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50.000 Skating “Innâ€"Cardinal Newmanâ€" The Wax-Plantâ€"Ecccnlrlt Mr. Onarltch. 4%., .cc. There are In the United States at present. according to estimates, very nearly if not fully, 50,000 skating rinks. The oldest bank note probably in exist- ence in Europe is one preserved in the Asiatic Museum at St. Petersburg. 1t dates from the year 1399 B. 0., and was issued by the Chinese Government. It can be proved from Chinese chronicles that, as early as 2697 B. 0. bank notes were current in China under the name of “ flying money." The bank note preserv- ed at St. Petersburg bears the name of the imperial bank, date and number of issue, signature of a mandarin, and contains even a list of punishments inflicted for forgery of notes. This relic of 4,000 years ago is probably written, for printing from wooden tablets is said to have been intro- duced in China only in the year 160 A. D. The Medical Times thinks there is “ something anomalous in an age which is at one time charged with cultivating mue- ole at the expense of mind, and at another with forcing the brains and neglecting the bodies of the rising generation." A judi- cious care of both brain and muscle would be a common sense solution of the diffi- onlty. Cardinal Newman has Just celebrated his 84th birthday at the Birmingham Oratory. He is enjoying a second youth, and shows an amount of vitality quite aur- priing to those who some little time ago were anxious about his health. He said man at 7 o’clock on the morning of his birthday, and later received Vinita from a. number of his friends. A strange sight was presented in the streets of Tuscan, Arizona, one day last month. A woman appeared carrying a. child's empty coffin on hershoulder, follow‘ ed by alot of little girls. Later the scene was reversed and the coffin was borne by four little girls, followed by several wo- men. It is no uncommon sight there to see I cofiin borne to the grave on She shoul. tiers of a man, but a woman rendering the service was a. novel spechacle. The Mellim'mische Wochenschrfl makes the bold statement that English scientists are so far behind those of other nations in their study of the causes of infectious diseases that they are no longer in a posi~ tion to make anything like a pertinent criticism upon such researches. The cause is attributed to English laws practically prohibiting experiments on animals. The wax-plant is now grown on a large scale in Algeria, and its product is gradu- ally finding its way into the markets of the world. The process of separating the wax is simple. The fruit, enclosed in a bag of coarse cloth, is plunged into boil- ing water, on whose surface the substance soon floats. The wsx is of the same chem- ical composition as beeswax, and is likely to be largely used in place of it. It is stated that these wax‘plants may be seen growing wild in Pennsylvania and the Carolinas. In the Gazette de Therapeutique Dr. Vail- hnt claims to have cured two cases of hydrophobia, which had reached the cou- vnlsive stage, with an alkaloid taken from the seeds of a tree indigenous in South America. After complete tests are made, he full details of the discovery will be gizereto the nublic. ,7 LL ,L _ D-L1. L,......J1â€".. a. Maine Deperssay that, a Bath boarding mistress surprised one of her boarders, who was learning to play on the banjo, by reducing the price of his board on the ground that his singing and playing had frightened away all the rats. The com- pliment discouraged the young man so that he has given up practice. The French Minister of the Interim-dis- poses annually of $400000 secret service money, and is not; required to account for the disbursement of a single franc. In theory he is, indeed, responsible to the President of the republic for the use he makes of the money ; and he sends him The Nizsm of Hyderabad will attend the Colonial Exhibition in London next ear. This young gentleman, who is abulously wealthy. at the Calcutta exhibi- tion last year spent at the rate of £1,000 er minute. Fortunately, however, for purse, he only stayed twenty minutes. According to the Indian Pharmacist, nw oysters not only have a remarkably wholesome influence nmn the digestive organs, but are highly recommended for hoarseness. Many leading vocalists are laid to use them regularly in preparing for their appearance in concerts or operas. Spsin has, like some other Catholic powers, two Ambesssdorsin Romeâ€"one accredited to the Quirinal, the other to the Vatican ; and as they both live in the same building the Spanish Embassy is, from the official point of view, a house divided against itself. The King was in- vited the other day to visit the exhibition of pictures opened in the Embassy for the benefit of the Granada sufl'erers; and it was at first arranged that he should pass through the entechember of the suite of rooms occupied by the Ambassador ac- credited to the Pope. As soon. however, .as the contemplated profsnation came to the knowledge of the Vatican. it provok- ed such a. vehement protest that the ar- A bookseller in Liverpool offers a. collec- tion of autographs, and among them the autograph of “ Adams (0. Francis), late Pruident of the U. S. A., letter of three pages signed and dated London, June 20, 