The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-01-31
About furs.

/, IS said that London Is the fur mart of
the world, although the climate of Eng
| land Is such that they are but little used.
Russian sable Is the most valuable of ali
iuf,, and the skIAS are exceedingly scarce
According to the latest statistics, but
twenty five them were produced IN the
Car dominions. The prices uaid for
them are enormous. Ina New York q set
-tippet, mutt aud cufi,-cost from one
10 three thousand dollars. The sable tor
lining one OF the Emperors cloaks, exhi-
bted at the worlds fair, in 1851, was
valued at five thousand dollars One kind
ot the Russian sable is called silver sable,
on account OF the loug white hairs which
a! conspIcuOusly mingled with the dark
brown, which is Its usual color. This com
mands very high price, partly from its
rarity, ana partly because it cannot be
initiated Us readily the brown. The
pecuiiarity OF this fur is its great softness,
aud the length and heavil ess of the hair
The Ermine has value of its own from
It's delicScy and beauty, although it is not
a very expensive tur-not nearly As much
so u. the hudson Bay sable, which ranks
next 10 Russian. AS the Hudson Bay
company take their skins very far north,
they are often very nearly equal in ele-
rather less than halt the amount which is
given for their near relation The Ameri-
can saide is taken south of the domnious
OF the Hudson Bay company. 1t stands
third in the list of fur. Next are the
milk and stone martin. For the last few
years fashion has given value to the
mink winch II formerly gave to the stone
martin. 1t has no equal f"r durability,
and In appea, ance Is eniluently respectable
sufficiently elegaut for all ordinary pur-
poses, and has the advantage of never
looking too well for the plainest dress. II
varies very much in quality. The most
valuable skins have long dark hair, and
are quite soft. In selecting furs oil any
kind, always look for white hairs, which
in the natural skins are scattered here
and there, as they are your security against
dyed iur. French sable means any very
inferior fur dyed to initiate valuable
one 1t is very poor economy to purchase
them. The fitch and Siberian squirrels
are much used, and are just as Useful for
warmth and fully as durable as any other,
and ar much less expensive. For sleigh
robes the black bear is highly valued
The white fox is very elegant, and so Is
the black fox, which is q Canadian tur,
and highly valued in Europe. Raccoon
skins aud muskrats are commonly used,
and answer very well, but are not as COM
Portable as those which have longer aud
heavier fur. The old buffalo robe, which
formerly stood so high, has lost its place.
and is almost entirely discarded but it
certainly had merits of It's own which its
more snowy successors have not attained
TO MILITARY CRITIcs-As so many news
noner editors, and also citizens in their
narlors. are criticlsing some Of our gene.
rails in the field without mercy, record, or
fact, we commend to them them the
timely words of Charles Kingsley:
Battles-as soldiers know, and news
paper editors do not-are usually fought,
not as they ought to be, bat as they can
be fought; and while the literary man is
laying down the law at his desk as to how
many troops should move here, and what
rivers ought to be crossed there, and
where cavalry should have been brought
up, and when the flank should have been
turned, the wretched man who has to do
the work finds the matter settled for him
by pest,lence, want Of shoes, an empty
.s,omach, bad reads.sheayy rains. hot suns,
and . thousand other stern warriors who
vsver show on psper.-EreAarRa