Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-02-15

The people of Maine are awake to the
Importance Of fostering manufacturing inter-
ests in that State, aud utilizing the great
water power that is as yet unused The Log
stature is considering the question Of enabling
towns to assist or aid firms or corporations, by
money or loans Of bonds, in establishing or
carrying on manufacturing enterprises within
heir limits, and the Supreme Court Of the
State is to be consulted in reference to the
coustitutionality Of such enabling laws.
The number Of vessels belonging to, or
bound to Or from ports in the United States,
reported totally last and missing during an
uary, is 53, of which 20 were wrecked, 4
abandoned, . sunk by collision, burned >
toundered and 10 are missing. They are
classed as follows 1 steamers ships, IS
barks, 1 briggs and % schoouers, and their
estimated value, exclusive Of cargoes, is ST.
4Gl 900.
The widow Of Gen Lee now proposes to
sell to the National Government the Airing
ton estate, where the remains Of thousands
OF soldiers are buried The estate contains
100 acres Her lawyers say that the coniis.
cation Of tie estate wa. illegal but she pre-.
fers a compromise to a lawsuit with the gov
eminent 1t is not probable that she will
realize very large sum from the estate at
present.
Pennsylvania is about to try new solu.
ZION of the prohibition question. The Legs.
lature of that state is now considering a meas
ure which is called the LEGAL Option bill. 1t
gives to citizens Of each township, or ward Of
a city, the privilege of voting once in three
years on the question Of granting licenses in
that town or ward. Petitions for its passage
are widely circulated and freely signed. The
objection to it is that it will probably result
in leaving in the mire of drunkenness towns
that most need reformation.
Scarcely week passes but we read ac.
counts of frightful accidents from kerosene
lamps exploding and killing or soaring for
life, men, women and children. A simple
knowledge Of the inaammable nature Of the
liquid will probably put stop to nearly all
the accidents. As the oil burns down in the
lamp, highly iuaammable gas gathers over its
surface, and as the oil decreases the gas in.
creases When the oil is nearly consumed,
slight jar will inaame the gas, aud an expo.
sion is sure to folow--death and destruction.
A bombshell is no moro to be dreaded Now,
il the lamp is not allowed to burn more than
half down, such accidents are almost impossi.
bic. Always fill your lamp every morning,
and then you need never fear an explosion.
Before Paris was compelled to capitulate,
her means Of communication with the outside
world by balloons and pigeons had been
brought into something like satisfactory
system. On the sth, 9th and 10th Of Janu.
ary, balloons successfully left the city, and on
the 10th pigeon arrived with dispatches
which, when printed, filled four columns of
the newspapers, and with fifteen thousand
messages for private individuals This ex.
traordinary compression of mail matter into
50 small compass was due, of course, to
microscopic photography, but the pigeon GER
tainy deserved the decoration Of the legion of
honor
A court at Akron, o., has given Mrs.
Mary Pomeroy $500 award against groe
shop keeper, who has sold her husband liquor
Tor the last ten years.
A wedding 10 Indiana has been postpon.
cd on the frivolous ground that the groom had
two or three other wives living, Some girls
are so particular,