Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1857-09-11
LUDICROUs EFFECTS OF THE AP-
PEARANCE OF A COMET IN 17f2.

LUDICROUS EFFECTS OF THE AP-
PEARANCE OF A COMET IN l7f2.
As everybody is on the qui viue in regard
to the Comet, and as all sorts Of ideas are
"around" in regard to Il, we give the follow
ing amusing sketch CLEANED from an old pa
per.
In the year 1912 Mr. Winston, having cal
culatod the return of comet which was to
make It's appearance on Wednesday, the l4th
Of October, at five minutes after Ave in the
morning. gave notice TO the public according
ly. with a terrifying addition. that a total dis
solution of the world by fire was 20 take place
on the Friday following. The reputation
Mr. Winston had long maintained in Eng
land both as a divine and philosopher. left
little or no doubt with the populace of the
truth of his prediction.
Several ludcrous events took place A
number of persons in and about London
seized all the barges and boats they could lay
their hands on in the Thames, very nationally
concluding that when the confagration took
place there would be the most safety on the
water. gentleman who had neglected
family prayer for better than five years in
formed his wife that IL was his determination
to resume that laudabe practice the same
evening but his wife. having engaged a ball
I at ulI ubuHts ptIbNdutu ntI hhHbouO " put
! it off till she saw whether the comet appear
ed or not The South Sea stock Immediately
fell TO per cent. and the India to II and
the captain of a Dutch ship threw all his
powder into the river that the ship might not
be endangered.
The next morning, however, the comet APP
/ peared according to the predictions, and be-
( fore noon the belief was universal that the
! Day of Judgment was at hand. About this
time three hundred and twenty three clergy
/ men were ferried over to Lambeth, it was
/ said. 20 petition that short prayer might be
penned and ordered. there being none in the
Church service on that occasion. Three
maids Of honor burnt their collection of nov
els and plays. and sent to the booksellers to
buy each of them Bible and Bishop Taylor's
Holy Living and Dying" The run upon
the bank was prodigious that all hands
were emplc~~1 from morning till night in
discounting n.ses and handing out specie.
On Thursday considerably more than 1000
kept mistresses were legally married in the
face of several congregations. And, to
crown the whole farce Sir Gilbert Hcathoote,
head Director of the Banks, issued orders to
all the fire officers in London, requiring them
"to keep good lookout, and have partic
ular eye on the Bank of England
How THE PRICE OF BREAD is MANAGED
IL PARIs.-Every bag of wheat -four, or
meal that comes to the city must be brought
to the Halle au Bile. or grain Hall This is
an immense area. enclosed with a circular wall,
and covered with huge dome; so that it pre-
sents a vast, unbroken hall, of grand and beau
tiful proportions, lighted from the top. Vari-
Gus stalls with desks form the offices of the
clerks and employees. On the floor of this
hall are piled up, cobhouse-fashion, the bags
of grain. presenting to the visitor striking
panorama of solid plenty.
The city of Paris is surrounded by a WALL
not for defence, as it is comparatively slight,
but simply for police, revenue, and other mu-
nicipal purposes, one of which is the regula-
ton of the bread market Barriers, that is
gates. with police attendants and revenue Off
GERS, form the only entrances to the city, ex-
cept the River Seine, which has also its guards
Every bushel of wheat or grain brought to
} the city for sale must be registered at the
4 Grain Hall, under heavy penalties. This reg
ulaton is rigidly enforced, which it is easy
g to do at the barriers with so bulky an arti-
Gle especially as the bags must be Of uniform
size.
From this register Of the daily supply. the
; government of the city know at any hour
@ Just how many pounds or packs of grain of
{ any kind there are in Paris. From accurate
= statistics required to be furnished they know
, how much flour or meal is baked daily at each
v bakery, and how much bread of all kinds is
| consumed They are therefore able to fix the
, weight and price Of loaves, each shape and
c size of which has its appropriate name accor-
r ding to the ratio between the supply and de-
+ mand, allowing fair and just profit to produ'
GERS, traders and bakers no more, no less
The price, thus fairly graduated, at short in-
@ tervals, is fully proclaimed to the public, the
j.. dealers, the bakers and the police.
n The police are authorized to drop, at any
y time. into any bakery, or bread shop, wher-
ever bread is exposed for sale, and weigh the
s loaves. There is also special inspecting
If officer appointed for this express purpose
4 His visits are not stated, that he may moi
q have things got ready for exhibition instead
# of inspection, according to the English ant
is American fashion of doing such things. L
! the inspector finds the weight deficient, or thu
+ price Of a particular kind of loaf too high fo
fe the grade, all the bread in the shop is swep
n off at once, and distributed to the hospitals
and other eeemosynary establishments of the
IN city. Thus are the public protected agains
nj private cupidity speculating in the means o
so existence.
oi A PuGNAorous MAyoR.-The following
he is related of Mayor Foley of Covington, Ky,
as -. Ia atnon "a ma arrastpd