Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-05-30
Our New York Letter.
TRIALS OF RAPID TRANSIT IN BRooKLYN--A DEAR
sCRAPE-A 5000 HEART.

scRArE-A 5000 HEART.
New York, May 2Gth, 1879.
Tho success of the New York rapid transit
experiment has stimulated the formation of
companies for the Introduction of the same
advantages into Brooklyn. One of these is all
ready to begin operations, but like its proto-
types in this city it finds the path to success,
like Jordan, "a hard road to travel" The
president Of the concern, with the contractor
and gang of laborers, assembled the other
day to break ground for the work with pomp
and rejoicing, but hardly had cobble-stone
been displaced when squad of police swoop-
ed down upon them and dragged the devoted
band into court for violating city ordinance.
They were soon out on bail, however, and
hostilitics are soon to be recommended Rap
i'll transit is bound to succeed in all large cities,
but it seems to be the fashion to give its pro.
motors NIL the trouble possible.
| came across the other day, copy of the
new edition of Webster's Unabridged in more
SENSES than one the greatest of American
books and l confess | was surprised to see the
changes and additions which it embodies. We
are accustomed to think Of dictionary per 81
rs one Of the most stable and fixed of publ
cations and indeed we are correct enough, so
far ms most works of the kind are concerned
but the publishers Of Webster's seem to look
upon It's nature and mission in quite n differ
cut light. | venture to assert that for TWEEN.
ty years there las been no single secular vol
ume before the country of greater value than
the unabridged Still its owners are not sat
isticd They have gone on republishing, re-
vising and charging il until now it becomes
Il fair presumption to believe that they intend
it ultimately to become whole encyclopedia
library in one volume. This last edition reach
es nearly 1000 pages and contains full 3, 900
engrnvings. 1t retains all the comprehensive
ly treated features which raised it to its pres
ent position, with the addition, since the last
previous issue, of almost five thousand new
words and meanings and a new biographical
dictionary of nearly ten thousand names
This latter is one of the most useful aud sem
sible nddenda to the great work that could
have been devised. In our reading we nre
constantly asking ourselves who WINS this
person aud what when and where was he :"
Here We have the whole thing in nutshell.
A few words only are devoted to each subject.
but they are words carefully chosen and give
just the general information we require The
new Webster is "Unapproached" as well as
Unabridged.
That particular squad of Uncle Sans Gus
tom House employees who earn their bread by
searching the incoming immigrants at Castle
Garden for contrabaud and dutiable articles
found themselves in quandary the other day
when a Frenchman landed, with good, big
grizzly bear as lis companion. The officials
ordered him to halt, and after examining
their prize from respectful distance inform
ed the man that he must pay ten dollars duty
on the beast. The immigrant objected on
several grounds of which perhaps the strong
est was that he didn't have the ten dollars
The blue coats insisted. however, so after sly
ly poking the bear until the latter sat up on
his hams and showed the assemblage fine
open countcnance, lac blandly informed them
that il they wanted their money they could
just take the bear. This was fair enough
proposition, but somehow the officers didn't
act as though they wanted to take it up. AZ
ter considerable diminishing, however, dur
ing which the bear tore some clothes and
came near doing more serious damage, he was
temporarily secured, and is, | believe, now
waiting some sufficiently secure conveyance
to take him up TO Central Park. Somebody
suggests that instead of doing that. they send
him up to Wall street. He could certainly
walk that short distance, and would. Of course.
feel delightfully."- at home among his own spe-
cies WHEN he got there.
Breach of promise suits have not been very
numerou,ly brought in New York, and of
those which have been instituted few have
been productive Of anything but trouble and
expense to the plaintiffs Young Jewcss
however, went into court last week with
wounded heart. and was able to give such a
touching account of her wrongs and disap-
pointmcut, that gallant and sympathetic
jury awarded her $4,000 for the healing Of
her injuries. If this judgment only proves
collectble, | rather think the young lady will
consider herself well enough compensated to
desire further laceration of her affections on
the same terms RABIN