A E AM BLE IN SPAIN. SCINTILLATIONS OP SC1HNCE. TOTE TIME IN SCOTLAND. HERE AND THERE.

The old moss found more than afoot thick in various parts of Swedenproves an excellent material for papeimaking.

Dakota has a lake thirteen feetdeep, which is frozen to the bottom,but the cheek of the man who tells thestory is all right.

devil desperado. But despite his ap-pearance our friend is quite harmless;nay, hospitable and helpful. Pall MallGazette.

Fashion and Common Sense.If there is one locality more than an-

other where the voice of common senseis never listened to it is in that veryextensive one where fashion reigns.Who ever thinks of listening to the sug-gestions of the former, when the de-cree of the latter potentate hasgone forth" Tight sleeves forthe ladies, and tight continua-tions for the gentlemen is thefashion, supposing. The advocates ofcommon sense protest, saying, it is im--

to move cne's limbs in them :Fossible bend the knee, before theportrait of my fondest hopes, says one;I cannot get my hands to the back ofmy head, says another, which is farmore important. And fashion replies,I cannot satisfy all tastes. My lawsare mostly made for the unreflecting ;

if you reflect you will never be satis-fied. That which you complain of nowis only a temporary inconvenience ;

when I can no longer tighten in yourlimbs, sleeves and leggings will takesuch ample proportions that the realsize of an arm or leg will be a subjectfor divination. Fashion has no re

dance. When all were assembled,a goodly company of honest farmers,buxom matrons, stalwart ladies, andblithe, rosy-cheek- ed maidens, alldressed in those fine new suits. teaand cake were handed round. Whileeating and new greeting wers goingon, the fiddler came with his Stradi-vari us, and was elevated on a chair onthe top of the dresser in the amplekitchen, where he soon handled thebow with such grace and spirit as tocall the dancers out. I think we onthis side of the water do not know thatmusic. On his elevated perch, withhis head thrown back, his bright eyessparkling, and face beaming withsmiles of delighted excitement, the fid-dler sat, his right hand sweeepingthe strings with well-rosin- bow,while his right foot beat timeloudly. His irresistible efforts com-pelled old and young, dull and weary,to take the floor time after time, hourafter hour. The modern dances areunknown and unheard of, especiallyin the north counties. But reels andjigs, strathspeys, and country dances,come in the place of our waltzes,polkas, and the like, and continueduntil 11 o'clock. Then, as if there hadnot been eating enough in the daytime,a good supper was served, concludingwith "health and good-night- ," drankfrom the punch-bow- l, newly filled

h ft

i:; t-- . v

Attractions for the Naturalist and Sportsman.As John Hooker said of Spain, "God

has most of the land in His own hold-ing," consequently one there enjoysthe spectacle of a wild and beautifulcountry in its most perfect pristinecondition, exactly as turned out bynature, not yet disfigured or "im-proved" by the hand of man, andpractically unchanged since the daysof the Moors, and, in fact, for agesbefore them. Every day one seesmany of those forms of bird and ani-mal life which in our crowded islandshave long ceased to exist, and only re-main to the naturalists of to-d- in theform of bad1 pictures in books orworse specimens in museums. Amongthe rolling corn lands the great bus-tard roams in plenty. Troops of fiftyor sixty of this noble game bird, thelargest of that class, mav be seen to-

gether, their great fawn-colore- d bod-ies and long necks a herdof deer rather than birds. Then thereare the lesser bustards, and on everyside resounds the triple note of thequail. On the open "plains beforementioned the royal kite and the buz-zard both these, like the bustard,about extinct at home are ever insight gracefully circling over thebrushwood with a keen eye for an out-lying rabbit, or one of the large andbeautifully colored lizards whichabound therein.

