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of cats celebrating the election returns. There is something awfully unreal about it, ew- r1 ghosdy. I cannot help listening to its dreary monody â€"its bewildering plaints, and shaping ‘them into cries unearthly All at once a. host of demon spiiits dash against the glass and shriek out angry imprecations. I der like a creature afraid and pull down curtains to shut out the storm’s hoarse roar. Anon the rain dashes down and side- ways. rushing with a clash and shock against the frail, wooden wall, pouring from the low roof, dripping, deluging. saturating all the earth Oh! I do not like those storms I For three days at a time they never cease Riv- ers of wate1 fall rushing down the narrow vall: yr, teming away the soft earth channel- ing out the streets, and filling the streams to the very top of their limestone blufls. Our San Antonio is a brave stream. and seldom unequal to the emergency. The water fre- quently rises fifty feet in a single night, but it rarely overflows. Last August it rushed over the banks for more than lifty miles, and ruined $100,000 worth of corn. potatoes and cotton. Such a calamity may notoccuragain in a lifetime. With every heavy rain these Western rivers rise from twenty to fifty feet, and this renders the building of bridges ex- tremely hazardous. At this time there are very few bridges in Western Texas, ‘which renders traveling in wet weather somewhat dangerous as well as amusing. The crossings are effected, in high water, by means of pen- toons or ferries, and in dry weather by ” lords.” The descent is not like that which Virgil describes into Avernusâ€"“ facilis "â€" but on the contrary quite the reverse. The bluff drops off from the first. second or third terrace. and each drop is worse than the pro- ceeding one. The last is usually consider- ed “ a drop too much.” It just lifts you out of your boots. The blot? is a perpendicular wall of sand or adobe clay, gulched by run- ning water, and is appropriately described by the feminine term " perfectly awful.” If you are a lady you go down with the driver in the hackâ€"who says there is no dan- gerâ€"until you reach the final plunge, and then you shut your eyes and pray. You never expect to see the sun again, just as if you lived in London, but somehow you do. The surefooted mules slide down the “ragged edge‘" the driver leans both feet upon the brake and swears softly to himself -~ the coach rocks and plungesâ€"you feel yourself slipping down, down, down like a. frightful nightmare -â€"snd at length you are on board the boat. The boatman puts his head in, hopes you are not flightened, and says “fifty cents"-â€"or, if he in a native. “four hits.” You hand it out mechanically, never thinking to ask what the charge is for. You are so bewildered that d he said “35” you would have paid it as ‘sdfly, and felt that you had escaped cheap ough. He turns a. crank, the ropes creek and strain, the boat swings round in the net- row, buihng gorge, and in five minutes you find yourself reeling up the red slay bank on the further shore. You wake up. The mo- tion has ceased. - The driver shouts, swears, lashesâ€"the thing has stopped, and refuses to move. The Jehu put aside the outta us and says ' “ Mud’s purty bad I Sori‘y, muml Got any rubber? No? That's bad 1 Kin lend you my slicker if- ye’ll put it on. Kinder keep the leak ofi'." (Drivers are always kind, polite and re. spectful to ladies here.) It is raininu furiously. The wheels are slipping back. You feel yourself going down. You realize what that means. If nervous, you scream and faint. If not, you pull open the curtains. The driver whips up his jaded “earrion.” The coach stops sliding down. You leap nimbly out. The mud catches ycu and holds you. You are safe at least. Then the fun begins. You first: a aoodsized farm up, the awful bluff. Your companions follow and bring up all the mud you left. The mud is very kind. It sticks 'olose to youâ€"it follows youâ€" it pre- vents you from flying, if so disposed â€" it goes with you like Ruth, and stops with you when you stopâ€"quite out of breath and moral re- flections. Your feet are red as well as your face. Somebody says it seldom rains in Texas. Don’t believe it. I never saw prettier rain in my life. Such mud ! Prepared. glue is not ordinary mucil- age beside it. The sharpest knife will not cut it from your shoes. You stand on the upper bank unable to move. There are sheets of water falling upon your spring bonnet, torrents of it rolling from your best clothes ; waves, rivers, oceans of it beneath your feet. Your only solace is that your dis- gusted and dripping companions cannot laugh at you. The iriver discharges a new volume of oaths. all neatly bounds for the occasion with Texas leather. The lashing and eursmg cause the rain to hold its breath in astonishment" At last up he comesâ€"the Red Sea is crease and you resume your place. The thoroughly saturated passengers have enough to do hew- ing off the mud te occupy them till the next station is reached, and somehow the conver- sation flags for want of encouragement. rion can’t tackle the bluff, Graphic Description of a. Ride Ithrough a. Typical Storm. 1, The wind moans. here like a. creature in dis tress. It subs against the window panes and sighs and wayes aflong the caves like a cohort Very few people are killed in these stage journeys, few seriously injured, but there are plenty of old citizens here who never ride across a river. They invariably get out and walk down. When asked if they apprehend danger, they say, “ No. but it is safer.” But the “ Concord" and “ mail coach" are doomed in Texas. Their race is nearly run. The iron horse is pre-empting all their valuable territory. Railroad stock is more valuable than horse stock. The age of progress has reached us. â€"Chicago Tribune. ~Disraeli. in his life of “Lord George Bentinok," drew in fine lines the protralt of O’Connell, with whom he had a deadly feud and the best picture ever painted in words of his old enemy. Sir Robert Peelt. whom be de- scribed as “the greatest member of the House of Commons who ever lived." -Mr. Elliee, who was styled “ bear” El‘ lice, and was well known in New York and in Canada, where he has large estates, has left by his will to a vast number of personal friends 850 each to purchase‘a memorial ring, and the singular bequest at $25 each to every one who had ever voted for him in the Scotch Burghs, which he represented in Parliament or 40 yea. rs. â€"At the Ofienbach commemorwtion, after the well-known favorites had been encored, a little slim figure, unknown to the majority of those present. dressed in along brown coat, with chocolate-coined vest and breaches, ap- peared upon the stage. This quiet, Quaker- looking personage turned out to be