Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, February 28, 1880, Page 9

THE . CHICAGO TRIBUNE: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1880—TWELVE PAGES. z : Pa } NEW PUBLICATIONS. —yTaLbaBie WORE. EADER'S HANDBOOK - | eUSIONS, REFERENCES, PLOTS, oF ALLUNO;S, AND STORIES. wo APPENDICES. By the Ber. E- COBHAM BREWER, LLL.D., aotor of “DISUORREE of Phrago and Fable,” “A Gulde to Science, orn bro. 1104 pares. Half Morocco, gilt top, AMGygo- SHEEP» ‘$4.00. Half Russia, $5.00. exes nll that we have seen in a book of ses nll tend writers. a8 it combines the readerencyclopadias, biographical dic~ Hes Gupuion books. Abpended to it is a es. and ae antos of dramas and operas, HUM. weal irr and a second spnendys fee book, milled “i 4, ete., reierred to 1c 4 ic! ems, novels, cea complete. Altorether “he ‘cheap at any price, K cin every well-ordered [ibrary, md of re peal orlaiee. | writing asa profession.” ~Vhiludel- Frente Bulletin. omnis rites ess A Charming New Novel. © WRECKED, BUT NOT LOST. FAITH TEMPLETON. EXTRA CLOTH. 6:.50. By 1200. bright, healthful story, well written as to *apare, Urinijre artistic, symmetrical construction. ‘ebarat well-drawn os Guat exist fa real lite. Bao ‘deserves recognition in the list of Baew oth ing novelima’"~Phusdelphin ‘Evening Bullet a ? Rosa W. Carey’s New Novel. NELLIE’S MEMOIRS, BY ROSA NOCCHETTE CAREY, “author of “ Wooed and Married,” ete. amo, Cioth, $1.25. Paper Cover, 75 Cents. e ad “Wooed and Married’ will betinitn ‘Commendation of this really charm- pittie nan the Information that it is by the author of wat delightrul work. Forsale dy all booksellers, or will be sent by mail, postage prepeld, on receipt of the price by 3, B. LIPPINCOTT & CO., Publishers, 715 & 717 Masket-st., Philadelphia. “INSTRUCTION BOOKS! . FOR THE PIANe. Bicherdson's Rew Method for the Pianoforte. (G51. sustains its reputation ‘as the most perfect of fRirnctia Books. faving been many times revised, improved, nnd enlarzed. Hundreds of thousands Jepipeen sold, aud it is stil! in constant and lance de- Tana. Be ture toget the right. book. Notice the ex- Suet title, and ucceptno other. 4 Now get your EASTER MUSIC, Send for list. FOR REED ORGAN. ‘The Emerson Hetho (250), by “Emerson and Matthews, ‘has a capital “methed” and an abundance of fine pieces, instru- Bent andvood, cht please while they instiuet the jearner. DO NOT-FORGET WHITE ROBES! (cts... New Sunday-Schoo! So: WT Aumeat caccesx. By Abbey and Munger. Ererrbody should posses It. | ‘TEMPERANCE JEWELS (35 gts.). By J. H, Tenney. RUT Heoperance Sons, ail choice and wide awake. \EMERSON'S ANTHEM BOOK (31.35). By L. 0. Emer- ‘on. Enexceiledin quality. Very choice and largo * collection. * ene : 4 “AMERICAN ANTHEM BOOK ($125). 100 easy An- ‘thems, for.common choirs. .By Johnson, Tenney, aad abbey. - Any Look matied, post-free, for the retail price, LYON & HEALY, Chicago, Ill. “OLIVER DITSON & CO., Boston. es Aulst of Patents Issued to Northwestern . Inventors. Special Dispatch to The Chicago Tribune, Wasnnctos, D. C., Feb. 27.—A. H. Evans & Co. report the following patents issued to North- (western inventors: ¥ ILLINOIS. . Christy, Chicago, branding-stamp. 3.T. Cook, Moline, and i S. Leas, Hock Island,- scar-coupling. - 47,4, &J. A. Elam, Greenville, sulky-plow. 4.¢. Farnsworth, Chicago, portable fare-col- Jecting apparatus. * W.2. Hale. Chicago, hydraulic elevator. F, Holland, Utica, lime and cement kiln. He & L..lwap, Roberts, draft-attachment to plows, J.W. Kenna, Chicago, child's chair and ear- Ee. 4. Montgomery. Marseilles, curtain-fixture. 3. T. Presser, Chicago, steam-engine. HG. &J.T. Redsecker, Athens, belt-fastencr. -_0.B. Xollins & Hudson, Wellington, check- Topper {or corn. planters. % emia Je, Sterling, separator for D.C. Stover, Freeport, reel for coiling wire. Thompeon, Chicago, counterfeit coin-de- HJ. & W. 7. Wintherlich, Chicago, process _ snd machine for making drop-shots WISCONSIN. , Stevens Point, carpet-stretcher. A. Johnson & Dewey, Por ¥, hay- ne Dewey, Port Andrew, hay-rake bee Matai. Fond ¢ du Lac, epring-bed bottom, + WP » Portage, milk-purifying an ‘cream-raising apparatus. 2 = MICHIGAN. Detroit, machine for dressing m S 3.S. Howey, Lexington, end-gate for wagons. wiePotter: ‘Mendon, sund-band for vehicle- J.B. Eddy, st J.C. Brana oldings Kents a MINNESOTA. 5 . Craft, Worth: = fog fruit’. ington, compound for preserv- IOWA. XS. Blair, Warsaw, harrow. 3. W Bolton, Fredericksburg, milk-can skim- 4. Fowle, Iowa City, wire-stretcher. re } Hartman, Oniwn, fenee-post. tmiC.W. Heers, Des Moines, self-dropping at- ment for comn-planters. .T. Lynch, Parker & Steel, Corning, animal- BLE. Roberts, Leon, skeleton kettle. fs INDIANA. & L. Campbell, Terre Haute, drying-kiln. tages Ghamness & Vaughn, Alexandria, wash- ‘ine. $. Collins, In ania tins, idianapolis, machine for scraping ..D. Shane, South Bend, lifting-jack. }-Favsht, Hendricks ‘County, wagon-body. . Johnson, Vincennes, key-fastener- ft Pebom, Richmond, cabinet. folding-bed. a . Suit, Indianapolis, grain-separator. Patent Indianapolis, spark-arrester (two W. A. Wheeler, Indi i i , Indianapolis, machine for _ Sinping shect-mvtat pipes NEBRASKA. LETTERS AND SCIENCE, The Financial History of the United States. ‘The Elective Franchise in This Coun- try—Life of Dr. Duff. Brain-Work and Over-Work—Sol- omon’s Story—Minor Notices . Magazines. Art Publications — Literary and Art Notes—Scientific Matters. LITERATURE, | + FINANCIAL HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. It is a rather singular fact that previous to the appearance of the present work by Mr. Bolles, the only treatise on the early finan- cial history of this country was written by a German, Dr Von Hock. If size be any cri- terion, the present writer has more than atoned for the deficiency. The present vol- ume of 360° pages covers only the period of fifteen years from 1774 to 1789, and is to be supplemented by another volume, covering the period from 1789 to 1860. The thente isan. important one, and at no time more perti- nent than at present, when public interest has been so successfully awakened in finan- cial ‘questions. The work, moreover, has been well and carefully done: It is a sum- mary of facts pertaining to, and an apparently exhaustive treatise on, the finances of the formative epoch in our history; and we agree with David Wells that the book “ fills a place and meets a want which is not sup- plied by any one publication.” To some of Mr. Bolles’ criticisms or comments we may take exception. He has, nevertheless, made an important contribution to the literature of our early Colonial history. The great difliculty during the first years of our existence as a Nation was the lack of codperation and the jealousies between the different States, the consequent delegation of executive power to Boards and committees, and the lack of system and of definit plan in the different departments of the Government.