The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-08-05
MISCELLANEOUS.

Outs
"When went to the palace" says his Lord.
ship, I" alighted at the grand stair: case was
received by the sticks gold and silver, and other
officers of the household, who called, in sono
rous tones, from landing to landing, and apart.
ment to apartment, Room for the Lord High
Chancellor of England;' entered the presence
chamber; l gave the seals to her Majesty |
had the honor of kissing her hand / left the
apartment by another door, and found myself
on back stair case, down which descended
without any one taking any notice of me, until,
as was locking for my carriage at the outer
door, lacquey hustled up, and, with a patron.
izing air, said
"Lord Lyndhurst, can 1 do anything for
your"
MRS. PARTINGToN's VISIT TO THE TENTED
FIELD" Did the guard present arms to YOU,
Mrs. Partington?' asked q commissary. az he
met her at the entrance of the marquee.
fou mean the csntury?" said she, smiling.
have heard so much about the tainted field.
that believe l could deplore an attachment
into line myself, and secure them as well as an
ohcsr. You asked me if the guard presented
arms. He didn't, but a sweet little man. with
an epilepsy on his shoulder and smile on his
face, did, and asked me if l wouldn't 90 into a
tent and smile. / told him that we could both
smile as well outside, when he politely touched
his chateau, and left me-"
Inc commissary presented hard wooden
STOOL upon which she reposed herself.
This Is one of the seats of war, / suppose ?D
SAID she. "Oh, what a hard lot a soldier ia
objected tol l don't wonder a mite at the
hardening influence of soldiers life What
Is that for?" asked she, as the noise of a can
non saluted her ear. 81 hope they amt firing
on my account" There was a solicitude in
her tone as she spoke, and she was informed
that it was only the Governor, who had lust
arrived upon the field. "Dear me |" said she.
"how cruel it is to make the old gentleman
come away down here, when he is so feeble be
has to take his staff with him wherever he goes"
She was so affected at the idea, that she had to
take few drops OF white wine to restore her
equilibrium, and to counterfeit the dust from
the tainted held."-BoSton Post.
The POLITICIANS SUBsTITUTE-When Col
F. was candidate for Congress, in one
OF the Northwestern States, he was opposed
by gentleman who had distinguished himself
in the war of 1912. Discovering, in the course
of the canvass, that his opponents military
reputation was operating strongly to his own
prejudice, he concluded to let the people know
that he was not unknown to fame as a soldier
himself; and accordingly, in his next speech.
he expatiated on his achievements in the tented
field as follows:
I" My competitor has told you of the services
he rendered the country in the last war. Let
me tell you that /, too, acted an humble part
in that memorable contest. When the tocsin
of war summoned the chivalry of the West to
rally to the defence of the national honor, l,
fellow citizens, animated by that patriotic
ir,t which ,ytoxgu in A L.
hired substitute for that 1car, and the bones
Of that man no,o lie bleaching on the banks of
the Raisin!"
A REMARKABLE CLOCK Henry C. Wright, in
letter to the Li6erdtor, thus describes the pres.
clock in the cathedral of Strasburg:
Z" The priests and military have retired and
l am now sitting in a chair facing the gigan.
stic elock-from the bottom to the top, not less
than 100 feet, and about 80 feet wide, and fif.
teen deep. Around me are many strangers.
waiting to see the working of this clock as it
strokes the hour of noon. Every eve is upon
the clock. 1t now wants five minutes of twelve.
The clock has struck, and the people are gone,
except q few whom the sexton or head man
with wand and sword is conducting round
the building. The clock has struck in this
way: The dial is some 20 feet from the, floor,
on each side of which is a cherub, or little boy.
with q malet, and over the dial is small bell /:
the cherub on the left strikes the first quarter.
that on the right the second quarter. Some
fifty feet over the dial, in large niche, ia a
huge figure of Time, a bell in his left, scythe
in his right hand. In front stands fl cure Of
young man with mallet, who strikes the
third quarter, on the bell in the hand of Time.
and then turns and glides, with slow step,
round behind Time, comes out an old man
with mallet, and places himself in front of
him.
As the hour of twelve comes, the old man
raises his msllet and deliberately strikes twelve
times on the bell, that echoes through the
building, and is heard all round the region of
the church. The old man glides slowly behind
Father Time, and the young man comes on
readily to perform his part as the time comes
round again. Soon as the old man has struck
twelve and disappeared, another set of machin
cry is put in motion, some twenty feet higher
still. 1t is thus there is q high cross with
the image OF Christ on it. The instant twelve
is struck, one of the apostles walks out from
behind, comes in front, turns, facing the cross,
bows, and walks on around to his place. As
he does so another comes out in front, turns,
bows, and passes in. So twelve apostles,
figures as large as life, walk round, bow, and
pass on. AS the last appears, an enormous
cock, perched on the pinnacle Of the clock,
slowly flaps its wings, stretches forth its neck,
and crows three times, 80 loud as to be heard
outside the church to some distance, and so
naturally as to be taken for a real cock. Then
all is silent as death. No wonder this clock is
the admiration of Europe. 1t was made in
1871, and has performed these mechanical
wonders ever since, except about fifty years,
when it stood out of repair"
TIE CHANELEoN.-Mr. Buckland seems St
tentively to have observed that singular crea.
ture, the chameleon
81 had a couple at Oxford" he writes, " and
tried several experiments, placing them on
different colored cloths; the variety of colors
they can assume is not very great. They IN
fortunately soon died, my servant having put
the box in which they were kept in very cold
place. They were very passionate creatures
Mr. Madden writes trained two large cha.
meleons to fight; could at any time, by knock
ing their tails against one another. insure a
combat, during which their change of color was
most conspicuous. This change is only e.
fected by paroxysms of rage, when the DARK
green gall of the animal is transmitted into the
blood, and is visible enough under its pellucid
skin. The reason here given to account for
the change of color is not very satisfactory. It.
has been said elsewhere to be caused by the
injection of the blood vessels of the skin but
Mr.. Queckett tells us that be has injected NAM
cbameleons, but has not found the blood.yes
sells of the skin by any means numerous or ca
pable of dilation.' Up. Al.
The change of color to which the chameleon
is liable seems dependent on excitement and
health, and in great measure on climate; but
the cause of the phenomenon is obscure, and BY
no means determined. But this singular crea
ture Is characterized by much more remark
able peculiarly than its varied and changing
color. 1t seems not to be homogeneous; al
least, betwixt the two sides of the body there