Mlle. Marie Van Zandt, who, in spite of evident nervousness, sang the lovely ”Chanson do Fortunio” with such exquisite tenderness as to raise murmurs of surprise and admiration all over the house. On repeating the sweet- est melody that Offenbach ever White, the little American prime donna infused passion into her tenderness and completed her marked success. -The law is often more tortuous than its framers wish. as the Goldsmiths’ Compsn; of London have found to their cost. They pro- ceeded under an ancient charter against, a. shopkeeper named Curry, 8. dealer in plate in Oxford stix et,for the recovery of $35,000 pen- alties for uttering counterfeit hall marks upon 650 articles which he sold. Whatever may be the bloated wealth With which their enemies charge these find old London guilds, no one has ever impeached their sterling in- tegrity in commercial transactions, and it is obviously for the welfare of the public that the guarantee of genuine gold and silver should be under their stamp. The success- ful plea. of the defendant was not a denial, but was based upon the statute of limitations. “ You‘ll have to get out, mum! This â€" â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€" â€" old scare-crow, buzzard’s car- STAGING IN TEXAS. daah ’em I" How a Cruel Double Murder was Ex- plated. Corresponding to date of the 20th August last, the Peking Gazette has an account of the trial and execution of a woman in China. The incidents Whlcu are mentioned as having been brought to the cognizance of the Board of Punishments for its report, previous to the sanction of the sentence by his Majesty the Emperor, are as follows : i sent his officers after the fugitives. But one l i Chinese penal code, a Wife killing her hus- bld or either of his parents, or vice versa, the The Viceroy of Szechuen humbly begs the sacred throne to sanction favorably the sen- tence of “ling chi” (cutting into 10,000 slices), which he has had carried out upon the condemned wr man Lcen Pang ; also the pun- ishment of beheading by the sword her no complice or paramour, Tang Chu. For these reasons the capital sentences have been de- creed against them. In J am last, at the town of Sha Ning, situated in the district of Pei Ling, province of Szechuen, there lived a woman and her husband. The woman‘s name was Leen Pang, and that of her husband Wu Urh. They had enjoyed connubial‘bliss for nearly a year, when Wu Urh’s father died and he resolved to place his aged mother in the house. By the evidence it appeared that the old lady Wu was very careful in allmatters appertaining to household affairs, and man- aged to overlook the manner in which her son's substance was being spent. To this system of espion:ge the younger Mrs. Wu ob- jected. Frequehtly quarrels and bickerings were bad between the ladies. Among other matters which engaged the old lady’s scrutiny, she found that a number of wadded silk Jackets belonging to her son were missing. Mr. Wu in his capacity of a timber merchant had to make a yearly voyage to visit his con-' signees who resided at Sha'sz, a large trading port on the Yangtsze Kiang, distant from his home at Shaning some ten days’ journey. It was during his absence in May last that events occurred which gave rise to the tragic sequel of this bloody tale. Shaning is the depot of a small miiitary force consisting chiefly of Hunan men. Among these warriors was a corporal, by name Tang Chu. Of a handsome and stalwart appearance, he capti vated the heart of young Mrs. Wu. Frequent meetings, unknown to the husband, took place, and a liaison was established. During the absence of the husband on the journey mentioned above the conduct of the wife was discovered by the old lady. Upon his return he was informed of the facts. He taxed his wife with infidelity, and threatened to take proceedings against her lover. For a number of days taunts and scoldings were poured out upon his wife. She again visited her para- mour and sought his advice. Tang Chu per- suaded her to kill her husband. She finally consented, but only on the condition that he should murder the mother-in-law. A day was settled upon which the tragedy should be enacted. Feigning repentance she in- duced her husband under the plea that Tang Chu wished to beg his pardon for the injury done, to invite him to the house to sup. She had contrived to purchase some arsenic to effect her purpose. The guest arrived at the appointed time and a reconciliation was apparently effected. The banquet was carried far into the night. Mr. Wu became friendly, had forgiven Tang and all was seemingly forgotten. Leen Pang, before retiring for the night. brought her husband and the guest cups of tea. She had contrived to mix the arsenic in thebowl given her husband. Suspecting nothing, be drained the fatal cup and retired to rest, but invited Tang, as his camp was far off and the way lonely, to sleep in the house that night. The mother-in law was sleeping in an adjoining apartment, where Tang Chu proceeded. and, being pro- vided with a heavy cottonâ€"padded quilt,bound it tightly over her mouth and nostrils. To hasten the end, the unnatural wife and her paramour actually sat upon the old woman. According to the confession extorted, not a sigh or groan escaped from the victim. Mean- while the husband was writhing and groan- ing in agony in an adjoining bed- chamber. The murderers took no heed of these sounds, but availed themselves of the opportunity presented to ransack the house of the available money, about $600 in silver bars, and a quantity of clothing. They left the dwelling With their booty and hired a boat and proceeded to Sha’sz, where they hoped to get on board the steamer Kiang Tung, which plies to Hankow, and thus escape to Shanghai. But the spirit of the dead so controlled the wind and water, that the passage of the boat was im- peded. The double murder being dis- covered by the neighbors in the morning, they informed the district magistrate, who Hanan-animus mHHmnva¢H¢mnngHmwa who GRAN DGEV‘FMFF UMF’ an: uM’hmANYr.fimmmIâ€"IQHHHHH marinara» 'Fl HH~H7AA Hm pa... i...» day's journey and they were captured. A pro. liminary examination was held by the mag- istrate, who, by a system of torture, elicited the foregoing facts. Their guilt being estab- 1 lished, they were forwarded to Ohingtuâ€"foo, l the capital of Szechuen. where, after a final trial by the Judge of the province, they were ! sentenced and condemned to death by the 1 Viceroy. Having no friends to palliate or ' postpone the sentence by their endeavors, it was carried into effect. According to the “ling chi” punishment is inflicted, and the paramour has his or her head out off. The method of executing the “ling chi” is as follows : The criminal is conveyed to the execution ground in a basket slung on a bamboo between