° Nowhere was this more evident than in the management of the finances. The student today regards our ultimate success, as little short of a miracle, and failure would have been but a logical conclusion from the prem- ises he finds given. That we succeeded in maintaining our armies for so many years, and in repairing the losses of war, in acquir- ing new material, and in defeating a well- equipped, well-armed, well-provided, and wealthy nation,—when we really were.de- pendent upon an irredeemable paper money for currency,—sounds contrary to all rule and reason. That we did it, we know; and to show how we did it, is the mission under- taken by Mr. Bolles. . Our Treasury Department first took shape with the organization of a Claims Committee, succeded shortly after by a Board of Treas- ury. But it was impossible for delegates to Congress to attend to their dual duties, and, copying from the old French system, an Auditor, Controller, and Treasurer were ap- pointed, and were made responsible for the conduct of-their clerks. ,And here is seen one of the pernicious influences f the State- rights doctrine then so universal in the col- lection of money due tothe United States. “In allcases of delinquency the Controller was to givethe debtor a reasonable time to. appear and, in-ease-he-did- not;-the-Auditor; + on ruck, Mist Proper notice had= been sent;¢ ide out. a requisition, the form of which w prescribed in’ the act, which was sent by ‘the Controller to whom? To the debtor? No, but to the executive authorit of the State acherein the debtor resided. Congress dared go no further than to rccom- amend the States to enact laws for the seizure of property and’ persons of debtors to. the United States. neglecting to discharge their public obligations. : ‘This arrangement was made in 1779, but within twelve months another reorgani tion occurred. ‘The Controiler’s oflice was aboblished and a Board, consisting of three Commissioners who were not members of Congress and two others who were, was created. And this complicated Board of Treasury continued in power about two years, when Robert Morris was_appointed Superintendent of Finance. In June, 1775, Congress authorized the issue of the first paper.. money, $2,000,000, and “pledeed the faith of the ty Colonies for their re- demption.”? In four years $200,000,000 had been. issued, depreciating with each issue, and finally: worthless as a circulating medium. The. States,’ moreover. had issued a_ paper, jnoney.of theirown. And, as the value of the currency becaineimpaired, its purehasing power diminished, and.it only went one- half, one-third, or one-quarter as far. ‘The States would not permit general taxation; ihat right they retained for themselves. “Jo you think, gentlemen,” one of the delegates in:the Continental Congress, “ that Iwill consent to load my constituents with taxes, when we can send to our printer and get a wagon load of money, one quire of which will pay for the whole.” In 1779 it was gravely argued in Congress that the Revolutionary paper-money, because of its in- eligibility inthe markets of the world, was the best of all possible currency; because, unlike gold and silver, “ it remained with us, would not forsake us, ready and at hand for the purposes of commerce or tax; es, and every industrious man could find it,” So the statesmen of the time were obliged to resort to all manner or dev to eke out the issue of Continental notes, They procured loans, through loan offices; instituted public Jotteries; solicited advances of money from the States; levied forced contriautions; and negotiated loans in France, Spy, and-LHol- land. Counterfeiting,was another élement ‘that interfered with Whe value of the Conti- nental bills of credit. In 177 the different States began the passage of confiscation acts, ‘applying the avails of the sales of Tory, prop erty to the redeeming of certificates and bills of credit, “‘In some States the estates -and. rights of married women, of widows, and minors, and of ‘persons who had died within the territory possessed by the British, were forfeited. In one instance the property which had been mortgaged to a British creditor was released, by -special act of the Legislature, fromthe incumbrances and given to the repre- sentatives of the mortgagee, who had fallen a George E. Bigelow, Geneva, water-clevator. THE DELIVERER WILL COME. » When the tale of bricks is doubled, ‘The Deliverer is sent! Hold this, toilers, weary, troubled, For your heurts’ encouragement. He may come in guise so lowly ‘ou may turn in scorn away. ist aside all pride unboly, ‘or He will not long delay. He may come as Hero splendid, pi fiting you to fame and power; 'y His inighty arm defended, Joy shall gild cach huppy hour. He may come as gentle Shepherd, Kindly curring the weaks His bosom, softly sheltered, » . You shall tind the rest you seck. He may come on Angel 4 n gel-pinions, G With the amaranthine crown, ; uiding to those fair dominions Where no burdens press you down, ‘Though the load be hard to carry, ploutage! for your help is near. ‘ear not! though He scem to tarry, Your Deliverer is near. . W. J. H. Hogan. —___— . Why 11 Quits Them. af ate Omaha Herald no longer gives repdrts of ae, debates in the City Council, the reason being Tipe Of the language is unfit for -pub- While waitin; is fora cough to go as it came, fouare often laying the foundation for some Pulmonary or bronchial affection. It is better Wgetridor a coldaz once “by using thar, sure meds, Dr. D. Juyne’s Expectorant, which wiil * GReall’stubvorn coughs, and relieve any anz 5 to dangerous consequences, in battle.” Meanwhile the financial condi- tion of the country did not improve, an August, 1877, a permanent committee of five Was appointed “to consider the state_of the money and finances of the United States. Robert Morris, Gerry, R. I. Lee, Wither- spoon, and'G.’ Morris’ were the members of hat Committee. But when they made a second report it evidently contained some startling facts and opinions, “for only sixty copies Were printed, and the printer was Te quired, under special oath, to keep its con- tents secret, and print no extras.” Congress did not cease to issue paper money, how- ever, until it became so worthless that noth- ing could be obtained for it in exchange. ‘Then ‘was passed the Forty-for-one Redemp- tion act by which all the Continental money was to be redeemed by new issues bused upon the credit of the States, ata discount of S40 of the old emission for $1 of the new. Of the financial picture at the time Gen. Cornell in a letter to Gen. Greene: ‘The situa- says; c e tion of our finances is such as. to make every thinking man shudder. 7 new money ordered into circulation iy he resolution of the 18th of March meets with so many obstructions, I almost despair of the eredit it will have in the States that comply ‘with the resolution. If that should fail, good God, what will be our fate. wvithout money or eredit at home or abroad? We have not one farthing of money in. the ‘Treasury, and I know of no quarter from which we have a right to expect any.’ Tt is well to recall occasionally the trials of the infant Republic. With our prosperity and experience we are too apt -to underesti- mate the perplexities the trials, the suffer- ings of our patriotic sires. We have profited by the lessons they Jearned with toil and trouble. : ¥ aper money depreciated in, value ree the Sipyeme ‘Executive Council wrote President Reed, of Pennsyly: Br. Searle, ‘all dealings in aber aug Necessity forced out the gold and silver,—a fortunate trade opened ‘at the same time to’ Tiavana for four, the Mexican dollars flowed in’: by thousands. In a few days specie became the universal medium and $6 continues. Every one is surprised at the change. A general system of economy and frugality will be the natural consequence of the money Buding a settled value.” - , One word as to the extent of counterfeit- ing. Mr. Bolles claims that the British Gov- ernment embarked in the business. The same papers which published British official documents contained advertisements like “Persons going into the other coloni may be supplied with moy number: of comes feited Congress notes for the ‘price of the apex Der, reas They are so nearly and ex- a xecuted that there is no risk ii then oi ; ‘o risk in getting ship load of counterfeit Continental money,” says Phillips, “ coming from ipantal was captured by an American privateer.” of the-term, working as he did chiefly the educational department. But his Ratt was in the missionary cause, for which he was an educator; aid few men have done as much fer the interests of that cause as he accomplished by his awakening appeals to the Churches in Christian ‘lands. In the “Life of Dr. Duff,” lately publishe., we have a very full account: of his remarkable eareer froin his conversion to his death. The style of this biography is not graceful, but the story of a great and good man’s work is impressively told. We only regret that the main facts are not condensed into one-third of the space, which would procure for the book five readers where there will now be and would immensely enhance its fulness. We trust same author endowed With the faculty of condensation will per- forin this needful labor,’ for-the benefit of oe Se rate aul he world. ae he Life of jexander Duff, D. D., LL. D. By George Smith, LL. D. In two vol- umes. New York: A. C. Armstrong & Son. Price $3.75.) ° The last hundred.pages of the book are de- voted to a review of-the financial administra- tion of Robert Morris. No fitter person for the management of the public finances could have been selected... From chaos he evalved order and system. Ile knew the States were rich enough “in all things needed to wage successful campaigns if these could be called forth and his plan was to compel the States to pay their taxes and to supply the army by contract. When every other means failed, he used his private credit, which was always higher than that of the Government.” He discovered abuses everywhere, and promptly corrected them. Ina single day were brushed off 146 super- numerary gfficers. An annual estimate of 140 tons of hay fora certain point was re- duced by him to twelve tons, and this proved am abundant supply.” Taxation and economy were the two pillars supporting his financial structure. “Lhave no system of finance,” he wrote to one of the Governors of the Southern States, “except that which resuits from the plain, self-evident dictates of moral honesty.” Morris was a great financier, and history will yet do justice to his work, In the words of Samuel Breck, “His patriotism was superior to the fears..which too often seize upon the wealthy in moments of civil commo- tion, and he freely risked everything ina good cause.” - Afr. has seen everything from the cold, prosaic side. Tis style is. clear; his method practical; Jiis sentences fairly con- structed; his meaning never in doubt. He has been a faithful student of our early his- tory. We are curious to see his comments on our financial history from 1789-to 1860. We took exception in the beginning to some of his criticisms. It is. only negessary to quote asingle example. Itis foutd on page “When the present Constitution was framed,” he- says, “its authors, fresh with the recollection of the terrible losses and ini- quities which had sprung from the legal- tender laws, endeavored to guard as strongly as possible against the perpetration of so grave an injustice in the future; but, within a hundred years, the barriers set up in the Constitution have been broken down, and the decd sanctioned, net on the ground of a necessity greater than the preservation of the Constitution, —a defense which many would have regarded as justifiable,—butgpon the ground, forsooth, that the act was indeed within the meaning of the organic law; when, if.it be read in the light of history, especially of the debates thereon at the time of its creation, nothing can be clearer than that the framers gf that marvelous instru- ment meant and said just the opposit to that which the Supreme. Court of the United States aflirms they said and intended.” As between "Mr. Bolles’ interpretation and that of the Supreme Court, we are inclined to agree with the latter. ry of the United States (The Financial His from 1774 to 1789. By Albert S. Bolles, Lect- ny in the Boston urer on Political Econon University. New York: D. Appleton & Co. Price, THE ELECTIVE FRANCHISE IN THE UNITED STATES. Mr. MeMillan, under the. above title, has issued a new and enlarged edition of a work originally published some three or four years ago. Three chapters have been added; and Gov. Seymour, of New York, has prepared a preface. In this preface hesays: “The author of this book has set forth in a clear, full way the action of political parties, and the degree to which they modify the theories of our Government. Tis work ean be read with {prDit. by “all who" eare™ to learirtheactual” ‘¢ fings of our system of elections. He wi urges changes in our laws and constitution which he thinks will eure the mischict of which he speaks. With regard to this plan there will be differences of opinion. But, if it should not meet with favor, in de- wising and stating ithe puts the wrongs he would remedy ira strong light. ‘The yalue of his book does not alone grow out of, the wisdom of his scheme, but arises more from the recital of the evils he would cure, and his reasonings about the theories of our Goy- ermnent. .. . Jt proves how much. is Drought avout by the activity and organiza- tion of a few, and it also shows how large a share of pub lic evils is chargeable to those who neglect their political dugies. There is no sinall number who feel that close atten- tion to their own affairs and utter neglect of their country’s interests are meritorious. This class, in truth, are most guilty, As their indifference grows ont of their igno- rance of our political institutions, they, be- yond all others, will be benefited by reading r. MeMillan’s work.” This preliminary statement by Goy. Sey- mour well defines the scope of the work and the purposes, of its author. Le does not seek a Utopia. He is wise enough to prefer pointing out present evils and their remedies, yather than to desire to reconstruct the whole fabric of the Government to remedy some defects. Nevertheless, we do notimag- ine that the words now spoken for the thou- sandth time, at least, on the inyportance of attending to minor_pelitical duties, if any yeal reform is to be effected, will have any more weight than they have had before. There has been improvement and-progress within the past decade, but it has been spas modic and unsustained. We must take o: ception to many of Mr. MeMillan’s defini- tions and conclusions. Is it correct to say of the two political parti “One wants stat- ute law; the other insists upon the suprem- acy of natural law, or the unrestrained incli- nations of citizens” ? : State or municipal elections are controlled by National issues, according to Mr. Mc- Millan,. when, in fact, “the discussion of