Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-08-25
OUR CENTENNIAL LETTER.

speak, among tHe AOIclSH COuAiAASS hNPtS-
sented at the exposition. The late visit of
the Emperor Dom Pedro has caused much
to be written concerning that country
which has tended to farmiliarize our peo-
pie with their southern kinsfOlk, as We
have Suddenly learned TO recognize them.
A learned member OF their commission put
the case strongly the other day: ''We are
Americans. as you; we cleim to be as free
a people as you: the only difference IS that.
with our Emperor, we are not vexed with
the turmoil of choosing ruler once in four
years" The truth is that heretofore royal
visitors have done little to seduee US from
our allegience to Democracy; but king
like Dom Pedro. who comes to this eoun-
try to talk v LII its statesmen, s2yants and
poets, who looks into the workings of
schools, neWsboys' homes, manufactures
and asylums, that he may the better uPlIIt
and ennobIe his own people, is dangerous
man in a republic. What The central and
provinciaI governments of Brazil under
This sagacious head are doing to elevate
the people is shown in the Brazilian school
exhibits. No educational department in
the Exhibition surpasscs this in breadth of
scope and accuracy of deiail. The books,
maps, pictures and cases of brilliant in
scc;s are all arranged, too, with an artistic
sense Of color and effect which hints that
their director belongs 10 The trophies.
The exhibits made by Brazil in its pictu-
rescue court in the main building attract
universal attention. Visitors linger in ad-
miration over the beautiful flowers made
from the feathers OF birds whose plumage
shadows in brilliancy the tints of the rain
bow. The eolors are like rays of prisnatic
light, and the textures a-e as soft as the
mist itself. Here is a spray nearly two
yards long. The stem and The branches,
the leaves and the flowers, are all formed
of the natural feathers untouched by dye
or a. tifeial process of any kind, and the
buds that sem ready to break into bios
SONS at the next noon sunshine are mlraeu-
lous bugs of a silvery and golden sheen.
Even more wonderful than the flowers are
the brooches, earrings and pins, which are
set with insect equaling in variety and
lustre of color the most precious stones.
Unseen they cannot be imagined. Tie
opal, the amethist and the emerald, have
been endowed With life when these magnif-
icent creatures were created. There are
some scarcely larger than pea, which
change in order from an emerald green TO
an azure as the light strikes them on either
side; others as large as hazlc nuts, which
blaze with rcd; and others speckled and
veined like pebbles with neutral tints. The
insects lie in little trays among butterflies
of enormous size and brilliant hues, whose
wings are often grotesquely fgured-one
specimen particularly having an odd like
ness to an OWLS head. Besides these there
are brooches and earrings formed of hum
ming birds, fans, &c., beautifully and
wonderfully made.
Although Brazil makes no speciality of
silk manufacture, the Imperial Agriculture
Institute at Rio Janeiro has for several years,
with the assistance of the government, en-
deavored to give an impulse to silk culture,
and the results Of their labors are admira-
bly, displayed in the Brazilian Department
in Machinery Hall. Various specimens of
the silk worm which are worthy of culti-
vstion are found in abundance throughout
the Empire. The moth is about an inch
long, Of pale yellow color. The females
are inactive, and die few hours after de-
posting their eggs. These are about the
size of mustard seeds. If the weather is
warm and dry, the young will emerge in a
few days, and almost Immediately begin
eating ravenously. When full grown, they
are three inches long and 1'ght green color.
1t has been calculated that the product of
an ounce Of eggs eats upwards of 1 200
pounds of mulberry-leaves, and furnishes
100 pounds of cocoons. The cocoons consist
of the sheath Of loose filaments attached to
the tWigs that support the whole, and be-
meath this the internal coat of soft fossy
silk, within which is the compact oval ball,
or cocoon proper. The thread is pushed.
through two orifces in the nose of the
worm, after being laid in. successive coats
in its constantly diminishing tenement, not
regularly as around ball, but by being
passed back and forth in one place after
another, in such manner that many yards
may be wound off without turning over the
ball. Before the chrysalis natures, and
the moth can begin to eat his way out, the
coeoons are exposed to a moderate degree
Of heat. The floss covering being opened
at one end, the cocoon is slipped out and is
then ready to be unwound. Four or five
eocoons are placed in each of number of
compartments, in sort of basin holding
hot water, kept at requisite temperature
by means Of steam pipes. The gummy
matters are softencd by the water, and the
fibre thus released. Next, the ends are
caught by 8 small broom, with which the
cocoons are stirred, and those from each
compartment being brought together ale
passed through an eyelet, which strips off
q portion of the gum, and thence, through
several others, to the reel. The silk, as
taken from the reels, is made up into what
are known as books, for expectation, and as
hanks, for domestic use. All these. process
ses are constantly going on in the Brazilian
department, to the wonder and delight of
crowds Of interested spectators, who are in
steady attendance throughout each day to
witness the marvellous work of the insect
silk spinners. .~at a1s ="
Some of the gew-gaw vending Turks and
Arabs at the Exhibition wishthat they had
stayed in Germany or west Of the Missis-
sippi, where they and their fathers: before
them wcso- born and bred. Said one
them yesterday: 81 tell yer, pard. at VII
emma l make pushels of tollar; here, at dis
Semtengial, not make 'noug salt ter rsprin=
kle a dom-dit's daiI-'s'help mef' This
speech he accompanied with efforts to
make known by gesture what he could not
speak. His ease is not an exceptional one,
The proprietor of one of the 'Holy Land" |
bazaars says that she shut up next week !
und go home" if he docs not before y
begin to do some business, Thsrr ,ien
lesS than SeVen of theee tfT NJ