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e Toll-Gate System. The\toli gate or bar, like many other of our institutions, was imported from Englan I. It was introduced into this country a‘. the very tiun when there was a great outcry against it in the country where it originated. In the year 1346, it is sai<I iward III. gave authority to some L i n capitalists to levy tolls on all carriages, wagons, and other vehicles passing on Gray's Inn lane, in considers tion of their keep'ng the thoroughfare in good condition for travel From this beginning the toll-gate system gradually extended over all England, and in the course of time through most parts of Scotland and Ireland. In the latter coun- try almost all the ancient roads passed under the control of persons who were author-i zed to collect toll in consideration of their keeping them in passable shape. These persons having obtained their fran- chise exercised great care in collecting tolls, but often neglected to take proper care of the roads. It was often stated that more persons wore employed in collect- ing toll than in doing work on the roads for riding over which a fee was demanded, The first open revolt against toll roads was in Wales in the year 184'} A ‘ar_e ass :clati -n of people was organized, who called themselves Rebeccaites in allusion to the verse in ihe bible which promises to the seed of Rebecca that “ they shall possess the gate of them that hatethem." They refused to pay toll, rendered the toilâ€"gatherers obnoxious, and demolish- ed the toll-gates and the buildings occu- pied by the officials. The movement partook of the nature of religious fanat- icism. The association was completely successful in causing all the toll gates and bars to be removed The movement then extended into the Isle of Man and Ireland. The agitation commenced in the south of Ireland in the year PM and extended as far as Dublin in 1857. it was found that towns flourished as the roads leading to them were made free. During the year last mentioned an act was passed by parliament abolishing all toll- gates in every part of Ireland. It is re- ported that the roads in the island have been gradually improving since that time. In 1867 an " Anti-Toll Associa- tion "was formed in London, which suc- ceeded in freeing the suburbs of the city from more than a hundred and fifty toll- gates. The movement against toll-roads is now ex ending into every part cf England and Scotland. The introduction and general use of the bicycle is said to have exerted a most important influence in the abolition of toll-gates. The riders think it is rare fun to go past the gatekeeper without stopping to pay toll. They come up so noiselessiy and quickly that they are not noticed till they are in the act of pass- ing. Many people now object to living in a part of the country where toll is exacted for riding over the only roads that con- nect large towns. - The wastefulness of the turnpike sy stem has been a matter for parliamentary lnves‘igatiou. According to the census - of 1881, there were about six thousand persons employed as gatekeepers in Eng- land and Scotland. The support of them and their families, estimated to be thirty thou sand in all, naturally absorbed a large percentage (f the revenue levxed on the public. Besides the toll collectors their were numerous officials who drew large salaries. The time lost by travelers in being obliged to stop to pay toll, especially when it was necessary to make change, was considerable. The turnpike system’ appears tobe doomed in Great Britain. No new c‘iarters are being granted, and measures are being adopted to render all the roads free. It is somewhat singular that there is not swell organizad opposi- tion to toll-gates in this country. _â€"â€"â€"«o.-.â€"â€"â€"â€"â€" Cowboy Fun. “I shall never forget an experience of mine in Montana a little over two years ago,” said Brakeman Schultz of the N or- thern Pacific. “There were Andrews, the coundctor, Wylie, the engineer, Colby, the fireman, and myself running No. 3 passen- ger on the Montana division, and one night about dusk we were getting out of Miles City when a red light was seen by the engineer, and he stopped the train. Just as it stopped about a dozen cowboys, tog- ged up in full uniform each with a brace of revolvers in his belt got into the 0* :hes while a few more guarded the engine. I knew trouble was coming as soon as I saw them get on, and I took a seat among the passengers. The conductor did not ap- pear at first to realize that anything was wrong, but went to the forward part of the coach, when half a dozen of the buckskin-clad boys grabbed him and set him upon the coal box. He protested, but the boys paid no attention other than to tell him not to move a finger, as they were going to shoot the heels