two coolies. Half stupefied by fear. and rendered almost insensible to the fate about to be suffered, from the effects of sainshoo, which is given to the victim in abundance. the procession wends its way between throngs of Celestials. The road is lined with sedan chairs conveying the officials, both high and low, to witness the ‘ sight. Upon arriving at the place of punish- ment, a crowd of chattering Chinese may be i seen, some engaged smoking their pipes, others discusssing their early bowl of congee at the stall of the perambulating venders of edibles. Not the least trace of any feeling of awe or compassion is exhibited at the tragedy about to be enacted. The criminal is made to kneel, whilea subordinate oflicer reads the edict of the Viceroy. At the given signal from the judge the two executioners step for- l ward and seize the unfortunate wretch. Di- vested of every particle of clothing, he or she is bound hand and foot to two upright pieces , two short, sharp knives. They are now ready for their bloody work. With a devilish skill they commence to slit the skin and flesh at t the wrists. Proceeding up the arms until the ' neck is reached, their atttention is then di- . rected to the lower limbs. The ankles upward, Ir'xww._ w the fleshy part of the legs and thighs right up to the chest are under operation. The whole ', body is now one quivering mass of strips of ‘ skin and flesh, from which the blood is pour- , ing in stieams, dyeing the ground and the executioners' clothes a vivid red color. By this time the vast crowd are on the tiptoe of expectation, straining their bodies to get a glimpse of the gory figure, and eager to watch the least sound of a sigh or groan. After the shriek of pain which attends the first use of the knife, frequently nothing but low, agonizing moans escape the lips. While this terrible scene is being enacted the peanut hawkers, the bean-curd and candy liucksters ply their trade, oblivious of the fact that ahuman being is undergoing torture. With head drooped on ' the breast, closed eyes, and face bearing an unuttcrable look of pain and agony, the via- of wood in the form of a St. Andrew's cross. \Tbe minions of the law drew from their belts TWO EXECUTIONS IN CHINA. VOL. XXIII. Notice is given that the taking of the cen- sus will begin on the 4th of April next. and forms of the schedules for that purpose are published. tim stands. The judge. seemingly tired of the disgusting sight, claps his hands. The chief executioner at the signal, plunges his knife into the breast, and with one hand tears open the flesh, while with the other he pulls the quivering heart out by the roots, holds it up to view. and then dashes it to the ground. Thus justice is vindicated. There lives on Hughson street a woman, who for the present shall be nameless. who has a liking for speculation in a small way. and thought to make a victim of Mr. Ford, and through him of the city. There was nothing veay deep or original in the woman’s scheme, yet it is one that has often been successful before. Mrs. Blank is a married woman of twenty years’ standing. without family, and has a very obliging neighbor who has two small children of very woe begone appearance. Borrowing these young specimens of humanity for the occa- sionâ€"and also, presumably. for a «maiden;- tionâ€"Mrs.B. visited Inspector Ford at his ofliee on Friday, and in piteous tones asked for a load of wood (or her sufiering family. Looking closely at her the Inspector thought he knew the woman, and that all was not as she represented, and asked. “ What .iamily have you ma‘ am 2” “ If you please, sir. I have but the two children you see before youâ€"and thim suf- ierin’ wid cold.” But Mr. Ford could see very little family resemblance between the children and the woman, and. moreover. was accustomed to having people come to him with fraudulent claim}. an}! so replied}; “ Now, Mrs. â€"â€", this won’t do. Don’t you live on Hughson street, and haven’t I known you and your husband for the last twenty yeargfiand never a chiid in the_ house ?” but I thought I’d try an’ get a little wood from ye, as I’d be likely to come a trifle shon agen the winter’s over." replied Mrs. B., hurriedly taking her departure with the borrowel children at her heels. Mr. Ford is ready for a few more female speculaters. Notice is given that by order in Council of the 16th day of December instant a drawback will be allowed on cotton used in packing bacon and hams for export, subject in all cases to the same restrictions and regulations as were imposed by order-in-Gouncil of the 11th June, 1879, governing the payment of drawback on tin used 111 the manufacture of packages for articles expected. James Ford, Health Inspector and relief officer for this city, is an old resident of Hamilton, and has been years in the public service in various capacities, consequently he has become familiar with most of the residents of the city,{and those who would try to impose on him as relief officer with tales of large families suffering from want will need to get up exceedingly early in the morning and catch him when scarcely awake. 10th Battalion of Inlantry, “ Royal, Regi- ment,” Toronto â€"to be majors, George Dudley Dawson, Esquire (late Lieutenant, H, M.’s 47th Foot); appointment to date from 16th December, 1880' ;" Thames Taylor Rolph, M. 8., from the retired list of captains. To be lieutenant, Lieutenant Frederick Fitzpayne Manley. V. B., from the 2nd Battalion. To be paymaster, Ru- pert Mearse Wells, Esquire. To be surgeon, John Henry McCollum. Es- quire, M. D. Tobe quartermaster, George straehan Cartwright Bethune, gentleman. Memo.â€"â€"â€"Adverting to No. 4 of General Orders (21) 5th November,.1880, in which Lieuten- ant John Cleghorn is removed from the list of oflicers of the active militia, that portion of the General Order is hereby amended by per. mitting Lieutenant Cleghorn to revert to the retired list of captains. 24th “Kent” Battalion of Infantryâ€"No. 4- Company, East Tilbuty â€" To be captain Simeon M. Smith, V. B., from the retired list of captains. vice Martin, promoted. To be lieutenant, provisionally, Harry G. S. R. Pattinson, gentleman, vice Silas B. Lambert, left limits. _ The Canada Gazette contains the follow- mg : 26th “Middlesex” Battalion of Light Infan- tryâ€"No. 6 Company, Parkhill â€"'1‘o he captain. Lieutenant William John McRoberts, M. S. vice John Niblock, whose resignation is here- by accepted. No. B Company, St. John’s, Anaâ€"The resignation at 2nd Lieutenani, Robert McE wen is hereby accepted. 29th “Waterloo" Battalion of Infantry-- No. 2 Company, Galtâ€"To be captain. Lieu- tenant James Laing Goweu, V. B., m‘cc Wil- lmm Parks, deceased. 