The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1870-03-23
Remarkable Discovery,

oerlul ulScONerleS OF the age, was
made in tho Curryville coal mines
Sullivan county, Indiana, few days
ago. At u depth Of one hundred and
eighty feet below the surface, while
tho miners wero cutting through 0
slate stone, they discovered the potri
fed body of sea serpent. We ex.
amined the pctrification, and can
say with truth that it is the finest
specimen we ever saw. Unfortunate.
lyit was broken into three pieces, and
piece from near the centre is miss.
ing perhaps thrown out in silver
stone.
A limb had evidently fallen across
the serpent about eight or ten inches
from tho hcad, and mashed the part
underneath fat, and strange to say,
even this thin part formed into solid
stone and was taken out perfect. The
wrinkles in the body of the serpent in
its writhing, as if to cxtricate itself
from the stick that fell across it, were
perfect and natural as tho day the
affair took place. The head is, shaped
like that of an eel, and tho tail, from
Indications, must have been supplied
with broad fin, or fiat Acshy sub
stance as u propeller. The eyes and
the mouth can be distinctly traced !,
while the body is covered with small
sunkcn spots, slmilarto those on hog
skin, though not SO small or numerous.
This specimen is Eve feet three inches
long, near ten inches around the larg-
est part of the body. @as''
In. addition to this most singular
curiosity, perfect impressions of
leaves, limbs, brush and other samples
of vegetation were taken out at this
enormous depth. Among these was 4
beautiful impression of what is fa-
miliarly called snake week, or fern,
which grows in almost every valley
throughout the Western country. ~
The most singular specimen is vet
to be described, and in Attempting to
communicate the fact to our readers,
we feel as though the history of our
earth is just as much mystery to the
present generation as to those who
inhabited it before the od-thc
"half having not yet been told" The
sole of shoe, or sandal, was taken
out in 3 eompleta' state of petrifioa-
tion. The heel is almost perfect, and
the Impression of something in the
heel, resembling tacks or nails, is
plain and distinct. This specimen is
about eight inches long and of the
usual width. usla0, /, t
The petrilied serpent was taken to
Ierre Hautc and presented to Mr..
Chauncy Rose, who will dispose of it
as he thinks best. We suggest, how.
ever, that it, with the shoe or sandal
sole and the other specimens, be plac-
ed in the Normal3School building, as
relics of the unwritten n history of the
past ages of the Wabash valley
Sull'van County Union. ,AA i
TITS not easy to furnish a more
striking illustration Of tic utter ina.
bility of mere so-called Protcction to
countcrbs lance natural advantages,
than is furnished every day by tho
little knot of petty republics called
Switzerland. It's scarcely possible to
imaginc a protection greater than that
which all the world enjoys against
Swiss manufactures. Switzerland pro.
,duces scarcely any thing at home.
Her raw materials are brought from
all the ends Of the globe, by foreign
nations, in foreign. vessels, to foreign
ports ); and then, after paying duties
and other vexations, have to traverse
=, the rest Of Europe by land before
they reach tho little land locked re-
PUBLIC. Yet Swiss goods 60 every
where and hold their own against all
competition. Switzerland imports
cotton from America, and sends it
back again across tho ocean IN a man
iufactured state, SO as to underscll the
products Of the American mill, In
liko manner, she imports tobacco
from Havana, and, making it into
cigars, Gndcrsells THE 2 Indigenous
country in the sonth-Amsrican, and
even in our own markets. The only
natural advantage that enables this
little nation, so remote from The path
ways of commerce, ana so poor ii the
resources Of industry, to carry
'on manufacturing production with SO
much success, is the superior intelli-
gencs Of it's highly educated people.
viii any amount, ST Protective tariff
@ f%tilish st' this I AsO - ISd','1 Y0,k "a fee
81 y4a ~ IL. -. s-...4.4 ~ % p.g
. CoUNT BIsMARcK?AND THE jUNivEn.
sITY OF HViRatNIA.--Upon being in
formed ofithe wants of the, ne W Chair
of Applied Mathematics oin 1.-THE
University rof Virginia, r Count, lis.
mark, in his capacity as Chancellor OF
the North German Confectionery, has
presented, that institution ss with "a
most costly and useful collection of
Photographic aud engraved designs of
recent Government works inn, Ger
many They comprise drawings OF ali
themodern, improvements applied ito
bri an dana 10 .a - IN ,, :, n 6, Il ~. hi