of his boots off. 1 rather enjoyed the fun, though I lay mighty close, fearing that they would notice me, but they didn't before the can- ductor was short the heels of his boots. He was white as a snow flake, but he held up bravely, fearing a unis-calculated shot. Then they caught me and tied me and a passenger back to back and set us over a seat. and then commenced betting among themselves which would pull the other over. The stakes were put up and then two of them got prongs and began touch. ing us up with them. The fellow I had pitted against me was a Swede, and neither of us had any show to pull the other over; then I resorted to a stratagem, and when they gave the Swede 8. prong and he jumped abouts foot I pulled hard, and he (3th flying over the seat and went so far over that he near broke my back, We were loosened then, and they took the Swede's boots off and stood him on his head, and then played the bastiuado on the soles of his feet. Well, you'd died laughing to hear that poor fellow bellow. entreat, pray, and cuss these cowboys, and although my legs were smartlng from some dances I got I just roared. After they had done enough mischief they shot out the lights and left the train. HOME DECORATloN. If we surround ourselves in our daily lives with beautiful objects, they all tend to influence the mind for good and create a love for all that is beautitul and true in form and color. Linen shams are liked when a cluster of flowers is embroidered in the centre, an insertion of open embroidery outlining them and a frii'. to matcu added; through this open insertion is drawn a satin rib- b inabout an inch wide, which by its care- ful arrangement is made to look like tiny satin puff: set in at regular interva's. An elegant screen panel has a peacock embroidered on yellow satin ; the brilli- ancy and beauty of the plumage is faith- fully pcr‘rayed in filo-floss. Pretty hand-bags are neited with string cut'glass beads in black or dark red. Squares of plush in imitation of crazy patchwork are among the late products in the fancy work world. Blotting paper blue is used in combin- ing effect ,_ A lovely sofa pillow is of seal brown velve., with a bunch of nastnrtlum 6 were in all shades from light yellow to deep brown, embroidered in fine chenille , the cushion i edged with a friil of Valen- ciennes lace, while a thi k ruche of loops of yellow satin ribbon is at one corner and a large rquare bow of the same colored ribbon at the opposite one. Water filters of Doultou ware are now considered an essential and ornamental addition to the sideboard. Button-hole insertion is very much liked for bed linen, owing particularly to its extremely durable qualities. Carved wood mantels should not have lambrequins; a scarf of colored silk is sometimes used, or if preferred a very good efilc; is obtained by placing pieces of soft silk of any bright color, about one yard in length, under a vase or any large ornament which may be liked on the mantel. A dining-room, elegantly fitted up in Persian coloring, has the top of the waln- rcwitlng bordered with Japanese fans. Tapestry has always been an ex pensive luxury, and thereflre, although its men- ufacture can be traced back to remote antiquity, its use has always been limited ; as a material for furniture upholstery, nothing could be more elegant than this rich textile. Silk-mending is such pretty work that many ladi rs make an accomplishment of it, and filoselie appears at the right- inc- ture, as yarn is too coarse and heavy ; a pair of mittens or hosiery darned with the fiioselle silk can be so neatly repaired that it is difiicult to find the worn places. Many of the five o’clock lea tables have three tiers of shelves, one above the other. The red metal is growing in demand fce artic es of tible servica ; the warm red- hue and beautiful polish make it an ad- ditional beauty to a handsomely decorated table ; tea urns are particularly attractive in this ware ; coffee urns, crumb trays and small waiters may also be procured in very unique designs. A' Man of Retentivc Memory. James Crichton, a celebrated Scotch- man. was noted ,for many marvellous qualifications. He is believed to have been born in the year 1590. His fztier was Lord Advocate of Scotland, and re- sided at Eiliock. in Perthshire. He finished his education in the University of St. Andrew’s. There can be no doubt of his extraordinary acquirements, or that he had excellent instructors in every branch of learning By the time he was twanty he was able to speak and write no fewer than ten different languages, and had attained an astonishing proficiency in the accomplishments of fencing, riding, dancing, singing and playing upon musi cal instruments., As ,soon as his educa- tion was finished he set out upon his trn- vels, and first