Delaware State journal and statesman., 1862-04-22

town, Inconsistent with tho provisions of this
act, are hereby repealed
Approved, April l6, 1862.
& Curious Branch of French Industry.
The breeding Of leeches for medical use is fol-
lowed as regular business in France. To get
them to breed with Iapidty, it is necessary 10
let them taste blood. The usual mode of doing
this is atrocously cruel-horses. cows, asses, or
other cattle are driven by force into the marshes
ia order that they may he sucked by these san
culinary worms The noise made BY the animals
whilst in the water at once attracts the attention
Of the hungry leeches, which fasten with the
greatest aYduiy upon the cow or the horse, to
wh"se limbs they stick till they are g0rged with
blood. This ts. Of course, mere question of {
sP. Some people may think il madness to sac
rtice horses aud COWS in ths way; but in gem
eral the animals devoted to this purpose are
worthless for other uses, and the persons enpnged
IN the letch traffic no doubt tind it pays them
so to feed the leeches MS TO get them early into
breeding condition. Those leeches which have
once partaken of blood are not so valuable for
medicinal purposes as those that have been kept
among the water without partaking of that san.
culinary banquet which is provided for those
wanted TO breed. Another way of feeding the
auimas is to enclose them in little bags. and
then to plunge them into bath of blood us il
flows from some animal-sacrificed on nurpose Ia
provide the fluid. The time allowed for inner
sion in the blood varies according to the size of
the leech, and ranges from five minutes to half
an hour, according rs the animal is very large or
very small After being thus fed aud released
from their CORY envelope, they are washed clean,
and then restored TO the ponds from which they
were taken Some leech breeders have hit up0n
tue ingenious but cruel plan OF placing Turkish
drawers upon the limbs of asses or other ani-
mals, aud filling them with the leeches so as to
prevent them from escaping from their tormeu.
tors. The gentleman who invented this plap of
feeding lost, as he no doubt anticipated, d great
number Of his donkeys, who were bled to death
The demand for animals to put nto the leech
marshes, led to u brisk trade in diseased horses
cows, 80; but Jourdier, who is an authority ON
leech culture, recommends that the animnls em
ployed should in all cases be in good health, as
that is essential for the good OF the eech
| The old method of fishing for leeches was BY
persons uncoVering their limbs and Wading into
the water, when the yoracious little animals.
hungry for blood, at once seized upon them. and
were then caught and bagged by the fishermen
This method of collection has been fully descrb.
ed in the - Gazette des lIopitaux" =" {" Ii ever
you pass through La BrenHe," says that iournnl
"you will see a man, pale and straight-hured
with wOolen cap on his head, and his legs and
arms Naked he walks along the borders of IA
mnrsh among the spots left dry by the surround
ing waters this man is eech-fsher TO see
him from distRnce-his woe begone aspect. his
hollow eyes, his livid lips, his singular gestures
you would take him for maniac. Ifyru OBJ
serve him every now and then raising his legs
and examining them one after another You
might suppose him fool; but he is an intclli-
gent leech Usher The leeches attach themselves
to his legs and feet as he moves through their
haunts he feels their bite, and gathers them as
they cluster about tue roots of the bulrushes and
aquatic weeds, or beneath the stones covered
with green and simy moss. He may thus col
lect ten or twelve dozen In three or four hours
In summer, when the leechea retire into deem
water, the fishes move about upon rafts made Of
twigs and rnshes. One Of these traders was
known to collect with the aid of his children
seventeen thousand Eve hundred leeches in the
course ofa few months; these he had deposited
in reservoir where in one night they were all
frozen IN masSe. But cOaguation does not
kill them, and they can easily be thawed inio
life by melting the ice that surrounds them. .
Some breeders, however, are careful to protect
their stock from the frost, and for this purpose
have them removed into cellars, and PLACED in
beds Of wet clay, where they cnn burrow with
snfety.
There are various improved ways of capturin0
leeohes nova days. In France in the nnnds
and marshes of LA 0irOnde, where an activc
breeding is carried on, the men and women en-
ployed in the fishery wear large and well. ereas.
"a b0o'si ~ one hand they carry n bag to con
tain the animals, which they pick up with their
right hand the moment they see them, and thesp
rushing out IN large quantities whenever the
water is disturbed, fall 40 easy prey to the in.
dustrous collectors in Russia, where large
quantities Of leeehes are found, they can be
} dipped out in any number with whatever kind of
vesselis most convenient. Leeches are not al
lowed to be exported from the domnons Of the
: Gar; but us they are, when obtained ia auau-
J tty, Of considerable money value, large trade
} has been carried on in smuggling them. Am
: other mode Of capture is employed when the
! worms are less numerous than they are in Rus.
sia-the water Of the marsh or pond being yio-
lently agitated by long poles or branches of trees
the leeches creep out from their lair in the mud
. and rising quickly to the surface are dexterous.
3 y caught in kind perforated vessel not nm
like kitchen culender. Often enough leeehes
are taken by throwing into the pond bit Of
flesh, or a portion Of strougy-greased leather,
upon which they OF once gather, and SO beeome
au easy prey to the collector.
Many of those who have assiduously cultivated
the leech have amassed handsome fortunes. the
trade being very renunerative
-<sSst
B1s@ How delightful must be the feelings of
i those faithful and heroic men and women oil
Tennessee who, after being scOurged by Coufed-
| crate tyranny for many long and weary months,
now see the Union armies sweeping triumphant.
y over the rebellOus States. Ah, we would moi
exchange the sublime self satisfaction OF the
prosecuted lOyasts Of Nashville for all the bonnr.
Of all the monarehs oil the earth. They "sowed
4 with tears the seed Of patriotism and now thew
l reap in joy" the harvest of victory Nash.
piie Union.
r An Iowa regiment has rule that auy man who
utters an oath shall read a chapter in the Bible,
; Several have got very nearly throuph the OH