National affairs, and the relations that voters bear to them, are unimportant, and ought to have no, place, under a proper system of elections, in a State or local canvass.” But many instances will occur to the reader where, in municipal elections particularly, men have disregarded party lines and fought over local issues. * We have another: fault_to find with Mr. MeMillan, and that is a but partially co1 cealed tendency to exalt one political party at the expense of its rival. Any suspicion of partisanship detracts from the influence of a work which aims or claims to present an unbiased opinion. But, of the necessity for some changes in our elective system, we think the author has madea strong showing; and his work is temperate in tone, clearly written, and evidences considerable thought onthe topics under consideration, This is especially true of the discussions of the cau- ens system. It is only natural that methods devised for acomparatively small common- wealth should need some amendment to work satisfactorily with .a nation of 50,000,- 000. And the more the subject is discussed the more probable is it that the remedy finally applied will be the true one. . (The Elective Franchise in the United States. By D. C. McMillan. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. Price 31.) LIFE OF ALEXANDER DUFF, D, D. It is fitting that thelife of a man like Dr. Duff, who had few peers in point of execu- tive energy and eloquence, should be coui- memorated by such 2 monument as the two yolumes before us afford. Dr. Duff was born in 1806, and in 1829 went to India as the first missionary of the Church of Scotland. He soon became convinced that the first work to be done in India was educational, and to this work he devoted himself until he returned to Scotland in 1865 to remain till the time of his deathin the spring of 1878. Tlis visits to Scotland and the United States during the jeriod of ' his mis sionary life qere attehded with a great quickening of tnissionary zeal in thechurches. In Chicago, in the spring of 1954, his. public addresses Were ns usual wonderful illustra- tions of the power of enthusiasm ina speaker who is full of his subject and forgets himself and everything but his theme in his appeals to his hearers. He was followed by: crowds wherever he went, and missions was his one subject. IIe had none of the graces of oratory; but. he carried his au- diences with him by the strength of his thought and the fervor of his spirit. Dr. tod cutive i id be received in public declared that it shoul AE duce, payments at a ratio of Lito 1. a Duif was not a missionary in the usualsense BRAIN-WORK AND ;OVER-WORE. Dr. H.C. Wood has written the tenth vol- umein the American Health Primer Series, and given to it the above title. Itis in real- ity a compact, practical dissertation on nerv- ous diseases, their origin. and cure,—a sub- ject of vital importance ata time when af- fections of this kind are so steadily on the inerease, It is true that many so-called nery- ous diseases are really affections of the other organs, and itis equally true that many af- fections of other organs are in part or solely dependent upon disordered nervous action. Dr. Wood states this proposition: Modern life has.a twofold action in regard to nerv- ous affections: it protects from many degen- erations. which are the results of physical hardships and exposure, but it tends to pro- duce nervous exhaustion, which may end in brain-softening or some other marked nerv- ous disease, or may find. its outcome ina pneumonia or a fever. The two primary causes .of nervous trouble he _ considers as being exposure and dissipation, usin, both these terms in their broadest sense. OE aleohol, he says: ‘ In small amount, it isan arterial.and cerebral stimulant, increasing the activity both of the circulation and of the workings of the brain; in large quantities it paralyzes both brain and heart.” Dr. Wood is equally conservative on the tobacco ques- tion. Its employment, he says, should be re- stricted by the brain-worker “‘to the hours of rest and calm. Moderation in the use of tobacco is almost as necessary to. the brain- porker as is moderation in the use of alco- ol. 4 ‘The lessons to de learned by brain-workers are what might be termed “common-sense rules.” Nevertheless they are habitually dis- regarded: 1. To avoid excitement and emo- tional disturbance as far as possible, 2. To take proper rest, one proportionate to the Jabor. 8. To keep in order the instruments with which the brain works, 4. To avoid unnecessary labor and worry.’ 5. Lo avoid overtaxing the unmatured brain. The book will repay not only reading but study. It is not written’ for. medical men but for their patients, and were the simple rules it formulates putinto practice common sense indicates that there would be fewer breakdowns among Ssoriing men. ' (srain-Work and Over-Work. By H. C. Wood. Philadelphia: - Presley Blakiston. Price 50 cents.) SOLOMON’S STORY. ‘W. J. Shaw has written a novel with the above title. Its publishers have done all they could‘do for it by putting it in an ex- ceedingly handsome dress. ‘To call ita good novel would be to libel our few first-ciass novelists; to call ita poor novel would ‘be an injustice to the author. Itis, we under- stand, a “ first venture,” and is not without positive merit. The characters are drawn from everyday life; they are natural and dramatically brought foward, and there is some quiet humor in the book which is not ineffective, and the pathetic situations are not overdrawn. There are also some goud hits | at the so-called “liberal sentiment” of the day. But the main plot is worn threadbare, much of the book is tedious reading, and too much of the dialog is slangy and of a low tone. True, the characters not drawn from high life, but the repulsive features of other ranks are not pleasant when made too prominent. ‘The writer possesses a lively imagination and wields a fluent pen, but has: attempted to be sensational, and fallen short of themark. That he ean write a better book than ‘Solomon’s Story” we readily believe, and hi§ first contribution to the realm of fic- tion, while not remarkable, is above medi- cers and superior to. many of the novels of day. (Solomon's Story. By W. J. Shaw. Cin- cinnati; Peter G. Thompson. Price $1.25.) MINOR NOTICE. Prof. George Howland, of this city, has published a collection of some thirty or more short poems, under the title, “ Little Voices.” Without making any pretensions to great merit as literary productions, many of the verses are pleasing, the themes appropriately treated, and the topics well selected. The rhyming, “falls harmoniously on the ear,” and, as they are mainly written for and about little folks, they wil) undoubtedly find a large constituency ready to welcome them. Some of the selections will give pleasure and recall pltasant memories to children of an older growth. “The Seamy Side” fs hardly equal, either in interest or in ability, to “The Gélden But- terfly,” by the: same authors. ' It .is astory with a deep, dark mystery starting in the first chapter and ‘revealed ‘in. the Iast, and ‘then not so very mysteriousafterall. The plot i but that is not strange. en Tennyson has been accuised of plagiar- ism. The Seamy Side is clean and well written, and far from uninteresting. But it is not a great novel, or even 2 remarkably: strong one. Alison Hamblin is a well-drawn character, and appeals to the sympathy of the reader. Stephen is villainous enough to render the denouement satisfactory, | al- though the ease with which the daughter finally abjures the father and clings to her unele is different from what custom usually enjoins. But she is perfectly right, and every reader will feel so. There have been many worse novels than this, « 4 A brochure of some 100 pages on the sub ject of an interoceanic canal and the Monroe doctrine has just been issued anonymously. It is a compact sketch of the history of the many plans and schemes for an_interoccanic canal from the project of Antonio Galvao in 1528 to that of De Lesseps in 1879. ‘To those not especially interested in the subject it affords all the information they will require; those who are interested in the question and desire to know all there is to know about it will have to wait for some more elaborate = work.