The New York Herald Newspaper, September 19, 1876, Page 3

BLASTING BY LIGHTNING. —_—_-—__—_ The Electric Spark that is to Demolish Hallett’s Point Reef. A POTENT FAMILIAR SPIRIT. From the Batteries to the Mine by Many Lines of Wire. SOMETHING ABOUT CONDUCTORS. Apparatus for Closing the Elec- trie Circuit. A CURIOUS SCARE. ‘The operation of exploding the many thousanas of @aftridges now placed in position in the holes perfor- ated in the rock columns and the root of the Hallti’s Point reef excavation is, perhaps, the most interesting of all those conducted in connection with the improve- ment, Mining and blasting by fuse are easily under- toed, even by persons of limited powers of compre- bension who have one‘ in such work or heard it described. But in trying to explain the nature of the agency empleyed to explode simul- fanecously 80 many cartridges fixed in Ysolatea positions it is difficult to convey the necessary information in the limited space obtainable tm the columns of a great daily newspaper. Although ne of the most important agents of our time, elec- sricity, its nature and properties are little understood, Although the most profound philosophical researches are being constantly directed to that end. It was known to the ancients asan indeseribable phenomenon which baffled the wisdom of their sages to give it even & name that would express its nature. The word elec- tricity 18 derived from the Greck ‘Electron,” amber, a substance described by Thales, of Miletus, six cen- turies before Christ as possessing the property when rubbed with a piece of silk of attracting light bodies, Pliny and Aristotlo also mention (his property in sev- eral substances where subjected to frietion, but made no attempts at solving the mystery. Fishes wero known to have the power of producing certain physio- logical effects by merely touching the bodies of other animals, chief among them being the elve- trical eel, the gymnotus clectricus of tho nat- Until the end of the — sixteenth tentury, or 2,200 years after the timo of Thales, ‘he philosopher, little was known about electricity, when Dr. Gilbert, of England, made a series of ex- periments, which laid tho foundation of the modern Selence of electricity, After Gilbert came Boyle, Von Guericke, Newton, Brewster and a host of otner savants, who made deep researches into the phenom- bua of electricity and gradually accumulated data on which to construct the laws which are now recognized as governing its action on matter. Notwithstanding all this, tho nature of this mysterious force is still ® secret. We only know that it exists in aly Matter in greater or lesser quantiti but beyond this fact, and that it can be developed and conaucted with facility, wo are as ignorant of ita natnre as were Thales and Pliny, Ganot, a modern French writer on batural philosophy and physics, describes electricity as “‘a powerful physical agent, the presence of which is manifested by uttractions and repulsions, by lumin- bus appearances, by violent commotions, by chemical focompositions and a great number of other pho- Bomenu. The causes which deveiop electricity are triction, pressure, chemical action, heat, maguetism and electricity itself.” And again. ‘Notwithstanding the number of works on electricity we know nothing Bf the origtu or the nature of that agont. In treating therefore of electricity as a physical gent, we must deal with it only from the knowledge possess of its effects oa matter. This knowledge 1s tow very comprehensive, and modern invention has wmcceeded in reducing the powers of electricity into verhaps the most easily controlled of all the great vataral agencies employed in meehanism and the arts, Among the first steps toward obtaining a tull knowledge of tho properties of electricity was that which demonstrated its conducti- uty. Experiment after experiment proved (hat while one substance was extremely sensitive to its wresence others were wholly unaffected by it, The Bare were soon recognized conductors and tho ‘iter as non-conductors of the electric fluid. Thus all the metals have the at , Pl erty of conducting electricity, jambago, concentrated and di- luted acids, saline spring and rain waters, snow, living vegetables, veg Ne fibros, such as hemp and flax, liv- ‘mg anim moist earth and stones, and even flaine. Some of the non-conducting bodies are amber, rosin, sulphur, wax, glass, gutta percha, silk, wool, feathers, ary paper, leather, marble, india-rubber, chaik, oil an metallio oxides. ‘THE DEVELOPMENT OF KLECTRICITY. Al ted above, chemical action is a powerful de- of electricity and is generally employea tor sha purpose. The invention of the voltaic pile by the {tatian scientist, Volta, was the first step toward this end. He found that metals placed in close proximity— separated only, 1 fact, by thin layers of cloth, satu rated with accidulated water—developed electricity that could be conducted tor great distances by means of metallic bodies arranged for that purpose. But au important feature of this development is that ‘when a pile formed on the Voltaic principle is put in Operation two kinds of mutually repellant elcetricity are developed, which strive to separate trom each other the pile us ‘much as possible and consequently accu- ulate at either end; the energy of separation being in proportion to the rapidity of de’ pment, which is ed by the areas of surlace acted on by the 30 also have cl pos! The lower part of the pile is charged with negative electricity apd the upper with positive, both separating ‘on the pile, but tending to recompose aguin with equal euergy when conducted from the two ends toward ® point where they can again meet and unite. This tendency to recompose and change its condition from dynamic to static electricity gives us the o unity to utilize it on its passage and produce i the effects familiar to science The vattery or series of piles t known as the zinc carbon battery, with id. To explain the meaning of these term: