, 1860-03-26

TIE ORIGIN or P1ASos.-Thc riano-forlc, that
favor'te parur instrument, now considered au
almost indispensable article in every f1uily tint
cen purchase it, was invented by J. C. Schi oder,
Of Dresden, in 17l7. The sqnare piano WAS
made first by F. ederica, an organ builder Of
Saxony, about l75s. Tiano-fortes wcse made
in London By II. Xun,pic, German, in 171G.
The manufacture Of this instrument Was COM
meuced in this country since the opening CT the
present century.
i VALUABLE DISCOVERY has just been made
in the vaults OF an eminent London banker.
The discovery consists Of large box Of letters,
continuing tue correspondence Of Ar. bradshaw,
Secretary Of the Treasury iu Tho reign Of George
III. man we'll known 10 the readers Of Wal.
poles Letters and Of the Secret History Of The
Court Intrigues, when QUEEN VictoEia's paternal
grandfather was Hing. The letters are OF tho
most confidential nnture-wri.ten by men like
the Duke Of Grafton, Lord North, Lord Iircx-
iughar,, Lord Ili'I>bnro', Lord Darlington,
Richard Rigby, Sir Philip Francis, aud III. Bns-
wells Samuel Johnson. Johuson's letters re-
late to his pension; and there are traces Of
"Jutlns" in this valuable boz of papers.
Moxrakx1AI P1L1Ans.-"But, said !, ado
you really break these pillars purpossly:"
why that depends upon circumstances. When
The father Of family Is called away on Il sud
fracture; ii it has been lingering case, we
chisel it down little dumpy. That, for in
stance" said le. poisting to very thick pillar
fractured US sharp and rugged as piece Ut gran
ite, ''is for an awful sudden afliction-a case Of
aroplexy-a wife and seven small children"
'tDus," | observed, "there are Some tall and
some short columns" swell, you ece,'' said
te. t,,at's all according to agc. We break 'cm
ou short for old 'uns and it stands to re lson,
when its yonpgish oae,;we give him moro
| SHAFT" 1.-THE candle OF life is blown out
early in some cnses in others, it is burnt to tue
rEx.$H I SIrr Eyr II. e1fA f,n
"now yen have hit it."-Onet lftef.
| TASTE FOR MIDNIGHT HAxHL1SG.-Slacaul
had singular taste for walking through the de-
| serted streets Of the grcat metropolis in the
| dead Of night, when the citizens were fast
| asleep aud all WIS husLed. Those were the
hours whca he used to rem1Ek for reelection
| and thought-Sheu that utter loneliness which
IS peculiar At midnight 10 great cities steals orer
the nscditating wayfarcr: solitary, apparently
| and alcne in the world. DR.. johnson Possessed
o similar taste; and Charles Dickens Is singu~
larry fond Of the old city streets and alleys
whru they are emptied Of sLe busy throus that
Fl! them ID the day time. Lord Jeffrey, once
dtso;a of yours for midnight rambling IN city
streets, and how curious tnat Macaulay should
hays the same taste or fancy. If thought
there WAS any such inspiration Us yours to be
caught br the practice, should expose my
poor, .rr.table trac1ts, think, u nocturnal
/
have my venture for my pains.'
!Tux TnrE SorRcE or ALcono1-All alcohol,
whatever apparent form it assumes, has one
origin. It comes tiom the destruction Of sugar.
and has no Other suurcc in nature. It is not a
production Of vegetsb:e growth, like those sub.
stances which are created to for,n the food Of
man. No chemist has ever vet found it among
the compounds built up by plants, The solart
beams that "reaches like tue finger Of God
Acro.s the nbJsses Of space" and in the labor
gases, and pu: together their atoms in new
grt ups which are capable If non:isl.ipg the
animal body-the celestial force never arranged
| together the atoms which form alcohol. On the
contrary, it is product Of dissoluti,n--os The
wreck and di.organizasion Of the principles o.
human food. 1t has the same origin as thust
malignant and ndtatalexhalationsw which constitute
the genius of pcstifcnce-the death and putre
faction Of inorganic matter. Indeed. The tamt
cet which gives birth to alcohol, also brings into
the world twin compound, which is one Of tbs
pFomptcst and subtlest Of nil poisons- -carbou!'
acid gAs.--lo",.ans on dlcokl,