The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-07-29
Wonders Of the oII.sis,ippi.

waters receded, his well went down, till his
hose would no longer reach the water and
anally his well was dry. He dug ditch to an
adjacent lake to let water into his well the
lake was drained, and the well was dry again.
having literally drank ten acres of water in
less than week. The inference is, that the
whole valley of the Mississippi, from is banks
to the highlands on the other side, rests on a
porous ubstratum which absorbs the redun-
liant waters and thus prevents the degree of
accumulation which would long since have
swept New Orleans into the Gulf but for this
provision of nature, to which alone her safety
is attributable
In fact if the alluyial bottoms of the Mis-
sissippi were like the shores of the Ohio the
vast plain from Cairo to New Orleans would
to-day be part and parcel of the Gulf of Mex
ico, and the whole valley a fresh water arm of
The sea. Were the geological character of the
valley different the construction of leyees,
cenfning the water of the Mississippi to its
channel, would the rise in the river to
become so great ct the South, that there could
noe be sufficient levees built. The current
would be stronger, and accumulation of water
greater, as the levees are extended north of u.s.
Such results We're reasonably enough anti
cipated but the water, instead of breaking
the leYees, permeates the porous SOIL and the
overflow is really beneath the surface OF the
swamps. Such it seems to us, are the wise
provisions OF natural laws for The safety and
ultimate reclamation of the rich country south
of u.s. We believe he levee system will be
successful, and that the object OF its adoption
will Ee attained. The porousness of the mate
rial used in making them, has eaused most if
not all, of the creyasseS. Men may deem it q
superhuman task to wall in the Mississippi
from Cairo to New Orleans, but our levees are
the work of pigmies, when confrasted with the
dykes of Holland. The fioodtide of the Mis-
sissippi is but ripple on the surface of glas-
sy pool, compared with the ocean pillows that
dash against the artificial shores of Holland
The country to be reclaimed by our leyees-ali
of which will not for fifty years cost the peo-
pie as much as those of the Dutch when orisi-
nally built-would make one hundred such
kingdoms as that over which a Bonaparte
eIce welded the ceptre.-lEsmpAiS Araiaache.
HINTS on THE PRESERVATION OF THE
PIANO -FoRTE.-The New York Home Journal
has the following valuable hints on this SUBJ
ject:
The piano should be closed when not in use
in order to prevent the collection of dust pins
&C, on the sound board, and also to prevent
the strings and action" from the i'll effects of
sudden changes OF temperature. Nothing in
lures Il piano much rs extreme heat. whether
arising from bright fire in front of it, or
what is worse, the hot air from the furnaces
in such general use; few pianos resist the
injurious action of the latter. Care should be
taken TO prevent moisture of any kind from
getting between the keys, particularly when
cleaning them, as 1t Will cause them TO stick
Moths are very destructive to pianos. and
should be kept out of them by placing a lump
Of camphor, wrapped in paper to prevent
evaporation, in the inside corners Any hard
substance placed on piano, Will cause a jar
ring noise, and if the Top part is unprotected
by a cloth cover. that also will often rattle
Young pianists would inj ure the pianos less.
if they would refrain from striking the keys
with such force; Il light touch, with 4 ]ndicious
use OF the loud pedal, will yield Tar better
and equally as full Il tone as II they eXerted
I'll the force at their command Were this
fact more generally attended to, fewer strings
would be broken, one cause OF the piano not
remaining in tune would be removed, and less
injury would result to the action of the
piano. These various annovanceS are often
attributed to inferior tuning or defective
make. when neither are the cause.
Few are aware of the benefit TO be derived
from having their pianos regularly tuned and
kept in order; every new piano should be
tuned at least once month, and none should
be allowed to remain untuned over three
When a piano is half Il note below concert
pitch'' and it is required TO be drawn up, it
should be tuned twice. the second tuning about
month after the first, or it Will not stand well
in tune Always employ the same tuner
less OF course, he prove glarirgly incompetent;
but should his first efforts fail TO give salts
faction. give him another trial, as he may not
be in fault. As each music store has
more tuners il would save annoyance, IL, when
the order is LETT. the name OF the person re-
Qnired be mentioned; and if the order We're
LETT TWO or three days before the tuner is ac-
tualIv wanted, it would insure more prompt
attention. Many act in this respect, as if there
were half a dozen tuners eagerly awaiting the
first order that came; whereas q good tuner
ALWAYS has as many orders as he can Well at
tend to. 1t would be.well 10 remember that the
tuning of q piano consists only OF tightening
and relaxing the strings TO the requisite degree,
and does not include the regulation of the
"action,'' the replacing OF strings, and-as
many actually suppose-a general renovation
of the instrument.