ouly necessary to say that the two substances named are found among the conductors of eleciricity. One ‘a easily affected by the chemical action of acids; the bther is indestructible in that respeet When boin are placed in juxtaposition im the acidulated water or in the acid the latter acts on the zink lunmediately and eloctricity 18 at once developed, which separates into the two opposing conditions at each ond of the pile. Now, the only thing that re- ains to.be done when the buttery is in operation is to tonneet Its positive and negative ends by means of sonducting wires, and at the point of connection the slectric Huid recomposes into 11s original stat Sup- pose thi of the conducting wires do not actually ‘ouch, but are placed very near each other, a spark is Been to leap from one point to the other with a snap- Ping noo. It is this spark that will fire the great mine at Hallett’s Point. THK CONDUCTING AND CONNECTING WIRES, Wherever & positive meets a negative wiro, the Wnt of contact Is that ai which the siectricives unite. n like manner, ‘f by any chance the ends of the wires lowed to touch the earth or any other conduct- {pg substance that will lead the fMuid from the one to the other, recomposition will also oceur, It is therefore necessary, in order to contryl the direction und movement of the electricity, to prevent the wires from touching any conductor, In regular telegraph lines carried on poles it will be observed that the wire is made to reat on a | Casesevered ‘wooden pin, the wire bearing directly on e glass, which is a nonconductor. If the wire touched wood of the arm of the polv or the pole Itself the electricity would at ouce pass down the latter into the earth wnd be lost. Bat in operations like that at Hell G6 where polos cannot be used, it 1s necessary to tn~ the wire by surrounding it with # coating in gutta percha, which is a non-couductor of electricity. Now, it boing —necuseary to explode each cartridge at the same moment, or very nearly 80, the wire leading the positive cur- rent of electricity from tho battery would have to pass successively imto each hole and be arranged in the primers i the tanner explained in the Henato ot yesterday—that is, a smull space would be jett be- tween the ends of the conducting wires ineach primer | ao that the spark belore described would be emitted | in the exploding cap filled with fulminate of mercury, which {8 surrounded by the dy mite charge, This would entail an tinmonse length of wire, and much contusion iv leading it to each hole im succession, ‘Ihe ongineers have, the toro, divided the holes to be fired imto a series of ~ vups, each of which is connected with # separate bawery, but ail | deliver their electricity at the sane moment, thus rendering the explosion simaitancous.” the accompa- diagrams «vow the mauner in which the wires 1 the groups of holes pass from point to point in each of the rock columns, and the tanver in witch the touch- my cf the positive and negative ends of the wires is ey, to which these ends are at- CLOSIXG THE cIRCUrT. From the battery to where the end of its wires moet te called a circait—that 1#, tho eleotricity traverses from She positive to the negative pules, and from the nega. | eust side of NEW YORK HERALD, TUESDAY, SEPT uve to the positive by way of the outstretched wires to the point where 1t was dvoloped. Until the ends of Siw wires touch or are conpected by other conducting Dodies the exploding spart will not pass. But the in- staot the circuit is closed the obedient agent flies on its mission quicker thag thought itself, Owing to the number of groups formed in the total ~=numbel of grups to be fired it became necessary to lead 4!) the pos'tive and negative wires to one place, where their respective circuits ened ba ohne, ‘To eilect this 1 the principio on which this is done, aud the pian is serving of great admiration on account of its ingenuity and practicability. The positive wires, after passing from the batteries to their respective groups of holes, are return’ to a frame and attached to a suspended toard, which is hang imme- diately over a fixed murface, on which 1s arranged a number of cups Glldi with mereury attached to the negative wires leading back to the negative poles of the batteries, Now, all that is necessary to completo all the circuits at ouce is that the boara holding the ends of tho positive wires should drop so that the Projecting ends of the wires would pass into the mer- cury of the corresponding cup, In order that this might oceur the suspended board is dependent for its elevation over the cups on a line passing over a pulley, to which is attached a small torpedo, which will be fired by a small supplementary battery. The mo- ment the torpedo explodes the suspending lino is cut, and the board with the wire points drops down on the cups, closing all the circuits at the same moment. The operator will thus only tire the mine indirectly, tor he will only explode the small torpedo that sus- tains the wires that will fire the main blast, To each group of holes, then, and along its special wire, will flash the electric messenger that will cause the great reef, with its cavernous chambers and :nassive columns of rock, to tremble and crumble like the temple of tho Philistines, when the mighty Sampson suook It into ruins, THE WORKS NOT INJURED BY THE sTORM— PREPARING THE SYPHON. The works at Heli Gate were quite uninjured by the terrible storm of Sunday might, and work went on us usual yesterday. It was feared that the powerful wind blowing against the coffer dam whea combined with the force of the extraordinary high tide which swelled in from the Sound would lift the dam trom its bed and permit the river to flow im and fill the excavation. Nothing of the kind, however, occurred, and the only inconvenience resulting from the storm was a some- what greater leakage than usual, General Newton was early on the grounds yesterday, and remained for some time in consultation with