New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-11-29

| A STARVING WoMAN.-We have mentioned ON
| two or three occasions, says the Oskaloosa fnl.I
Herald, the case of deranged woman in this We
clnity who is trying to commit suicide by starva-
ton. A gentleman, in whom we have full conf
dence, informs that he visited her on Thursdav
Of this week. She was still living, but evidently
falling. Eight weeks ago last Tuesday she e.
pressed determination to starve herself She
has resolutely adhered to her purpose, and has re-
sisted all entreaties to take nourishment. She
seems still as firm in her determination to commit
suicide as she did eight weeks ago. She has been
attended constantly, night and day, and members
Of the family assure that they are well satisfied
that she has taken no food but water. Within IL
last two or three weeks water, when taken, has
occasioned severe vomiting and violent pain ii the
stomach. During the fore part of this week she
still conversed with those who called to see her
and declared it to be her fixed purpose to die BY
starvation. The case is somewhat remarkable, bpt
there is no doubt of its reality.
FAST TIME.-The Indianola Courier has been in
formed by letters from San Antonio, that the CON
| tractors on the Southern Overland Mail Route to
California have commenced running through from
San Antonio to Ell Paso in five days and sixteen
honrs-thus reducing the time from New Orleans
to California, via Indianola, San Antonio and El
Paso, to about twenty days. The distance from
Indianoa to Ell Paso is little more than 800 miles.
which, by the new arrangement, is made in seven
days and sixteen hours-over 100 miles per day.
The PHoNAuroGRArH.-M. Moigno has described
to the British Association curious instrument
called the Phonautograph, or Sound Selfwriter, in
tended to write or mark down all sounds which act
upon it. It consists of large chamber or drum Of
~ Jso,x hnr
at the end, which, by system of lever, works the
pen, recording the sounds which the form Of the
chamber causes it to concentrate ON the tympannm.
N. Moigno exhibited drawing, which explained
the construction of the instrument, and then ex
hibited drawings, showing the actual workings Of
the pen over sheet of paper, carried past it by
clock-work; first, when tuning forks, sounding
curious notes. were vibrated in presence Of the IN
strument second, when several notes were sounded
on a diapason pipe; and, third, when q person
spoke before it. In the first two cases, the record
ing pen drew such regular curves that the number
of vibrations corresponding to the note in second
could be counted, and were regarded as obviously
the curve Of sines. In the Of the human voice.
the words spoken were written below the CORES
spending tracings of the pen; and although these
were very irregular, yet it is stated that marked
correspondence could be traced, especially where
the words contained the letters and g, and other
well-marked low or cultural sounds.
CHINESE DINNER.-During the visit of Mr..
Ward, the American Minister to Peking, China, he
was honored with sumptuous dinner. Though
only the three Chinese Commissioners and Mr..
Ward, his secretary, and two interpreters, were
present and sat down to it, the supply was enough
for at least hundred, and the expense was esti- Wy
mated at $500. 1t consisted of various dishes
birds nests sharks fins, hefers' teats watermelon
seeds, etc., etc., the whole amounting to no less
than thirty courses.
"FUz" IN A SLEEPING CAR.-Fuz writes to the
Mac-a. Cheek Press
took the owl train as it is called, and paid fafty
cents for berth in the sleeping carl would have
paid another fifty to have cleared myself Of the
scrape. My neighbor (may he be confounded) was
Q fat man, and fat men, as general thing, snore.
served, that all weak men play the flute This was
bad enough, but the other observation brought me
to more disagreeable conclusion that the gentle
man furth 40ng, with his feet based ON my head,
had eyie tntiy regarded water as good for nayiga-
BILE purposes only. The upper strata had been
removed, hut the under secondary formation re-
NAMED, throwing OF an atmosphere fearful to
encounter To punch my companion in the back
so as to break up "Old Hundred,n in which his
nose was indulging, into few explosive snorts-
and to beg my Christian friend further along for 3
to the harmony of the occasion. Indeed, the con-
ductor, assisted by two brakesmen, had to separate
several of us, which was precisely what wanted.
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