves was there looking for him. By snd by he gok-out of the water, ~furned ~around two or | thréo times like s dog just before he Iaya -down, and stretched himself out in the hot sun with his tail toward me. Ho opened his month g5 though yawping two or three times, and then shut his 65es and went to slcop 83 though he had a nice soft thing all to_ hi I Jot him lay there about five minutes, and thenI raised up and made up my mind to.give it to him. aimea at his léft oye and pailed the triggor. Just myluck. Thecap dido't go off. Bat the old cuss didn't stir, and I pasted another cap on the tube and went for him ngain. The cureod cap was good for nothing. I iried four caps on him, and all wero bad. Then the 'gator shook” iz solf up, looked at me as much as to ssy, ¢ Well,- you're tho worst I ever saw,’ and wriggled him-~ Folf into the water.” © -~ (= sor - Tom then filled the perfumed Florida air wit] a choice selection of oaths, and enid that he had discovored that the lock of his gun was broken and that she didn't ‘bave power to “snap a cap. As it is known tbat Tom has at lesst six 'gator heads buried in the garden _fronting . the hotel, nobody has much_symfn:hy for him, While I was at Lake Jessup, I went 'gator bunting with Judge Emmons, of Jacksonville. We found a twelve-foot alligator sleeping on top of the water about twenty feet from the shore, Dear & small grove of palmettos. The Judge put & rifile ball directly through the alligatar’s skull. The ball made & tarrible hole. The ‘gator was s dead as a mackerel. We slipped & rope around his shoulders and towed him ashore, While the ‘monster lay in the water, and we ware debating 86 to how we wonld get his head off, I jabbed & stick- through the bullet-holo down into his brfii:. A colored man who was passing by sai “ Boss, R} Jyou knife in he fore paw to see ef ho dead. Ho done Jyou some mischief, Boss, -suah, if -he no dead.” Itook my knife out of its sheath and ran it. info the alligator's foro paw.. mon- ster lashed the water with his tail almost Imocking the Judgo into’ the lnks, and nearly putting out my. eyes. "When I recovered my eyesight; Tsaw the Judge, but not the alligator. _’.Igile animal had sailed off, stick and all, and lofi no track behind bim. Ny -« The largest alligator in the State of Florida cani be found near Popper Hammock on Banana _Oreek, at the head of Morritt's Island. This animal 18 known all along theIndian River. Capt. Dummitt told me that this alligator is cer- tainly over twenty foet long. Dummitt says that 1io has Been him in his present quarters, off and - on, over twenty-five years. The Captain thinks he is at least 100 years old, and probably more. Over a dozen hunters have spent days in trying to kill him, but though some have got shots at him none have been successful. His hide turns the bullets as a duck sheds rain. His hole is under ahigh bank and covered with a growth of moes snd rushes. I camped four days at Pepper. ‘Hammock, and this alligators roar kept me, 6 awake ‘&t mnight. It sounded _ like distant teunder. One morning Dr., Fox, my companion, ran a wounded deer into the shallow bay fronting the alligator's hole. A large yellow dog called ter was on the trail of the deer, and ran wto the watar after him. .When the alligator heard the braying of the dog he gave chase. The Doctor reached the bank and took in the situation. As he had wounded the deer, and was chasing it, and ex- pecting it every moment to drop, rifle was not loaded. He began to shout loudly st the dog, and thon ran into the water after the alliga- tor. The,monster heard the Doctor coming, dropped. the chase, and ficd to his hole. The Doctor was much excited. He thought the world of his dog, and said that he had almost rather have lost & leg than have lost Buster. ° 1f there ia one thing in the world that an alli- gator loves more than any other one thing, it is | pleaso, adog. The bark of a dog will frequently bring a dozen alligators to tho surface of the water. -Hunters i tote .their dogs on.harse- back “while crossing shallow water or very swampy places. hen an alligator hoars the baying of a hound . he always puts for a ford, if there is one in the vicinity, upin§~to catch the dog when he comes that way. Youngcol- :fi?d cfilklmn are also said to.bo rave dainties for ra. o greatest alligator hole in Florida is on the occan’ side of the Indian River, about twenty miles: above Fort Capron. It is situated in &. fresh water. swamp, back of a dense growth of fiolo is_about eixty foet wide mangroves. This at mouth,. but it extends o great distance und®: the ground, and appears