Captam Mercur, Kurly ou Saturday the men were obhged to quit work, having disposed of all the dynamite and other material on hand. General Newton then ordered several thousand peunds of dynamite from Mr, Warren, who bad already filled bts contract, and that material will be at tho wharfto-day. The officials in charge of the work are Yery anxious to prevent anybody leurning the quantity of explosive material about the place, but it 1s pretty certain that there aro now 38,000 pounds of dynamite, rendrock and vulcan powder in the mine, and that several thousand pounds more of vulcan powder ur- rived yesterday. Workmen were employed all day in fitting up the syphon by which the excavation is to be slowly tloode ‘he syphon 1s long enough to reach from tho floor le up to a point midway between low and high water, where it bonds at right apgles and runs horizontally through the coffer dam into the river, a distance of twenty feet, und then tarning down’ again at right angles reaches al- most to its bed. When the time for flooding the mine arrives a valve at tho top will be opened while the tide ig at flood, and the water will then, of course, be pressed up through the syphon, forcing the air out at the bottom end in the shaft. Oneo started thus the water will continuo to flow even when the tide falls be- low the lever of the horizontal portivn. This coutri- vance will be completed to-day. Workmen wore also engaged 1m suspending the wires along which tho ex- ploding spark will be sent when all is prepared. It is stated that the daughter of General Newton will touch the key which ts to send the spark on its mission, Pro- cisely Where she (or whoever 1s to fire the mine) will stand bis not yet been dacided upon, but it will be at some point along the shore cast of tho shalt. A SERIOUS HOAX. A chunky, sore-eyed man, wearing a monkey jacket and light trousers and carrying a baggy gingham um- brella, which had seen years of service, made his av- pearance last evening in First avenue, near Sixth street, and entered a lager beer saloon. His air was quite mysterious and his language was moro than alarming., A fat German boy, whose eyes almost pro- truded from his head, so tight was the skin drawn ovor his faco, handed the mysterious man a glass of lager beer, having first gazed at the chinks in the shutters to sce if any Of the metropolitan police were in view, The man with the baggy umbrella, whose name was subsequently ascertained to be James Marvin, a native of lreland, aged thirty-four years, having blown the froth off the top of the glass of beer, proceeded to drink it slowly, meanwhile fastening a horrible gaze on the fat boy, who became a little frightened at the contortions made by the stranger’s features, and he said: “What's de meddher, heh? You shake mid do beer? Dod’s goohd beer, uind id?” . Tho umbrella man Jaid down the empty glass, glared at the bulbous eyed boy and whispered to him across tho counter. “My God ! it you only knew what is going to happen to you within twenty-four hours you would be down on your knees saying your prayers and chewing light- ning rods.”” “Shooin lidnin rohds! Get oud of de haus; you are grazy; 1 gall de bolize,” said the fat boy, as ho picked up a five cent nickel forthe beer, But the man with the baggy umbrella spoke his speech as fol- lows :— “I notify you, Dutch boy, to close your shutters Dbetwoen nine and ten o’clock—yes make ‘t eleven o’clock—to-morrow morning, put all the glasses away and the soda water bottles, and don’t come out of your bed until you see the carpet crawling around the bed- posts. General Newton ordered me to come and notily all the people on First avenue to viose up to- morrow and to tell anybody that could leave the city to go to Staten Island or to Sandy Hook until the explosion has come off. Mind what 1 tel! you, Dutchy, now. or you will be blown up. Some of the rocks will be blown five miles, One about a pound weight will do you, I'll bet.” James Marvin, as ho catls himself, then left the lager becr saloon us mysteriously as he entered, and begun to make a regular canvass of nearly every house on the west side of First avenue. The boy in the lager becr saloon was thoroughiy scared when Marvin lett, and the next place the latter entered was a cigar shop, kept also by a German. He stood in the doorway, the rain pouring off his umbrella and making little lakes on the dirty floor. He satd to the cigar maker :— “phut your store early to-morrow. Plug up all the keyboles aud stuff the windows with cotton or you are neral Newton told me at breakfast thig morn- the poor unfortunates on First avenue The explosion o'clock to-morrow morning p' If you wish to save your life go up und take a Put some corks around your Dive whenever you hear cisely. swim in tho reservoir. neck and stay in the water. @roport, and if the water shakes a little 1t won't hurt you. Mind, if you disobey General Newton in this you ‘wiil not be abie to recover any damages from the com- pany.” r cigar man was a little incredulous about tho notification, as the stranger had more the look o! a hard working mechanic, a front bricklayer or a stono- mason, than the appearance which mignt be expected to be borne by an aide-de-camp of General Newton. Toe stranger did not have the appearance of intoxica- tion, and be talked very exrnestly, as it he wero anxious to preserve the people whom he visited from any harm by the explosion which ne announced to take place. ‘The cigar vender said to the Hxxap reporter, who called at a great number of places on First avenuc:—"I go to de dbour ven he govs oud und I bollo him, “Say, you god de chim-cnams??’