But for the particular behoof of thereptile world nature has designed andcommissioned a special class of armedcruiser, the "Colebrero," or snake-eate- r,

as the Spaniards call him, whichis often descried busily employed athis vocation. Then those dark-brow- n

fellows with creamy heads hover-ing over a marshy hollow, theirmotionless wings set at a sharpangle, are moor buzzards, while thelong-winge- d kind, which look like gigantic swallows are their cousins, theash-color- ed harrier, the most indus-trious and hard working creature ofhis kind. Of small birds, there is aninfinite variety, many clad in thebrightest hues, which harmonize ad-

mirably with the sunny scene. Someof these, such as the bee eaters, theblue jay, and the golden oriole almostrival in brilliancy the gaudy denizensof the tropics. Not only are theirplumages most vivid in color, but theypossess glossy reflections, which in thebright southern sun sparkle like few-e- ls

Every now and then a covey ofthe large Spanish partridge rise withstartling suddenness; their numbersare surprising when one considers theunceasing persecution they undergofrom the native "cazadores" and thequantity of birds of prey, these latterforming a characteristic feature in theSpanish landscape.

Besides birds, these broad, undula-ting plains and prairie lands are thenative home of the wild -- bred Spanishbull. Here he roams at large from hisbirth till the day he receives his deaththrust at the hand of the matador. Aformidable beast he is, perhaps theonly one inclined to dispute the do-minion of man. The wild-bre- d Span-ish bull is ready to assume the offen-sive, and provoke a combat in theopen. He stands his ground resentingintrusion on his domains with a low,deep roar of defiance, viciously paw-ing the ground and throwing up cloudsof dust with his four feet.

Beyond the fertile but externallysomewhat monotonous regions of thevine and corn, the Spanish horizon isusually bounded by the bluish loom ofa distant mountain range. But beforethis can be reached a very different re-

gion must be traversed. The sierrasare usually encircled by a broad zone,of low, broken hills and undulatingplateaux, beautifully clothed in strag-gling natural woods. Luxuriant grovesof oaks, chestnuts, and cork trees oc-

cupy the ridges, while the valleys arefilled with dense masses of arbutus,lenticus, wild olive, some kind oflaurel, cistus, and other shrubs. Hereand there whole acres glow with thebrilliant flowers of the rhododendron,and the crimson peony adorns themost arid places. In certain districts,as one carefully picks one's way, rid-

ing through brushwood as high as one'sshoulder, now and then a red deerstarts from the thicket almost at one'sfeet. Huge black snakes uncoil fromtheir basks on a sunny knoll, andglide rapidly out of sight; then a coup-le of badgers hustle away through thescrub, or a broad-winge- d kite slipsnoiselessly from her nest on a pine.Overhead resounds the short, loudbark of the imperial eagle, or perhapsone of these magnificent birds may beperched in massive outlines on the top-most limb of a lofty oak, his whiteepaulets plainly visible' in sharp con-trast to the glossy black plumage.

Probably for typical mountain scen-ery the Pyrenees and the hill region ofGallicia and the Austrias are the finestin the peninsula. Bnt the great sier-ras of the south have a character oftheir own which is not wanting eitherin beauty or grandeur. The vast pilesof limestone, of which they are largelycomposed, are blanched by the ages ofexposure till they shine in the sun-shine like white marble, relieved andvariegated by the dark green of thebrushwood, which grows thick wher-ever among the rocks it can find soilfor its roots. Naturally these ruggedsierras are but ill adapted for cultiva-tion. Here and there the mountain-eers have wrested from the stony de-clivities a little patch of corn land. Inthis the hillmen compare favorablvwith the more listless dwellers of theplains. A keener sense of the strug-gle for existence no doubt developslatent energies; but these sometimesappear to increase in proportion to thegreater remoteness from the banefulinfluence of the priesthood. Thestaple industry of the sierras, however,is the breeding of goats. Ubiquitouslyaudible is the not unmusical tinkle ofthe little bell which each goat carrieson its neck, a sound characteristic ofthe wildest and most remote glens ofthe mountains. Last thing at dusk,first thing at daw, resounds that littletinkle round one's camp. The per-sonal appearance of the Spanish Ser-rano is formidable. As he suddenlyappeared on the scene, leather clad,shaggy, and bronzed to a copper color,with a huge knife stuck in his belt andhis long single barrel slung behind hissaddle, he looks the picture of a dare