35th Battalion of Infantry, " Simcoe For- esters ”â€"No. 1 Company, Barrieâ€"To be lieu- tenant provisionally, Francis Edward Philip Pepler, gentleman, vice Ewan. transferred to No 5 Company. No. 5 Company, Barrieâ€"- To be lieutenant. movisionally. from 26th Nov., 1880. Lieutenant, provisionally, Peter Franklin Ewan, from No. 1 Company, vice Harris, resigned. 38th “ Brant ” Battalion. “ Dufferin Rifles ”â€"No. 2 Company, Brantfordâ€"To be captain, Lieutenant George Smarst, formerly of H. M33 lst Battalion. Rifle Brigade, vice Jones, appointed adjutanb. No. 5 Company. Burford â€"To be 2nd lieutenant, provisionally. Hospital Sergeant Charles L. Daniel, vi a French, promoted. To be adjutant, Captain Charles Stephen Jones. from No. 2 Com- pany. 39th “ Norfolk " Battalion of Riflesâ€"No 3 Company, Port Rowanâ€"Jib be 2nd lieuten- ant, provisionally, Sergeant Walker Powell Ferris. vice McDonald, resigned. â€"A Denver merchant. gave a dollar to a. tramp who tottered barelooted into his office on a cold day. Going out immediately, be new the beggar take good shoes and stockings from under the steps and put them on. He administered a. whipping. and when sentenced to pay a fine of $10. declared that he had never before bought so much pleasure for so little money. Connmowoon, Dec. 16.â€"â€"A fire broke out this mornmg at 830 in the Huron Hotel owned by John Merrill and occupied by Mr. , Porter, on the west side of Huron street.; The buildings on this side of the street all being frame the the rapidly spread to adjoin- ing buildings, and before many minutes the hotel was completely enveloped in flames from this. Mr. J. Henry’s tailor shop was qu1ckly demolished. At this time a. high north west wind was blowing spreading the: flames with great rapidity to the buildings ‘ adjoining. owned by Rev. Charles Turner, H. Birnie. Thee. Birnie and Chas. Cameron, and occupied by Mrs. MoTavish, dwelling; Prof. Duval, barber shop ; Miss Mastery, boot and shoe ; Mr. Perryman, fancy goods ; Mrs. McKean, dwelling. Mr. Cameron’s building was untenanted. The insurance on 1 the buildings destroyed is : Huron Hotel, ‘ $900 on building, 3900 on furniture, insured in North British ; Mr. Henry, uninsured ; loss, $1,200; Rev. C. Turner, uninsured ; loss. 32,000; E. Birnie insured for $500; loss, $1.000 ; G. Cameron‘s loss is $500. The tire originated from a defective fine in the Enron Hotel. ‘81'3 and never a cuuu In [118 1101136 .’ ' “ (all, air, gnfi’ yere tellin’ t_1_1e> truthAnpw ; THE CANADA GAZETTE. COULDN’T FOOL HIM. RICHMOND HILL, THURSDAY, DEC. 8?) '1880. So far as the Old Testament is concerned, not very much is certainly known. All authorities. we believe, agree that the first step toward a canon was taken by Ezra, in the fifth century before the the Christian era. The second movement in the same (1 rection originated with, but was not completed by, Nehemiah ; and is supposed to have ex~ tended from 444 to 300 B. G. The thirdâ€"of uncertain origin-was not entirely finished until, however, the first century after Uhrist. For all practical purposes however, it may be considered finished at, or about, the begin- ning of our era ; when the recognized Old Testament was what it is to-day. The Jews divided it into three portions, of which the Law, or the five books of Moses, stood in highest estimation ; after which came the Prophets, and then the c’tubimâ€"a portion of which only was publicly read. The mass of literature from which the selection was made may be imagined from the. statement that there are sixteen books referred to in various parts of the Bible as belonging to the Old Testament, which are not now in it. Prob- ably there were many more which, at one time or another, had claims to the same dis. tinction ; but there seems to be no doubt that the Old Testament as it now stands em- braces the best of Jewish sacred writings, and that nothing of consequence has been 10st. As our readers are aware, the Catholic and Greek church accept the fourteen extant apo- cryphal books of the Old Testament as canon- ical, while all the Protestant sects reject them as uninspired, and therefore comparatively valueless.Luther,however, held some of them 'in high esteem, and the Church of England “ doth read them for example of life and in- struction of manners. but yet doth it. not apply them to establish any doctrine." “ T1111“ â€"The canonical gospels of Matthew and Mark cannot be identified with the logia of Matthew and the things said and done by Jesus which Ma. wrote mentioned by Papias. That wri does not himself iden- tify them. It is also noteworthy that he puts oral tradition above wr_itten documents. In deference to the new and wide-spread public interest in what may be termed the history of the sacred writings produced by the revision nowin progressr-tho new Testament portion of which will soon be publishedâ€" the last two Sunday issues of the Republi can have contained articles upon the English translations of tha Bible before and since the invention of printing. We now -pro- pose by way of conclusion, to present the most attainable facts and theories in relation to the canon of the Bible; that is, its for- mation by the selection and authorization of its various books. “ First*Before A. D. 170, no book of the New Testament was termed Scripture, or be- lieved to be divine and inspirsd. On the con‘ traty, even after that date, diflerent books were believed to be human compositions, hav- ing none other authority than their,contents warranted . “ Second -No certain trace of the exist- ence of the fourth gospel can be found until after Justin Martyr; that is, till after the middle of the secomi century. That gospel came Into use. in the first instance among the later Gnostics. the followers of Basilides, Valentinus and Marcian. who do not seem to have ascribed it to John. Towards the end of the second century, and not till then, it was assigned to the a} o'etle by fathers of the Catholic church and canons. On what grofind this” Lamina“. ~wa “tenant b‘u‘asbm- tained. One thing is clearâ€"that the fathers who believed in its Johannine authorship neither assert nor hint that they reliea on historical tradition for their opinion. r “ Fourthâ€"The writingspf Paul were either not used or little regarded, by the prominent ecclesiastical writers of the first half of the second century. After A. D. 150 they began to be valued. w w -.