* What the writer says about. the. Monroe doctrine the necessity for its application may be all true enough, but seems somewhat prema- ture,—the latter partof itat least. As yet there is no canal, no working surveys made, not enough money subscribed to begin with, no definit location determined. upon. De Lesseps is only one man, and practically rep- resents no nation, er anything else. Never- theless, as the author might be disposed to quote ‘the Washingtonian doctrine, to pre- pare for war in time'of peace, the informa- tion about. the Monroe doctrine is concisely stated, and we are ready.to agree with the writer that the United States should control the interoceanic canal. The publishers have done their share of the work in good taste. Gail Hamilton wields a ready pen, but she is too fond of scolding to be effective. Not so very long ago they used to gag common scolds, and imprison them in the stocks for an indefinit time. Modern - civilization has done away with that mode of, dis- cipline. Now she is visiting with her displeasure the cherished common-school system, in which she fails to find redeeming qualities. We can readily understand why 2 whipped school-boy dislikés the master, but we do not see what the cousmon school has ever done to Gail Hamilton that she should so ruthlesly tear it into tatters. Like every- thing else of human origin, ‘our common school system is far from perfect. but it is su- perior to any other yetdevised. We ittline to think that, unless_it is more vulnerable than. this book would indicate, it will continue.to stand. The writer is often inconsistent, and has confined herself to a narrow circle of ob- servation. ‘Teachers should be educated,” she says, and then denounces the normal schools planned for the very purpose of edu- eating them. “The high school will them all the education they require.” But in another chapter she has proved that high schools are unnecessary and superfluous. “Drawing in the public schools” receives considerable contemptuous and satirical comment. Starting with the assumption that the teaching of drawing is intended to create artists, she denounces its instruction, but ber-assumption is entirely unwarranted and untrue, Gail Hamilton has any ievance to settle with | Prof. Walter mith, if seems superiizous to publish a 360-page volume in order to doit. Does she mean what she says‘on page 337: “Cour- age again, comrades! We writers, we have not the least idea what we are talking about ‘We speak great swelling words, because the sound of them pleases our ears”? ?_A curious statement—possibly “satirical. sometimes but thinly veilsan importanttruth. Our common-school system will not rank with some of the cleverauthor’s éther works. Col. Roberts, the author of the work en- titled “ Mints and Helps for National Guards- men,” is a resident of New Orleans. In the Preparation of the present volume he has consulted a large number of authorities, and his work is worthy the attention of our citizen soldiery. It is not a tactical work, but a free commentary on the respective duties of offi- cers and men, and is intended more especial- ly for officers. “It-is to aid the inexperienced to become familiar with the theories and de- tails of military duty>which are absolutely necessary to those who wish to become com- petent officers in the-line, field, or staff.?? ‘There are chapters on the recruit, non-com- missioned officers, the regimental staff, the regimental field officers, the general staff, courts-martial, ceremonies, use of militia“ in aid of civil power, etc. We notice some few typozraphical errors, and the page given in e index for some of the topies differs from that in the text. “Adjutant.” for instance, is given as page 44 in the index, while it is really 46 in the text; “Non-Commissioned Officers” is given as 15 in the index, and is age 17 in the text. On page 4, Sergeant is “Sergent.” These are little matters, but they shows carelesness. In other respects the book is well arranged, and ought to ful- fil the intentions of the author. 7 MAGAZINES. Potter’s American Monthly for March con- tains articles on “ A Bit of Old Normandy” (illustrated) ; ‘The Rector’s Boy”; ‘Traces ot the Past in Rhode Island”; “ Leon Manor, or, The Resolute Ghosts” ; “The Atmosphere of Our tlomes”; “Some Distinguished Pets”; “Goliath”; “The Lost Valley”; “ America’s Song Composers,” ete., ete. Brentano’s Monthly contains its usual as- sortment of articles on the different outdoor sports and amusements. Among them are articles on * Turf-Prospects” ; “ Bicycling”; Lacrosse”; “The Sprint Championship ”; as »; “Fishing”; “The Kennel”; “Rowing at Oxford”; “Yachting Foam”; “Rowing Ripples”; * Billiards”; ‘“Canoe- ing,” ete. The Chicago Medical Gazette contains, amang its original contributions,‘articles on: “Action .of Mercury,” by Dr. Clevenger; “Treatment of Neurasthenia,” ‘Dr. Jewell; “Laceration of the Cervix Uteri,” by Dr. Dudley, There arealso short editorials on: “ Arsenic in the Brain”; “'Triching in Fishes”; “Bloodless Method of Operating”; “Simple Pelvimeter”; ‘“Benzoate of So- dimn”; “ Animal Tar,” ete. Thé Oriental and Biblical Journal, isa new candidate for public favor, edited by the Stephen D. Peet, and published in Chi- Its initial number contains articles or stine Explorations”; ‘The Silent Races”; “ Ancient Lake-Dwellers”; “Aztec Signs-of Speech”; “The Test of Linguistic Afiinity”; “Population of Jemisalem” “Mandarin Language”; “Copper Age-in Mexico” ; “ Asiatic Origin of the Brazilians,” and others. . In the North American Review for March, Judge J. 8. Black discusses the Third Term, giving the “ reasonsagainst it” (published in ‘Tim “Trmuxe on Thursday), and E, W., Stoughton follows him in an article giving the “reasons for it” The Hon. D. A, Wells treats of “ The Communism of a Discriminat- ing Income-Tax”; and the Rey. Dr. HU. M. Bellows gives his views of “Civil-Service Re- form.” Prof. Simon Newcomb calls atten- tion to “Our Political Dangers”; Bishop Spalding attacks ‘“ Mr. Froude’s Historical Method”; and Eugene LL. Didier reviews some recent “ Biographical Works.” St. Nicholas, for March contains Alfred Tennyson’s Child-Song, “Minnie and Win- nie,” seé to music, and Mrs, Alfred Tenny- son’s revised score of the music for the Lau- reate’s other Song, “The City Child.” “The Disadvantages of City Boys,” by