? It scems from what the police say, and the people who reside on tho cast side of First avenue corrovorate them, that Marviu had an accomprice, who contned himself aitegether to the east side of the avenue and not cross over to the west. Near Fourteenth street tho unknown man, who took inst avenue for his beat, told « man who Keeps a grocery store 10 box up his’ cayenue peppor and pack it in sawdust, ag st would explode, and added that if be had any milk cans ho would do weil to send oat of the city early in the morning, The ry man, thinking that his visitor wae drunk, merely laughed and told him to go home and go to bed or he might lose himsel{ on the avenue, But this ello was more successtal with the women whom he in the hailways of tenement hous mothers ol families, a# they believed him implicitly to be an agent o; tho tan who had charge of the mine at oe Point, and whoee name they did not eveo now, Near Thirty-sixth street, on the west side of First av- enue, 1§ & baker shop, kept by an Irishman and bis. wile. These people were warmed by Marvin last night, and the woman who assixted in keeping the #hup stood im the door and talked with the reportur, while her hasband, who was Gown in the cellar, a burly-looking Celt, camo up and joined in the conversation, Then that you are askin’ about came here to the deor last night, and it was a little alter eight o'clock, oF may ve it was nine o'clock, and told us to close our shutters in the murning, for if we didn’t tho company wouldn’t pay for any damage to the giass or the Sxtures in the shop; but I didu’t think much of what he said, beeauro | believed that he was tellin’ a hoke—isn’t that what you call it, Jamos? Me was so- ber enough, ax tar av leaw, but we didn’t pet up our shutters, although some of the people on the block didn’t take down their shutters this morning. I told Dire, Curmisky that ie was « hoke.” ‘The hoaxer went into David Daly’s liquor store, near Thirty-third street, und, like a prophet of evil, told them to c.ose up and move ail the bottles oot of ‘their places, for the day of tribulation was at hand and Gen- eral Newtou would not pay for auy spilled Bourbon or dislocated copper Measures. All this time, let it be remembored, while this impos- ter was traversing First avenus on one side and bis Tascally colleague on the other, the — tinext police force the world were algo on their beats, but it is supposed that some of them may have had occasionally to go into dark entries to shake the rai off their waterproois. Yet not oue of the polie beard of this feliow Marvin's int ols as be trav. lied alony the avenue frightening poor women and , and who were | little children out of their wits. The amount of entrics and stores that Marvin visited and the number of women who were here found bringing in the jate beer to their husbands and who were met by this cowardly humortst and scared into a state of nervousness cai hardly pe estimated. Suffice it to say that he left a trail of terror behind him, like Sherman’s bummers, in nearly every house on First avenue, west side, as he moved northward. Many women wanted to desert their homes and go beyond Sixth avenue at once; but the wiser counselg of their husbands’ prevailed and no harm was done of & serious nature, but many mothers and wives of poor hou: lds did pot sleep on Sunday night iu fear of the explosion that was to take place yesterday and the destruction of chattels, as had been foretold by this joking Jeremiah. At last Mr, Marvin met his fate in the person of Officer Daniel J. Eagan, of the Nineteenth precinct, whose beat was from Forty-second etreet to Forty- seventh street, on the west side of First avenue. Ofl- cer i$ 2 short, stout young fellow, with a blonde complexion’ and o pair of brilliant steel-biue eycs. Near Forty-seventh street the man with the baggy umbrella collected large erowd of excited women and children, who were terrified by the orders thas be brought them from the problematical General Newton. The otlicer bad beard of his tricks as. be came along First avenue, and, being a thorough New York boy, to use. his own expression, “he wound’nt have 1,” and as be wentalong be made inquiries of all the women that had been frightened by his false reports, Officer Eagan was informed that Marvin was in a house between Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh strects and be went in to this house, as he told the re- porter, to “bounce him.”” He found Marvin telling a “ghost story,” and said to him, “By what authority are you giving out this story about shutting up houses and asking poor women to movo their beds to Fourth avenue for to-morrow morning's explosion ¢’” By the authority of General Newton, who is your superior and mine, and by the authority of the Great Jebovan.”” “I thought,’ added the oflicer, “that ho was a little off when ho said this, and | says, | guess I'll sake you tn anybow. [am an oflicer, and’ its very queer if ihero’s going to be an explosion that I don’t get no orders. When I was taking bim tot house be said to me, *You are too datmned | gether, and I’li just pat the nicest head on you that you ever saw when I get you before the Commus- sioners.’ Tiet him talk and took him to the station house, but whea | took bim to court this morning none of the people whom be scared would appear sgainst him, and the Judge had to discharge him, 1 suppose.” James Marvin was taken yesterday morn- ing before Judge Otterbourg at the Filty-seventh Street Police Court, and Officer ade 8 complaint against "him, in which w e bodied tho details given in she foregoing account. Judgo Otterbourg asked ‘she prisoner what his business was, and he said that he worked in a coal yard and lived at Seventy-fourth street, near Avenue A. When asked if General New- ton had given him instructions to inform the subur- ban inhavitunts of First avonue in regard to the pre- tended expiosion he said no, but that be bad been Lold to do so byagentioman named Williains counceted with the Wilkesbarre Coal Company, who told bim to work First avenue until “he was sick.” Judge Ot- terbourg said thas he regretted that none of those whom Le had maliciously tpjured would come forward to sustain a complaint against such @ malicious person | ‘so that he might be able to punish him thoroughly for his contemptible meanness, but