to be a paradi aradiso for aligators. Itisabont a mile from s little E:lsmatm hut, where a Georgian, named Estes, lived alone over fifteen years. Estes pro- tacts these alligators and will allow no one to ghoot them. o . Some years ago the father of Capt. Watson of this place visited & marsh a¢ the lower end of Lake Monroe o hunt stray hogs. The Captain is s little man, with sharp, gray oyes, and quick. of foot. While xoamm% out -over- the and hallooing for the hogs he -was suddenly Beized by an_ enormous alligator and hurled in thomud. The alligator caught him by the leg and stripped the flesh to the bone. Tho old man was termibly wrenched, and for & long time his recovery wasdoubtful. It was six months be- foro he left his bed. This is the only well authenticated case that came tomy -notice in which an alligator attacked a man. Some people think that while Watson was walking over the ‘marsh he took the alligator fora log and jumped onhim. Itiscertain that the animal seized ‘Watson by the leg and nestly broke the old 1man’s back by & blow from his tail. Alligators m:l;uanuynu their stomacks with ducks. They find the iiou in the marshes where the ducks huddle together st night, and make a descent upon them. . Frequently, while flocks of great fat raft ducks are swimming in the deepest part of ariver or lake, an alligator will glide under the ducks and select those that suit him ‘best. They are drawn under the water so qui- etly that the flock is not startled for some time, and the alligator manages to secure a square ‘meal before he is suspected. On summer nights the.alligator crawls tosa chosen spot in the marshes, The air is filled with miilions of mosquitoes. The monster opens his enormous mouth, and keeps his jaws apart until the mnside of his mouth is black with tho insects. Then he brings his jaws togather with & snap, runs bis tongue abont the inside of his mouth, and swalloys his winged visitors. He will keop ¢his up until his appetite is satiated. THE SHAH OF PERSIA. Mlis Visit to Europe. From the Loutsville Courier-~Journal. Among the many notables whoee presence is expected at the opening of the Vienna Exhibi- tion, not the lenst interesting to Europeans will be the Shah of Persis, commonly known as Nusser-c3-Deen, but whose real name, on the authority of Mr. Eastwick,is Nasiro'd diw Kajar. To most persons Eastern personages and affairs aro enveloped in & sortof traditional haziness not withont & certain charm., The London Times speaks of jewels in the possession of the Shah valued at two or throe millions sterling, and wlLich have never been seen by any.European. This is not correct. Mr. Eastwick, formerly in the diplomatic service, has seen them, and has given an account of them in the second vol- ume of the * Journal of n Diplomat,” and esti- mates their value “at" £6,000,000, or $30,000,000. This is, no doubt, by far the most valuable col-, loction of pracious stones in existence. Among theso is the Darya o Nur, the sister jewel to the famous Kuh a Nur, which, according to Parsian tradition, was with it in the hilt of the sword of Afrasib 3,000 years before Christ. Rustam took it to Persia, Timour carried it away, and Nadir Shah recovered it when he con- quered the Great Mogul, took Delhi, and carried away its treasures. The casket of ewels of the Mogul was taken to Meshed by adir 8hab, and continued in the possession of ‘’his descendanta till Aga Mahomot, the founder of the dynasty of which the present Shah ig the fourth, overthrew the reigning monarch and car- ried off his treasure to cheran, Itisnot im- probable that soms of the most famous jewels of antiquity are in this collgction, and among them the sacred geras that once adorued tne breast-plate of the Jewish High Priest. The present dynasty is not Persian, but Tark- ish, descended from the Kajars, a tribe of Turks whom Timour transplanted, for their loy- elty to his person, from Syria te Persian Arme- nis. Under subsequent monarchs they obtained the rich district = around -Asterab: in the sontheastarn oxtremity of the Caspian Ses, where thfg remained vassals of the house of Sophi till the death of Khureem Ehan in 1779, In the civil wars which followed, Aga Mahomet Played his part 50 well that ho attained tho crown a few years before the close of the last century. The present Shah is abont 44 years of 2go, well educated, spoaks Arabic, Persisn, Fronch, and English with ease, and is endeavoring to bring his kingdom into sympathy with the States sys- tem of Earope. He left. Teberan & fow days since, was conveved acros3 the Caspian by a Russian escort, has by this