Curiosities and Discoveries In die World oiProgress

A properly developed, full-grow- n

man weighing 154 pounds ought, according to Prof. Huxley, to consumedaily 5,000 grains of lean beefsteak,6,000 grains of bread, 7,000 grains ofmilk, 3,000 grains of potatoes, 600grains of butter and 22,900 grains ofwater. x

Tests have proved that one pound ofpowder in small blasts will loosenabout 44 tons of rock, and in largeblasts about 2J tons. In a day of tenhours one man can bore with a bit aninch in diameter from 50 to 100 inchesdeep in granite, or from 300 to 400inches in limestone.

A specimen of lignite from the de-

posits of the Souris Valley, Manitoba,gave on analysis the following result:Carbon, 52.36 per cent; hydrogen,3.52; oxygen and nitrogen, 18.47; sul- -

phur, 0.42; ash, 4.53, and water, 20.70.The color of the ash was buff. Whenignited a" good flame was produced,with intense heat.

Representatives of the Spanish Gov-ernment have recently visited Eng-land for the purpose of inspecting thevarious establishments where fareeguns are made. They have placed inbhelhfcid an order lor the plant neces-sary for turning out forgings for theheaviest possible ordnance. heplant will cost at least $1,000,000.

How to produce painless death inthe lower animals has been carefullystudied by Dr. W. B. Richardson. Heseems at last to have succeeded in se-

curing euthanasia for them. The ani-mals to be destroyed are placed in achamber into which is forced a cur-rent of carbonic oxide passing at 80deg. Fahrenheit over a mixture ofchloroform and carbon bisulphide.Extinction of life is soon effected inthe chamber by the lethal np.ture ofits atmosphere so brought about.

To determine the vexed questionwhether the level of the Baltic wasrising or sinking, watermarks orgauges were set up in 1750, renewedabout a century later, and finally re-

paired last year. At short, regularintervals the gauges were inspected,and the readings carefully noted.The records of 134 years now showbeyond all cavil that while the Scandi-navian coast has been steadily rising,the southern littoral of the Baltic hasbeen steadily sinking. Since 1750 thecoast of Sweden has been upheavedon an average nearly fifty-si- x inches.No change has been perceptible on aline which passes from the Swedishcoast over Bornholm and Laland tothe Schleswig-Holstei- n shore.

At the late meeting of the Associa-ted Swiss Societies at Berne, M. Mull-hau-

suggested the formation of aninternational geogrsphicai bureau forthe purpose, first, of carrying out theresolutions arrived at by internationalgeographical congresses; second, ofmaking exchanges every month, orof tener if need be, between the eightyodd geographical societies; and, third,of publishing in the four or five princi-pal languages a summary of the con-tents of the publications of the variousgeographical societies. He furtherproposes that the expenses be sharedby the many societies which would bebenefited by the execution of the pro-ject.

Dumont's sewerage scheme for Pariscontemplates the construction of adrain about one hundred miles longirom the city to a covered reservoir be-

low Herblay, on the right bank of theSeine, and between Dieppe and Tre-par- t,

and the establishment of pump-ing stations at Eragny and Serifon-tain- e.

It is estimated that for ninemonths in the year, almost the wholeor the sewage will be taken up by irri-gation. The entire cost of construc-tion is expected to be not more than

12,000,000, and it is anticpated thatthe maintenance of the pumping sta-tions will be fully secured by the salesof sewage for irrigation .purposes.Only during one-quart- of the yearwill much of the waste of the Frenchcapital reach the sea at all.