he cautioned him that if he went around’ aguin telling people such awinl lies about the blowing up thatif be came before him again on any such com- plaint he would givo him a blast that would biow him to Blackwell’s Island for some months. The prisoner then suilonly left the court with bis head down. His raseally colleague bas not yet been caught, but will possibly be apprehended to-day, 7 ELL GATE. $Mo. 1—Arrangement of Wires on a Rock Column. i “{badit A No. 2—Diagram of a Circuit Showing the Continuity of the Posi- tive Wire. ROCK COLUMNS IN MINE No. 3—Diagram of Circuit Closer. TORPEDO FIRED TO RELEASE THE SUSPENDED POINTS AND GLOSE THE CIRCUIT OBITUARY. RRY. BISHOP KE. 8. JANES, For nearly a quarter of a century Bishop Janes, who has just died at his home in this city, bas gone in and out beforo the Methodist Episcopal Church of this country. Since the death of Bishop Morris, three years ago, Bishop Janes bas been the senior super- futendent of the Church. Born in Salisbury, Conn., sixty-nine years ago, he entered the Philaaelphia Con- ferenco in 1330 on trial, and two years later he was ordaiwed deacon, and in 1834 elder ta the church, In 1840 be was tranasterred to the New York Coulerence avd became pastor of the old Mulberry street now St. Paul’s) Methodist Episcopal church in ‘ourth =~ aven He was subsequently and for several years agent of the Americas Biblo Scetety, from which position be was taken in 1852, and by the voice of the Church, through its General Con- ferouee, made one of its chief pastors. His coadjutors elected ang conaccrated at the same time were Bishops Ames, of “Baltimore; Simpsou, of Philadelphia, and Scott, of Delaware. For more than thirty years Bishop Janes bas made his home fm this city, and bas been known and loved by other denominations as much as by bis own, His name and influence and purse were ways at the eervice of every bouevoient and Christian an author he is not unkn the roading Christian public, and as a preache been hardly excelled by any in hisdenomiation. In hi youuger days bis services in this direction w pray, sought alter, and even in later yeors he maby more calls for preaching at church dodica- INN Cupsfilled with mercury connacted with main battery cations, cornerstone laying and extraordivary occa- sions than he could answer,” When bis bealth per- mitted Bishop Janes never retused acail for his ser- vices anywhere, aud his swoet spirit and bopetul de- meanor and kindly presence wore often worth moro than colters of gold to desponding churches and despairing winisters, His works will live after hin, ni his. memory will be had in grateful remembrance y the Church he has served wo iaithiully and so long. Very tender references wero made to bis condition in tho Preachers’ meeting on Monday, and prayers were offered in bis Dehalt, And as one of tho ministors r marked in arging au adjournment, “The Cnarch has bud but one Bishop Janes, and will pever have an- other.” A committee went to the Bishop's residence on Monday, to convey to him the sympathy of tho Preachers’ meeting, and their highost esteem for bim ‘as one of their chief pastors, PROFESOR ¥, L. SNELL. A telegram from Ambi , Mass, uuder date of 1 18th inst., announces the sudden death yesterday of Protessor Evenezer 1, Snell. Ho was the last member of the Grst class that graduated from Amherst College in 1821 and was connected with that institution up to the timo of bis death, M. BERVAN, FRENCH LEGISLATOR, A telegrain from Paris, yjuder date of the 18th inet. roports the occurrence of the death of M. Serva radical republican, member of tue Chamber of Depu- ties [or the arrondissemout of Valence, department of Dromo, | evolution | EMBER 19, 1876.—TRIPLE SHEET. PROFESSOR HUXLEY, The Direct Evidence of Evolution— Lecture at Chickering Hall. THE FIRST SHOT. The Gauntlet Thrown Down by Modern Science to Revealed Religion. Professor Huxloy lectured last night at Chickering Hall to au audience who, it was very evident, had not come for an hour’s light entertainment. To the eye, as it wandered over the house, the proportion of gray and bald heads and the linea in which thought had scored itself on the faces of the majority of those pres- ent was very noticeable. A eonsiderable sprinkling of ladies graced tho occasion, but the Protessor had not gone far into bis subject botore is be- came evident that the atmosphere of italian opera 18 much more congenial to them than the serene and frigid intellectual heights where the highest school of modern seientists delights to dwell, The audionce received the eminont Kuglishman, with warmth, and allowed themselves to be betrayed into applause but two or three times during tho course of the lecture. They wore evidently so intent upon the subject matter in hand that applause was to them even jess than a secondary cousideration, They seemed to remember tho Horatian request, ‘Yavete Linguis,” and testified by their earnest silence to an uppreciation more gratifying toa man who has realiy anything to say than tumultuous plaudits, ‘The lecture iteelt may perhaps be properly described rather as introduciory to the main body ef what Pro- fessor Huxley has to propound as a theory than as any exposition of that theory itself, The Professor is evi- dently proceeding on the common sense prmciplo that tn order properly to build a house it must have founda- tions; that in order to get good foundations digging is necessary ; that such obstacles as are encountered in the digging process must be removed. In the process proper of digying last night for the foundations of the theory of Professor Huxley encountered two otver theories which were ruthlessly removed. A word or two with regard to Mr. Huxley’s style and manner of Tec. turing may not be out of place, Ho 1s self possessed, unimpassioned and deliberate. For an extempore speaker his language fs singularly cloar, cogent and In- cisive, But possibly bis most marked feature 1s ex. ireme caution in the selection