arrived at Paris. ‘00::- scious of the superiority of his attain- ments and eager to display them to the world, he affixed on the gate of, the One lege of Navarre a public challenge to al- the celebrated men of Paris to dspuill with him on that daysix weeks upon any subject connected with the arts and sciences, and in any of twelve lan- guagesâ€"Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac. Greek, Latin, French, Italian, English, Spanish, Dutch, Flemish and Sciavonian. No fewer than four Doctors of the Courch and fifty masters in different sciences prepared to enter the lists against him. On the day appointed three thousand auditors are said to have been present, and aftora disputation of nine hours with his various opponents he proved himself superior to them all. At length the president rose from his seat, and, after highly extolling him for his many rare and excellent qualities, gave him a diamond ring and. a purse full of gold in testimony of the favor and approbation of the College. So little had Crichton been fatigued with this dispute that on the ensuing day he attended a tilting match at the Louvre, and in the presence of some of the Princes of the French Court carried away the ring fifteen times sno- cessively, and broke fifteen spears in striking a mark called the Saracen. In the university of Padua, which was then in the highest reputation, Crichton en- gaged in another literary contest. He began with an extemporaneous poem in praise of the place and of his auditors; and after having disputed six hours with the most celebrated professors, whom he foiled on every subject, he concluded with au'unpremeditated poem in com- mendation of ignorance, which was con ducted with such ingenuity and elegance as to have astonished all his hearers. He boasted of a retentive memory that it was as requisite to great proficiency, either in science or literature, as intense appli- cation. ation with light cofi’se brown with charm- ' TEE CITY30FJ‘HE SUN. What Life was like in the Cashmere. (‘an- Ial, Now Destroyed by Earthquake. Serinagar, or literally Surgia Nagar, the City of the Sun, is the capital of the beautifuland romantic valley of Cashmere one of the most charming spots in the whole earth. It is some seven years ago than in my wanderings I visited this hap- py valley. A lonely march of about one hundred miles along the banks of the Jhelum R'ver, the ancient Hydaspes, brought me to the smooth waters of the Cashmere Lake Here I hired a boat cov- ered with matting. and so arranged that the stern of the boat formed a cooking kitchen, both for the crew and passenger. My'crew consisted of a full-grown man, an undergrown boy, an old woman, two small children, and a young mother and a plump baby. The whole party except the plump baby, took their turn at the ears and towing rop a, and I managed to get along at the rate of two miles an hour. I’l was a clear morning, and beautiful beyond description was the panoramic view as we wound along the river in its circular course. All around the country was rich with verdure. Rising at a dis- tance were the snowy ranges of the Him- alaya Mountains, many of them as much as 13 000 feet above the sea level. To quote the words of the traveller Vigne: " Softness mantling over the su alime, snugnessgenerally eislwhereincompatible with extent, are the prevailing character- istics of the scenery of Cashmere." In the centre of this lovely scenery is the City of the Su1, which was destroyed by an earthquake recently. Serinagar is a considerable ci'y of some 150,000 inhabitants, of whom 20,000 are Hindus and' the remainder Muhamme _ (lane. The houses are built entirely of wood, and are usually three stories high. The streets are narrow and dirty. The people are dirtier than the streets. No pen could possibly depict the real sani- tary condition of Serinagar, and conse- quently one regrets that as the city had to perish, it did not succumb to the purify- ing element of fire rather than the up- hesvings of an earthquake. The cily of Serinagar is on an island in the midst of the Cashmere Lake. It has seven bridges, all made of wooden logs. Some ofthe bridges are occupied with shops, like old Lindon Bridge, which are extremely quaint, although unsight- ly structures. There are no cabs or ctrts or carriages in the city of Serinagar, and therefore no convey- ances rumble along its narrow, dirty streets. It is a wrist dispensation of Pro- vidence that wheeled cmveyances have never been introduced in the capital of Cashmere, for the people would be too lazy to get out of the way. The women of Cashmere are renouned for their beauty. They are exceedingly fair for Orientals. In former years ihey v ereseizsd and sold as slavesjor the ser- aglios of Eastern monarchs. And even in modern days the Cashmere beauty