time landed 1n Rus- sia, and will proceed by train to St. Petersburg, whero he will bo tho gucst of the Czar till the opening of the [Exposition. After spending some woeks at Vienna he will proceed to Lon- donas the fi:flal of the British Queen. . He will doubtless bo fetod at both courts, and perhaps subsidized by one or both cre ho returna. - . It may intorest the curions to know the titles of the Shah of Persia, which are studionsly re- arded in all treaties and conventions to which Ee becomes a party. In theso he is introduced 88 * Tho Shali, as exalted as the planot Saturn; the Sovereign to whom the Sun_ serves as s standard, whoso' splendor and magnifi- cence, are equal. to those of the gkics; the Sublime Sovereign, tho Monarch whose armies are a3 numerous as the stara ; whose greatness calls , to mind - that of Djomschid, whoso magnificence equals that of Darius; tho heir of the crown and, throne of the Kayanians; ihe gll}:).‘l’ixge Emperor of -all Peréis, the Sbah Yu A concession wasa Iately granted to Baron Von Router by the Shah for the construction of fele- graphs and railways within tho imperial domin- ions, which will -bring Porsia into more intimate relation with. Western powers. This is, wo bo- lieve, tho first time & monarch of his dynesty has ever visited Europe. Py p — Sacred Bulls. Apis, the sacred bull of Memphis, and Mnevis, the sacred ox of Heliopolis, were pretended by tho priests of Egypt to presont to their worship- ers tlio material form of their deity Osiris. At Memphis was erected a grand court, ornamented With figares, in which .the sscred bull was kept when- exhibited -to the public. . Attached to it were two stables, also for its nse. The featival in honor of Apis lasted two. days, on which occasion a.large concourse of peopls assembled. The priests then led tho.sacred ball, pre- ceded by a chorus of . children singing hymns in his -honor, in solemn procession. All persons crowded to welcomo him ss he passed. It was thought that children who smelt his breath were thereby gifted with the power of predict- ingfature events, When the Apis died, certain priests, chosen for the duty, went in quest of an- other, who was known from the signs mentioned in the sacred books. 'As soom 28 he was found, they took him to _the city of the Nile, prepara- -tory to hisremoval_to ‘Memphis, where ho was kept forty days. These days being completed, e was placed in & boat, with & golden cabin pre- pored, exprossly for bim; and_he was_con- jucted in state upon the Nile to- Mem- phis. The Apis -was. forbidden to_live more. than . twenty-five - years. Bhould he b alive at the end of that period, the. priests lod him to the sacred fountain, and drowned him. with much coremony. . His body was: embalmed, and a grand funeral processiontook place. When natural deat the Apis died & hia obsequies were cclaln?ned on the most = cont scale. 1he ‘burial place of ‘thesa sacred bulls was discovered a few years since by M. Marietti, near Memphis. It conaists of an arched gallery hewu in therock, about 20 feet in height and -bredth, and 2,000 féot 1n_length, besides. s lateral gollary. On mea_ch_ sido Ll;; series of recesses, every one con- ning & e sacophagus of ite, in. which tho body of & sacred bull fiad boen dg of i Apis ok Jiace, of an Apis ] le performed in ‘public lamentation; 4nd thia mouraing lasted until his successor had been found. - They then commenced the rejoicings, which wero celebrat- ed with an enthusiam equal to the grief exhibit~ ed during the mourning. _. The people consnlted the Apis as an oracle, and drew from his ac- tions good or bad omens. - - ~The Hindoos have, for many centuries, pro- p%fis\ted th;oz:!l vzlihhdlvin‘:dl’:unaml? Cl;)h;lr wl?}- es are ently sitnal eays Forbes in Lis R Oriental Memoirs,” in the midst of-the wildest scenery, surrounded * by wcods and forests. these groves s 'number of consecratod bulls, after -being dedicated with great ceremony by the Brahmins to Biva, and having a distinguishing mark set upon them, are permitted to wander whithersoever they ‘cause the . death everywhere welcomed as’ the representa- tives of the god. Never was Apis regarded in ancient Egypt with more veneration than is now & -to-the Bull of 8iva -in Hindostan.. -Besides . o living animals, there is in most temples a- representation of one’or moro of the race, cu tured in marble or" stone, * roposing ~under fi. banian or peepul treo: for, living or doad, they sre supposed to add to the sanctity of the holy retreats. .The consecrated bulls are of extraor- dinary beauty. -They are: perfectly white, with black horns, & ekin “delicately 8oft, and eyes rivaling those of the antelope in* brillisnt fus. tro.