of words and the thor- ough fitness of the words when chosen. His whole style is suggestive of great and highly trained intellec- tual power, tempered by extremo caution and backed by immonse reserve force, All this in an extempore speaker will give tho measure of the man with the pen, THE LECTURE. Tho lecturer opened his remarks by saying that wo live in a system of things countless in number, diver- sity and complexity, called nature, and that it is a matter of the deepest interest to us to form a just conception ot that system and of its past, Man, in re- lation to the universe, can be considered really us little more than ® mathematical point, reod; but, as Pascal said:—*‘A thinking reed, who, by Virtue of bix inherent powers of thought, frames to himself a symbole conception of this universe,” Now, this conception may in {tself be impertect; but still ita8 accurate enougu to serve him asa guide anda wap in ail the practical concerns of lite, It has taken ages tor man, by iooking steadily at the phantas- magoria of nature, to pick out What js stable from what 1s unstable, acd to silt the regular and constant trom the irregular and fluctuating. Out of this contempla- ion of nature there has arisen the conception of the regularity and constancy of the laws ac- cording to which 1t acts, and this conception has be- come the tam feature of modern thought, At the present day it is alinost inconceivable that any man of thought could be found who wouid inaintam that chance could hayo any place in tho universe, We have como to look upon the present as the child and fruit of the past, and upou the past as the parent of the present, and men have come to look upon the idea ‘of any outside iuerterenco with the order which pervades nature in the present, and presumably must have done so in the past as an idea not worthy of consideration, Every intolligent person risks 413 lite and stakes his fortuie upon tho constancy of tho lawe of nature and upon the relations of cause and effect unchanged, This underlies tacitly every process of reasoning; 1t 18 based upon the broad- est and widest inductive process and 1s verifiea by the best of deductive processes. We must romember, how- ever, that every buman belief, however well founded it may appear, amounts only at most to the highest de- gree of probability in the matters im band, and, altnough wo may be sure Of nature in the present, tt does not follow that we are justitied in extending all that wo can predicate of her itito tho past or that we should deny that cause and effect did not hold the same relations to one anotber then io all phenome: it they hold now. Hero the speaker detailed the various satoguaras adopted by tue cautious thinker in his investigations and pasgod to the subject proper of the lecture. THX PAST ORDER OF NATURE. The past order of nature, said Professor Huxley, in order to be dealt with properly must be treated histor- jeally. In ordor to make clear to the audionce the method which he wished to adopt be would say a fe: words upon three essential points: First—Vho order of nature in the past. Second—The evidence in our possession with regard to that order. Third—Tho canons by which that evidence must bo interpreted. With regard to the ordor of nature in the paat there are only three hypotheses which clam attention. The first is the assumption that the preseut order of things hag always oblaimed—that is, that it has existed from alleternity. The second is that the preseut ordor of things bas had bet @ limited duration, and that at somo period im the past the ‘pres- ent order of thyog# camo into oxistence by the action of a force outside of nature herself. The third is that the present order has bad but a limited duration, and has proceeded naturally trom | another antecedent order, und this again from another, and so on until the notion of fixing a limit to this sue- cession of slow and gradual changes is given up. Professor Huxiey next asked what these three hypo- theses individually involved. According to the first a spectator, if we supposo one, at any given period in the past, how remote soever, would have seen a world similar to ours; plants and animals, mountain and ocean, with a conformation of the earth much as it ts to-day, This was the view of antiquity, and survived nearly to our own times, and, although’ not identical with, t# still allied to tho view of Hutton and Lyell, according to which the same powers which have shaped the world of tw day ure to-day shapmg the world of the futuro Just (o the same manner as they acted in the past. This may be termed the self-adjusting power of tho forces of the universe and in tho earth is repre- sented cbielly by the voleante processea, Tho logical development of this theory might be the eternity of the umverse substuntially as we see it ‘This idea was appliew to the sun and planets us well as to our awn glove. ‘The second hypothesis is the doct stated In the immortal poet of John Milton, nso Lost,” to which, slyly observed Mr, Huxiey, and to what we Jearncd in our childhood, 1s probably due the perma- neuce of this hypothesis among those who read the Kuglish tongue. "Here the passuges descriptive of crea- tion iu the six days were read, the creation of the va- rious animals being wasignod to the different days. Toe third hypothesis—that of evolution—supposes that at any period in the past we should meet with a stato of tings more or less similar to the prosent, bat lows in proportion to the remotencas of the period | chosen for Investigation, This would be trae of the Janus aud flora of the earth, of the sun, pavets and staré In duo time’ wo should ar: rive at the conception of a gelatinous mass which, sus faras we know, i8 the foundation of all lite, and this, would again ‘be tracoabie into a nebulous ‘ma | naving properties common to the gelatinous mass and to all that goes to orm the prevent universe. This ypothesia supposes no breach of continulty ta which uld say (hat one