1868, 3: 6d. ” in a. report every year, which, however, is practcally limited to a. declaration that it was spent in the way in which it was meant to be spent. No details or vouch- ers accompany the report, which is thus the merest formality. The Emperor ex- ercised a real control over the disposition of this fund ; but the existing Constitution gives the President no such power. and the Minister is free to dispose of at all events one-half of it precisely as ‘ he pleases. INTERESTING ITEMS. s faintly outlined hand apparently grasp' ing a pair of balances. The youth who owned the coin was as curious as any one to find out what manner of money it was. and on being questioned as to where he got it he said he “ found the money with a heap more in the Jim River out in Da- kota You see," he continued, “ our folks moved out into that country three years ago next spring. intending to make it our home. One day I went to the riv- er, five miles from home, to fish. I didn't catch anything but what I thought was a snag and giving my line a right smart yank to get it loose, I fetched up a little strip of something that would’nt let go on the hook very easy. I loosened it with my fingers and was going to throw the piece away when I noticed it was a strip or cop- per with something like rotten leather or cloth hangin' to it. Then I thought may- be I had better look into the thing a lit- tle. I got down the bank, and where it had caved in lately I could see. about four feet above the water, a print the shape of a herring-box. sho wing that something about that size had been buried there, and had been tumbled into the water when the cave happened. It only took a minute or two of kicking around in the sand to find what I was looking for. Whether it was an old grip-sack, a leather trunk, or an animal’s skin folded up, I couldn't make out. It was too rotten. But it had been chuck full of valuablesâ€" that was plain enough. Half a dozen comical-looking old watches, lots of rings and bracelets were lying around. Be- sides there was about a peck of moneyâ€" gold and silver. I loaded up all my poc- kets, hid the balance of the stuff, and went all the way home one dead run, yelling like an Indian as soon as I got in sight of the hole in the ground we lived in â€"sod~house, you know. Dad and I hitched up the team as soon as 1 could get breath and tell him what had happened. and we drove down and got all the stuff we could find. " “ How much did it all amount to '3” “ Blamed if I can tell ye, stranger. Dad never would tell me ; said it might make me too proud and rich. He said it would buy a good improved farm back in God‘s countryâ€"Missouriâ€"and he intend- ed to get back there as soon as he sold his claim ” “ Where is your father now '3” “ In Missouri with the rest of the folks. I came here because my gal’s folksâ€"they had a claim next to oursâ€"came here to visit relatives till the spring. I want her to marry me right ofl’ and go down to where my folks live and I reckon she will.” A red-faced, raw-looking youth, whose readymade clothing did not fic him well and whose flaring red necktie would have driven a bull into a delirium, sat in a hotel in this place the other day nervously tossing what appeared to be a very broad and well-Worn silver coin from hand to hand. With a touch of numismatic curi- oaity your correspondent asked to see in, and found himself unable to make out what device it. had originally borne beyond The youth would not submit to further questioning, evidently suspecting the guileless scribe of a. scheme to erect a claim to his treasure-trove. rangement wss abandoned, and a new door was specially opened in the building for the King and Queen. Mr. Qusritch, the London bookseller, has many peculiarities. Perhaps one of the best known is his attachment to an old felt hat in which at a great sale he invariable appears. He has had it for yearsjand obstinately refuses to part with it. Its shape is well known to frequent- ers of “the rooms.” One géntleman, a. Well-known collector, had a. great desire to possess the headpiece as ame mento of the great bookseller, and tried but in vain to induce him to part with it. Failing in possession,hetrled to soften Mr. Qaaritch with gold. But still in vainâ€"even when the collector offered £2 for the old tile. Mr. Qaafitch, when the bidding had resch- ed this point, declined all parley and re- ‘ired-stlll happy in the possession of his hat. The market value‘mo aJew brok- er of the hat woulibe slxpenoe 0r ine- pence. A horrible outrage in reported from the village of Tuben :05. A party of brigande entered the village late at night, and eas- ily gained an entrance into the house of the parish priest. They demanded that the priest should tell them where he kept his money. He replied that all that he had belonged to the poor of his parish, and he refused to disclose its hiding place. They proceeded to torture him to compel hlm to reveal the secret. They threw him upon the floor, and two ruflinns gouged out his eyes with their thumbs. They repeated their demand and the priest still refused ; they pulled out his tongue to its full length and seared it with a hot iron. The priest wss by this time in the mostfrightful agony and was unable to speak, but he still refused by signs to reveal