-.... To this comprehensive summary-4mm a venerable scholar who has devoted a lifetime ] a to 1U; beecn, 1a to w. 11:18 average 1118 OI 834,341 pine ties, on thirteen German rail. to the work of critical investigationâ€"little roads impregnated according ‘0 various sys- need be added. The selection in this case seems to have been even more judicious, on the whole, than in that of the Oid Testament. There are fortv~one apocryphal New Testa-! ment books now in existence, and the num- ber itself shows the amount of careful ex- amination and comparison required to sepa- rate thefiwheat from the chaff; or rather. the j the court by a large number of officers of the best wheat from the inferior and worthless. We give the titles of a few of these apocry- " phal books which are somewhat difficult to that about a year ago he obtained a pair of The General Epistle of Barnabas, - procure. - the First and Second Epistles of Clement to the Corinthians the Descent of Christ into' i Hell; the First, Second and Third Books of EHermas, the Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephe- Iians, the Gospel of the Infancy of the ' ‘Baviour, the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary,the Narrative of Joseph of Arimatheaa, the Acts 1 of Pilate The New Testament canonâ€" accord- i ing to Davidson â€"was not finally and conclu- ' sively closed even at the end of the fifth cen- l tury. Indeed the Catholic church did not regard ; it closed until the Council of Trent in 1546-â€" when the seal of highest ecclesiastical an- i thority was at last placed upon it, in connec- tion with that of the Old Testament. ‘ Catholic Bible, so far as the books are con- , corned, is the same as the Protestant, except that it includes as canonical the apocrypha ‘. portion of the Old Testament. The Bible of l the Greek church is the same as that of the l Catholic. i Luther‘ 3 opinion of some of the New Testa- " mcnt books varies materially from the recog- l nized Protestant standard of the present time. He thought the Epistle to the Hebrews was not wr1tten. by Paul, or by any other apostle, and did not put it on an equality with lthe rest. Revelation he consldered ne1ther ' apostolic nor prophetic, and classed it with the fourth book of Esdras~which he inti- mated ought to be thrown into the Elbe. ‘ James was to him “ a right strawy epistle ;" Jude he did not think pro- ceeded from :an apostle. Zwingliu declares , that Revelation is not a biblical book at all. i Calvm repudiated the Pauline authorship of l Hebrews, and d1d not think Second Peter was 1 written by the apostle whose name it bears. Neither Luther, his colleagues or successors, hesitated to say that some portmns of the Bible were of far more value than others, and their views of inspiration would hardly be . accepted by the strictly orthodox Protestant of the present day. We do not know that the members of the revisory commission have been influenced at all by the opinions of the early reformers, but from such specimens of their work as we have seen it is evident they have been governed by the same spiritâ€"the spirit of independent and fearless criticism, anxious only to get at the genuine Scripture The i ‘Freiburg, in Baden. terns, is calculated at some fourteen years, which may be considered avery fair showing. ~Society at Sf. Petersburg was fluttered a few days ago by the long pending trial of Count Vladimir Mengden for obtaining goods under false pretences. The prisoner, moving in the highest circles, was accompanied to Imperial Guard and other friends of the spendtlirift. The charge against him was earrings, value 300 roubles, or £40, from Carlovan, a fashionable jeweler, and gave security which afterward proved to be of no value whatever. When Carlovan, enraged, demanded the earrings back, the gay young Count said he had already given them to one of the leading court beauties, and told the jeweler, contemptuously, to go and take them out of her ears if he wanted them, or the money so badly. Hence the charge. Meng- den denied the whole of the evidence at first, but afterward confessed his guilt, and wasâ€" acquitted ; the jewler being advised by the judge to sue the Count for debt. â€"â€"-A trial of interest to people who drink German wine has just been concluded at The accused were the members of the firm of Durlacher Brothers, in Kippenheim, a concern doing a very large business, and were charged with adulterating or fabricating wine on a large scale. A great part .of the wine sold, however, consisted, it has been new proved, of a mixture of water and spirit, which was poured upon raisins, al- lowed to stand for some time, then drained off and cleared, and finally mixed with a small quantity ofmatural wine. When red wine was ordered the mixture was colored with some inferior Spanish or French wines ; or, if a darker tint was wanted, with an ex- tract of black elderberries. In five months the firm, it was proved, had purchased suffi- cient spirits of wine for the manufacture of 653,000 gallons of their wine, and enough tartaric acid for the fabrication of 494,000 gallons. The Court sentenced each of the prisoners to five months’ imprisonment and a fine of a thousand marks. â€"On Sunday, Nov. 21, about 200 persons arrived, one after the other, at the door of the Restaurant Berthier, Paris, showed a card. made afew mysterious signs, and entered s hall that had previously. been bespoken. Ir thi'z hall the most profound silence was ob served, but every one seemed to understant his neighbor. It was the deaf and dumb 0 Paris who had assembled thus to celebratr the anniversary of their first instructor, thi Abbe de l’Epee, and who included in thei ranks painters, sculptors, poets, employee: and workmen. So narfect was their avatar. Rev. Dr. Samueanvidaon, than whom there is no higher English authority. concludes his elaborate and exhaustive “ Introductlon to the study of the New Testament,” with these pregnant sentences: . “UThe following propositions " are deducible from an impartial survey of the history of the first two centuries : “ Fifth «The canon, as far as it relates to the four gospels, was not settled at the close of the first century, as Tischendorf supposes. nor,tillthe latter half of the second century did the present gospels assume a canonical position. snperseding other works of a. simi- lar character and receiving a divine author- ty. w -_ . .. .