has found a place in the affections of some of Indio’s European rulers and warriors. Physically, the ‘men are a very fine race, in knickerbockers. in width and the surrounding vary in height from 8,000 to 15,000 feet The valley itself is about 5,000 feet above 'It was formerly a the level of the sea. Mohammedan c3untry, indeed all the natives are Moslems, but at the conquest of northern India the British sold the province of Cashmere to one of the Sikh princes a Hit du. and it is now ruled by The nearest reilway termini] is that of Raqu Pindec, where Lord Dufl'erin received place in ome From Riwui of Serinagar is about 200 miles, which can be travelled aRajah under British protection. the Ameer of Csbul. This 1,100 miles from Bombay. Pinclee tn the ruined city by easy stages; 5 z A TEXAS TRAGEDY. A Canadian ope or’ ihei'lcllms ofa lilur- ' acrer's Knife- A inosti‘br'util'murder was committed at Paris, Tex , the other evening, one of the victims being Prof. J. W. Youmans, late of Picton, Ont., well known in the Mari- time provinces, especially in St. John, N. B., where he lived. a few years ago. Some months ago Sam. J. Holmes, of Paris, separated from his, wife, Mrs. Holmes tak- ing in boarders, among whom was. Prof. Youmans. Last night Holmes entered his wife's residence, and commenced a murderous assault on her with a bowie knife Her screams brought her sister, Mrs. Tighe, and Prof. Youmans to the scene. As Professor Youmans entered the room Holmes sprang from the pros- trate body of his wife and attacked him, stabbing him several times, killing him instantly. The murderer then turned up on his sister-in-law, Mu. Tigho, and tab- bed her in the chest and arms, infilcting horrible wounds. from which she died the following morning without recovering consciousness. The outcries of the victims aroused the neighbors and the murderer fled. Mrs. Holmes was found lying upona bed bath- ed in blood. She was conscious, but crazed with fear and pain, and dying from the terrible wounds. Upon the floor lay Mrs. Tighe and the body of Youmans. The room presented the appearance of a slaughter p 311. The other day Holmes, who is a po weriul man, was captured by a posse after a desperate struggle, and when over- powered attempted to commit suicide by swallowing a large dose of morphine. An emetic saved his life and he now lies heavily manacled in prison. Hyperbole: Auctioneer (selling tow property)â€"“ Why, gentlemen, the very atmosphere's worth the money.” and the calves of the Cashmere cooiie would give effect to the very best arrangement The phrenologicai developments of both sexes is good But still the Cashmere is a hopeless lndivid~ . MI. The valley of Cashmere is about 100 miles long and averages twenty-five miles mountains Who Betrayed Khartoum? Sir Wiif:ed Lawson asserts th at the agent who betrayed Khartoum was not the traitor Faraj Pasha. but a rather honorable Egyptim, who had everv rea- son to hate the British and try to the ot- most of his power to thwart their designs. The statement of Mr. Blunt is interesting at anyrate. If falae, it is very cleverly concocted ; if true. it throws a rather lur- ld side-light on British rectitude and jusv ties with regard to interference in Egyp- tian affairs. Mr. Blunt writes:â€"â€"‘ I- have ascertained within the last few weeks that the principal agent in the surrender of the city was not Far» j Pasha, as original- ly stated, but acertaln civilian exile from Egypt, who had acted at on) time under Arabi as secretary of the Ministry of Marine. I know the history of this man Well, 1 can vouch for its accuracy, as I often heard it at Cairo when I was there. Four years or so ago Awwam was an iron- est and zealous employs in the Cadastrai Survey under Sir Auckland Colvinâ€"a service which of all others under the Con- trol was the most inefficient, and is now acknowledged'to have been so. Awwum, ' provoked at the waste and mismanagement one davha'i the 'temerity to draw up a memorandum of what he knew and send it in his chief. The answer was his dismis al. He then appealed to the native pressâ€"for there was some liberty in those daysâ€" and his grievance made him a hero; and when Arabi came to power he gave him this place as Secretary, which he held at Alexandria down to the bombardment. I never heard of his taking any pr-min- out part in the politics of that eventful time, but on Sir Auckland Colvln's land- ing he was am mg the first persons arrest- ed. Lord Charles Beresford tried him by one of his courtsmartiai and found him guilty of exciting to rebellion, or some such charge ; he was handed over to the Clrcassian tender mercies and after seventy-four days in irons in the terrible Borgho prison, he was (X ml to Khar- toum. He was clearly a political prison- er lf ever there was one ; and when Lord Dufl'srin promised us the amnesty at the c impromlse of Arabi's trial, I wrote to him recommending Awwum's case to his special attention, and I have his answer, with a memorandum, (uriously enough, by the very Sir Charles Wilson who was afterwards to reap ouch bitter disappoint- ment at his Dance. But Lord Duff r'ln declined to interfere. and Awwum was left at Khartoum to his revenge. 