American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-07-01
PHILADELPHIA LETTER.


on the 4 Ii OF July are
being made throughout the city,
and, from present prospects, the
crowds, dust and heat will be un-
paralleled. 1t has been suggested
that the President of the United
States shall on that day fire a Rod
man gun by electricity, and that
the gun shall be connected by wires
with all The canon that will on that
day be fired in the different cities
and towns throughout the country,
in this way the same touch will
send the electric fluid to thousand
or fifteen hundred cannon, and there
will he one grand simultaneous re-
port. A still more unique sugges-
ton is to have the initiatury dis,
charge effected through solar agen-
cy. If the day should be clear
lenses might be arranged SO an to
ignite the printing at noon precisely,
and thus the mysterious force of
nature which the last century has
utilized, would convey to the nation,
in an instant, the intelligence that
the country as represented in this
city is celebrating the completion
OF the first century of American In-
dependence.
There has been large increase
in the number of visitors during
the past week, and many think that
the long longed for "Centennlal
rushn has at last set in. The mum
Der OF paying visitors that has
entered the gates since May 10th
is about 100000 and the receipts
have been nearly $500, 900. The
expenses, however, are still very
heavy, perhaps not less than SIC, 900
per dav, they will soon be reduced
by the discharge of large number
of laborers who are still employed
in construction aud repair within
ground.
On last Thursday the Singer Sew
ing Machine Works at Elizabeth,
New Jersey, had novel advertise
ment in the attendance of 1851 of
their employees; they came to the
Exhibition on four trains; all of
them landed from the cars at the
entrance gates, their passage to
and fro, AZ well as their admission
fee being paid by the Company
which employees them. They we're
men, women. boys and gIrls. fine
and well to do looking body of PEG
pie. decorated with red badges, and
formed a most pleasing spectacle as
they wandered in groups among the
exhibits in the different halls, or
improvised pIcnics in the groves
and gardens within the enclosure.
On entering the Main building
from the west end one of the first
exhibits that attracts the attention
of the visitor bordering as it does
OH the main aisle, is that of Chill.
Near the entrance of the Gillian
section is circular pavilion in
which is pyramid of silver bearing
ores surmounted by large stuffed
condor. Around the sides of the
pavilion are glass show cases, filed
with silver ores said to be valued at
e25 900. 1t forms a large mass, in
which there is want of scientific ar
rangement, but the richness of the
specimens, and the rare crystalline
forms of some of them, make this
collection of great interest to the
mineralOgist. 1t contains the finest
specimens of red or arseDical silver
crystals that have ever been found.
This form of silver is called by
mineralogists pronslile. The crys.
tails are rhomboidal in shape. Good
i specimens were formerly found in
the Hartz Mountains in Germany,
but they are now very rare. The
best specimens of this collection is
valued by the owner at $1,000. not
that it contains that quantity OF
pure silver but on account of its
value as specimen.
The agricultural exhibit of Chill
is contained in two show cases and
consists of all tho grains grown il
this country, and variety of vege
tables herbs, nuts, fibres and canned
fruits. The industrial display il
made up chiefly of shoes in leather
and satin, ske'ns of silk, blankets
embroiderles, shawls and scarfs
There are also some very creditable
specimens of ornamental book bind
ing, a very handsome alabastel
table, and a bronze liie-sizo cast oi
a boy, so good as a work of art that
it would not be out of place in
Memorial Hall.
The displays of any of the South
American countries are of course
eclipsed when compared with those
of the great powers under the same
roof, but those of us who have been
accustomed to look with pity and
half contempt upon the petty strug
Cling South American Republics
whose fate and history have beef
eternal revolution, will be most sur
lprised at the powerful though dor
mant natural sinews of the country
and not little surprised at what ha,
been accomplished for industry
science, and art, in the teeth o
adverse circumstances. 1 think W,
will have to divest ourselves of tn,
picturesque impression that life il
South America consists in dan Gin g
drumming the guitar, and fighin,
cocks. When we take into cOnsid
GRAFTON the wonderful undevelOpet
natural resources of the country
seems quite as probable that tn
sceptre OF the Western Hemispher
may some day pass from the Unite,
States to South America, as that i