A new form of apparatus for determining the compressibility of waterhas been exhibited by Prof. Tait be-

fore the Royal Society, Edinburgh.Instead of measuring the compressioncaused by a given pressure he nowmeasures the pressure required toproduce a given compression. Hisnew arrangement allows him to makeany number of measurements in rapidsuccession at any one temperature;and then the temperature can beraised and corresponding measure- -ments made without once opening thecompression apparatus. Experimentswhich formerly would have takenweeks for their completion could nowbe accomplished in an afternoon. Hehopes to demonstrate, as soon as hehas a practical working specimen ofhis invention at his command, thatthe diminution of compressibility athigher pressure becomes less at highertemperatures, and may even becomean increase for the first few hundredatmospheres' pressure.

The Birthplace of the Monsoon.In the plains of India at the com-

mencement of the monsoon stormsoccur in which the lightning runs likesnakes all over the sky at the rate ofthree or four flashes in a second, andthe thunder roars without a break forfrequently one or two hours at a time.Yet it is very rare that any tree oranimal is struck by the electric cur-rent. The explanation of this is thegreat depth of the stratum of heatedair next the ground, which keeps theclouds at such a height that most ofthe flashes pass from cloud to cloudand very few reach the earth. St.Louis Globe-Democr- at.

An Industrious Negro.A negro living in the southern por-

tion of Macon county, Aaron Calhoun,made five bales of cotton, without theassistance of a mule, ox, or any beastof like kind. He. lost his mule in thefirst part of the year, and, owing about$25 for advances the previous year, hedetermined not to go into debt .anymore. As a final resort, he made aset of harness for himself and took theplace of the mule, with the above re-- j

sult.--Jfac- m (Ga.) Messenger.

The Extensive Preparations that Are Hadefor It A Day of Feasting and Fun.

When Robert Burns was born, 126vears ago, the folk of old Scotlandknew vastly more of the real Yuletime than those who celebrate thepoet's birthday are now wont toknow, writes a correspondent to TheAlbany Argus. Then it was a holyday of many centuries' observance,and nurses by the cradles of such babesas William Burns' laddie were ac-

customed to croon of "the festal timewhen of the south the fiery sun-whe-

comes." Now, in Scotland, as well aselsewhere the world over, it is neces-sary to tell the inquiring child theever-ne- w story of the great annual fes-tival of the winter solstice, not cele-brated now with the old-tim- e wassail,but observed still with some measureof feasting and revelry.

The ships that arrived on Friday andSaturday brought the latest Glasgowmails, and as our American Scotch-men gather to tell of that birth ataulden Ayr they will have to read manya home letter and paper telling on thedearest pages of the Yule just passedin the loved and far away Scotch land.The home folk do not speak of Christ-mas as much as they do of Yule, andthe chances are that the auld folkwould never refer to it as synonymouswith the feast of the nativity, thoughit stands the greatest holiday of theScottish year. Yule is not of the 25thof December, but of the 6th of January;for in the olden days time was alwaysreckoned by the "old style," and, fromfear that "it might have a Romishflavor, tradition preferred to keeptwelve days behind the rest of the civil-ized world.

Certain very important preparationswere made for the feast as long ago asNovember. Each able family killed,at the approach of winter, a pig. ayearling, and six or more sheep.Everything was utilized, Tripe waspickled, tallow candles were made,and out of the kitchen oven came pud-dings, black and white. Each masterwent to the market town and laid inample store of groceries of all sorts.And when the dark and dead half ofthe year went out, the warm cellar wasa well-fille- d larder, and the air waspregnant with the coming day thatwas to break in upon the uneventfuland monotonous routine of the country-side year with its festivities, its feast-ing, and its fun. The youngsterslooked forward to it with the mosteager anticipation, for in our Scotchhomes there are, besides the mesterand mither, almost always a flock oflads and lassies who enjoy festal-tim- e

with a zeal which it is difficult fordwellers in more favored climes andmore stirring localities to understand.The stanch conservative mester andthe genial, hospitable mither, true totheir principles and instincts, antici-pated and enjoyed the "day of thesunlight" that had been kept in theold house from time immemorial withthe same right royal delight as theirchildren did, only perhaps ia a moreordinary way.

