St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-01-22

THE BRAZILIAN FORESTS. We often
read. in books of travels. of the silence
and gloom of the BRAZILIAN forests.
They are realities. and the impression
dcepens on IL Longer acquaintance. The
few sounds OF birds are of thai pcn>lNc
and mysterious character which intcm-
sites the feeling of solitude, rather
than impartS Il SCI So of lite ana cheer
fulnr>S. Sometimes. III the midst of
the stiffness. Il sudden yell or scream
will >tartlc one ; this comes from some
detcn>elc>s fruit-eatng animal which
is bounced upon 10y IL tigcr-cat nr
Stealthy boa-conStrictor. Morning and
evening, the bowling monkeys make IL
most fearful and narrowing noise. I'M
der which il is difficult To keep up ones
huoyancN of spirit. The feeling of in
hospitable Wildnt>> which the forest is
calculated to inspire l. Increased ten
fold under this fearful uproar. Often,
even in the still hnuI> of midday. a
sudden crash will he heard rc>nundng
atar through the wilderness. as some
great bOugh or entire tree falls to the
ground. There are. besides. many
sounds which il is impossible to account
for. found the natives generally is
much at Il loss in this respect aS myself
Sometimes IL sound is heard like the
clang of an iron bar against IL hard.
hollow tree. OF Il piercing cry rcndS the
air these are not repeated, and sue
ceeding silence tends To hi%hten the
unpleasant impression which they make
on the mind. With the native it is
always the Curupiri. the wild man or
spirit of the forest, which produces all
noises they are unable to cXplain.-
"IHc Naturalist on the Rirer lmUc0n."
The RESULT OF DENUDING \ COUN-
TRY OF It's TREES. The khanatc of
Brkhara affords IL signal illustration of
the damage done by drnuding Il coun-
try of its forests. Thirty years ago. the
khanate was one of the most fertile of
the provinces of central Asia. and we'll
wooded and watered. was regarded as
an earthly paradise. Five years there
after, Il mama for forest clearing broke
out among the inhabitants, and con
tinucd to rage as long as there remain
ed timber on which to vent itself
What trees were spared by rulers and
people were afterwards utterly con-
sumed during il civil war. The conse-
quence of this ruthless destruction of
the forest growth is now painfully mani
fest in immense dry and arid wastes.
The water-courscs have become empty
channels, and the system of canals con
structed for artificial irrigation, and
supplied from the living Streams. has
been rendered useless. The moving
sands of the desert, no longer restrained
by forest barriers, are gradually advan-
cling and drifting over the land. They
will continue their noiscleSs invasion
until the whole khanate will become Il
dreary desert, as barren aS the wilder
ness separating ii from khiva. 1t is
not supposed that the khan has suf1i-
cient energy or the means at his COM
mand to arrest the desOlati0n that
threatens to spread over his territories.
The example is one to stimulate en-
lightened governments to avoid Il SINH
lar catastrophe, by preserving il due
proportion of forest lands in their do
mains, and by restoring those which
have been imprOvidently laid bare.
\ doctor was called in East Hartford
last week to Il man who was excessively
rheumatical. How long have YOU had
it - says the doctor. ..Forty wears"
responded the sufferer. The doctor LETT
without prescribing. We cannot tell
how much we should like to see even Il
partial list of the remedies to which
during his life our Connecticut MARTYR
had probably resorted. He has carried
Il roll of birthstone i'll his left pantaloons
pocket. He has carried "A bit of mag
netized iron in his right ditto. He has
tloated $50 to speak, in Pain Killer. He
has put his trust in ''camfire." and like
wise in capsicum. Whatsoever things
are hot or bracing, OF tonic or rebefa-
cient, he has resorted toto the king