Washington Gladden, appears in this number. It is based on actual facts. Among the short stories are: “Chy Lung,”—an illustrated tale about a Chinese fisher-lad’s curious: adventures; “ Butterc Gold,” by Laura E. Richards; “The Tea-kettle Light,”-with a picture by A.C. Redwood,—a true account of, how a New England boy, made iluminating gas from birch-bark. Of the two serials, the in~ stallinent of Louisa M. Alcott’s “Jack and Jill”? brings its young Brgple into a peck of troubles; and William O, Stoddard’s *‘ Among: the Lakes” tells how its boys and girls en- joyed themselves in the old farim-house. Commander Lull, of the United States Navy, describes the ‘‘Gathering of Caoutchoue in Nicaragua”; and John Keiler, in an article entitled “Longitude 180 Degrees.” explains how travelers lose a day going to China from San Francisco and gain a day on the return yoyage. __. LITERARY NOTES. Mr. Escott’s “England” is being trans- Jated into French aad Getmun. Talleyrand’s “ Me:noirs” will probably be published early in the summer. Mr. Swinburne, Mr. Netlock, and John Addington Symonds each have new volumes of poems in the press. Prof. Palmer’s new translatign of the Koran. will appear about Easter, in the series of “Sacred Books of the East.” Phillips Brooks proves one of the most popular writers of the time. Lis ‘Influence of Jesus”? has already sold 9,000 copies. The Committee appointed, by, the French Minister of Public Instruction has awarded the Prix de Volta—50,000 francs—to Graham Miss Colenso, the daughter‘of the Bishop of Natal, has arrived in England, and, as- sisted by Col. Durnford, is writing @ com- plete history of the Zulu war. Mr. Lewis Morris, the author of ‘The Epic of Hades” (the ninth edition of whicn work is announced), has in press an important lyric poem, entitled “The Ode of Life.” A posthumous work by George Sand, with the title “Souvenirs de 1848, has recently ap- peared in Paris. It isa sort of diary, in which the remarkable events of that year are related. ; "There are 1,700 female authors in. France. About 1,000 writers out of the 1,700 write novels or stories for the young, while 200 are poets, and 150 devote themselves to educa- tional works. i, In a review of the Hon, I. N. Arnold’s book, the Academy says that Maj. Andre may be regarded in a certain, sense as the savior of our country, for if he had not been captured, the “Rebels” would have been de- feated at a vital moment. Messrs. George Routledge & Sons, New York, will publish in a few days “Insects Abroad,” being a popular account of foreign insects, their Structure, habits, and transfor- mations, by the Rey. 3. G. Wood, author of “Jfomes Without Hands,” etc.,—illustrated with’600 figures. é In his spare hours Lord Lytton. has been flirting with’ the Muses, and the result will appear soon in the’ shape of several poems, hitherto untranslated, of the sweet singers of Persia,—Hafiz and Ferduch,—and 2 metri- cal version of the famous prayer’ composed by. Haroun al Raschid. Among other curi- osities the coming volume will contain, will bea literal rendering back into English of Moore’s “Lalla Rookh” and ‘Irish Melo- dies ? from the translation into Persian, of which Lord Lytton is a master. ‘Three valuable books have been lately pre~ sented to the Astor Library by Mr. John Jacob Astor, which will attract much-atten- tion and interest: The first eqition of the “Catholicon® of Joannes Balkus de Jenna, 1460, It is a treatise on grammar and rhet- oric, and is supposed to have been printed by Gutenberg. Its cost was $15,800, A German Bible, printed by Lanier, of Augsburg, in 147,—a fine exainple of early printing with Gothic type. A Greek MS. of the Apostolic Epistles, Eleventh Century. d In hig 100th lecture before the Concord. Lyceunt Mr. Emerson had considerable to, say of Brook Farm and its peculiarities. “Phe married women,” he said, “uniformly {isliked the Brook Farm way of life. It had too much of the hotel about it: “A com- jnon school might do very well, but a com- non nursery was not to be.tolerated. Amid these scenes of attractive labor,” he added, “the country members were astonished ie see that one man of the Association plowed all day, and that one looked out of the windo all day, and perhaps drew the first anan picture'as he appeared when plowing; bat both got the same wages at the end of the day.” . a Buckle at one time possessed 22,000 vol- nes, and, though he trequently sold parts of his library, the collection was seldom short of 11,000 volumes, He was a great reader of Milton, Burke, and the dictidnar- jes. Of pipe and tobacco he was as fond as Carlyle. Once he ordered a whole gross of Yet satire- clay pipes, and he would never accept an vitation toa house in which he could not smoke. He once deciared -that he would never marry until he had $15,000 a year. ‘Twice he fellin love with cousins.” One of them was already engaged; and, us for the other thers vee friends who interfered to vent t arriage on £ con- arent se the grounds of con- BOOKS RECEIVED. Ovr Coxc4on-ScHoon System. By Gail Hamil- ton. Boston: Estes & Lauriat. Price $1.50. LrrrLe Voices. By George Howland. Chi- cago: Jansen, McClurg & Co. Price 50 cents. THE INTEROCEANIC CANAL AND THE MONROE Doctrine. New York: G. P. y pores G.. P. Putnam's Sons. HINTS AND HELPS FOR NATIONAL GUARDSMEN. By Col W. H. Roberts. New York: D. Van Rotrand. Price $k NY SOTR? D. Van Czsar. A Dramatic Study in Henry veterson. Phitdeipeice tee Co. Paper. Price 50 gente. . Prysics Asp Porstics. By Walter Bagehot. Petes oa a pone Re Solence Titer: re, No. ew York: J. Fit: a Price 15 cents. pee GnravDeED PROBLEMS IN ARITHMETIC AXD MEN- SURATION. By S. Mecutchen, A. M. New. “auneri- ean Series. Philadelphia: J. H. Butler & Co. Price 80 cents. ART. AN IMPORTANT ART-PURCHASE. ‘The New York Times says that Le Grand B. Cannon has recently made a purchase in Florence which leaves him in possession of one of the finest pieces of sculpture finished by a modern Italian. Like the work of many European artists, the piece is not novel in general thought; Albano has been content to repeat a subject upon which not only the greatest of old Italians have tried their hand, but likewise almost every statuary of any pretension as a sculptor down to the present time. Ifa female nudeis not a lady bathing, it is sure to be a captive slave. From all that we can léarn, the captive girl now owned by Mr. Cannon is the most finished piece of work Albano has ever completed. Very probably it will be found to mark the highest point which not only modern Florentine sculpture, but Italian art in general, has yet reached. ‘The first impression one gets of the “Slave Girl ” is, that there is nothing unlovely or in- harmonious in the ficure. he statue is one candid mass of spotlessmarble. From what- ever side viewed, no ungraceful_line is to be seen. The figure rises beautifully to the hips, and the lines of -torso and .arms carry the eye in the most pleasing undulations to a head that retains ageneral beauty such as belongs to the old classic heads, but is thoroughly modern and of to-day. No great contortion is to be seen in the face, except in the brows; and these re- peat the brooding and plainly futile moye- ment of the arms, which are struggling with the rope that confines them. So far is this composition from being violent in