—Belgravia. THE ' MOTHER'S LAMENT FOR AN v S DAUGHTER.” And can it be that thou art gone forever? My heart recoils with pain from such & thought§ T ein oy the plis Lhy prcesncy povogh oy the 1y presence sught ; 1 50 Toer that that thy aleep art locpiag - From which I may not hope to seo thee wake That tho long, weary silenco thou art 3 ‘The Resurroction-morn alone can break. 1 kmaw not, daughter of my heart, Tloved thee i mach gt {agizing lovo, 71 Tl sudden Death fron: outmysight removed thee, ' 1 trust to brighter, happler realms above. . Was not his sablo wing an angel pinion To thoe, to bear theo fzom this world of pain, To where 0 sins or sorrows have dominion, But holiness and joy forever reign 7 And yet ‘s strange I did not think thes mortal; My friends had fallen as the sutumn-leaf ; The loved of youth had entered Death’s dark portal, And thelr untimely loss I'd wept-with grief. 1 thought I soon should dio and leave theo lonely, An orphan wandering o'er this vale of tears ; 1 know that death was common lot,—and only - From thee I savered all such glodmy fears. Tmiss st morn, by kind and loving groeting 3 The hours of day drag heavily along; Eve comes, but brings not our sccustomed’ m ‘Nor oven makes tho muslo of thy scng. - ° ‘Who can like thee the willing service render 2. . ‘Whose hand so soft upon my aching brow? Whoes sympathies s0 ready and 8o teader 2 None e’er can be to me sgain as thon | 1 know that T am selfish in my griaving ; 1 would not call tliee back from heavenly blisss I trust that, with the heart in Christ belioving, Thon'rt with Him in s Lappler clime than thls BAill T am sad, and 1ifa looks dark and 5 o Tk ek;::& shut mam:';fn“un“}m from my souls W ough 80 worn an weak and weary, X 1 cannot on my God each burden roll, i Cxmage, April, 1573, Avm Heser, - ' ony Cies B : Reindeer. et Tn many bleak Northern regions these animals are the sole support of tho peopls. When lib- erated from harness they go directly in pursuit of food—a peculiar species of nuiritious moes, which their instinct enables them o find, deeply ' covered with snow. Sometimes as many as one " hundred start off foraging, there being nothing rovided for them by their exacting master. ike camels under similar circumstances, when unladen, they stroll off miles in different direc~ tions. When they are wanted :fxun' their seal- ekin-clad ‘drivers get |behind them in several diroctions, and by hallooing, throwing snowballs, . and making considerable uproar, the deer ars” gradually driven into & ‘maaller cibclo. The kerd s theu encircled by & small cord, the men dray- ing in nearer, until it strikes against their lohg legs. They neither try to lesp over norbreakit, : but huddle as closo a8 possible. Finally, tho Z two ends meet, held by one person, while the oth ers enter under the line and eelect the animala they want; seizing them by their homs, bring- ing tham ontside, and tying them to something 2 strong enough {0 hold them till harnessed to the sledge. The remainder again scatter in pursnit 2 of mose. Btrong, tall, and fleet though therain deer are, able, with a aweep of their antlers, to mow down a score of sturdy Northmen, tfxey cower at the voice of -man. Their masters ara rude, harsh, and unkind toward them. Under no circumstances of oppression or hardship do they evince the slightest resentment. They ars 80 “timid that the sound of their driver's voice sets them running at such speed that they will m{om halting if the drivars continue to urga Our old friend, who has taken' us_under her cherge, was an important personage in the milk- ing inclosure, her duty consisting in laseoing tha deer and tying them up ready for milking. The process of catching tho animals is very pretty. 'Tho wary old woman propares the rope in her black and shriveled hoods, casts a glance round the herd befors singling out her victim ; then, with s dexterous throw which seldom migses its aim, she ‘flings the noose vound the selected ~ammal's horns, and, “ hanling in the'slack,” has the reindeer a ‘most secure prisonor. Sho then knot the ropa abont the animal's noge, and ties it firmly to & : tree; after which she directs ‘her attention to < another member of the herd. J ‘When an animal is secured, one of the other Lapps, either man or woman, -canying s dirty ° little wooden bowl lnving a long handlo, ap= proaches tho captivo, and commences the opera~ tion of milking, which, accompanied’ by many resotnding elaps on the deer’s uddor, is & pro- © ° cess of gufficient nastiness to provoke . sentis _ ment much resembling disgnst. : Each animal yields about half a pint of milk— a rich, unctuous liquid, thick and creamy. We tasted the produce of this herd—with what * amonnt of relish I will not say, since we had * seen the warm fiuid trickling over the grimy hands of the Lapps from which it_certainly re~ ° ceived s modicum of dirt. I sipped for the sake- - of béing able to say that I knew the flavor of reindeer milk; but I was sincerely glad to forget % the taste by cramming my mouth full of berries of a less nauseous character than the lacteal compound.