The boys and girls have their semi-annual suits of clothing for the greatoccasion, and another invariable andimportant preparation is the makingof the football, Yule always inaugu-rating the football season "across theborder." The lads, with great anxi-ety and study, cut and sew the leathercovering: themselves, using a native-tanne- d

"horse hide. The girls, mean-while, would write little notes of for-mal invitation to every household ofcousins to "come to us on New'rs-da- y

and stay till Yule e'en," for, though itis general to spend the time at home,yet such invitations must be ex-

changed.Yule came, this year, on a "tisly

Tuesday," called "tisly" because thatit is traditional that Yule, coming onTuesday, the day is always fine (" 'tislightfully !" contracted to tis'ly"properly.) So, of course, it was alovely day, and thus the letter-write- rs

say. Feasting began at 9 o'clock witha very substantial breakfast. No ma-tutinal porridge on Yule morning!Though only breakfast, the tablesgroaned with good things. Few wereso thriftless but that they could sitdown to such a good board as held around of cold corned beef, savory saus-ages, eggs, rolls, scones, oatmeal,brunnies, marmalade, tea, and cream.After the meal every sideboard broughtforth a large old china punch-bow- l,

kept expressly for this purpose, a sal-ver with large glasses, and a cake bas-ket heaped with rich short-bread- s.

And the bowl ! It contained thatvenerable and famous Yule breakfastbeverage called "whipcol" venera-ble because that tradition hath it thatit was the favorite drink of the dwell-ers in Valhalla when they first kepttheir Yule festival; and famous, be-

cause there never is, in Scotland, aYule breakfast without it. We, whoare Yankees, are not acquainted withit. It is not egg-fli- p, but its constitu-ents are the yelks of a dozen eggswhisked half an hour with about onepound of sugar, added to a pint of oldrum and a quart of sweet cream. Abumper of this, drank to many happyreturns of the day, always rounds offa Yule breakfast completely.

Right off after breakfast, footballcommenced on many a green. Menand boys met, and after drinkingdrams and eating cake provided bysome generous laird, sets were ar-

ranged, goals fixed, and play began.The older men looked on with interest,and the games went on fast and furi-ous till close up to the dinner hour,3 o'clock, when light failed.

The dinners were as ponderouslysubstantial as the breakfast, and muchmore ample and lavish. The letterswritten on the 7th speak of the meal asconsisting of roast beef, soup, iish,boiled mutton, plum duff (pudding),apple pie, tarts, jellies, and creams,followed by a dessert never seen ortasted only then a dessert of oranges,apples, figs, plums, raisins, and al-

monds. Three hours after the atten-tion given this repast came a tea, alsosumptous and calculated to make allparticipants well stuffed and used up.Our Thanksgiving and the EnglishChristmas do not begin to afford moreof the real feast.

After supper the candles were light-ed and neighbors of the old housesdropped in, having been invited to a

The Seven Devils' country in Idaho,about one hundred and fifty miles orso north of Boise, is the seductivename of a region which promises to bethe mining attraction next season.

The late Rev. William H. Channingleft three children, a son distinguishedat Oxford, a daughter who is the wifeof Edwin Arnold, and an unmarrieddaughter who lives with Mrs. Chan-

ning in London.

The late John Pierpont, who was apoet as well as preacher, and the lateStarr King, whom the gods also madepoetical, were pastors over the his-

torical Hollis Street church, whichmodern Bostonians will turn into atheater.

While during the entire month ofNovember, 1790, but 113 persons fromoutside entered through the twelvegates of the Prussian capital, the num-ber of strangers now arriving permonth reaches an average of upwardof 30,000.