011th 26:h (f January it was he who, with the English again at its gates, negotiated its surrender to its Arab deiiverer.” ‘.9 An Editor's Resource. A New York paper says that England can boast one editor, at least, who might be trusted to run a country paper in the United States. 11 his youth Sir Richard Phillips edited and published a. paper at Leicester, called the Herald. One day ‘Msii," and added to it was an announce- ment that it had arrived too late for trans- lation, and so had been “set up," printed in the original. This wondrous article drove half of England crazy, and for years the best Dutch scholars squabbled and pored over it Without being able to arrive at any idea of what it meant This famous “Dutch Mall" was in reality merely a column of “pi.” The story Sir Richard tells of the particular “pi” he had a whole hand in, is this: ‘ One evening, before one of our publi- cations, my men and a boy overturned two or three columns of the paper in ty pe. ‘We had to get ready. in some way, for the coaches, which, at four o’clock in the morning, rcquired four or five hundred papers. After every exertion, we were short neariy‘a column; but there stood on the gelleys a tempting column of pi. It suddenly struck me that this might be thought Dutch. I made up the ciiumn, overcame the scrup‘es of the foremrn, and so away the country edition went, with its philologicai puzzle, to worry the hon- est agricultural reader's head. There was plenty of time to set up a column of plain English for the local edition." ' ' Sir Richard tells of one man, whom he met in Nottingham, who for thirtyâ€"four years preserved a cop of the Leicester Herald,hoping that some day the letter would be explained WOW . “Blue Blood. " The term blue blood, from the Spanish phrase sangre azul, is much used without avery clear idea of its signification. Its real meaning isâ€"“ not that the blood itself is blue (excepting that all venous "blood has a bluish tinge) â€"but that the persons or class to whom the term is ap- plied have skins as white and transparent that the veins show'blue through them. and this is taken as a certain indication that the class or person thus designated is without an admixture of races. Anyone who has traveled in Spanish-American countries, or in Spain, where the term originated. would see at once its appli- cability. The descendants of the Gothic conquerors of Spain retain to this day the characteristl‘s of their ancestorsâ€"the white, transparent skin, blue eyes, and auburn or tawny hair, and their veins show blue through their cuticle; but in case of an admixture of African or Moorish blood, the blue blood (veins) gradually disappear, until in a case of great prepon. derance of the latter races the veins show merely as ridges. Tourists in Mexico will notice this peculiarity in all Mexican cities, as well as in the haciendas through- out that country, on account of the gmat admixture of Indian (Aztec, Toltec, and Tlscailan) blood in the population, and everywhere they will find that the people whose veins show blue through the skin are the ruling classes. A member of the London Meteoro- logical Society has invented an instru. ment, called the anemograph, which is operated by electricity, and keeps a re- cord on paper of the direction and velo- city of the wind. an article appeared in it, headed, “Dutch. A HORRIBLI'} SIGHT. Wilnessed by an Englishman in the Can- adian Northwest. In a. new book entitled “ Life and la- b)r in theflr. far West." written by Vi . Burnaby, occ irs the following account of a rcsne witnessed by him in the Cana- dian Northwest It is a description of the punishment infl'cted upon an Indian wo- man who had committed a grievous sin, probably adultery. The author says :â€" 01 entering inside the wall of poplar trees and twigs, I saw a squaw kneeling in front ofthe role, I told the interpreter to find out what she had done, but he either could not learn, or, as I suspect, would not tell me. It was, however, plain she had committed some dreadful misdeed, and she was now getting clear from her sin. She had on her facsa mingled lxpression of devotion and re- morse. Rarely have I seen a human fig- ure with such an air of fervency around and living through every line and every (the slightest) movement. The priest, or medicine man. was pouring forth a long oration, and every time he stopped it \e pom-pom went, all pleased with