The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1869-06-19

u
seen 9 sentient being, where expected
TO see only the lower orders Of animal
life; Sor had / fallon victim to my
enthusiasm in the prosecutions of dis
coveries in the microscopic world? Had
my mind bccome d5ffhgedY I kept my
sssrible secret TO nysslf, for I could not
bear the thought Of being laughed at
about matter that had such sensations
in my mind. At last I determined to
make further examination OF the speci-
meu of lichcn. ItSrrmained as had at
first examined it. The microscope was
adjusted over it. / lo"kod agaiu, with
what interest may we'll be imagined, and
there lay the man that had seen before,
but living no longer. He had died,
probably Of exhaustion, and there he
lay cliugiug with death grip to the
lichcn boughs, whittier he had doubtless
ventured in search Of game,
Further examination convinced me of
the truth of the hypothesis discovered
several animalculrc~ recently slain. AS
well as could be made out by the magni-
flying power of my microscope, the legs
of the animaiculp mere tied together as
visible boys tie squirrels aud partridges.
The microscopic man evidently wore
clothes, but of what material or how
formed it was impossible to determine.
Convinced beyond doubt by what he
had seen, of the existence of race of
microscopic human beings, and some
what fami!iarized with the idea that SO
revolted him ut first, Mr.. A., continued
his researches with the greatest zeal.
The examination Of several more spec
linens Of the lichen, and the soil on
which it grew, revealed few more indi-
viduals like that mentioned above. NIr.
A. was careful not to treat them so
roughly rs he did the first one discovered,
for the thought of having inadvertently
killed fellow creature has greatly dis
turbed him.
After long and careful search of the
lichens and the space occupied by them,
Mr.. A. had the qualification of making
his great aud crowning discovery, the
chpitul city Of the microscopic nation.
This he carefully removed with the
foul ations on whiclsi it stood and trans
ferred it to flower pot in his back yard
1t was there that'ye had the pleasure
of beholdins the wo8derful aud minute
creation.
The portion of the City SO far examined
contains populntiSa of probably three
or numbes about equal to that
of London. s&3-
1t is impossible with the microscope in
MIR. AS, possession to tell Of what mate
rial the houses arc buiit-whethcr they
are of earth. or wood, or.both combined.
The streets appear under the micros-
cope to be about quarter of an inch in
width, and thronsed with people hurry
ing to and fro, whether in the pursuit of
commerce or on account of the late shocks
their city experienced during its transfer
from tho root Of the tree to the flower.
pot, cannot, of course, be asccrtaincd.
But they werc-ncn and women mag
nifed to the size of pisnires, and display.
ing all the signs of tumutuous human
life!
While We were watching the ever
changing crowd We saw one person rush
out Of house and another one pursue
him.
The pursucr was soon joined by the
crowd in the street, and after an exciting
chase of about the twentieth part of an
inch, measured by the naked eye, the
thief, for such the first mentioned ind-
vidaal must have been, surrendered him.
self, evidently exhausted by his long
race.
He was taken away by persons SEEM
ing to have authority. What the stolen
property was that he held in his hand to
the last, the microscope was not power
t'ul enough to determine. During the
pursuit of the thief the people showed
every symptom of excitement common
with the larger species Of human beings.
They clappcd their hands, thrust their
ncighbors rudely aside, and showed by
their gesticulations the deepest interest
in what was going on, and curiosity con-
corning it. Their shouts and screams on
the occasion were doubtless deafcninS to
one another. but of course thcv could