the hiding place of the poor-box. The brigsnds again threw him upon the brick floor of his kitchen and proceeded to ranssck the house. Failing to find any money they returned to the kitchen in s more fiendish temper than before. The priest was dying, but they stufl'ed his clothing with straw, set fire to it and leit the house. When the body of the priest was found it was burned to a crisp. The authorities have sent troops in pursuit of the brigands. Mgr. Rsmpailo del Tin- dsro. the Papal N unclo at Madrid, is maddened at the outrage and insists that the Spanish Government shall offer a. huge reward tor the capture of the mur- derers. If Tennyson wrote: “ The Charge of the Light Brigade," just; affiet receiving his gas bill, he was perfectly justifiable. Horrible Outrage in Spain. A Yarn of the West. RINGING THE CHURCH BELLS "The atheistical iconoclasts, who would be deiighed to have not only the bell-ringing stopped, but the very found- ation of the churches razed, are the chief instigatnrs of the hue and cry that the church-bell must go. The old, loud, and continuous ringing has been stopped, and merry, silvery chimes peal forth that gladden the hearts of those who hear it. and sound like music in the heavens. Civilization does not necessarily require a dead silence. I admit that any noise per- sisted in for several consecutive hours be- comes monotonous and disagreeable. 'i‘he church-bells only ring at certain hours, and then for a brief period. The old ag- nostic next door to the church howls against it and writes an article to a scien- tific magazine setting forth what a greav nuisance the church bell is and how civilization should blush to tolerate such a relic of superstitious days. A news- paper copies the article, and the general public is led to believe that unless the church-bells stop ringing, not only will civllzation be throttled in its march. but that the world will soon turn into a howling pandemonium, maddened by bell ringing. They also allege that every house has a clock and nearly every person a watch. so at the appointed hour they meet without being called together by a bell. This is to a great extent true. A great many churches do not ring their bells to signify the time for services. They frequent y have stated hours for the chime to peal, and on Sunday these hours are just belore services or after the close. As long as churches are built with tall spires the hell with its chimes will be in them, to sound atcertain hours of the day. Then, ton, there is poetry in the ringing of the bells. A man who objects to them is rather matter of fact and disposed to be hypochondrlacal. A large city has a great deal of noise made from many diff- erent sources, but of them all I do believe that church bell-ringing is less detrimental to head, repose, and health than any. The church bell may go but It will be many generations hence, when a different order prevails and when sound is less popular than at present." A Mlnllter Defends Then and Sees Many Advantages 1:: Their Ilse. “ It is the spirit of vandalism still ex- tant) which wishes to do away with the time-honored custom of ringing church bells,” said a prominent divine toa ra- porber. " Civilzstlon demands that many obnoxious customs and foolish laws should be done away with. but the progress of science the morals of the people, and general every day business are, in my opinion, not affected in the least: by church-bell ringing. The bell was adopt- ed before clocks were invented to call people to worship. It was a time-piece The imitative quality of the Chinese extends even to counterfeiting European and American labels and trademarks, says a letter writer in Hong Kong. The know- ledge of certain small articles of foreign make has caused a desire for them in China, and an effort to imitate them. So we find at the small shops Chinese- made clocks and watches, and at the stands of the street vendor, combs, tooth- brushes shoe-horns, pocket cutlery, and razors, which are vastly inferior to the foreign goods, but as the price is as low as the the quality is poor, no one can reasonably complain. The knives and razors often hear very distinctly the brands of Sheffield firms, whose names are household words wherever the Eng- lishlauguage is spoken. Three knives are sold for 5 or 6 cents each, while the razors. Sheffield brand and all. can be bnght for 15 cents. The hsi imple- ments are roughly made, and to the thin- sklned man a torture to look at, but with the other articles enumerated they show to what an extent Chinese manufactures can be carried. and at what rates, defying competition. they‘osn be furnished'to the consumers. The reasons why the Chinese can make and sell so cheaply as to put competition entirely out of the question are the contracted quarters in which they can do business. and the cheapness of their food and clothing. Their economi- cal, or more justly their sordid. habits have been so often described in the gen- eral discussion of the Chinese question in America as to render all detail anne- cessary. John S. Ssmmons, an eccentric citizen of the Town of Montgomery, N. Y., died in December, and left real and personal propertylvaluedat $11,000 He bequeathed the entire estate to the Montgomery M. E. Church. A condition is that the church