- m “ Sixthâ€"No canon of the New Testament, that is, no collectlon of New Testament literature like the present one, supposed to possess divine authority, existed before A. D. 200.” THE CANON OF THE BIBLE. as nearly as possible in its original meaning. It is to be hoped that such faithful and con- scientious labor will be properly appreciated by those for whom it is done. â€"Dr. C. A. Washington’s skill had long been doubted by the people of Baton. New Mexico. Therefore, when he killed a popular patient with an overdose of morphine, they became very angry, and banged him to a tree with the strap of his own saddlebags. â€"M. de Leeseps has eight babies, and he is now baptizing the ninth. The Queen of Spain will'be godmother ; and a. godfather has been found in the Bishop of Panama. M. de Les- sens is in the habit of taking seven of theae babies out; every day 1n a, pony carriage. The Paris Gaulois devotes an article of nearly two columns to these interesting facts. --Au ingenious machine has been devised for separating the sound cranberries in a bar- rel from the unsound. They are poured into it at the rate of six barrels an hour. and the sound ones, having elasticity bound over a barrier, while those decayed remain. â€"From a. serious article in a Paris news- paper : “ If it were not for the foreign birth of Bernhardt she would run a much better chance of becoming President of the United States than did the famous Mrs. Woodhull, who, it is said. refused to accept the nomina- tion.” â€"â€"A singular international contest has been held in the Summer Circus on the Champs Elysees, Paris. Seventy professional hair dressers, each with a favorite subiect to mani- pulate, met in a competition for gold and sil- ver medals. A Parisian gained the first piize and a. Belgian the second for the best histori- cel coiflure. â€"â€"Three, and three only, of Diaraeli’s novels were unconnected with the questions of the day, "Contarina. Flemming” was psychological. “Tancred” mainly turned on theology, and “Henrietta Temple” was a. love taie. In the main, however, from "Vivmn Grey” down to “Endymion," Disraeli has used fiction as a meansof educating his party, even before it was his. -â€"Dr. Schwinfurth, the Soudan traveler, has published at Vienna. a. letter, just re- ceived at Cairo, which stigmatizee in strong terms the recent increase in the Egyptian slave trade. The resumption of the traflic dstesjm’m-the deposition of the ex-Khedive and the retirement of Sir Samuel Baker ;' bin it has increased more especially since Colonel Gordon has left. In spite of the English and French Consulates, there is every week a wholesale importation of little negro children into Jeddeh, and there is no prospect of this lucrative traffic soon coming to an end. â€"»Thirty-five years ago wnen Capt. Stone made Moundville, W. Va., his home, he planted two seeds, informing his family that he would like to raise wood for his coffin. Only one seed sprouted, and in the course of thirty years became a. fine tree. During a severe wind storm eighteen months ago the tree fell. It was sent to a. Pittsburgh firm to be cut into lumber, and in due time returned to the captain in the shape of a hamsome coffin; and now, to complete the story. its owner has just been buried in it. Sir Alexander Cockburh, the late Chief Justice of England, thought more of the spirit than of the letter of the law. When an un- known barrister he was intrusted with the defence of a man who, having been forced into an encounter by a noted duellist, killed him. “Gentlemen,” he said to the jury. “ my learned friend has told you that it is murder, his Lordship will tell you that it is murder; I know that it is no murder, and you know that it is no murder.” After these words the jury at once returned a verdict of not guilty. ' â€"The ancient baronetage of Cockburu ex- pired with the late Lord Chief Justice, who was also a. Privy Councillor, a Knight Grand Cross of the Bath. and a Doctor of Civil Law of Oxford University, and who refused a. peer- age, even when pressed by Lord Palmerston. As he had no heir, he declined, he always said, to undertake duties as a law lord, which would necessarily detract from his undivided attention to his court. â€"The average life of unimpregnated rail- way ties on the German and Austrian roads has been found to be as follows: For oak ties, 13.6 years; fir, 7.2 ; pine, 5.1; beech, 3. The average life of ties impregnated in a judi- cious manner with creosote or chloride of zinc, under a powerful pressure. reaches : For oak ties, 195 years ; fir, 14 170 16; pine, 8 to 10; beech, 15 to 18, The average life of 834.341 pine ties, on thirteen German rail. roads, impregnated according to various sys- tems, is ralculated at some fourteen years, which may be eonsidered avery fair showing. â€"â€"A trial of interest to people who drink German wine has just been concluded at Freihurg, in Baden. The accused were the members of the firm of Durlacher Brothers, in Kippenheim, a concern doing a very large business, and were charged with adultereting or fabricating wine on a large scale. A great part .of the wine sold, however. consisted, it has been now proved, of a mixture of water and spirit, which was poured upon raisins. al- lowed to stand for some time, then drained off and cleared. and finally mixed with a small quantity ofmatural wine. When red wine was ordered the mixture was colored with some inferior Spanish or French wines ; or, if a darker tint was wanted, with an ex- tract of black elderberries. In five months the firm, it was proved, had purchased suffi- cient spirits of wine for the manufacture of 653,000 gallons of their wine, and enough tartaric acid for the fabrication of 494,000 gallons. The Court sentenced each of the prisoners to five months’ imprisonment and a fine of a thousand marks. â€"On Sunday, Nov. 21. about 200 persons arrived. one after the otherI at the door of the Restaurant Berthier, Paris, showed a card, made afew mysterious signs, aha entered a hall that had previously. been bespoken. In thi'Z hall the most profound silence was ob- served, but every one seemed to understand his neighbor. It was the deaf and dumb of Paris who had assembled thus to celebrate the anniversary of their first instructor. the Abbe de l’Epee, and who included in their ranks painters, sculptors, poets, employees. and workmen. 80 perfect was their system AROUND THE WORLD. be", It has now been decided that the match for the championship of the world and a money stake of $1,000 a side, between Maurice Vig- naux, of Paris, and GeorgeF. Slosson, of New York, will be played in the dining-room of the Grand Hotel, beginning on Monday even- ing, the 20th of December, and continuing the four succeeding nights. The contest Will be one of 3,000 points,« three balls, at the fourteen inch by twenty eight inch line, or champion game, according to the Collender rules. Six hundred points will be played each night, the player making 600, 1,200, 1,800 or 2,400, as the case may be, to continue his run to a finish on the following evening from the position in which he left the balls. The play- ers met at the office of Mr. Johnson, the stakeholder. and anranged all necessary de- tails concerning the match, save as to the referee, who will be named a few days before the match begins. Both players are confi- dent of success. Vignaux is practicing at the Cafe de la Paix, and Slosson at the Hotel de l’Anthenee, where his table, shipped from New York by the French steamship France, i has arrived, 7, ,The match, as already stated, was originally to harm TREEmce‘on the 7th '* of December, but Mr. Vignaux demanding 1 twenty days for practice, Mr. Slosson reluc- tantly