Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1860-06-02
NUMBER 12.
BARON MUNcHAUsEN.

was work written several years ago, for the
purpose of putting to shame class of writers
who in giving to the world accounts of their
adventures in foreign lands, told all sorts of
imprOballc stories in order to render them
selves famous as travellers. The book which
prGfesscd to give the travels OF the renowned
Baron was, Of course, work OF fiction, and
the statements it contained so far outstripped
those Of all other travellers that it served as q
severe satire upon them. When, therefore,
persons on returning from abroad were detected
in telling lies, or giving greatly exaggerated
accounts Of what they had seen or done, they
were accused ol being disciples Of Baron Nun
chausen.
Perhaps the reader has never seen the Ba-
ron's book. IfSo, he will be amused with one
or two specimens from its marvellous pages:
One evening the Baron declares that he was
OvcTtaken by a snow storm. So much snow
fell that he was obliged to dismOunt, and tie
his horse to 0what he thought was the stump of
an old tree, while hc wrapped himself in his
cloak, lay down on the snow, and fell into a
deep slumbcr. When he awokc in the morn
ng, his horse was missing. lie couldn't see
him anywhere. At length lookingup towards
the sky, he espicd the animal suspended to the
cross of Il church stecple There had been
free thaw during the night, the snow had melted
away, anu NInL IIC tllu tdhCH W DC ttlC Sththp
Of tree the evening before, proved now to be
nothing less than the cross of a church Steeple.
One hundred and fifty feet of snow had fallen
and disappeared in twenty four hours. The
Baron took out his pistol, fired at the bride,
shot it in two. and when the horse fell to the
ground, his master at once mounted him and
went on his journey.
On another occasion he was passing under
gate, which fell down by accident, and cut his
poor horse asundcr just behind the saddle.
The Baron didn't know of his loss till an hour
afterward, when passing over a brook, the
horse took n drink, and hearing something
gushing out like water behind him, Mnnchau-
sen turned around and saw to his amaZement
that, Tor The last four or five miles, he had been
riding on half horse instead of whole one.
The Baron turned back, got the hind quarters
Of the animal, and sewcd the body together
with willow twigS, which afterwards grew to
be fine trees and proved fine shelter to him
from the sun, when he was on his journeys.
Travellers with all their desire to excite the
admiration OF lovers of the marvellous, were
taught lesson by this book, and, no doubt,
since its publication, many writer has been
forced to keep the story of his adventures
within the bounds OF truth, by the cxaggera-
,-tion and cutting sarcasm ofl}aron Munchausen.
Az EXTRA ORDINARY TREE-It is stated by
! Sir j. Emerson that tree exists in the island
Of Ccyl0n, known as the " "IIO-trec" Of Anaaja-
poraa, and is, in all probability, the oldest his
torical tree in the world. 1t was planted 288
years before Christ, and hence it is now 2l47
years old. Ages varying from one thousand
to five hundred years, have been assigned TO
the babooba, of Senegal, ecucalyptus of Tas-
mania, the dragon-tree of Grotavo, and the
| 81, Oc fNs,n n,,k oil nats
mates are matter of conjecture, and such cal
culations, however ingenious, must be purely
inEerential Whereas the age Of the Bo-tree is
matter Of record its conservancy has been
an object of solicitude to successive dynasties,
and the story of its vicisstudcs has been pre-
served in q series Of continuous chronicles
amongst the most authentic that have been
handed down by mankind. Compared with it,
the Oak Of Ellerslie is but a sapling and the
Conqucrcr's Oak, in Windsor Forest, barely
numbers half its years. The yew trees Of
Fountain Abbey are believed to have tiourished
there twelve hundred years ago; the olives in
the Garden Of Gethscmane were full grown
when the Sacracens were expelled from Jeru-
salem; and the Cypress ofsomc, in Lombardy.
is said to have been tree in the times of Ju-
Illus Caesar; yet the BO-trcc" is older than
the oldest of these by n century, and would
almost seem to verify the prophecy pronounced,
when it was planted, that it "wOuld flourish,
and be green forever"
GYMNASTIC ExERCISE.-The Brooklyn Young
Mems Christian Association resolved, at their
last monthly meeting, to form stock company,
with a capital of $5O,O00, for the purpose of
buying a site and erecting building for gym
nastic exercises, bowling, etc, to be under the
control and management of the Association.
The plan Of building, TO be fifty feet front by
one hundred deep, was submitted. There are
to be accommodations on the lower floor for
eight bowling alleys; the library and reading
rooms to be on the next, and the gymnasium
on the upper floor. with spacious dressing
rooms, baths, etc. The entire premises are to
be so arranged that, when desirable ladies'
and gentlcmen's reading and other rooms can
be separated and have separate entrances.
Such an establishment, it is anticipated, will
be constantly we'll filled with those who might
otherwise be wandering about in search Of
questionable cmploymcnt.-LUcW Illustrated.
>~0~S-
SCnTLANpS INsIGNA.-An exchange gives
the following as the origin of the use of the
thistle as the national emblem of Scotland.
When the Danes from England invaded Scot
land, they availcd themselves of the pitch
darkness of the night to attack the Scottish
forces unawarcs. In approaching the Scottish
camp unobScrvcd, and marching barefooted.
to prevent their tramp being heard, one Of
the Danes trod upon a large prickly thistle,
and the sharp cry Of pain which he instinct
lively uttered, suddenly apprised the Scots Of
their danger, who Immediately ran to their
arms and defeated the foe with great slaughter.
The thistle was thencciorward adopted as the
national insignia of Scotland.
COVE no MAN."-A writer in an Atlantic
religious paper, while descanting on the reli-
gion of paying debts, says:
"Men may Sophisticate as they please. They
can never make it right, and all the bankrupt
laws in the universe cannot make it right for
them not to pay their debts There is a sin
in this neglect as clear and as deserving Of
church discipline as stealing Or false swearing;
He who violates his promise to pay, or with
holds the payment of debt, when it is in his
power to meet his engagements ought to be
made to feel, that in the sight of all honest
men, he is swindler."
A~O~S
A CHRISTIAN MINISTER RENouNCEs CHRls-
TIANITY.-The members Of the Emitted Presby-.
tcrian Church, in Warren county, are in great
distress, owing to the fact that one Of their
most prominent and seemingly pioUs and hith.
erto ablest preachers, has renounced Christian.
! itv and daclaroA hin dinhaliaf in thn doetr{,Naa