what he said. After a iimoa tail Indian, with a. hooked nose and an expression which reminded me of the third Napoleon, en- tered. He was entirely naked but for a hip-cloth he wore. He was a magnifi- cently~built man and his eye burned likeaiive coal. He took his place in the centre tight in front of the squaw in quite a then rical manner, and deliber- ately commerlc:d to sharpen a dirk-like knife on a stone which he held in his left hand. The squaw, without atremor, without a motion or hint of fear, looked on. After a few moments the chief med- icine man took a pirce of colored cotton, put it into some ashes from the medicine fire, and. then the executioner in a most solemn manner took a. needle, and raised the skin on the woman's ' arm up from the point where vaccination is usually im- parted. He passed the needle through the skin if her shoulder, and by great force raised it up ;then withaknife, which was certainly very blunt he backed of the piece of skin. This piece of skin he put in the piece of cotton in which the medicine man had placed ashes from the medicine fire. He then went around to the other arm, ani performed a like oper- ation. The piece of flesh taken from the 'efb arm was also placed in the piece of cotton, which was sanctified by ashes from the medicine fire. While this was being done a silence in which the fall of a feather could have been heard was ob- served. I noticed that the medicine man and the executioner were very care- ful not to touch with their fingers either piece (f flesh. Taking the two pieces of flesh and the sacred ashes from the medi- cine fire, the medicine man held ll: over the fire with a long oration. Meanwhile the woman stood up and threw her be ad against the pole and wept piteously. The mystery which. for me, rested on her crime added to the pathos of the situation; while the really dignified bearing of the medicine man, the dusky crowd round, and the city of teepecs near imposed on the imagination. Tue man I have called the executioner looked, as I thought. sternly on the woman as she wept. I have seen Miss Bitemau in “ Leah," Leonide Leblanc ln “ Frou Frou,” Miss Helen Faucit in the ‘ Strangers,“ and havewept at her Antigone; but on no stage hlV‘J I seen a more pathetic, a more heartrendiwg picture than that desolate savage woman, her head against that pole, weeping. When the piece of cotton containing the fl lab was burnt, and the medicine man's oration was over, the squaw hurried out of the building. On going outside some five minutes after- wards I ssw her dressed up in all the colors of the rainbow, painted profusely, and with aface full of j )y, as if she had been cleared frrm erme dreadful crime, and felt that exhilaration Roman Catho- lics tell they feel when leaving the con- fessional after the priest has said “Ab- solvo lo." Wh ii: was her crime? Was the executioner her husband? Mrs. Gladstone. Mrs. Gladstone is the elderly incarna- tion of guileless naivette. the matronly essence of impulsive simplicity. She is to appearance all artlessness. I have heard persons who, I think, ought to know better, speak disparagingly of Mrs, Gladstone‘s sagacity because of those little paculianties. Believe me, they make a great mistake or they c3mmit a great in- justice. Mrs. Gladstone is, in her way, one of the cleverest women living. * *- At the very worst she can be credited only with a few small inaptitudes which, if they really deserve that name, are in perfect- ly artistic keeping with her character. ' ' I have heard of ladies and gentle- man, very astute in their own estimate of themselves, who have endeavored toe xtrac early knowledge of public matters from Mrs. Gladstone; I have never heard of one who succeeded ; and her aplomb is as remarkable as her discretion. Her is an instance. TWo years ago, whenMr. W. E. Forster had resigned his portfolio in Mr. Gladstone’s Cabinet, he was natural- ly anxious to hear how the Prime Minister would speak of the incident in the House of Commons, and not less naturally anx- ious to listen without being himself ob- served. He therefore did not take his or dinary place in the body of that assem- blage, but made his way into the ladies’ cage or rather that portion of it which is set apart for: the lady friends of the wife of the speaker. Directly he had entered he psrceived the sole occupant of the de~ partment was no less a person than Mrs. Gladstone herself. She was the one per- son whom he Wculd have avoided seeing. He felt a listle discomposed, and was pro- ceeding to evince his disccmposure in the rugged, spasmodic way peculiar to that flower of Quaker subtlety. But Mrs. Glad- stone was perfectly at her ease. She held up her finger at him, and, shaking her head with an air of gentle reproval, mut teredlnaiow voice,“ Naughty!” naughty l'