consented. Mr. Slosson’s deposit of 1 $250, cabled to the order of Mr. Johnson, , was covered by Mr. Vignaux on the arrival of 1 Mr. Slosson’s table. After the late match j i between these two' players in the spring of i this year Mr. Slosson returned to New York. and on the 19th of June played and defeated Mr. Schaefer by a score of 600 to 462 at champion’s game, making the highest run (236) and best average (30) on record. In August Mr. Schaefer challenged Mr, Slosson, : who again beat him in a game played in' Tammany Hall, on the 4th of October, by a score of 600 to 432 ; making an average in 1 this game of 33%, while Mr. Schaefer made 1 the highest run on record, 312. Both games were for a money stake of $1,000 and the Collender emblem of the championship of America. Mr. Vignaux has been playing in ; the English provinces since last spring, and lcame back, as he went away, an unbeaten player The enormous scores made by Mr. Slosson and Mr. Vignaux in the last match will still be fresh in the memory of the lovers of billiards, the former player making a break of 1,103 and the latter one of 1,531 in two nights, with an average of sixty‘one and eighty respectively. These scores cannot, of course, be expected in a champion game, as, on account of the “ corners” being out, there must be more “ all-overâ€"the‘table” play and considerably less nursing, thus making the game more interesting for the spectators, and giving the players an opportunity of exhibit» ing more of the beauty of the game than in a continuation of series of what the French call coups de pousette. of signs that their banquet was thoroughly enjoyed, and when the dessert came on speeches were made and heartily applauded. A young poet rendered with marvelous ex- pression a composition entitled “ Lake Lemau ;" nor was song lacking to enliven the eveningâ€"song, that is to say, invented by one of the company, and much appreciated by his comrades. Finally, the festivities wore brought to a close by a performance of Moliere’s “ Malade Imaginaire,” in costume, and delivered with admirable “ diction.” Never (says a Paris correspondent) was the famous comedy more thoroughly enjoyed or greeted with more hearty laughter. â€"For some time past a. controversy has been carried on in the columns of a Pmis newspaper on the following delicate question : “ If a man find himself, at one and the same time, in the society of his wife and his mother-1n- law, tn which of theseladies should he offer his arm for the purpose of conduct- ing her home ?” On the one side it is con- ‘tended that preference in this regard should be accorded to the mother in- law; for should she, lacking support and protection while in charge of her dang hter s husband slip down i and break her legg, or imply be run over at a crossing, her son- -in- law could scarcely fail to he saddled with the cost of repairing herâ€"a contingency which no married man can con- template without a shudder. Another Writer upon this issue observes that “ even admit- ting the mother-in law’s prior claim, to be es- tablished by some lax non seripm of polite manners, exception must be taken to it dur- ing the honeymoon, when the prestriptions of etiquette are bound to give way to the die- tates of the heart.” A battling worldling ex- horts his married readers to ofl'er their arms ‘ to their young Wives, leaving mothers-inâ€"law to take care of themselves. “ For,” he argues, " if your wife walk alone, who knows what; ametory whispers may reach her ears, and with what effect 7 Whereas your motherin- law is shielded from the insidious molester tions by her greaterâ€"experience l” The exâ€" pert appointed by the Figaro to sum up the arguments on both sides and pronounce judg. ment upon the original question, gives his decis1on in the following terms : “ A mother- in-law enjoys priority of right to her son in- law’s arm; but upon the sole condition, to which no exseption will be tolerated, that she be older than her daughter !" A Detroit grocer was the other day hungrily waiting‘ for his clerk to return from dinner and gave him a chance at his own noonday meal, when a boy came into the store with a. basket in his hand and said : “I need a boy grab up this ”are basket from the door and run, and I run after him and made him give it up.” ‘-My lad, you are an honest boy.” ”Yes, sir." “And you look like a good boy." “Yes, air.” “And good boys should always be encourâ€" aged. In a box in the back room there are eight dozen eggs. You may take them home to your mother and keep the basket," The grocer had bee‘h saving those eggs for days and weeks to reward some one. In re- warding a good boy he also got eight dozen bad eggs carried out of the neighborhood free of cost, and he chuckled a. little chuck as he walked homewards. The afternoon waned, night came and went and once more the grocer went to his dinner. When he returned he we 9 picking his tee and wearing a. complacent smile. His eye caught a basket of eight dozen eggs as he en- tered the store, and be queried : “Been buying some eggs 7” “Yes ; got hold of those from a farmer's boy," replied the clerk. “A lame boy with a blue cap on 2” “Yes." “Two front teeth out P" “Yes.” The grocer sat down and examined the eggs. The shells had been washed clean, but they were the same eggs that good boy had lugged home the da “beforeâ€"Detroit Free Preca. â€"The company which has been founded‘ for taking preliminary steps to ascertain whether a sub-marine tunnel can be made between Calais and Dover has at last suc- ceeded in driving a shaft down to the depth at which the tunnel, if practicable, would have to be made. Although in the upper strata there was a good deal of water, there is no infiltration of it in the gallery, which is in the solid rock. A second shaft is about to be driven, and the directors say that if no un- foreseen obstacle arises the tunnel may be completed in four years. WHOLE N0. 1,171.