Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-07-19
4 Remarkable Dream,

y S6nG16uldH OI Tie highest CndFaC-
ter, minister of the Gospel, related
to us the following remarkable facts,
which were furnished him by the Rev
I. n. Thompson, q well known Metho-
dist preacher of Southern Indiana
One of Mr. Thompson's parishioners
had a very singular dream, which ran
as follows, as he related it to his fami-
~ the next morning: He dreamed that
in walking through one of his pasture
fields he came upon a certain tree, near
the path he was following, and which
had an opening from rot, on one side.
Near the foot of this tree, coiled along
side the path, he saw in his dream q
large yellow rattlesnake, and this
snake, his dream told him, had bitten
him and killed him. After relating
the dream to his family next morning,
he concluded to go to the pasture, and
there, beside the path at the foot OF
the half rotted tree, lay coiled up a
large rattlesnake. Selling a small
limb from a tree lying near, he struck
slipped and he fell upon the poisonous
reptile, which bit him upon the cheek
He fastened to his home, nearly a
quarter Of mile distant, where, two
hours later he died in great agony
This story is an almost incredible one,
but it comes to us from such a high
source that we cannot doubt it's truth
THE RANDA ISLANDS, where a hurri-
cane recently destroyed the nutmeg
and mace crops, inficting damage to
the extent of s., 800, 900, are twelve
very small but important islands in the
Molucca Archipelago, about fifty miles
south of the island of Ceram. They
belong to the Dutch, and the popula-
ton amounts to about 10000 souls, of
whom ), 900 are Eulopeans. The Ban
da Islands are all lofty and volcanic,
and Goonong Apee rises $500 feet
the sea, and Is one of the most active
volcanoes in the Malay Archipelago,
subjecting the other islands to the raw
ages of frequent and destructive erup-
tions and earthquakes. The four larg-
er of the Banda islands are exclusively
appropriate to the cultivation of the
nutmeg tree LOO, 900 pounds of nut
megs and 10000 pounds of mace be-
ing produced annually. The nutmeg
tree IS about thirty feet high, resemb-
ling an orange tree. The fruit which
appears on the tree, mingled with the
pale vel low flowers, is the size of a
small peach, and is at first of a light
green color, and when ripe is
yellow and marked with q
longitudinal furrow The external
covering, at first thick and feshy, and
filed with bitter astringent juice, af-
forwards becomes dry, and separating
into two valves disclOses Il scarlet net
work or membrane known as ''mace."
which covers thin brown shell which
contains the kernel of nutmeg. The
fruit is gathered by hand, and the out
side covering being rejected, the mace
Is carefully separated and dried in. the
sun. The nuts are dried In the sun or
in ovens and exposed to smoke till the
kernel ratties.- The shells are then
broken open, and the kernels having
been stepped in lime water, are packed
in chests for expectation, The nutmeg
tree is produced from the seed, and
does not flower until the ninth wear,
when it bears fruit and flowers together
without internission, it is said, for 20
years. As the nutmeg tree does not
arrive at maturity until it's ninth year.
the recent hurricane must have entirely
DESTROYED the plantations IN the Banda
Islands, or else the report would not
have been transmitted that the growers
We're utterly ruined and would not be
able to obtain a crop for several years.