oflicials shall keep his burial vault in good condition and have it visited at at least once a. month by a trustee, who ls to receive $1 for each visitation. The probate of the will is opposed by Sam- mon’s relatives. Sammons took his meals in the cellar. eating from a. board laid upon the top of a. barrel. He kept s supply of coffins on hend. and when any of his relatives or friends called upon him and stayed all night he lnslsted upon each having a coffin under his or her bed His servants. when he could keep them, were retained on the same stipulation. His dogssnd cats were put in coffins when they dled, and on one occasion he kept the cotfined re- mains of a. dog in the house till the authoritles interfered and compelled him to bury them. He exhumed the bones of his mother, put them in a box and kept them ln hls wagon-house until he was compelled to relnterthem. At times he Making his Guests Sleep on Coiling Tricks in all Trades. A CRANK'S “’ILL. “ They’re just like children. When I have them out in the morning for a dress rehearsal, they're as quick as cats, mind- ing almost before the word is out of my month. But in the afternoon they are gaping this way and that. doing every- thing but attending to business, because they know that I won’t strike them be- fore a crowd of spectators. They hate to take medicine L00, unless it has a little of the crsythur in it. Are elephants ever sick? 0, yes! They then have the 0011). When they begin to double up I give 'em a dose of five or six gallons of rum and ginger. That straight,st 'em out. An equal quantity of bouei linseed oil mixed with sconlte and molasses does for physio, while about five gallons of rum and whiskey are prescribed for chils. Solid drugs ale given in pills. A pill eight inches in diameter and containing 86 worth of quinine does the business for a. cold, whua s pepsin pill is given when one gets off his feed. I gave Juno over $50 worth of quinine in one fit of sickness They don't like the pills as wellss the whiskey, and it’s good deal of a. job to get them down. The best way is to put a pill on the end of a stick, make them open their mouths, and shove it down be- fore they realize the situation. Some- times we cut out the middle of a. turnip and put the drugs inside the vegetable, but like the bad child in the Sunday School book, they’re very apt to ‘spit out the core'. Yes, elephants are very queer creatures." was very devout, but It was no uncommon thing for him to suddenly atop praying and curae vigorously. Handsome Miss Lawrence to Wed an Eng- llsh Lord. The announcement made a few days ago of the engagement of Miss Lawrence, 3 beautiful American heiress, to Lord George William Venables - Vernon. an English nobleman, has created quite a sensation in fashionable circles in New York. The engagement was known some two weeks ago in Pan, France, where the young fiancee was staying with her pe- rents, and the news has travelled quickly to this side of the Atlantic. Miss Lawrence inherits great wealth, having a yearly income of many thou- sands, and owning much real estate in this country. She met Lord Vernon a few years ago, and he fell desperately in love with her, but it took him some time to win the beanty's consent to their union. The expectant bride is about twenty- one years old, is the daughter of Francis Lawrence, and the sister of young Frank Lawreu :6, who mArried the heantiful Miss Fanny Lauier not long ago. Miss Lawrence is very graceful and beautiful, with great dark eyes, arched brows and a profusion of dark hair. Her hands are the admiration of all artists, being long, slender, supple and white, with exquisite almond nails, and if she were the “ daughter of a hundred earls” she could be no more aristocratic in hear- ing. Her equestrian ability is well-known here, and she has ridden to hounds many times in England during the past few months. Lord Vernon, seventh baron of the name, Is thirty-one years old, tall, hand- some and blond. He was captain in the Twelfth Lancers for some time, and there attained his military bearing. He owns two fine estates, Sudbury Hall in Derby- shlre, situated in the midst of a beautiful park of hundreds of acres. and Poynton Hall in Cheshire. Tl ese houses are fur- nished with rare old tapestries, mirrors, pictures and portraits of all the Vernons, from the first baron, George Vernon, who was created baron In 1728, down to the present Lord Vernon. Over these two houses the young American beauty will rule. and horses, carriages, and servants will be at her command. Miss Lawrence was presented at Court at one of the last drawing-rooms held by the Queen, and in her flowing dress of tulle. and a few pearl ornaments, she cre- ated quite a sensation. It is ,said that the wedding will take place in London some ‘time in July, and that the young couple will come to this country on their wedding-tour, spending August at Newport. This is a great dis- appointment to many of the expectant bride’s friends, and several of them are going to London especially to attend the wedding, which will be a brilliant aflair. It will, probably, be solemnized in St. George’s Church. THE WAYS 0F ELEPHANTS GOLD F011 A C(DRONET. “Will you carve the roast beef, Mr. Jorlop '1’ asked the landlady, slinging a. sweet; smile at the head