was natural and the other a natural process. rer thon gaid that in dealing with these hoses we should diseard all d priort con- The questions to be considered wero ques- siderations. tions of fact, the main one being, How aid this ual- verse come Into existence? it being distinctly under- stood tbat the question referred not to cause, but to manner. For the purpose of making cloar the !ine of evidence to be relied upon in the inquiry, the learned lecturer distinguished between, and illustrated testimonial evi- denco and circumstantial evidence; tho former being human and either direct or indireet; the iatter being not human avidence. The superiority of eircumstan- tial evidence in the present caso was fully dwelt upon, inasmach as 1t could by no means be falvified, as human testimony could. ‘The three hypotheses were then considered. The first was thrown out of the court as untenable, because, if one relied on testimonial evidence, te witnexses themselves would buve to be eternal, and the circum- stantial evidence showed it to be absolutely iueomnpati- ble with facts. The present strata of w rth are known to be exactly of the same nature as those being now formed ‘under known ¢onditiony at the suriace of the earth, The cretaceous formations found on the flanks of moantain ranges, being identical with what was being bow formed at the bottom of tue Atiantic, were adduced in proof. The crusts thus formed become & measure of tite, the youngest being upper- most, the eldest undermost, and being also a measure of the time at which the events transpired in the process of their for They are full of the remains of countiess 4 animals it as they are being imbedded no’ pmervation shows that these pl only hnd a temporary duration. strate we woe different ones, and ssiil further back dif ferent oncs stil!, until at last wo lose trace of them altogether, Thus circumstantial evidence absolutely negatives the eternity of the present condition of things. THE MILTON MYPOTITESIS. Protessor Huxley humorousiy stated why he had chosen to eall this the Milton hypothesis, instead of the hypothesis of creation, or the Biblical hypoth or the Mosaic hypothesis. Briefly, it was 1 meddle in matters of roligious or laguistic di with which he Was not coucerned. The punge cisivenens of the remarks made by the learned F sor upon this head evoked hourty iaughter and plause, He preferred simply calling it the Milwo hypothesis because there was no ambiguity in what Milton stated. The hypothesis itself was dealt with in detail and if was shown with much force that the whole theory of the creation of the world as given by Milton (which ts substantially the Biblieal one) wea flatly contradicted by the evi- dence of nature herse! The third hypothesis 1s that founded upon the bis- tory of the earth in th The various strata represent periods of time ao great that humao chronology hardly affords us a unit of measure for them. We find that all that is now arg land was once at tho bottom of the water; and it i¢ certain that in the cretaceous period no one of the great foatures of the globe existed as they are to-day. The Kocky Mountains, the Himalayas, the Pyrenee: the Alps, did not exist, as we fiud masses of cretaceous rocks upon theis flanks, and they must have been upheaved, Going back we meot with alternations of sea and land, estuary and open ocean, We come upon changes in the fauna and flora, but we aro not, justified tn believ- ing in any break in natural processes, in any catuclysms or deluges, and it can now be shown that there is no break in ‘the chain of formations; that as one form has died out another has taken 1s place, 80 thas there 1s not the slightest trace of any break in the unt- formity of navuro’s operations, This is the plainest circumstantial evidence of the stratitied rocks. ‘Tho lecturer then proceeded to spoak of the HYPOTHRSIS OF EVOLUTION. He proposed 1n the lecture to come to institute a caro- ful inquiry into the evidences of evolution, That in- quiry would be conducted upon purely circamstantial evidence and would exclude all hypotheses, The char- acter of the evidence itself might be termed—frsi neutral, or such as did not tell either for or again: the theory; second, strong probable evidenes in favor oftho theory; and third, evidence which he though would be so complote and entire in its favor that it might be called demonstrative. This hypothesis forms the subject of the next two lectures, RIOTING IN SOUTH CAROLINA, AN OUTRAGE BY COLORED MEN—ARREST OF TWO OF THB NEGROES AND FLIGHT OF THE THIRD ARMED RESISTANCE OF THE BLACKS—TROOPS SENT FoR. Avausta, Ga, Sept. 18, 1876. Mrs. Alonzo Harley, who lives near Silverton, Atkem county, 3. C., was assaulted at her residence last Friday, by two negro men, Mr, Harley was at work on his farm, and Mrs, Harley was in the house with hep son, aged nine years, and an infant threo woeks old, She was knocked down two or throe timos, and hor screams and those of her son alarmed the negroes, whe fled, When the report of the asvault on Mrs. Hurley became known the citizens assembled and mado search for the nogroes, one of whom was arrested and shot. The other ' negrooa escaped, On Saturday a warrant was issued for his arrest, ‘the wurrant wi placed in the hands of a constuble, who, with the ald of a posse of white men, attempted’ to make the arrest, which was resisted by a large crowd of negroes, about 200 in num- ber, armed with shotguns and Winebester rifles, On Sunday tho excitement continued. Both whites and blacks were fully armed, watching each other’s inove- ments, There is a reportof a skirmish during the day, in which two or threo persons were wounded, ‘Yoward night a compromise was agreed, both partict agreeing to disband aud retire to their homes, The negroes agreed to surronder the colored man who mado the assault on Mrs. Harley and deliver him over to the authorities st Aiken. With» thia undorstanding the whites dispersed, and, while retiring to their