Cadet Alexander, a colored ladfrom Ohio, stands nineteen in theWest Point third class of seventy mem-bers, and Cadet Young, another Ohiocolored academy lad, stands thirty-tw-o

in the fourth, class of seventy-si- x

members.

A recent biographer of Handel saysthat nothing made the composer sofeverish in his latter days as questionsabout trivial matters. He used to say:"If a man cannot think but as a fool,let him keep his fool's tongue in hisown fool's mouth."

Me. Harnish, the young Philadel-phia sculptor, for several years theprotege of Miss Anna Hampton Brew-ster.i- n

Rome, and relentlessly satirizedalong with that lady in "By the Tiber,"is about to marry the niece of a prom-inent Italian cardinal.

Princess Beatrice gets the prizehusband for looks. Prince Henry isundeniably handsome. The marriageis to take place early in May. It is notto be an elaborate ceremony of showand state, but will be celebrated asquietly as possible in the privatechapel at Windsor Castle.

The patriarch of the New York po-lice force, Richard S. Eldridge, waspensioned at $600 a year, last week.He was one of the four special watch-men who stood guard at Castle gardenwhen the famous ball was given thereto Lafayette on his visit to this countryin 1825, and his regular service ha3numbered fifty-fo- ur years. He haslong been known as "Pop," and though87 years old is still stalwart.

The of Egypt, who isnow moving in London society, wearstwo glistening blood stones in hiscuffs,, surrounded by brilliants, whichare the rubies of the "Redeemer,"brought from Abyssinia by a Copticbishop. There were four of them, butthe other two, the-gif-t of Ismail, weremissing from the corpse of Abdul Azizwhen he was discovered dead andbloodless in the Dolma Baktche palace.

Mrs. Fawcett, widow of the latepostmaster general of England, is go-

ing to live with her sister, Miss AgnesGarrett, the well-know- n "art housedecorator." The business, startedsome years ago by Miss Garrett, inconjunction with the late Miss RhodaGarrett, to whose skill in designingand admirable taste it mainly owes itssuccess, has now a large and lucrativeconnection, and Mrs. Fawcett's apti-tude for business details will be ofmaterial assistance to her sister.

Prince Victor Napoleon has notonly attracted all the young Bona-parti- sts

to his side, but many of theleading functionaries of the second

empire throng his bachelor parlors ev-

ery Thursday for chat and a cup of teathe only refreshment served. He is

rather a silent young man, and is go-

ing into training for full Napoleon V.Of cousse, he has no connection withthe house over the way his papa's.But he is a long way off from thethrone, about as distant as the Comte

de Paris. The republic is very portlyand healthy, has no signs of prema-ture death, and the only danger it hasto encounter is Bismarck's love.

There is a diversity of opinion as towhether young George Gould will keepthe Gould possessions together or not.Thus far he has not fullfilled all thefond desires of his distinguished pa-rent. He has not much of a head forfinance or a surplus of aptitude forspeculation. To be a good speculatorrequires much sagacity. He enjoys thetheaters very much, and likes to slipin behind the scenes among the prettychoru3 or ballet girls, and his headaches quite frequently next dav duringbusiness hours. Nevertheless, Mr.Gould is making every effort to makea business man out of him, and he

ought to succeed.

spect of person ; if high heels are in-

troduced for the benefit of short peo-ple, low heels are never introduced atthe same time for people who are al-

ready taller than they care to be. Thelatter must wait their turn for the opposite fashion, and then unusually7short persons must have their bootsmade to order if they wish to reach upto the elbow of their superior inheight, or submit to be looked upon asdwarfs by tall people, if they prefer tokeep in the fashion.