of the boarder. “ Certainly ; with pleasure, madam." re- sponded Jurlop, “ where's LheIaaw 'i" Mrs. SIimdietâ€"Dear me ! what a. peculiar odor I Thin Boarderâ€"Yes; seems to come. from the kitchen. Mrs. Slimdiet â€"I do believe that g‘rl has dropped aome rubber in the stove. Thin Boarderâ€"may- be it's the chicken. A man asbrave as 001. Burnaby, or as the gallant private who left the broken square at Abu Klee to assist him, might think twice before col‘aring a mad dog. The danger is so awful and so appalling to the imagination that most people, of the two, would prefer the policy of scuttl~ ing. But an unnamed cabman, whose name, if his tale be true, should be known, has tackled a mad dog, with loss to himself and benefit to the public. The man applied to the Westminster police magistrate for weistance in the following circumstance : He was unable to ply his trade because. on Tuesday, he had been bitten by a mad dog. The animal had already bitten several persons, and might have bitten more. It was a large New- foundland, s. kind of dog liable to sudden passion. The cabman seized it by the throat while a policeman despatched it with a truncheon, The oabman was bit- ten in the leg, and the place had to be cauterlsed, and seared with a red hot iron. The cabman's action was one of very great pluck and devotion, and can scarcely be lohked on as adequately rewarded by the gift of £1 from the poor box. Courage, happily, is not extinct in our race when it comes to action, though sometimes it may be lacking in council. But such a performance as this cabman’s can never be very common, and as a public benefit, merits notice and reward. “ Never eat: between meals," cautiona a. writer. We never do. We board. Then you don’t. eaf: even at meals. An item is going the rounds to the eflaut that. “some of the poet Willis'a heat hnea were-written in a boarding-house." We have often heard that: hunger was a spur to literary work. A young man became violently insane in a New York boarding-house a raw days ago. Those who have sojourned for a season in a New York boarding-house will now wander how they ever eecaped a similar fate. Landladyâ€"Won't you have another cup of coffee, Mr Dumley '1 Dumbley (folding his napkin and preparing to leave the ta.va )â€"Thank:, no. I haven't. finished the first: cup yeti. “ Miracles in Turkey’ is the caption under which a foreign correspondent wrius. Crimson'beak says the greatest miracle in turkey that ever came under his observation was when his boarding- houae mistress made a nine-pound bird last nwvslve boarders seven days. A Chinese imperial decree has re- cently been issued, ordering that the late Viceroy of Yunman, through whose neg- 1i gence, it is alleged, Sontay and Bac Ninh Were captured by the French, and Viceroy of Kwangei, who did not advance beyond Lengson to the roller of these two towns, are to be beheaded after the “ autumnal assizes." The viceroys Li and Tso, who strenuously interceded for the culprits, are degraded two degrees in ofiicial rank. The Viceroy of Canton, who was guilty of recommending one of them for em- ployment, is also to be punished. He is, however, to be leniently dealt with, on account of his recent services in provid- ing for the defence of his province. Chang Peilun, who commanded at Foo- chow during the bombardment, is sum- marily degraded and dismissed, and is ordered to Pekin for trial, while several other military commanders and high officials Who recommended them for em- ployment are also either degraded or handed over to the Board of Punishment for trial. At the funeral of the 16-year-old daughter of John Wells, at Wesleyville, Pa , on Friday, the pan-bearers were six young women. As they were carrying the coffin into the church two of the pall- bearers slipped and fell. The cofliu fell to the ground, and the shock burst it open, exposing the remains. One of the young women fainted away. The coffin was recloaed, and men took the place of the women pull-bearers. While the coffin was being lowered into the grave the rope broke, and one of the men and the coffin fell to the bottom of the grave. The coffin was again broken, and so badly damaged that anew one had to be obtain- ed before the services could be completed. Abel 0019, the man who fell into the grave, was seriously injured. A merchant in Cleveland Went to his head clerk and said “JohnI owe about $10,000, and all I possess is $4,000, which is locked up in the safe. I have been thinking that this is the right time to make an assignment, but what plaus- ible pretext I can give my creditors] know not. You have plenty of brains; think the matter over, and let me know your decision in the morning.” The clerk promised to do so. On entering the office the next morning the merchant found the safe open, the $4,000 gone, and in their place a letter which read as follows : “I have taken the $4,000 and have gone to Canada. It is the best ex- cuse you can give your creditors." Making it Easy for his Employer ardmg-housa doe 9 his bread is bu An item is going act that. “some 01 Les w ere‘written 1 a have often hea at to literary wot? man con ding-hm; Laughs for Landlndies. Mishaps at a Funeral. A Brave Cabman. Chinese Justice. ‘n’c eat even at meals. snh f0 live in an oleomargine ,a does not know on which