The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-10-03

NEWS OF THE DAY.
Gold closed yesterday at l4lal4S.
The New York cotton market closed quiet
and steady at lsl cents for up'ands; sales 1888
bales.
in Liverpool cotton closed active; upands
a1a9sd, Orleans 9la9id; sales $4,000 bales
"A fire at Helena (Montana) yesterday de-
stroyed the postofioe and several adjoining
buildings. Loss $4,000.
A very interesting testamentary warfare Is
being waged in New York by knot Of rea'
tiyes who have been cut off without single
one of the five hundred thousand dollars IN
volved. The facts In the case sie that Mrs.
Martha P. Wurz died in Nice, France, on lne
9Th or last January. She !eit an estate OF
$500, 900. In November. 1865, she made WILL
In which she bequealhed Email amounts 70
number of benevolent societies in the United
States, but the great bulk OF her property to
Charles Pemberton Wurz, nephew. She had
a considerable number of other relations, to
whom she devised not dollar. Three OF lhem
now contest the will, their most Important
point being that Mrs. Wurz had executed her
testament according 10 the laws OF the Unlted
States. although she died In France, and made
the will in that country. This would render It
null and void so far as her personal property is
concerned. In the body of the will, however,
she declares that she always regarded This
country as her home. The case is quite COM
pllcated, and promises to puzzle the brains OF
the LAWYERS for some time to come.
-Amusician employed at one ofthe London
theatres possessed splendid ebony flute. He
seldom used 1t, however, in consequence ofthe
upper holes being imperfect. This musician
had lodger who worked for the theatre. A
strong friendship sprang up between the two,
but one night, while the musician was away at
the theatre, the flute was stolen, and suspicion
feft upon an old woman who used to do house
work. Nothing, however, tended to show her
guilt and the matter was at last dismissed and
forgotten. In few months the tailor LETT the
house and the musician moved to another town
but their friendship lasted. About a year after
ward the musician paid the tailor visit, and
found him in possession Of beautiful bull
finch that could distinctly whistle three tunes.
The performance was per feet, with this excep.
tion-whenever he came 10 certain note, ne
Invariably shipped j. and went on to the next.
Bnt little reflection convinced the musician
that the note In which tie bullfnch was Inn
perfect was the very one which was Imperfect
on the ebony flute. SO convinced was he That
he sharply questioned the tailor, who confess
ed having stolen the flute, and that oil the oird
knew was learned from the same instrument.
"A very well-defned and comprehensive
programme has been prepared and lssued oy
the English Republicans. They state their oe-
iect to be ''the attainment Of the highest
standard OF political and social rights for man.
and the production Of the intellectual, moral
and material welfare CT mankind" The means
TO realize this object are set down as-"l
Application of the federation principle 10 al
Republican States. 2. Abolition Of aristocra'ic
titles and privileges. 8. Suppression OF all
monopoes. A. Abolition of standing arm
les. 5. Compulsory, gratuiieus, secular
and Industrial education. 6. Obligation oil the
State to provide suitable employment ior all
citizens able to work, and sustenance tor the
incapacitated; none TO live upon the labor OF
others. 7. Naturalization of land. s. Direct
legislation by the people," Among the means
adopted to carry ont the principles will De the
establishment OF high court OF republican
equity, under the name of the Republican
Areopagus, which shall judge all violations 81
the laws of humanity and the rights Of man
committed by crowned heads, statesmen, per
ljamen,s, law courts, &c. If this high -oSrt
should do its duty, 1t will be kept busiy en-
ployed in announcing decisions.
Most interesting are the reports and lex
periments of Monsieur Vile, professor oil Vese-
table physiology, which have been cond"cted
for more than twenty years past at The Jardn
des Plan,es, in Paris, and, subsequently, on
much larger scale, at the late Emperors
model farm at Vincennes. These experiments
were undertaken for the purpose OF ascertain
ing so many facts as possible in relation 10 the
phenomena Of vegetable life. The growth OF
plants was watched and studied from day to
day. the amount Of air and water fed TO them
accurately measured and recorded, the con-
stitution of the soN in which they were plant
ed fully known, and nothing lett uncalcniated
and unmeasured, except that subtle principle
which we call vital force. These analyses,
conducted through that long series OF years BY
q man who has given his whole energy and
life 10 the subject, have proved the presence In
plants OF fourteen different elements-ear6on,
hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sui
phur, chlorine, silica, calcium, magnesium,
sodium, potassium, iron, aud manganese. The
plan adopted By NJ. Vile was to use ap Inert
substance. such as powdered glass, or calcined
sand. in Which to SOW the seeds, and to water
and nourish them with solutions containing
the metalloids and salts oil the metals-oxides
in such forms that they would be likely to be
assmilated by the plants. An analysis OF DEAD
plants showed whether any particular elements
were assimilated, and hence determined wheth'
or they had been supplied in proper form OF
NOT For all that, the determination OF the
compounds entering into the constitution o
plants, which was twenty years ago almost i'm
possible, is even now, with vastly improved
apparatus and long experience, most delicate
ialt n nIln q