â€"â€"N06 SLUSSON AN ) VIGNA A. ANOTHER GOOD BOY. ' A custom prevails at Knightlow Cross, Eng- land. of paying what is called “ Wroth silver." It is collected by pennies,and doesnot amount to more than ten shillings. A breakfast is afterwards given, at which hot rum and milk are partaken of. The origin of the custom is not known. A student at the Theological Seminary in Chicago has had a herd experience. He sup- ported himself by lighting the street lamps, and cooked his own meals. His ”expenses were sometimes under it dollar a week. VHe has b: en arrested for stealing various articles from his fellow students, but his friends de- cle_re that he is only guilty of kleptoeania; One Manuele Fieschi professes to have dis- covqred'thut Edward 11., instead of meeting with a fearful death, as recorded In history, made his escape from Berkeley Cdstle and was not murdered. All the students of Eng- lish history will be glad to know that this foul blot has been wiped from ‘he pages of England's annals. . There is an old superstition that the bowl- ing of a dog indicates death ; and there is an- other as given in this distich: “ When the ass begins to bray, Be sure you will have rain that day.” When J uhn Wesley was a Church of Eng- land minister he had a parish clerk who was greatly conceited about his singing. He de- lighted to appear in the minister’s cast-oi! clothes, especially the wigs. To humiliate him Wesley said : “ John, 1 shall preach on a particular subject toâ€"dey, and shall choose my own psalm, of which I shall give out the first line, and you shall proceed as usual." When thetime came Wesley gave out the first line of the psalm, “ Like an owl in ivy hush,” the clerk instantly followed with the next line, " That rueiul thing am I.” The congregation, as thev saw his small hand half buried in the large wig, were moved to smile. and John was mortified, and the Rector was pleased. It was the same parish clerk when King William returned to Lon- don who gave out in Epworth church : “ King William has come home, come home, King William home is come ; Therefore let us together sing The hymn that’s celled Te D'um." Miss Edmonie Lewis, the colored sculp- tress, who has gained such fame in Italy is of mixed Indian and African blood, and was born near Albany. N. Y. She is said to have once been visited by Pope Pius IX. The Marquis of Bute owns her “ Madonna and Child,” and Lady Ashhurtou “ The Old Arrow-Maker and His Daughter.” Whittier, the American Quaker poet, had his first poem published in the Free Press, a. weekly paper, owned by Mr. William Lloyd Garrison, at Newburyport, in 1826. The poet was then in his nineteenth year. Mrs. Estella Anna Lewis, known by the nom de plume of “ Stella," a poetess and inv timate friend of Edgar Allan Poe, died on the 24th ult., in England. She was called “The Female Patrarch,” ”and won distinction in both the old and new worlds. She was re- ceived by Louis Napoleon. at the Tnilleriea. Dumas, George Sand . and Rose Bonheur. Her beet production was “ Sappho,” a drama. The following memorial poem on his bro- ther, Charles Tennyson Turner, is by the poet Laureate. It has just appeared in the collected sonnets of the former : MIDNIGHT, JUNE 30th. 1879. Midnightâ€"1n no midsummer tune The breakers lash the shores: The cuckoo of a joylesa June Is calling out of doors ; And thou hast vanished from thine own To that whmh looks like rest, True brother only to be known By those who love thee best. Jules Verne. who has written so many im- probable'things,has received as his reward $250,000. The American publishers have been taken by surprise on finding that they could not sendjreprints of Lord Beaconsfield’s “ Endym- mion” into Canada, as the copyright is held by Messrs. Dawson Bros. of Montreal. Orders were issued to Canadian postmasters to send away American reprints they found in the mails to the Dead Letter Office at Ottawa. And now to these unsummer’d skiel The summer bird is still, Far off a. phantom cuckoo cries From out a. phantom hill ; And thro’ this midnight breaks the stun Of sixty years away, The light of days when life begun, The days that seem to-day, When all my griefs were shared with then, And all my hopes were thineâ€" Ae all thou wert was one with me, Mav all m art be mine Sir Robert Burdett, who died recently and left one hundred thousand pounds to the Baroness. was very eccentric in his habits. He never sold an old. coat or ggve it away. Every piece of paper once in his house re- mained.A11 his clothes had to be searched for wills or hidden treasure. “ Mary Marston” is the title of Mr. George Macdouald's latest novel. It is shortly to ap- PM?!) Mr. Jefferson Davis, than whom none could do it better, is writing a history of the late civil or southern war, under the title of “ The Confederate War for Independence, its Causes and results." Mr. R. J. Burdette, the funny man of the Burlington Hawlceye, finds Pniladelphia. mil_1er thgn Iowa, and IS wintfering there. A pension has been granted by the British Government to Mr. Joseph Skipsey, a Not- thumberland miner, in consideration of his literary services. The name is not a very po- etical one, yet Mr Skipsey is the author of various lyric poems. He' 18 a. self made man and is now in his forty-eighth vear. The greatebt lady on the English turfâ€" nume not given «is said to have won $80,000 on He Newmarket Race Course. at the last mee‘ing. The President and members of the Paris municipal counc11 have presented the Lord Mayor of London with a boquet measuring eight and a. half feet in circumference. It had to be unpacked in the street. Charley, the French aoSor, died recently in a. Paris hospital. He was called one of the best of the Porte St. Martin actors. None but three strangers followed him to the grave. A young French woman took it into her head to shoot a young surgeon to whom she was engaged to be married. She has been sentenced to 10 yearfi strict confinement. In 1843 a disturbance was raised by the acceptance of atender sent by Mr. Croal, a Scotchma‘n, for carrying the Irish mails. To fulfil his contract, Mr. Creel took his couches ready made to Ireland, and this was con- sidered a. great wrong to the coach builders employed by Mr. Purcell. of Dublin. who had held the contract up :0; mm mm. Thackeray being on the Irish tour at the time, sent the following verses to the Nation. â€"â€"Letter postage in Italy has been reduced rom four to two cents. I One of the rules of the Court Theatre at Berlin prescribes singing in German only on its stage. Recently a famous Italian prime donnu. refused to sing at the theatre except in her native language, and the managers laid the matter before Emperor William. who at once bluntly said : She shall sing just as she ikel, ’3 t â€"â€"Of late the question of tattooing (not branding) has been revived in the British army to act as a. check against desertion, and prevent the re-enlistment of bed characters. Some time ago, when the desertions were at the rate of 5,900 a year (one artillery man had enlisted and sold his kit eleven times in two years before he was detected). Sir James E. Alexander submitted to the Horse Guards 3 small instrument with a spring to tattoo in- stantaneously, and with hardly any pain, a man above the left wrist. Indian ink rubbed on the punctures left the impression of a neat small Queen’s crown, in blue, the size 0! I l ixpenoe. and indelible. Midnightâ€"and jo less Juné gone by, __And frpni the 'elugui guy», - , . The cuckoo of a. worse J Ely Is calling through the dark : But thou art silent underground And o’er the streams the rain, True poet, surely to be found When truth is found again. OUR SPECIAL BUDGET.