Fashion pretends to have an eye forbeauty ; if this be true, she enact i atleast that all her followers be model-led after the same fashion. They musthave heads and faces of a uniformsize and shape, that the hat or bonnetof the season may become them all,and they must have a uniform tint ofcomplexion, that the color a la modemay suit it. Those who study fashionin dress at the expense of their person-al comfort are surely wanting in com-mon sense, yet we most of us do so,since the fashionable and uncomforta-ble article is preferred to the unfash-ionable and comfortable one, thoughit may cost more than double the priceof the latter.

Common sense suggests that in hotweather clothing for both sexes shouldbe light in texture and color ; but iffashion ordains that ladies' dresses beheavily trimmed, and if she refuses togive her consent to garments of a sum-mery nature being introduced forgentlemen, no one has the courage topay attention to personal comfort.When ladies' skirts are made so nar-row as to be inconvenient for walking,and liable to assist the wearer to anawkard fall in descending from a car-

riage, or when they are widened to aludicrous width to admit of unmanage-able crinolines, or burdened with use-less trains, to be draggled in thestreets or trodden on in the ball-roo-

who ever thinks of refusing to obeythe nonsensical mandate? Even themost obdurate end by giving in, be-

lieving that they are more ridiculousto hold out, than to stand alone withcommon sense. Nothing, for instance,could indicate more plainly the follyof making long-traine- d "dresses thefashion, than to see a year or two agohow the latter was necessarily bunch-ed up in the most ungraceful manner,or the wearer was compelled to haveone hand always engaged with hold-ing up the superfluous yard or two ofstuff, making her invariably wish thatartificial hands had come into fashionwith the trains, to allow of her usingher natural ones in some more profit-able way. London Sta?idard.

The Bnrrnah Rice Crop.The official report, dated Calcutta,

Dec. 15, 1884, on the prospects of therice crop for November is as follows :

"The total area under cultivation inthe ten districts is reported as 3,180,-83- 5

acres. This area is only an esti-

mate, as the actual measurements arenot completed until the middle of Jan-uary. The other nine districts of theprovince are returned as containing332,000 acres of rice land, and thereare 129,000 acres of taungya cultiva-tion, nearly all of which produces rice.The total area for thisyear is, therefore, estimated at about3,640,000 acres. The rain which fellduring November was beneficial, espe-cially to the crops on the higher lands;in parts the rain came somewhat late.It appears that the rain of October didsome damage to the plants in flower,and the ears have in some parts provedlight; under these circumstances, itwill not be safe, until information isobtained as to the outturn on thethrashing-floors- , to estimate the cropat more than twelve annas, or aboutan average crop, according to the cal-culation given in paragraph forty-eig- ht

of the recent revenue resolution.An average crop all over the provinceought to yield an exportable surplus of988,000 tons of cargo rice. The fallowarea has now been found to be some-what larger than was supposed lastyear. Although many of the districtofficers anticipate a crop considerablyabove the average, it appears betternot to estimate for an exportable sur-

plus of more than 975,000 tons, or 104,-00- 0

tons below the actual exports of1882. This estimate will be subject tomodification after the reaping andthrashing are over,"

Boys Will Be Buoys.Some Florida boys, who had a

swimming hole along the St. Johnriver, were often driven out of thewater by a very large alligator whocame to sample them. At last theyhit upon a little racket to get evenwith him. They constructed a buoythe exact size, shape and shade of anordinary boy, and filled it with nitro-

glycerine, and took a pole and pushedit out a little way from shore. Pres-

ently the alligator came up with hismouth wide open like a steel trap, andin one bite he took in over half thebuoy, who just at that juncture wentoff and blew him tail first about threemiles up the river.

Moral "'Boys will be buoys."Life.

since morning. And so Yule day end-e- n,

though in some more remote hous-es it did not come to a final conclusiontill the 13th, which "old style" isNew Year's day, and is quite generallycalled Anid flew t s day. lhose who"keep, 'eep 'eep, the who-ol- e weekcelebrated by slightly modifying a rep-etition of the Yule feast, with foot-ba- ll

by day and a dance at night, makingas a whole such a season of festivityand observance of (Jhnst s nativity asEngland's more pretentious Christmaspales before.