action, that, on the contrary, the effect is that of a beauti- ful young woman who has been exposed to profane eyes for some time, has sunk into a fit of brooding, and is making whatever mo- tion is apparent in her arms, not from a sud- den, wide-awake horror at her situation, but by an instinct of repu, ance which pursues her even while her thoughts are far away. ‘We have here no common representation of a Sabine woman just seized and secured, but a more thoughtful and subtle image of en- during grief and shame in a woman who has outwardly accepted the bitterness of her fate, but still rebels inwardly. The distinction is yery important, for no charge is more com- monly made than that of too great violence and contortion in marble statues. When, therefore, we see a sculptor emancipating himself from the common vice of his fellow- statuaries, we ought to be doubly careful not to make the charge recklessly. ART PUBLICATIONS. The American Naturalist for March con- tains articles on: ‘The*Proboscis of the House-Fly”; “Sketch, of Progress of Mammalogy in the United States in 1879’; “ A Review of the Modern Doctrine of Evo- lution”; “Concerning Amber”; and ‘the usual assortment of scientific news, ete, The February number of the Magazine of American History.is entitled the’ Wash- ington” number, and everything in it is in some. way connected with the illustrious General. . The publication of Washington’s hitherto unpublished letters is continues and there are also several illustrations o different busts of Washington, and a view of his headquarters at Garrison’s, N. Y. number of new anecdotes are also given. The American Art Review, Nos. 2 and3, has justbeen received; and the publishers announce that the delay in the appearance of the January number was causea by the de- struction of two of the illustrations in the re- cent fire in Boston. This is the best of Amer- ican_art publications; its illustrations are caretully” executed, and its reading matter well selected and edited. . It will compare favorably with many of the forgign and older works of a similar Kind. Aiméng other arti- clesin the two numbers just received, we note those on: “The Works of the American Etchers”; “The Washington Monument”; “Olympia as -It Was andas It Is”; “The Future of Art”: “Tendencies of Art in America” ; and Recent Advances in Roman Archeology.” Estes & Lauriat are the pub- lishers. Francis Smart & Co., publishers, at 136 Madison street, Chicago, have now Parts 17, 18, 19, and 20 of the “Chefs-d’? Giuvre d’Art,” being a reproduction of, all the celebrated painti gs and other works of art at the Paris niversal Exhibition of 1878. The engrav- ings in these four numbers, all in the finest style of the art. are the following: “ Charles V. atthe Monastery of St. Just,” by De Vrieudt; “Ulysses Feigning Madness,” by re Mardy; “The Danaides,” by Leroux; * The Athenian Fugitives,” by Leon Glaize; a por- traitof Mrs. Bischotisheim, by Millais; “A. Marriageat the Mayor’s—The Bride Waiting,” by Durand; “La Vierge Consolatrice,” by Bonguerau; “The Queen of the Swords,” by Orchardson; besides numerous good engrav- ings and reproductions of statuary. Each jnnmber contains two steel engravings. ART NOTES. Dr. Dresseris preparing 9 work on Japan- ese art. A: bronze equestrian statue of UL. is to be erected at Milan. i The St. Louis Art Museum, now building, is to eost $200,000. An ample endowment has been guaranteed. Mr. Carver’s collection’ of seventy-eight paintings, recently sold at auction in New York, realized $50,853. ‘Mie value of “the works of art destroyed in the fire at Clumber House, the seat of the Duke of Newcastle, is estimated at over £75,000. ‘ ‘The Boston Art Club has already $20,000 in hand and $60,000 additional available. A site fer their building is proposed at the corner of Newbury and Dartmouth streets; another in the rear of Trinity Church, on St Janes avenue. ee In 1878 France appropriated 7,500,000 francs to the fine arts; England expended £107,414; while Germany. set -aside 2,428,220 marks— about $609.557.50—for artistic purposes. This does not comprise the expenditures of the in- dividual German States. . The Portfolio for. February contains arti- cles op oeue by etchings on: “ Etchings from Pictures by Contemporary Artists,” by George Reid, R. S. A.; “Cambridge, the Story of Peterhouse.” by J, W. Clark; “J. PD. Harding,” by William Watker; “ Notes on. Aisthetics,” by P. G. Hamerton; usual “Art Chronicle.” Boston . papers.-announce, as_a project of the coming summer, 2 Prand excursion by eanal-boat on the part of the members of the Artists’ Fund. Society of New York. Three boats are to be used,—two for sleeping ac- comiodations, and ‘a third. for a* foating icture-gallery. The trip is to be to Niagara Fats through the Erie Canal. The authorities at the Louvre are making progress with a temporary erection of the new marble base of the Victory of Samo- thrace, which is in the shape of a prow ofa galley. It is of colossal size, and made of finely-hewn blocks, much injured, unfor- tunately, in parts. The great weight of this mass of marble is more than the floor of the Louvre could at present carry, and it will be necessary to support it by pillarsundereath, the erection of which will be a matter of time. ‘The latest attractions of Berlin are the Pergamos marbles, which have just been brought from Asia or. A Prussian engineer, it- appears, found traces of sculpture in certain old walls ‘near Pergamos which the Turks had plastered with mud and lime, He informed his Government of the fact, and they, after due investigation, purchased the ‘walls for about £2000. A Napoleon gunboat was then quietly sent to bring the works of art which they contained to a Ger- man port. "The most remarkable part of the collection are sculptures in reliet represent- ing a battle of the gods, and which, it is sup- posed, formed part of a gigantic altar, Owing to the fact that the Turks utilized these marbles under a covering of plaster, they are in excellent preservation. The Philadelphia publishers, Gebbie & Barrie, announce the approaching issue, in arts, of an important work, “The Art- ‘reasures of America,” selected and de- scribed from publicand private collections by Edwerd Strahan. Each part will contain two photogravures, a full-page woodcut, and facsimiles in the text of artists’ sketches and studies for the works described. The size and form will be similar to the chefs-d’ceuvre of the Paris Exhibition, of which the same publishers have brought out an American adaptation. > a fours. French sculptor, named Vidal, who has attained high distinction in his art, has been totally blind ever since the age ot 21. Before this age Vidal had been a pupil in the atelier of Barve, and had learned the technicalities of sculpture, when, quite sud- denly, he was struck with blindness. He persevered in the profession he had adopted. and, after months of patient labor, found that he could readily make his fingers do the work of eyes. His touch has, in truth, be- come so sensitive that, by means of feeling .his-model, he is able to reproduce it with ex- actness. Scribner & Co, have established an art- agency in connection with their magazine. ‘We propose,” they say, ‘through the good offices of the art-departinent of this maga- zine, to purchase pictures to order for an part