The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-01-19 00:00:00

LITERARY SELECTIONS.

They, it en heroic louocence as well an an heroic
:aurage.

A wise man will Ilasire no more than what he may
ent justly, non •.Iterly, distribute cheerfully, and live
Upon contentedly.

FLATILI:V.-1t is easy to tell when others are flat.
tared, but not when we ourselves are; and every
woman will lend firm belief to the soft nothings of
the very man whom she believes to be an arrant
flatterer when other women are in the ease.

BIRTIIDAYS.—Keep the birthdays religiously. They
belong exclusively, and are treasured among, the
sweetest memories of home. Do not let anything
prat lit some token, be it ever so light, to show that
it is remembered. Birthdays are great events to
childron ; for one day they fool that they are heroes.
The special pulding is made expressly for them ; a
ow jacket, or trousers with pockets, or the firet
pair of boots, are donned ; ant big brothers and sis-
ters sink into insignificance beside "little Charlie,"
who is" sic to-day," and who is soon "going 10 13 a
man." Fathers who have half a dozen little ones to
tare for, are apt to neglect birthdays, they come too
often—sometimes when they are busy, and some.
timed when they are "nervous ;" but yet if bey only
know how much such souvenirs are cherished by the
ohihlren year after, they would never permit r- -rt
cause to stop between them and a parent's privile.d.
Turn Suv.—F.verything points to the establishment
of the gr t fact that tho punts the reservoir of force,
and it is constantly diffusing to all the world. T. volv-
log around it, those energies which stele beginning
converted • chaotic mass into • globe beautiful in
its order, organisation, and life. Matter changing its
form in the suu develops an accurately-determined
quantity of power, which, passing without any loss
through space, falls upon another mass of matter,
and transmutes its atoms into &thousand forms, some
brillisot as gems, others beautiful as flowers. The
fine old fable of the Mernuonian Statute, bursting
into rn-..i0 at the first touch of the morning sun-beam
wasl the outshadowing of a philosopbio truth.
Piercing through the darkness of nights the sunbeam
touches the dormant earth, and established • series
of undulations, which move onward in harmony and
awaken the brute atom, into the divinest music.
'fourths,' byinfitience• which can only be derived from
the solar energies falling on the surface of the mirth,
the inorganic Weis, buried deep within the rooky
crust, glide into geometric) forms of beauty, and the
crystal foretells the coming orrtnisation.—Tho Quar-
terly Journal of &KM..

LAPLAND S L'PERSTITIoNS. The Laplanders are
shy, suspicions, and superstitious, the natural re
-
snit of oppression and moral darkress. They wor-
ship stones, presenting to their idols offerings of
doers' horns. It is said that they never dance, and
their very singing is melancholy. The first Christian
churehes were erected there in the sixteenth cen-
tury, subsequent to the Reformation in Sweden • and
the earliest Christian book in t, • language is dated
1619. 'there are thirteen parishes in Swedish Lap-
Ined ; but in some the incumbent is ignorant of the
language, and therefore can do little to instruct his
parishioners. Charms and omens are mach regarded;
and • loading coperstition—the use of the divining-
drum—riontinnos in fall force to this day. The
writer has a specimen before him, supplied by his
friend Tellstro m , • and, as a proof that the super.
stition is not obsolete, the MD who sold this drum
became exceedingly unhappy, and could not rest
till he had procured another. The divining-drum is
an oval or egg-shaped wooden hoop, sixteen and a
half in. long, by ten wide at the broadest and five at
the narrowest part. It is three inches deep, with a
cross.bar inside, to give firmness, and to hold the
drum by in the one hand. A cowering of prepared
rein-deer skin, the smooth side outwards, is spread
tightly over the hoop, and is marked with • variety
of figures with reddish dye. From the broad end
hang fifty cords, about a foot long made of leather
covered with wire, and each having • brass ring or
other distinguishing mark fastened at the end.
Thirty six similar cords, six inches long, are suspend.
ed from the narrow end. Whether thew appendages
are merely ornamental, or as Tel Istrom was informed,
form, the longer ones • chronicle of remarkable
events, and the shorter a necrology of distinguished
persons, the writer cannot decide, though be inclines
to trust the accuracy of Tellarom's information. A
pointer, made of deer's horn and ornamented with
coloured beads, is laid loosely on the cover of the
drum • and, taking • small hammer of the same ma-
terial'in his right hand, the diviner, by striking the
drum, causes the pointer to move about on the surface
and when it has reached &certain marlr,he professes to
discover, and proceeds to disclose to the applicant,
the matter concerning which his aid has been sought.
The possessor of a divining-drum occupies an im-
portant position amongst the people, and when he
travels a separate sledge is provided for it. The
drum is carefully concested from females, and they
are not allowed even to touch it. This superstition is
sometimes turned against themselves. A constable
as applied to by a Laplander who had been robbed.
The man strongly suspected a neighbour of being
guilty of the robbery, but had not sufficient evidence
to convict him. The constable promised to use
means for discovering the criminal ; and, on getting
several men to surround • table, he placed on its
centre a pocket-compass, necessary to him in travel-
ing, declaring that this was his divining drum. Plac-
ing the polo opposite the suspected mall, he caused
the needle to revolve rapidly, saying that the point
would stop opposite tho guilty one. All eyes were
hued; and when the needle rested, the man declared
it was all nonsense, and changed his place for a se-
cond trial. A correspondingchange was easily made
in the position of the compass : and, lo ! the needle
stopped again opposite the same man. lie now re-
quested to try it hi if and the constable allowed
him to do so; when, on his being pointed at • third
time, he openly coufeeeed his guilt, and restored the
property to its rightful owner. He then sought a
private interview with the constable, and offered to
purchase at any cost this divining-drum, as it was
the best he bad ever seen. Of course the constable
for sufficient reasons, declined compUanse.—Telt
siren and Lapland, by George Scott. D.D.

