The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-04-02

i One OF THE EFFECTS OF THE WAR.-The wal
Il in the east like all wars that have preceded it.
4 has been accompanied with an immense expen
diture oi blood and money, and it will be long
i ere the nations engaged in it will recover en-,
/ tirely from its effects Thousands Of the bes
and bravest soldiers Of Europe have been kill
] ed; millions Of money have been expended
iron heel Of war, leaving no haryestt to be gath
cred in except the harvest of death; and whole
towns, which art and science had combined to
make beautiful in peace and formidable in war,
have crumbled into dust beneath the rude
Eshock of the conflict. But, notwithstanding all
these evils, the war has been productive Of
some beneficial results, prominent among which
is the change wrought by it in the internal af-
fairs Of Turkey. That country, as is well
known, has ever been the stronghold ofthe Ma
homedan church-the bulwark Of the Mahom-
edan faith; and such has always been the pre-
judice existing there against the christians that
heretofore they have been excluded from all
participation in the affairs of the state and from
the enjoyment of many of the rights and priv
ileges accorded to those protesting the Mahom
/ edan religion. The christian world will rejoice
that these restrictions are to be removed, and
the christian subject Of the porte will be placed
on an equal footing with the Mahomedan. In
consequence Of the demands Of Russia, with
| the assent of England and France, the sultan
1 has recently given his sanction to reform bill
embodying the rights and privileges of christ
lans under the jurisdiction Of the Porte, which
/ has been sent to Paris in order that it may be
annexed to the general treaty Of peace. We
will give a few of the headings Of this reform
| bill, in order that our readers may form some
idea of the concessions granted to the christians,
and the progress which has been made in liber-
/ al principles in that hitherto bgoted and be-
nighted country. BY this treaty ancient eccle-
siastcal privileges are guaranteed to the Greek
and Armenian churches; the patriarchate are
deprived oftemporal and judicial power; all re-
ligions are tolerated; persecution CT punishment
OH account of change Of religion is abolished.
Christians are admitted to state Offices; civil
/ tribunals for the Turkish christians are estab-
/ lished; christians may join the army and re-
ceiye military honors; the Franks may possess
real estate in Turkey. Christians are to be re-
presented in the council Of state; direct taxa
ton is introduced. and credit bank for COM
merce established.
These reformatory measures will be of great
benefit to Turkey, as Abdul Medjid, the en-
/ lightened and liberal minded sultan well knew
! when he sanctioned them. By removing the
disabilities heretofore imposed upon christians,
thousands Of foreigners will no doubt attract
ed to that country by its fertility and advan-
tagious position for commerce, and the lazy
drone ola Turk will be supplanted by the ener-
getlc and enterprisng American, Englishman
OF Frenchman. With such an improvement in
her population, Turkey is sure to. rise in the
scale of nations Com. Bul.
/ CURIosIT1Es OF THE CgNsus-While the
leading reviews Of Great Britain have contain
ed many able and curious articles relating to
the recent census of that kingdom, the elabo-
1 rate and valuable facts contained in the COM
pendlum of the seventh q. S. census, prepared
by Mr.. De Bow, and published by order of the
senate, does not appear to excite the attention
of writers of the class corresponding to those
whose labors abroad have elected so much com
ment from the English public. With desire
rather to direct attention to De Bow statistical
view of the United States than to furnish any
thing like an extended review of the work it.
self, we propose to treat the returns in similar
in the Household Words
Out of the 1896 counties in the United
States in 1850, 4oO had been created or al
tered IN the previous ten years; in 54 the fe
males greatly predominate; in 81 the slaves,
and in 7 the foreignborn In AL counties
there We're few or no foreigners, and in 90. the
native and foreign population were about equal.
In ,O25 counties there were slaves; in 192 no
free colored persons. The number Of people to
adweling in New York city averaged more
than 13, in Boston nearly 8; in New Orleans
81; in Richmond about S. tits estimated that
one-fourth part Of the people in the country re-
sidein villages, towns and cities
In the year 1900, exclusive Of the army and
navy, there were 8, ,806 in the employment Of
the federal government; in 1854 the number
was 35, ,456, a nine-fold increase-the popula-
tlon having increased about FIVE fold. :.
The German journals have given some ta
bles which prove that the distance between the
earth and sun is increasing annually, and argue
from it that the increasing humidity of our sum
mers and the loss of fertility by the earth, are
to be attributed solely to this circumstance
No credit has heretofore been given to tra-
ditions of ancient Egyptians and Chinese, ac-
cording to which these people formerly said the
suns disc was almost four times as large as we
now see it, for they estimated the apparent
diameter Of the sun as double Of what it isl
seen in our day
II, however, we pay attention to the con-
tinued diminution Of the apparent diameter of
the sun, according othe best observations Of
several centuries, we must suppose that the an
clients were not mistaken in the estimates they
have transmitted to us.
In the course of six thousand years from the
present time, they. assume that the distance
will be 50 great that only an eighth part Of the
warmth which we enjoy from the sun will be
communicated to the earth, and it will then be |
covered with eternal ice in the same manner as
we now see the plains Of the north, where the (
elephant formerly lived, and have neither any
spring or autumn.
The Albany Journal states that Louis Ma
poleon, in 1858, conceived the idea that it I
would be practicable to compress flour SO as to
diminish the bulk, and in that way facilitate its
and yet not injure its quality.