Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-11-10

at was sad" says Boston letter writer,
speaking of the late sale of Mr.. Prcscotts IL
brary, "t0 Seesths store house ofhstorical learn
Ing, which the lamented author had collected at
great expense, thus broken into and its contents
scattered over the Garth" The mournful aspect
of this transaction does not reveal itself to our
apprehension. Our sensbities are awakened
in another direction.
When person who has distinguished himself
in some special department of literature, and
has made a valuable collection Of books to illus
trate il, dies, leaving family who do not wish
to retain them, it is public benefit, and shows
an enlightened policy on the part of the
family to print catalogue, and offer
the collection by auction to public competition.
The books are indeed scattered, but they go
into public and private collections, where they
are needed, and are made useful. The more dis
tnguished the former owner, the better prices
they bring. Buyers expect to find the book
plate, the autograph, manuscript notes, and
other memorials of an eminent parsonage. One
motive, in our time, for making valuable col
lection of books, is the notOriety a person ac-
quires by selling his library hy public auction.
1t is considered, by persons who have no other
claim to literary reputation, one of the neateSt
things he can do; and many do it.
Now for the subject of our awakened senSi-
bilities before named. Have not MIR. Prescott's
heirs been tampering with his reputation as a
scholar, in announcing this collection as The
Valuable Library of the Late William Hickling
IItSCDlt W Us IL MI L iGatOll > ilptdiS at an
If it was, why did they take out the book plates,
mutilate the bindings and scissor the title pages
in order TO obliterate all evidence as to their
former ownership Mr.. Prescott was not per-
sou that his heirs need be ashamed of. How
many and what books were taken out of MIR.
Prescott's library before this catalogue was made
up? Anybody can see thar works of standard
merit like his were never written on such meager
pabuum as this. The catalogue reads more
like cledring-out sale of Il second hand dealer
than of a genteman's private library. But.
alas the catalogue, we fear, was better than the
books. parcel of them, ordered from the sale,
is before us.
Here is a set in several volumes, with the
lining ofthe covers scraped down to the boards,
in order to erase the recorded fact that the
books were presented to Mr.. Prescott by the
Rhode Island historical society. Here, again, is
a neatly bound volume in full morocco, "Voyage
ct DeCOuverte de quelqueS Pays ct Nations de I
Amerique SeptentriOnale; Par Z. Marquette ct
Sr. Joliet" This copy was evidently gift from
Mr.. Obediah Rich, OF London, and previously
residing in Boston, who caused 1875 copies Of
this rare tract to be printed in Paris in 1881. A
strip two inches wide has been cut out OF the
middle of the preliminary title page in order to
obliterate the donors inscription. Every book
is more or less damaged in this way.
We submit that ii the title of the catalogue
had read thus: "rhe Remaindcrs Tin mutilat-
ed condition. OF the Library of the late Mr..
Prescott with some Additions" the true state
Of the collection would have been expressed,
and in manner crcdtable TO the reputation of
all concerned Cincinnati Gazette.
ARABIAN LAUGHING PLANT.-In Palgrave's
Central and Eastern Arabia" we are told some
interesting facts concerning this singular plant.
The active principle appears TO reside principal
ly in its seeds. These seeds, when powdered
and administered in full, iudicous quantities,
produce effects similar to those produced by the
celebrated laughing gas of Sir Humphrey Dayy.
The person to whom the drug is administered
laughs sings, Dances and conducts himself in
the most eXtrayagant and ludcrouS style. AT
ter an hour of this intense excitement he falls
asleep, and, upon awaking, is totally uncon-
scious of anything that he said or did while
under the influence of the drug. 1t is a common
Joke TO put a small quantity into the coffee of
some unsuspectiug individual, in order to enjoy
a laugh at ms antics, and if is said that when
judicously given, it has never produced any evil
consequences. An overdose would be danger
Gus. The plant which bears these berries grows
only in Arabia
In Kaseem it hardly attains the height of six
inches above the ground, while in Oman it has
widespeading limbs. The stems are woody,
and when stripped of the bark have yeowish
tinge the leaf is of dark green color, and pin
mated, with about twenty leaflets on either side;
the stalks are smooth and shining; the flowers
are yellow, and grow in tufts, and the anthers
numerous. The fruit is a capsule, stuffed with
greenish padding in which lie embedded two or
three black seeds, in size and shape much like
French beans. Their taste is Sweetish, but with
a peculiar opate flavor The smell is overpow-
ering, and almost Sckly.
Sufferers of rheumatism will do well by visiting
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