Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-08-23


THE THERMOMETER AT ONE HUNDRED AMI
TWENTY DEGREES N THE SHADE.
The hot weather throughout India this
year has heen described on all sidel as Oi
exceptional severity. In Calcutta the heat
has been extraordinary even for that part oil
the country, and there have been numerous
cases of heat apOplexy reported. In the
northwest provinces the heat has been al
most unprecedented We hear of the
thermometer registering a. much as 1909
in the shade, and of deaths taking place even
among the natives in consequence. Regar-
ding the south Of India, We find that the
heat has been no less remarkable there than
it has been in other parts of the country.
The other day one Of the Madras news
papers reported that the air was so hot that
a cherOot could almost be lighted at it. In
Bombay We have had our share of hot
weather The monsoon has at last broken,
but before it did the horrors OF the situation
were wonderful. There are two kinds of
heat in India. and each has its admirers.
There is the moist heat of the sea bordering
districts, and the dry heat of up-country.
Sojourners in the interior say, when they
come down to Bombay, that the heavy
moisture in the air is more sickening than
even the hot winds-Of the Deccan. With
kbUS khhS fdftIes you can reduce the tempe
rature indoors up-eountry, but the moistened
atmosphere of Bombay will admit Of no such
palliation. 1t hangs over you everywhere
like steaming blanket. Go where you
will, do what you will, there is no escape
from it and its immediate attendants, inOr-
dinate perspiration, collapsed energies,
liver complaints and prickly heat.
The monsoon, which generally breaks
about the 9th of June, held OF with per
.sistenry which ma obN-~4aeDal. RoP ihc
heat day alter day was tremendous.
There was at least two nights when sleep
was next to impossible. The air was PEI
fectly still. Not a leaf huttered. The
faintest zephyr waited from the sea would
have been a god-send, but it came not.
The awful hot stiffness seemed the prelude
To some supernatural catastrophe. 1t
conveyed a mysterious sense Of waiting for
something worse TO come. A, grand. crush
ing, destructive Thunderstorm would not
have been disgTaced by prelude of such
portentOus stiffness. But the thunder
storm, which would have been welcome
never burst. and the dense heat continued
First the weariei victim turned upon his
couch, restlessly trying to WOO sleep to come
to him then he burst into profuse per-
spiration, and after yainly turning over
he had to get up and walk about or throw
himself exhausted INTO a cain chair in the
veranda or the open air, and wait patiently
for day break The hour before the sun
rose was hotter than any other part OF the
q hours. The sun might have brought
a breeze with him, but he rose red and
angry through hot gray mists, the monarch
of stiffness and insuflerable heat. 1t was
not until carly in the forenoon that n
breeze sprang up, and the eagerness with
which it was welcomed was the most elO-
quent testimOney TO the severity of the air
less period of Internal torture which had
Just been passed through. Ii was splendid
weather for apoplexy and gasping, thin
men, who had stout, short-necked, full
blOoded friends, and knew that they would
be gasping too, entertained many a gloomy
speculation upon the probable effect Of such
dreadful weather. Under such circumstances
as these it can readily be imagined how
welcome the monsoon has been in Bombay
this year. 1t simply came up with short
live gale about midnight one night last week
and altering spluttering about mildly for
several days, giving no good regular down
pour. it burst forth on Friday afternoon
with a hurricane and rained for u hours
on a stretch. On Saturday it was dis
tinguished by one or two violent gusts that
did a considerable amount Of damage
Windows were torn of, buggies were all
but blown over, and the waves in the harbor
were tossed to an extraordinary height.
HoRRoRs OF SIEERIA.-A Russian con
vict never knows until he reaches Siberia
wha, sort OF life is in store Tor him; for
in pronouncing sentence of hard labor the
Judge makes no mention of mines. II the
convict has money or influential friends,
he had better use the time between his
sentence and transportation in buying a
warrant which cOnsigns him to the lighter
kinds of labor above ground; otherwise,
he will inevitably be sent under Tie earth,
and will never again see the sky until he
is hauled up to die in an iniirmary. The
conYicts are forwarded to Siberia in con
voys, which start at the commencement
of spring. Just after the SHOWS have melt
ed and left the ground dry. They per
form the whole journey on foot, escorted
by mounted Cossacks, who are armed
with pistols, lances and long whips; and
behind iolts along a long string of tum.
brils, to carry those who Iall i'll or lame
on the way. The start is always made
in the night, and care is taken that the
conveys shall pass through the towns on
their road after dark. Each man is dress
ed in gray kaitan, having a brass num-
Der plate fastened to the breast, knee
boots, and a sheep-skin bonnet. lie
carries rug strapped TO his back, :
messin, and a wooden spoon at his girdle
The women have black cloaks, witt
hoods, and march in gangs by them
selves, with an escort of soldiers, like
the men, and two or three female war
ders, who travel in carts. In leaving
large cities like st. Petersburg, all the
prisoners were chained with their hands
behind their backs, but their letters are
removed outside the city, except in the
case of men who have been marked dan.
gerous. These have to wear leg-chains
OF four pounds weight all the way, and
some of the more desperate ones arc
yoked to beam of wood, which rests on
their shoulders. and is fastened to their
neck by iron collars. Nobody NAV ap
proach the men TO inspect them. The
Cossacks crack their whips loudly tc
warn persons of, and scamper mp and
down the line with lanterns tied to theii
lance points, which they lower TO III,
ground at every moment TO see if letter.
have been dropped. Murderers, thiyes
Nihilists. conspirators, felon clergymen
mutinous soldiers and patriotic Poles
all tramn toopther as fast as they cal
90, and perfectly silent. Then conn
the women, shivering, sobbing, but no
daring to cry out, because Of those awfu