Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-04-22
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.


number of papers advocating his nomination
at Cincinnati, are abusing and malgning his
Democratic rivals and their supporters as vir.
ulently as though they were not parties in
full Democratic communion. They are doing
so, too, under circumstances which induce the
very general impression that that system of
electioneering has been resorted to with the
deliberate sanction of those who assume to
manage the canvass in Mr.. Buch anan's behalf.
So general has this style of strengthening Mr..
Buchanan become, recently, as that it is rap
idly insuring a perfect combination of the
friends of all other Democratic aspirants ex.
clusively against him which is to be regretted
by all whose democracy amounts to more than
devotion to the fortunes of a particular leader
for the sake of the devotee's own future.
Mr. Buchanan has been grievously injured,
too, by another style of electioneering for him;
in vogue. We refer to the efforts to make him
appear more available because he does not
wear any of the scars received in defence of
the cause of the Democratic party in the great
Nebraska-Kansas battle. The studied at
tempts to that end that have appeared of late
in the PennsylUantam. and many other Bu-
chanan- Democratic journals, have already
produced the two results that might have
been expected from them:
LIST They have brought out in his favor
every nominal Democratic newspaper and
politician really standing opposed to the Dem
ocratic party upon the great question now in
issue between the Democracy and their oppo-
nents, where the latter have respectable
strength.
I'd. 1t has created wide spread impression
among those in all quarters of the country and
in all positions in "the party" who have
been combating for years for the Nebraska
bill, that to nominate and elect Mr.. Buchanan,
at his time Of life, will be to insure that those
who claim to be his peculiar friends will gov
ern the country in his name and in so doing
will not only treat the supporters of all other
aspirants for the Cincinnati nomination as po-
litical enemies, but will also make it certain
that the Governme mt will be administered up
on principles SO far as the slavery question is
concerned, fairly deducible from their present
Standardization Of the Missouri restriction,
and of Mr.. Buchanan, as its titular deity.
There isfood, ample food for reflection, indeed,
in the leading points of the history of this brief
but remarkable INTERCHANGEABLE party cam
vass in behalf of Mr. Buchanan.
Meteorology in Canada.-Roturns from To-
ronto give the following interesting facts:
The snow which fell in December, 1856,
amounted to 1915 inches, being 1873 inches
above the mean of thirteen years, and more
than double the average, only once equaled,
in December, 1850. The wind had the great
est monthly mean velocity ever recorded; and
the greatest barometric depression ever known
occurred on Sunday, December 9, at p. m. -,
when the mercury stood at % 459.
In January, 1856, 1876 inches of snow fell
but no rain. The mean temperature of the
month was 80, and this as well as the abso.
Lutte maximum temperature were the lowest
ever recorded for January. This month was
also the most windy of which there is any &C.
count
The mean temperature Of the year 1856 was
4S'sS, which was below the average of six
teen years. The hottest month was July, and
the coolest February. The greatest quantity of
rain fell in September, and the least in Feb
ruary. The rain was distributed over one
hundred and three days, and the snow over
sixty-four, so that there were one hundred
and ninety-eight days without either rain or
snow. Frost occurred in every month but
July. There were thirty eight thunder storms
during the year. Auroras were seen on forty
six nights; and that Of October 4 was at.
tended by considerable magnetic disturbance.
A Eovel Instrument.-We were shown this
morning, in the apparatus room of the Smith
sonian Institution, an instrument On a gigan.
tic scale for exhibiting the colors of polarized
light. The arrangement of this instrument is
the invention of DR.. Edmundson, of Baltimore,
who has long been known to the scientific
world for his ingenious illustrations of various
branches Of natural philosophy. The instru-
ment presents on larger scale than perhaps
they were ever before exhibited the gorgeous
colOrs of polarized light. These colors are
produced by the naturalization of different
rays of the white light of the sun by me ans
Of change called polarization, and thus ex-
hibit the complementary colors which serve to
make up the white of ordinary day light.
1t illustrates very beautifully the fact tina,
color does not belong to an object, but to the
light which is reflected or emitted from it; the
slightest change in the position of the object
giving a new tint, or an entirely different
color.
The Revenue Cutter Taney.-This vessel
having returned from her recent winter relief
cruise to her station at the mouth of the Sa.
vannah river, her commander, Capt. Douglas
Ottinger, o. s. r M, has made his report to
the Secretary of the Navy, from which we
gather that she ran lin January, Februa.
~, and March, distance of 2,413 geograph-