homes, it 18 reported that several of the latter wero umbuscaded and shot by the negrocs, The city ia full of rumors as to the number killed, but there hag been nothing definite asvertained, ‘A later despatch says:—The passenger train frong Augusta for Port Royal, which left this morning af eight o'ciock, has returned. Proceeding to Jacksom Station, the track was discovered to have voen torn up, anda freight train, which left here at six o’clock thi moruing, was found wrecked, and the negroes nag possession ot the road, Superintendent Fleming, the Port Royal road, has telegraphed the stato of affairs to Governor Chamberlain, asking bim tor troops He has also applied to Lieutenavt Barnbardt, Unit States Army, stationed at Hamburg, for assistunce. A number of citizens have lett for the sceno of the diss turbance, which 1s about twenty miles irom Augusta, on tho Port Royal road. ANOTHER ACCOUNT, NEGROES ARMED WITH RIFLES FURNISHED BY THE STATE—A ‘TORCH LIGHT PROCESSION THREATENED BY THE BLACKS TO-NIGHT—A TERRIBLE RIOT EXPECTED Wf THM MAYOR PERMITS THE PROCESSIO: CHARustox, 3. C., Sept. 18, 1876. Tho riot in Barnwell county, of which mention has bocn made in to-day’s noon telegram, originated from an attompt on the part of a constable aud a white posse to arrest a negro ehurged with an attempt to commit rape. The scene of the disturbance is in Aiken county, about tweaty miles from -Augusta, Ga, and some miles from the Port Royal Railroad Tho telegraph operator at Ellentown was either killed or captured, and several houses burned by the negroes, who algo tore up tho railroad track and wrecked @ freight train, Captain Wood, of Barnwell, aud four other white men, were killed in the fight, Advices from the State Capitol say that the Governor is in communication with the Sheriff of Aiken county, and has ordered him to go to the scene and enforce the law. The negroes in that section, us 10 all ober sections of the State, are armed with Winchester six- toen-shooters and filty-eight caltvra Remington breech- loaders, furnished them by the State, Tho whites are armed imperiectly with pistols aud shotguns pur- chased by themselves. The negro rioters. on the ids of the Combaheo and Ashepoo rivers are de- nd to-day drove off the Sheriff of Colleton coun- ty, swearing that they would not be arrested excopt by vioodshed. bey, too, are armed with State guos. Rumors are rite here ot in Various portions ul the State, but no authentic news has been received at this point. Chariezton i absolutely resting on ® volcano, the whites and colored both resting on thoir arms, and as the newe from the rice ficids and from Barnwell comes in the excitement grows more and more intense. Both he State aud municipal authoritios are powerless ta 1 peace and the negroes dety th It is rumored here that the negroes will hi light procession to-morrow night. Ii the Mayor allows it a general riot will probably ensue, as both sides are in a highly excitod state, Tho Sh ‘ot Colloton county will to-morrow organize an armed posse and again attempt to arrest tho rioters in the rice fields. + SIX NEGRORS KILLED, The latest report from the scene of the riot is that one white man is wounded and six negroes killed. Notking authentic bas been received, but the city is full of rumors. MOUNTAIN MEADOW MASSACRE, Fe PROCEEDINGS IN THE BEAVER COURT—STRONO TESTIMONY AGAINST LEE—COMFESSION OF MURDER BY LEE. Sart Lake Crer, Sept. 18, 1876. The evidence of McMurdy in the Beaver Court, o# Friday and Saturday, was very cloar and positive as t¢ Leo having shot aud killed four or five wounded men and women lying helpless in the wagon that witness was driving, and his beartiessuess in the slaughter, Witness drove the leading team. He testified that as soon as Lee fired the first shot, preceded by the word “Halt,” tho Indians rushed out of their ambuah, apparently on all sides, and surrounded the emigrants completely; the work of destruction lasted a few minates only; from his best judgment he believed there wag not more than twenty-five white on the ground, and they had been deceived as to what was wauted of them there, Knight testitied that there was not more than half of this number took part in the massacre, aud it can be proven that several of these even shed no blood, Brin, inthe air; that the Indians were armed, some wi! bows and ‘arrows, but the must of thom with guns, Nephi Jobnson testified that he lived F/ Fort, Iron county, 1 1¥ Meadows at the time of the massacre; he affirmed that ho did not know Lee’s intention of destroying tho emigrants; he was on bul “near by when "Lee fired the gui he saw Lee shooting and kill two or three of the emi grants; Johnson was an Indian interpreter and waa eugaged to conduct the Jukes company of emigrants— the next company following that massacred—irom Beaver to Clara. hen the witness got to Harmony on the way with the company Lew urged him to lead them into au ambush in the Mor tains, and Lee would sarround them y hi Witness reiused, saying, “You have shed enough blood andy, | have Ged to pilot this company through the country and I wili do so if it coste me my life,’ sLee called him a coward, whiffet, &c. ‘The defence cross-examined this witness more than the rest and confused him somowhat, but could not affect much the dawnaging positive evidence as to Lee’s pusit. : Jacob Hamlin, tho Jast witnoss called tor the prose- cution, testified to the admission vy Lee to him of acta of murder, and bis participation in commencing and completing the massacre, and that Lee justified him- self for doing #0. shin CHEESE MARKET. Aumant, Sept. 18, 1876 The cheeso market at Little Falls to-day is very similar to last Monday, About 6,000 boxes sold for 1c. a12\¢., one or two lots going a trifle better on private terms, The usual offerings of farm cheese wold for 10440, a 12c., most gong for Ile. The buster market is grow all Active and prices remain satisfactory to producers, Prices to-day ‘were 276, a dic, the average being S0c.