New-York tribune., 1869-01-16
GENFRfL NEUS.


The boys in Poland should be on the best
Of terms with the Russian Government. Hitherto they
have enjoyed only those holidays which marked as
Roman Catholic saint days in the calendar. Now, a
Russian ukase enforces the celebration of the innumer
able Greek saints days Between the two religions the
days that remain for tuition very few.
day or two since q gentleman in Chicago,
who had been practoing for some time on his yeocpede
dared sreet-car driver with him. The challenge
was accepted, and the race began The velocpede was
rapidly dtancng the when the fore wheel dropped
into a crack in the sidewalk and complete somersault
Of the entire establishment man and all, was the result
| The won the
The militia of Switzerland is to be reorgan-
led The War Department proposes to extend the ob-
CATION Of service to every citizen OF 20 years Every
Canton furnish all its troops for the general army
divided three portions the active the reserve and
the landwehr The timo to be passed in the first Is
years. in the second nine man from 80 to 40
| is to form part OF the third.
| A new French paper is about to be started,
under the patronage Of Victor Hugo NJ Rochefort VIII
be leading contributor. Its title will be JOWnoides
Erles-the original choice was L'Arant Garde NJ Hugo
claims to be voluntary exile" believe. The title
is practically misnomer, there no French poht-
cal exes in existence The general amnesty OF 1854
makes Paris as free for NJ Hugo as London.
The Danish Government has recently re-
ceived 10000 breechloadng firearms from an American
firm. The company has also sent 10000 rifles To the
Swedish Government and has contract on hand to fur
nish 1900 Of theame sort to the Greeks Another Amer
loan firm has just delivered 10000 rifles to the Cuban Gov
ernment to be used against the nsurecuonists an0 SUN
another has contracted TO make $4,000 breechoader for
the Russians
The wharves of Savannah, according 10 Ihe
Soronuah Republican, are crowded with shipping, and
are alive with business activity There Is forest OF
masts from the Ogeechee Canal to Wnncks ship yard;
foreign and American coors give variety to the seene
steamships ships barks brgs and schooners lie In some
places four deep side by side The work Of dischargns
and loading goes rapidly merchants OF oil xmas
crowd the wharves.
The Dungerness estate, near Fernandlna,
Fla recently purchased by Senator sprague OF Rhode
Island comprises 600 acres the mansion on will
be fixed up for Winter residence The land Is TO be re-
served for gardens parks. drives, and hunting grounds
The place is called "The Gem Of Cumberland Island"
Senator Sprague has also purchased fine plantation OF
5000 acres the island which will be devoted TO
the cultivation OF ramie. The lands OF good quail
iy with valuable growth Of live oak. The price paid
Is $40 an acre.
The cypress of SOmma, In L0mbardy, Italy,
is the oldest tree on record 1t known to be in
sence at the time Of Julius Cesar ortytwo years before
Christ and therefore Ol years old 1t is LOG feet IN
hight and feet In circumference at ono foot from the
ground Napoleon, when laying down his plan for the
great road over the smpon, diverged from straight
line to avoid Djuring this tree. Superior antiquity Is
claimed for the immense in Calaveras County, Calf
fornia This is supposed, from the number OK concenre
circles In the trunk, TO be 2,565 years old.
The Virginia City Safeguard, in Nevada, tells
os lucky teamster who made successful mining
iment Hearing that rich deposit about to be de-
veoped in Of the leading mines and judging that 1t
would be kept dark as long as possible he procured en-
poyment in the mine Disgusting himself miner. flew
hours work convinced him that big strike was inevitable
He invested all the money he had could borrow IN the
stock Of the mne in few days he sold out at an ad
vance OF $1,000 He has East to visit TO
the odoks at hOm whom he has not seen for 20 years
California would suffer for laborers were it
not for the Chinese Many thousands Of Cinnamon arc
now employed on the railroads in progress. vine
yards they fast supplantng white labor without
them the wooden manufacture would In all agr
cultural work they are growing In favor The laundry
business Of the State not performed in the household Is
In their hands They usually get about 81 day, finding
themselves For light work they neat facle and re-
liable The number Of Cinnamon now in California is
not less than 60OO0 This number Will rapidly increase
when their civil rights better protected Under re-
cent judicial decisions and according TO all previous Gus
tom, a Chlnaman may be robbed murdered with i'm
puDity presence of hundred Of his country
men, other evidence can be adduced to convict the
cupnt
That the European study of Alchemy, now
developed into the science OF Chemistry had Its origin,
like nearly everything else in China, s proven by many
facts adduced by the Rev. William "a. r. Marln before
the Oriental Society at Its last meeting The proceedings
OF this meeting have just been published Mr. Martin IS
a resident Of Pekln, and has given the subject much
thought The study OF Alchemy had been in full vgor In
China for at least sx centuries before made appear
in Europe. 1t first appeared In Europe during the
fourth century when intercourse with the far East had
become somewhat frequent 1t appeared first at Byzan-
tum and Alexandria, where the commerce OF the East
chiefly conferred and subsequently revived in Europe
by the Saracens whose most famous school OF Alchemy
was at Bagdad where thero constant intercourse
with Eastern Asia The lobjecs OF pursuit in both the
European and Asiatc Schools Of Alchemy were IDENTICAL
and twofold-immortality and gold. In Europe the
former the less prominent because the people, being
in possession Of Christianity had vivid faith in future
life to satisfy their longings on that head In each
school there two elxrs the greater and the less,
and the properties ascrbed TO them closely cor
| respond The principles underlying both systems
| are identca-the composite nature Of the metals
and their vegetation from seminal germ.
The by which the Eastern and Western achemiss
pursued their objects nearly denticalmercury and
lead being as conspicuous the laboratories Of the East
as mercury and sulphur those Of the West Indi
Yduas In both schools held the doctrine OF cycle OF
changes the course Of which the precious metals
vert to their baser elements Both are closely nerwo-
with asrooy Both led to the practice OF magical
arts and charatansm Both schools deal In eIravagant
and ford language.
child was captured by an eagle near
Megsvihe Tenn, Christmas Eve. and carried about
two miles before 1t rescued. He bright little
fellow just old enough to be learning TO walk When
In the house he managed to roll out OF his tru
dlebed and crawl into the front yard A great gray
eagle swoopng down, and fastened Its immense
taons In the clothing Of the little boy then up with
much difficulty, and sailed of across the adjacent woods,
inst skIm1ninr tho tons of trees Its conrsa La