The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-07-18

TRADITION IN THE ORCADEs.-The following ira
dition has been prevalent for the last hundred
years more in all the districts where the seal
abounds. There exists an Indigenous feeling in
the breasts of fishermen that every seal is the
earthly embodiment OF condemned anteduvian
spirit, and that once in seven years it casts its
skin, and resuming, for the nonce, its original
bodily shape, fills and carries its position and
calling in the scale of human society. Whoever,
under these circumstances, becomes the fortu-
epossessor of the skin thus cast aside maintains,
for the time being, the most complete control
the actions and intentions of its original proprietor.
Now, it SO happened, that poor fisherman per-
ceived, during of his coastal rambles,
Der of youthful female FORMS of surprising beauty
and grace, disporting themselves in the CLASSY
waveets of placid and sequestered bay. short
time afterwards he discovered seaskin of unusual
beauty, carefully rolled up upon ledge of rock in
this same bay. Securing the prize, he carried it
| away and concealed it; but he had enter
ed his threshold than, seated in silence, uncad and
alone, he beheld exquisitely lovely woman,
wriDging her bands in distress, and loudly lament
ing that, having lost her sea-dress she must re-
main forever on the earth. Having provided her
with suitable habiliments, he wooed and won her
for his wife; and many year rolled rapidly away,
witness of their united love and peaceable con-
tentment. But-"the course of true love never
did run SMOOTH" and it came to pass that one
fine morning the fair merlady discovered her long
lost garb, and, before her bewldered husband
could essay to prevent her, had gained the margin
OF the boiling ocean, and gracefully waving her
pendant fin, bounded into the surge with farewell
wisk of her tail, and rejoned her seal-husband in
the depths below.
MECHANICAL SKILL OF OLDEN T1MEs.-In the
twentieth year of Queen Elizabeth, Mark Sealiot,
blacksmith, made lock, consisting of eleven pieces
of iron, steel and brass, all which, together with
pipekey to it, weighed but one grain of gold He
made also chain of gold, consisting of forty three
links, whereunto, having fastened the lock and key
before mentioned, he put the chain about lea's
neck, which drew them all with ease
1t is said that Jauellus Turrianus, ga great mas
ter in the mathematics" amused the leisure of
Charles V.-he who was frightened into monaste-
~ by comet-by exhibiting "miracles of study
Sometimes be sent wooden sparrows into the En-
peror's dining room, which few about there and
returned; at other times, he caused little armed
to muster themselves upon the table, and arti-
fcially according to the discipline of war,
(Which was done so beyond example that the supe-
rior of the religious house of st. Jerome, being g-
norant of the mysteries of art, suspected him of
wltchcraft.''
ATTEMPT TO SUBSTITUTE FLAX FOR CorToN-Ata
special meeting of the Rhode Island Society for the
Encouragement of Domestic Industry held on the
18th inst, premium of $500 was offered for pre-
pared Flax Cotton, to be exhibited at the fair in
Society had previously offered premiums for the
best and second best bales of prepared fax cotton of
not less than fifty pounds each, without quaiica-
tons: The premium now offered (Which is addi-
an economical substitute for cotton.
That fax may be so prepared as to serve this end
has been abundantly proved by what has already
been done; further slight progress in the same
direction will result in of the greatest achive
ments of this progressive age viz the substitution
of a fbrous material which can be grown upon
Northern soil for the cotton of the Southern States,
for which we are now unfortunately altogether too
dependent for own interest.
His Exceency Musrus Bey, Turkish Ambassador
at London, has just been raised by his Sovereign
to the rank of bala, which, after that of mushtr,
field marshal, is the highest rank in the hier-
archy of the functonaries of the empire Prince CAL
limachi, Ambassador at Vienna, has also been SIM
ultaneously raised to the rank. This is re-
kable fact, it is the first time that such dis
JUNCTION has been conferred on Christian subjects
ueAR.-Extraordinary exertions, it is said, will |
be made In the Western States this fall to manu-
facture sugar from sorghum-partially with the OBJ
jeot of evading the prospective heavy duties on i'm
ported sugars, and to supply the deficiency caused
by the loss of the crop in louisiana
The English papers report that one hundred and
6fty-nine whales were stranded near North Uist,
an island of the outer Hebrides, Scotland, on the
'th of June.
The three-storv frame building at No. 224 Stan
.on street New York, fell, the other day, burying
N its ruins two men, named Atomic Fifer, and An
arew Simmons,