—London Society. * - A Fight in o Graveyard for the Possesa sion of & Tombstone. . From MG’B"E{““{ Ezpress. - A few days ago Maj. Ferris and others, with i the consent of the relatives of the family ex- cepting a sister, Mrs. 8. V. B. Taylor, undertook i3 the removal of the remains of a father, mother, . and other near relatives from Ferguson's grave- - yard (g0 called from its proximuty to corners of that name), in the. west partof the Town of Barre, to a. burying ground about onemile eouth of Melville. ~ They accomplished their undertaking safely .snd unkoown to the Taylor family, between whom there bave been family dificulties.. After removing :the bodies, they returned ‘for the, tombstones; but i tha meantins the Taylors had learned of -the pro~ - -- ceedings, and, driving down to the ground, - : sbout a milo distant from their Lonse, saw whab had been done, and becamo Boenreg:f} that they - broke_the - headstones, and acted so furiously, B that Maj. Ferris and his man had to abandon % the attempt of removing the stones that day. . . On the 18th inst., however, Maj. Farris, and & force of men numbering twelve or fifteen again . repaired to tho ground for the purposs of re- moving the fine monument, costing about 8400, erected by Maj. Ferris, and brother and other - relatives, for which the Taylors had never .con- tributed anything. While engaged in the work {ue * Taylor Brigado” made their appearance, bent on & battle or a raid. . An_altercation en- sued, hot words followed fast and forious, and . . then'the Taylor forco began to emash thinga generally, duringwhich one of tho women seized; a spade and chipped off the raised letters on the monument’s bage. : it This the Ferris blood could not endurs, and' they told the Taylor force to ‘‘get ont of that, i instanter.”. . But they declined, .and a pitehev.f. battle was the result. After a sharp encounter, 3 during which the Taylor force hurled missiles the monument, badly defacing it, and the red blood of the contesting forces commingled, tha . : Forris forco were triumphant. They took ths monument, the Taylor force retiring vanquished - - and content. : . .. - L It is expected the affair will finally endin a lawsuit for damages, and in which will be davel- oped the most disgraceful and scandalous traps=: actions the community ever witneased.- & — - American Children. The London_ Echo has & word in seascn fo say sbout Young America: Progress s s very fine .thing, especially it is 80_considered in America. But even there, it wonld seem, the adult popu- Iation are beginning to feel that one may have almost enough of it, and that for children to - tread on their_heels too closely, and Jeave them to 014 ‘Fogydom at' 30, is slightly unpleas~ ant. The young ones have even advauced upon. the little oy in Philadelphis, who sti] a few years ago that he would say hia prayers at night, bat not in the ‘morning, *“Because,”as . he remarked, I -can't' take caro-of -mysalf - when_I'm asleep, but a boy that is worth any- thing “can tske care of himself by day.” An ° . eminent Methodist divine a fow weeks 2go ex-. ! resced - publicly, ' at- & clerical conventian, | Eis despair . about the spiritual condition of tho juveniles, and remarked that “if children Were not converted before 13, a change of heart afterward was now well-nigh ficpe!m" After that mature period we presume the Ameri-~ " can-boy or girl is no longer found amenable to the. roverend gentleman’s admonitions, but is altogether “hardemed” in evil courses. A + Mother ” also writes fo complain of the blass state of mind of daughters of 15, who have been - - to Europe and up the Nile; arid who, 'at an aga . -; _when she (the mother) ‘thonght the wood-cuts in Peter Parley es of art,” enjoy nothing : short of Raphael, and find any music less sub- | lime than Bach and Besthoven quite unbesrs-. ble. On the whole, we fancy American parents _ .. will do well to apply, in_their system of paidst=""" tics for the fature, & little of that great principle . of dramatic composition—Rotardation. >