Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-10-31

The property formerly known as Edge
worth, and until within the past two years
used as female seminary, in Greensboro,
was destroyed by accidental fire on Monday
of last week. The building was erected by
Governor Morehead in 1888, and until tenn
porarily closed by the war, was considered
one of the first female institutions OF learning
in the South. The property was purchased
some time ago by Julius A. Gray, and used
by him as private residence; though on the
day the fire occurred meeting was to have
been held to perfect measures for re0pening it
as seminary.
EDITORIAL INKLINGS.
The Wheat Crop.
- The latest Agricultural Report, dated
the oath, says:
"Returns have beer received from counties
representing large proportion of the wheat
growing section of each State which indicate
an increase of about five per cent. over the
product of last year, which was estimated at
230,000,000 bushels. 1t is probable that the
completed estimate will not fall short of 24O,-
100000 bushels upon an area of a little less
than 100000 acres. This will make the
yield between twelve and thirteen bushels per
acre, which may beconsidered an average for
the United States. The increase in the States
west Of the Mississippi appears to be about
100000 bushels"
The report states the percentage Of the pro-
duct in comparison with last year in each of
the States as follows: Maryland, &c; Virgin
ia, 1O1 North Carolina, 1856; South Carolina,
1903; Georgia, 1870; Alabama, 1873 Mississip-
pi, 101 Texas, 800; Arkansas, 1902; Tennes-
see, 200; West Virginia, 104 Kentucky, It's.
Popular Vagaries.
There are several delusions in connec.
ton with the offer of great rewards by the
Government for impossibilities, which have
laid hold of the minds of certain people as
firmly as the belief that "pot Of gold is bu'
ried at the base of the rainbow. A revival
of some of these absurdities, long since explo-
ded, is thus noticed by the Washington Pat
riot:
"Among these is one, that when million
of cancelled postage stamps are collected and
sent to the Department, the sender will re-
ceive sum sufficient to make him or her in
dependent for life. A short time since fe-
male Sunday.school teacher in Connecticut
became 30 impressed with the idea that she
could thus secure fortune, that she set all
her scholars collecting cancelled stamps, and
letters, match-bo1es, patent medicine pack
ages, and every thing Of the kind, were strip
ped to make up the quota, and first install.
ment of several thousand was sent to the De-
partment, when her hopes were dashed by the
information that the scraps of paper were ut
terly worthless, and the absurdity of the idea
was again for the thousandth time made pub
lie through the press.
"Now we have revival of the equally or
more absurd notion that an immense reward
from the Government awaits the discoverer Of
perpetual motion. On this, hundreds of crack
Drained inventors, setting at defiance all laws
of nature, have spent weary days and years,
and almost succeeded but just as they are
ready to demonstrate that the thing is prac-
ticable, some little miscalculation comes in,
and remoddeling has to be made, until pa
tience, means, or life is exhausted, and the
subject is laid aside for the next one to take
it up in turn. At last comes one crying
Eureka land so fearful is he that some
one else will come in and clutch the prize,
that he sends the following message in advance,
requesting the Commissioner of Patents, who
is supposed to be the custodian of the immense
prize: Hold on ; have made the invention
and claim the money. I will come on to see
you and show you the wonderful machine.
And no doubt he will, if he can raise money
enough to pay his expenses"
The Northwest Boundary Question.
This question, involving the title to
San Juan Island, so long unsettled, and which
years ago brought England and the United
States to the verge of war, has just been deci-
ded by the Emperor of Germany, who was
constituted the arbitrator by the Joint High
Commission, before which tribunal the ques-
tion arose. Six months ago all the proofs and
arguments were submitted, and the Emperor,
after consultation with the most learned jurists
of his realm, decides that the Canal de Haro
is the proper boundary between the Continent
and Vancouver Island, as claimed by the
United States government The Island Of
San Juan and the group Of islands between
the Gulf of Georgia and the Strait Of Juan de
Fuca are thus left in possession of the United
States. The territory assured to our Govern
ment is thus described:
The island of San Juan is about fifteen miles
in length, and in its widest part about seven,
and contains about forty thousand acres Of
land. The northern portion is mountainous
and heavily timbered, but the southern part
has many beautiful prairies and is exceeding
ly fertile. The pasture is so nutritious that
the mutton raised upon it is remarkable for
the delicacy of its flavor. There is near the
harbor valuable quarry of limestone. These
disputed islands contain the only limestone
ouarries as yet found on the American side of
the waters Of Puget sound, and up to the
working of the quarry on San Juan all lime
stone used for building purposes in this por-
tion of Washington Territory had to be
brought from Vancouvers island or Califor.
mia. Coal is also found in this archipelago.
Ofthe lower end of San Juan are the best
fishing waters on the sound. Great quantities
of halibut, Goldfish, and salmon are taken by
the Indians, who for this purpose resort to
this vicinity at certain seasons. When the
Hudson Bay Company used San Juan as a
fishing station they were in the habit Of put
ting up yearly 5000 barrels of salmon. From
this source alone profitable business might
be established The population of the island
is at present about 400, of which 200 are mil
itary. There are seven large islands between
the disputed channels, besides many small