The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-19

above would fly down aud bring the meat up to
their nests, when the merchants would secure
"Tbe following extract from Marco Polo's
description of toe knGdom of Muthli (Masull-
patRm) and the diamond mines OF Golconda
cOrrOborates Sind bad's story even in the most
minute deta ls:--In sumter there Is not drop
of water. aud The beat can scarcely be endured,
while fierce and venomous serpents inspire great
fear; yet those who venture there discover very
valuable diamonds. Tnete Is also an exten-
sive and very deep valley, so enclosed by
rocks as 10 be qu te Inaccessible; bat the
people lhrOw IN pieces OF le h to which the
there are number OF white eagles, which,
when they see the flesh in the bottom OF the
valley fly tbi,her, ieize aud carry it TO different
spots. The men are on the watch and as soon
as t6ey see he bird with the soo,ls in It's mouD,
raise loud cries, when, being terri led, 1t Ties
aWa ay and drops the meat, which they take up
and find the damon Is attached.
"Besidps these Instances, may be mentioned
the account OF SiudbAds vessel being plundered
by searobbers In a neghborhood which was
ca led the Coast OF Plra.es' by PGolemy;
the description of the enormous serpent
which crushed and then deyOured has
companions one after another, eXAc lg
as the great python of the East Iodies Is known
10 tIeat is victims; and the accurate rectais OF
the manner OF killing elephants for their ivory
I'D Cey ion. and OF ootainu ug gum campbor from
the ,Tees IN the islands OF The Malai slan group.
when that NOBLE and chlvarous gentleman,
Marco Polo, returned 20 VeIlce afrer IN TX ug
such Journey as the world had never w.t.
messed, he gave an account OF his travels, the
truth To life, sound common sense and woader
ful odesty OF which ought TO have gained full
credence Tor II IN SUCH an enls h ened COM
munity as the Venetian republic of tna5 day.
But, on the contrary, all OF the great wanderers
statements that did not relate to things With
which the people OF Europe we're already
familiar ere dIsbeleved by majority even of
bis ielOw'citZeus. SO mucn was this the case
that the name of Messer Marco Milloni,' which
was bestowed on him at tine time (from which
circumstance his house received its appellation,
stll retained, of Corte del Mul ont), is said TO
have been intended more as an allusion to his
extensive stories than, as some thing, to his
great wealth. And yet tlis same account, COM
pared with MODERN Investigations and dis
cOvertes, presents such an instance of truthful
ness and freedom IRON eXaggeration as 1t would
be hard ID find parallel to in the history OF any
age or country
About two centuries afterwards another man
with mind too large 10 be cou dned WITHIN the
trammels OF custom and the stereotyped beliefs
OF the tin ca native OF the other great com mer-
clal port OF ltaly-sJarted out into he unEnoWn
ocean, undertaking. greater journey than that
which Marco Polo I'D made in the opposite
direction. The result OF his grand experiment
so electrified the civilized world that. Tor some
tine after the discovery of America, 1t seemed
prepared TO believe almost ANYTHING. But tue
multitude OF groundless or greatly exaggerated
stories that Inundated Europe after that
event finally produced reaction, and the natu.
raj propensity of men 10 doubt the existence
OF everything they have never happened
to see was exhibited more strongly than ever.
Many poor traveller, after endurIng hards5ips
and perils such as could nOt even be imagined
by those vino had not experienced them, came
back to be ridicnled and insuted by every body.
Prominent among those who distiD guished
themselves in this manner at that day was that
savage o'd mental prize hghter, Dean Swift,
whose history OF the adventures of an individual
with the suggestive name of 'GulliVer,' was
aimed at the pracLce Of describing what Dean
DlogeIes himself used 10 call the thing which
Is not.'"
Thaddeus Norris "Plea for the shad" has
some interesting facts and figures. We quote
the following
From all the information I have been able to
| collect on this SUBJECT IN some years, there is
no doubt that baiore internal improvements
barred the passage Of migratory fishes,
| would be low estimate tor
the susquehanDa, This numb9r-leaVIns out
| dollars at present wholesale prices. Let US see
| what IL would cost to REGAIN this wealth OF 6sh-
| food which we, the people, have been de-
priVed by unjust, or, to say the least, by impro'
| 'As a prelude 10 this pie matter OF figures,
! it is proper 10 say to those unacQ1atnteu with
the fact that there is litigation at present be-
tween the State and the PenAsyl7aDla Railroad,
the late er contendIng that the act OF March,
1866, obhging that company o bald hshWays
in their dams, is unconstitutlonM, inaomuch as
tie company bought the internal improvements,
without incambIance, from tne State. The
able counsel Tor the com panY, when the case
came before the court at Harrisburg lately,
argued that there were twenty y-one dams owned
by that company, aud that the erection OF
ishways would therefore cost his clients two
hundred aud ten thousand dollars, or ten
thousand dollars for each dam. This would be
good arithmetic, certainly ii the sum was fairly
stated. This, however, 10 not the case, as
Colonel Worrall built hsh'way through the
dam OF the Susquehanua Canal Company at
! Columbia, in the fall or 1869, or five thousand
dollars, and it is reasonable to suppose that
! fish ways at the dams on the branches and tri-
! bataries could be made Ior less. Taxing the
! average cost, however, at i've thousand dollars,
| the outlay would be one hundred aud i've
| thousand dollars, the annual interest OF which
is scarcely an eightieth part OF the value that
| would accrue 10 The people OF the State If fish,
| ways were in operation. .
| "a question OF grave importance is, Will the
| State, If the case is decided against the Com
mon wealth, deny It's population this halt mil
| lion dollars worth of hsh, when 80 paitry
! sum, with slight additional expenditure for
| keeping the ways In order, would restore 1t! lt
| is confidently TO be hoped that our Legislature
! will not be SO niggard and behind the age. 1t
| the decision shall be that the State has no
right to compel the company 10 build hsh-ways,
! It'll evident that the state hal no right bylts
! i'm providence, when it constructed dame, to
| deprive lis cllzens OF the product of fisheries
| on the Susquehanna. Ii the act or March. 1856,
| is uncons Institutional, the act creating the dams
which stopped the ascent OF fish was also un-
| constitutional. In short, 1t is just aid proper
that the State should, at Its own cost and at as
| early period as possible, restore the rights
| which it has taken away, aid be reimbursed or
not by the railroad company as tue peadlnS g
suit shall award. 1t Is possible that, 10 strictly
| legal mind, this may not be law! But 1t Is
equity, and in equity, we trust, our leg lslaEors
will deal with us.
"a fish way, as many of your readers are
| aware, is AN inclined plane with Offsets pro