of the country. We will consider all wants that are intelligently expressed, care- fully and conscientiously canvass and record. all yalues, give letters of advice and counsel send photographs of any desired picture; an transact all the business for 2 consideration which shall simply cover expenses,—such ex- penses always being expressed or covered by the round price of any picture in question.” SCIENCE. : THE SWEDISH NORTHEAST-PASS- 2 AGE EXPEDITION. Nature publishes the following notes, taken from a letter from Prof. Nordenskjdld to Mr. Oscar Dickson, dated Ceylon, Dec. 16, 1879, printed firstin the Goteborgs Handels Tidning: 3 “Dredging was catried on at a number ot places on the coast of Japan, but with scanty results, in consequence of the poverty of the sea-bottom in animal life. The same was the ease with the dredgings which were carried. on between Hong Kong, Labvan, and Singa- pore, and in the Strait of Malacca, While the tawl-net in the Polar Sea almost always brought up several hundred animals, the zodlogist in these Southern seas obtained seldom more than one or two -at each Swedish Arctic expeditions, at favorable places in the bottom of the Polar Sea. At year round is between 0 and —2 deg. 7 min. C. ‘A temperature at or under the freezing pore appears thus to be much more favorable for the development of an abundant animal life at. the sea-bottom than one of 15 to 25 deg. C.,—a very remarkable circumstance, which, as far as Nordenskjold Knows, has not re- ceived the attention which it deserves. . It is to be remarked, however, that the inverte- brate animals in the South are larger and finer than in the North; and that the shore fauna, which is entirely absent in the sea of the high North, on account of the destructive action of the driftice, is here richly de- veloped. Japan is so poor in land and fresh-water crustacean that one often searches for hours in the most favorably-situated places without finding'a single specimen. Even in the most northerly part of Scandinavia more land- crustacea may in many places be collected in a few hours than in Japan in as many days. In the numerous dredgings carried on dur- ing the voyage from Japan to Ceylon, at depths in which alge are met with in abun~ dance on the coasts of Scandinavia, not a single alza was brought up by the dredziug- apparatus. Even in the shore-belt marine plants are intmany places almost wholly wanting. ‘The lichen flora of Japan was ex- amined by Dr. Almquist. In the mote ele vated Tegions, as on the sides of the mountain Fusijama, 13, a hight of 6,000 to $,000 feet above the sea, it has a certain resemblance to that of Scandi- navia, but in the low country it is limited to a very few localities. In the purely tropical countries, for instance at Labuan and Singa- pore, the lichens appear to be confined almost exclusively to the barks of trees, and the whole of this division of the vegetable Kingdom here consists mainly of 4 single group. Prof. Nordenskjdld has made ex- tensive collections of fossil plants from fos- siliferous strata at Mogi, a fishing village on the coast of Japan, and from the coal-ming Takasima, both in the neighborhood of Nagasaki, and from the coal-seams at Lab- uan, The fossils from Mogi lie ina fine white clay-slate, and consist almost exclusive- Jy of beautiful leaf-impressions. At Tak: ‘akasi- ma the fossils consist principally of water- plants imbedded in the brownish-black slate which accompanies the coal. At Labuan the fossils lie imbedded in balls of clay-ironstone found-in the sandy beds between the coal- seams. They consist of ferns, Cycadee, and large-bladed leaf-trees. DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT MONU- MENTS. One of the most deplorable facts connected with the East is the destruction of ancient monuments. Marble statues, columns, cap- tals of exquisit workmanship, and various other works of art, such as exist in ruined cities, are being coWected by the natives and burned into lime. Ir. Wood testifies to this fact at Ephesus, and Mr. F. W. Percival states that: “The Temple of Cybele at Sardis has never been excavated, and the soil has accumulated above the pavement tc a depth of at least twenty-five feet; but even tl not suflicient to preserve it, for I found when Twas there thata quarry had been dug on the north side, and that splendid blocks of marble were being broken up into small pieces to burn in the n fehboring IhnGh ils Of the Temple of Diana at Tekeh he says: “The walls of the peribolus are standing toa hight of about: twenty feet, and they havo hitherto been the most perfect of their kind ex~ isting; but 1 fear that they will soon disappear altogether, for I saw a number of men em- ployed in pulling them down and_ carting away the stones for buildh urposes. ‘There is'no apparent remedy for this, and, in fact, itis no new thing, for this matter of borrow- ing building materials has gone on for centu- ries. ‘This system of stealing, also the prac- tice of burning into lime, has been carried to a great extent in Palestine. =Some old ruins have been drawn upon by neighboring and modern towns to sueh an extent that almost nothing Is left of them. The explorer may be certain he is standing on the site of some ancient and famous city, but it is a matter of wonder to him what has become of it. At the north endof the plain of Gennesareth, there is an important buried town. Itis near Kahn Minieh, and, in my judgment, is Capernaum. The walls, where Wwe ourselves Saw them exposed, were built of fine blocks of stone, and the whole struct- ure appeared to he of superior workmnan- ship: Bat these walls are-rapidly bein, dug up by the natives and converted into lime.”— The Orlental Journal. A CURIOUS SCIENTIFIC INSTRU~- MENT. 2 a draw, and frequently not one. By. far the most abundant — animal life. has been found during the these places the temperature of theses all the- feet above the snow-limit, at . The New York Times mentions a curious - instrument recently invented by a youns | Japanese engineer. It is a familiar fact to those acquainted with the problems of sur- veying and engineering, that the most tedious eatewlations associated with professional services of that class arise from the method of ‘triangulation now in use, and trom the fatiguing and abstruse relations of sines and cosines which enter into the*work The necessity of an instrument capable of meas- uring these relations with accuracy, and of experimentally solving the problems of trigonometry arising in the course of a sur- yey, has been long confessed by enginee! ‘The invention perfected by the younz Japu ese enzineer—not patented, by the way—von- sists primarily of a steel or brass plate, near the bottom of which is a graduated bar which may represent the base of any giver triangle. “The bar is graduated into ten equal parts with extreme accuracy, and these sections are again graduated untila liv register of the utmost conceivable finene: produced. At one end of the bar is hxed a semicircular plate, the circumference of which is graduated into degrees, minutes, and seconds, and the base of which is parallel with the bar itself At the other end is placed a quadrant, or quarter of a circle, graduated in the same manner. At the cen- tre of each of the circles of which theso ] plates form sections, a movable . bar turns: Py