A NEW DleOuVklltY.—l mentioned, Oct. 24th, that
000 01 the principal objects which astronomers hoped
to attain by their obsorvations on the recant solar
eclipse, was a moro ric,nrato knowledge of tho nature
of those rod prominences which hail boon soon in
previous solar eclipses, jutting from the sun's rim,
and extending in some cases 30 000 mile. into space;
and we showed that spectral analysis had satisfactorily
solved the question. Now, for at least two years
part, a well-known English astronomer, Mr. Lockycr,
has ontertained tho idea, that by fishing, as it were,
round the border of the sun, with a spectroscope at-
tached to his telescope ho might in coarse of time
catch • protuberance without waiting for the rare op-
portunities afforded by solar eclipses; and by the aid
of a powerful spectr-sscope, which had been providod
at the expense of the Royal Society (sod which was
exhibited in an incomplete state at the August moot-
ing of the British Association at Norwich) he has just
succeeded (Oct. 20th), after many failures'', in obtain-
ing and observing part of the spectrum of • eater
prominence, which he joyfully describes in a note to
the secretary of the Royal Society as "a very five
ono." By • strange ooincidenoe, the idea which had
a) long been in Mr. Lookyor's mind, namely, that
the prominence might ho observed spectroscopically
without the intervontion of an eclipse, occurred to the
French astronomer Janssen at the very moment when
he was observing the °clips° in India, and on the
following day (August itith), hosacceeded in carrying
oat the plan lie had ooneeived (of which as yet we
have only partial details). Here, then, we have the
Dania Adamsand Lo Verrioralmostexactly repeated.
Lockyer's claim to priority of idea cannot be quer.
thined, but Janssen has a priority of a few week, in
applying theory to practice. The news of the English
discovery reached the great astronomer, Dolan:my,
at Paris, scarcely fir° minutes before he received
Janssen's letter on the subject. The fact that the
observations of these astronomers do not exactly
soincide in minor details is of no importance, for
Janssen finds that the appearances are constantly
varying. The groat thing is the discovery of the new
mole of investigating the composition of the sun and
ip avroundinp, without the necessity for an eclipse.
They have both taught us how to rout our pig with-
out Isruing down the laouse.—thica a Wcak.

THE aan.IVAL OP MAxtmlunw 11l Maxim—W.
hal accepted the invitation of • few Mexican gentle•
men to visit, before the arrival of the Imperial pair,
the suite of apartments which had been hastily pre-
pared for them. It was scanty, divided ineennini•
ently, and very tasteless in its decorations, but
marked by great simplicity; therefore the Emperor
had no scruple in making such alterations as seemed
most suitable to his taste and comfort. There was
no large hall where receptions could be held or din.
nen given; all the rooms were like corridors, nar-
row, and rather low. Although even before our de-
parture fromEurope,great changes had been proposed,
scaffoldings raised, and walls taken away, yet the
whole remained in an unpromising state. It was tuu
late to restore • fitting proportion and grandeur to
various parts. People in Motive do not at all under•
stand how to use the material which the country of.
fers in so rich a measure, by means of which splon•
dour and solidity might be united in an uncommon
degree.. The precipitous rocks of the neighbouring
mountains are formed of most beautiful porphyry;
the best and most valuable kinds of wood moulder in
the forests. Yet 'scarcely any traces of either are to
be found in the building and arrangements of private
dwellings. Exploded European productions are used
everywhere; furniture Bud stuffs are brought at great
'sponse across the sea. Wooden Ilutall aro quite un-
known; the flooring is made of largo, glazed tiles,
yet almost always covered with carpets. The Em•
press's drawing room was exactly like • room in a
European hotel. Her bed room, fitted up with dark
blue, was much prettier; there we found • gift from
the ladies of Mexico, a silver toilet table, which was
worthy of admiration, and very artistic and pretty
In all as details. Their Majesties appeased content
with everything; the Empress was enchanted. This
was much lose the case with her attendants. The
Emperor's good servants, who had performed their
duties admirably at Milan and Miramar, and who had
shown gr./,t self sacrifiee on the voyage, were at their
wits' ci,l in their Dew position. They found nothing
ready, and dii not know where to procure anything,
and yet festivities had to begin &tonne. There was no
Mod and sensible manager to guide and command; no-
thing was organised the wages of the torrents were
not Proportioned to the extreme scarcity of tho
country. Some of them who had come scrum the
ocean with wives and children, did not know where
to turn for absolute neoessaries. They ran all about,
pale and disturbed, in gloomy despair; many wished
to return to Europe atone*. Some of the Mexicans ix
attendance at the Palace took advantage of the com-
plete ignorance of thee* poor people to defraud them,
and they. wore in 0013110qa0Dee in a very unhappy
frame of mind. The discontent spread even into
the higher regions. Officers who had exchanged the
AnSWI&U service for that of Mexico, expecting to tafi
In directly with mountains of gold, found themselves
painfully undeceived at the very commencement I
and, instead of interesting themselves into the new
relations of a fresh life, they complained of missing
their old habits, and gave themselves np to • hypo-
chondriacal temper. Happily the greater number of
my travelling companions remained free from then
sentiments, and when the others had gradually made
themselves familiar with the new mode of fife, we
set about the investigation of all that was curious
and interesting, andaavourlog to make as good • use
as we amid of our animas is the Mew Mackd.-17.4
Varl