St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-10-18

latter, would make a most interesting
letter by itself. The mass of manu-
script which saw just as it came from
the most eminent specialists of Europe
and America, and which forms part
only of the copy from which the pres
ent edition was electrotyped, gives
some idea of the vast amount of labor
and research which must have been ex-
pended in order that it's results, boiled
down to the extreme of condensation,
should fill nearly 1000 printed quarto
pages. When next you have occasion
to look up a word in Webster's, just
notice what stupendous head-work
and hand-wOrk it's compilation and ar
rangement, its type-setting and proof
reading. its wOod-engraving, printing
and binding have involved.
The sudden and mysterious disap-
pearance from Marquette, Michigan, of
the books of the New York Iron Mining
Company, which were to have been
used In the income suit against Ex-
Governor Tilden, was supplemented by
small comedy in this city. Uuder the
suppositiOn that the missing books
might be found in Mr.. Thomas Har-
lands possession, our assistant United
States District Attorney, procured a
warrant authorizing a search of that
gentleman's trunk, which was expected
from the west. Numerous deputies
were stationed at the Grand Central
depot, and baggage from the west was
examined or carefully criticised. In the
meanwhile the sought for trunk slipped
through the fingers of the anxious off
cials without being noticed, and the
mOmentiOus question of "whO stole the
books" is still an open one.
happened to see the famous Ex-
Governor, day or two since, walking
across City Hall Square, with his pc
culiar, slow, awkward gait, and could
not help being reminded of Dickens
character as Nadget, the detective, in
Martin Chussle,Ditt, as in the case of his
prototype in fiction, secretiveness and
mystery seem to he written all over the
victim of the Electoral Commission.
His cold blue eye is usually fixed on the
ground, and even when raised to our
own, betrays neither thought or feeling,
AS he slOuches unObtrusively along, the
beholder would hardly imagine that he
even knew of the existence of such
things as presidential elections, or in
cOmetax suits but he would instinc-
lively feel that whatever secrets might
be contained in that spare and feeble
foIm, clad in its shiny, ill-fitting broad
cloth, were safer from prying eyes than
they would be behind bolts and bars.
Amusements here, if we include out
door sports under that head, are brisk
Close on the close of the rifle tournament
at CreedmoOr, comes the great walking
match between O'Leary and Hughes, for
$1,000 and the champion belt won in
England by the former, and more ex-
citing than all other contests of this
nature, we have had the telegraphic re-
ports from the long delayed, and hotly
contested rowing match, at Lachine,
between Courtney and Hanlan, in which
the representative of the States was fl
nally whipped by the invincible Cana
dian, to the great sorrow of the crowds
who had anxiously watched the bull
letin boards for days in hopes of differ
ent result.
And, by the way, can any one tell
what there is about two mems trying to
see who can pull his boat up and down
the river the quickest, that can so inter
est and excite a million or so of people,
most of whom hardly know the bow of IA
shell from its stern, aud who can hard
ly give moments thought or attention
to an international discussion, like, for
example, the late Fisheries Commits
sion, involving millions of money, and
the possibility of grave diplomatic
cOmplications9 This question is alto
gether too much for me, but its facts are
indisputable. RADIx.