A Prophetic Speech.The following is from a Castroville,

Texas, exchange: In the last cam-paig- n

there were three or four candi-date- s

for District Attorney. Ed. Hal- -ton was one of them and W. R. Wal- -lace was another. Wallace, who wasthen holding the office, was a brilliantfellow, and would have made a bigmark but for whisky. He couldn'tlet the guzzle alone, and was in badshape on account of it. Halton, onthe other hand, was a sober, industri- -ous young fellow. One night he wasin Castroville making a speech, and intelling of the kind of man who shouldfill the responsible position of DistrictAttorney, said he should be sober atall times, reliable, and of good associa- -

tions. This, of course, was a hit atWallace, who happened to be present.After Halton had got through we weresurprised to see Wallace get up."Gentlemen of the jr gen'lemen,"he said, catching himself; "it is notto take exception at what has beensaid here that 1 rise." Every one sawthat he was under the influence, andwondered what was coming, but keptstill, and Wallace continued: "I haveno hard feelings against the amiableyoung gentleman who has just spoken.I like him I like him, an' I don'twant to see him get into trouble. Itrests with you, voters, whether thisyoung man will be saved. You all re--member Perry Hunt, who was DistrictAttorney several years ago he waskilled in a saloon row. And therewas Henry Jackson, who succeededhim he was found dead with a whis-ky bottle by his side. And poorPinckney Jones he died shortly afterbeing elected. A fatality hangs overthe office, gentlemen. Here am I my-self, who succeeded poor Pinckney, awreck, going to the devil fast, as youall know. My dear friends, if youhave any respect for my worthy

any care for his welfare, forGod's sake do not elect him, for hewill surely go to the devil, too." Wal-lac- e

spoke with a great deal of feeling,and we didn't know whether to laughOf cry. The strangest part of it wasthat that speech seemed prophetic. Itwas so neatly done that it turned thetide in Wallace's favor, and he was

But a few mornings afterthe election he was found dead on thefloor of his office.

All Extinct Oyster.Of all the brands the "Saddle Rock"

is perhaps the most impudently fraud-ulent. There is not a dealer who doesnot know that the oyster to which thatname properly belonged disappearedlong ago. There is hardly one whowill not admit as much if you attackhim sharply on the subject. The orig-inal yield was greatly overrated,though for a large-size- d variety it wasvery fair. Now all the dealers, al-

though they know very well that nooyster of this kind is in existence, andin face of the well-know- n truth thequality of the mollusk by no meanskeeps pace with its magnitude, not on-

ly keep "Saddle Rocks" on their bills,serving under this forged title theirbiggest shells of whatever plant, buthave the effrontery to charge from 25to 100 per cent more for them.Brooklyn Eagle.

A Fortune in Celery,r if teen years ago Lendert De Bra-

zen, a Hollander, was a poor gardenernear Kalamazoo, Mich. , trying tomake a living off of some marshy landhe had purchased. After other thingshad failed, he experimented with cele-ry, and is now a rich man. What wasa dozen years ago a swamp is to-da- y

a vast celery field, beside which ahundred- - acre lot is" but a garden.The shipping season begins in July,increases until the holidays, thengradually disappears until the crop is

disposed of in the spring Fifty tonsdaily are now being sent out, and thecrop of 1884 will reach 5,000 tons.Twenty thousand stalks are raised up-on an acre ot ground. It is said that2,000 persons in that locality are en-

gaged in this industry. PhiladelphiaLedger.

No Incompatibility.Husband and wife present them-

selves before the divorce court."What do you want, madam?""Divorce from that wretch.""And you, sir?""Diroree from that vixen.""The decree is refused there is no

incompatibility of temper. You bothseem to be perfectly agreed. Call thenext case." Paris Paper.