Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-01-30
THE WEATHER IN ANDOUT OF THE
CITY,


Vegetation is, even in mid winter, making
moderate headway in the Park and other pub
Tic squares OF the city, and the private gardens
OF the vicinity are reported as still more for
ward In this premature anticipation of spring
AT the South, we are told, green peas and new
potatoes are abundant. In the vicinity of New
orleans, on some plantations, the orange trees
are putting forth their blossoms, and in others
are yielding an abundance of fruit The Pic
ayune acknowledges the receipt of mess of
ripe strawberries grown in the open air. with
out the aid of glass. A letter from Florida
says: Peach trees are in full bloom. and all
kinds of trees are out like May. People are
very busy gardening" In Mobile roses and all
Kinds OF flowers are in full blOom
The absence of snow at the North, though it
prevents the usual merriment of sleigbing has
stimulated hlarity in another direction, and
skating appears to be all the vogue, women and
glrls taking their part in the exercise. This,
however, Is not practicable in the vicinity of
New York, where the only ice we have is of last
year formation, in the ice-hOuses
AT Northampton, one of the most Puritanical
towns In Massachusetts,. rs well as one of the
most beautiful highly favored so far rs ponds
and sluggish streams and skating facilities are
concerned, even the clergy join in the wntry
sport, on the principle Of FlelliDg's chaplain,
who took punch because, unlike wine, it was
" nowhere spoken Nj of in Scripture Even
the learned and reverend Dr. William Allen,
Ex-President of BOwdOin College, and author
of the American Biographical Dictionary, at
age OF seventy-twO, was among the skaters, and.
as the papers tell us, exhibited a degree of
vigor and agility quite equal to many of the
boys"
What would the great Calvanistic theologian,
Jonathan Edwards, say to this exhibition of
agility on the part of his pupil and successor
IN the Northampton pulpit! Truly, what with
the DR.. Allen skating hcresy, and Dr. Bel
lowss new notions on the drama and theatre
the clergy is getting in a bad way From Bos-
ton, where, "a one of its pastors, the Rev. The
odorc Parker, observed, 9 il is very solemn
thing to be merry, We have similar accounts
OF the skating contagioD, as may be seen from
the following paragraph in the Traveller;
"SKATING PARrIEs.-It is estimated that
from twelve 10 fifteen hundred persons visited
Jamaica Pond, five miles from Boston. on Sat
ur,iay last, including a large number of fe-
males. Among the latter were several whose
graceful movements were he subject of gene
raj remark. The skating party from WOrces-
ron Saturday, in an extra train tn Long Pond,
was decided success. About n thousand per
sons were present at the pond.
AT Portland, Me, IA perfect army of skaters
Occudied the canal basin on Saturday iDclu-
ding men, women and children. The Advert
ser says there were about one thousand persons
on the Ice at one time, and more than fifty car
riases in attendance. Many of the skaters
went out rs far rs Saccarappa, and others even
to the outlet of Lake SebagO, and returned
making distance Of forty miles or more The
Ice in the neighborhoOd of Portland is from II
to ID inches thick, and considerable quantities
have already been cut and stored. At Island
Pond. about 80 miles northwest of Portland
the snow Is from one foot to fifteen inches deep:
and on Saturday morning the mercury stood at
lS degrees below zero. On the previous morn
ing II was II below.
The WINTER on LAKE ERIE-The Ohio
Farmer OF January %, published in Cleveland,
thus notes the progress Of the season:
Lilac buds are quite green; Elders show
leaf. shrubby st. JOhnswOrt in our garden
has come out in full leaf Violets are peeping
out here and there, and the buds of rose bushes
are considerably swollen. GOOseberries and all
varieties of currants ditto The only thing
that has surprised US. is the fact that few, If
any, of the bulbous-roOted flowers show any
leaves. Even the snowdrOp, earliest of all
spring flowers, has not yet made its appearance
with US. The effect upon the wheat crop can be
nothing but bad, for the many freezings and
thawings have the effect of throwing out tho
plants, especially when sown broadcast. Drilled
wheat will not, however, suffer to any appreci-
able extent, unless the changes should be much
greater than they have BEEN
CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUgIsHMENr-The
using such an inelcgant phrase as 'in our
midst which occurred in n letter inviting
MIR Everett IN IeIiyor his J;scCurSn On oeb