The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1860-10-11

ORIGIN or THE UPAs TREE SrORY.-A real valley
OF Heath does exist IN Java it Is termed the Valley
OF Poison, and is filed TO n considerable height with
%carbOnic acid gas, which j. exhaled from cTevices in
the ground If man OF any other animal enters it.
he cannot return; aud he i not sensible Of his danger
until he feels himself sinking under the influence Of
the atmosphere which surrounds him, the carbouic
acid, OF which n chiefly consists, rising 10 the height
OF eighteen feet from the bottom Of the valley. Birds
which by into this atmosphere drgp down dead; and
a fowl thrown into il, dies before reaching the bot
tom. which - s;rewei with carc4ses OF various
Irogic.
y TBIBUTE TO American NIssroxARrEs-At the
late London anniversaries, the Earl OF Shaftesbury
PAD the following tribute to the American missiona-
ries
" do not believe that in the whole history Of mis-
sions, | do not believe that in the history Of diploma
cy, or IN the history OF any negotiations carried on
between man and man, we can End anything TO equal
the wisdom, the sOundness. and the pure evangelical
truth Of the body Of men who constitute the American
missions. | have said it twenty times before, and I
Will say It again, for the expression appropriately
conveys my meauiug-that they are a marvellous
combination Of common sense and piety.' Every man
who comes in contact with these Missionaries speaks
in praise Of them Persons in authority, and persons
IN subsection, all speak IN their favor; travellers
speak well Of them; and | know Of no man who has
ever been able to bring a singl. valid objection against
that body. There they stand. tested 10y years, tried
by their fruits; and | believe il will be found that
these American missionaries have done more toward
EH~N NA-NA 49, 7lA~NAA- ""N opTFNA Va ms
In the East, than any other body Of men in this OF
any other age"
TRASs-ATLASTIC TELEGRAPHY.-The possibility OF
electric communication between Europe and America,
IS no longer matter Of conjecture. The vast CON-
mercal and political importance Of such conmuni-
cation, Is also slowly beginning 10 be appreciated.
The causes OF the comparative failure Of the Ealeutia-
Newfoundland relegraphic cable, are not perfectly
known. The chief difficulty with long submarine
lines, has been the ''retardatiOn Of the electric cur
rent" Thus. while an impression can be conveyed
1--WE hundred miles in one third Of a second, it requires
nine seconds for the electric huid TO act through a
perfectly insulated line Of two thousand miles. The
wire. in the latter case, becomes charged, like a Ley
den jar. and AL manipulating instruments get in
vented, cease 20 operate. The North-Atlauiic route,
upon which Col. Shainer is now engaged, has its
proposed starting point in the north Of Scotland.
Thence it proceeds 225 miles 70 the Farce isles
thence 300 miles to the capital of Iceland thence
600 miles to the south coast Of Greenland thence
900 miles to Hlmilron's Inlet on the Labrador coast.
The British war ship Bull Dog, under command of
Sir L. +. M'Clintock, i now engaged in taking sound
ings for this line and another vessel, the steam
yacht For, has been purchased, which will make
examinations Of the coasts and landing places for the
cables. An increasing confidence appears to be felt,
in England. in regard to the early realization OF this
projected means OF telegraphic communication be-
tween the Old and the New Worlds.
Az ExTRAORDISARY SToRT.-A Mexican news
paper says, on the entrance of General Pueblita into
Ago in September last, Il party of men forced their
way into the Curate's house, when they heard a
lIHhlAul VOICE. proceeding the EtOuhu, - YIN
81 an hungry - This being reported, the house was
examined, and in a vault, the opening of which was
concealed by a stone, a woman was found who had
been shut up there for eighteen years. She was tax
en- to General Pueblita's quarters. When brought
into the light, where she SAW a number Of persons,
she tainted. After she had returned TO her senses a
thousand questions were asked her, To which she re-
piled only that she had been buried in the vault for
eighteen years, without going out for n moment
that she hal been married, and had children by her
husband, but size knew nothing of their fate that
while imprisoned in the vault, she had children by
the Curate. but she knew nothing of what had be-
come Of these children aud after saying this much
she became obstinately silent. While this was pass
ing q serjelnt Of the Pueblita brigade then present
discovered that this was his mother and she recog-
nized him a. her son, and embraced him. The son
then ran for his father, who came and recognized his
wife. The husband, fifteen years ago, was imprison-
ed three years on the charge of having murdered his
wife, this woman.