The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-10-22

eight feet four inches in height. The,
were accompanied by Chez Nah,
Chinese dwarf, about two feet in height
The three distinguished strangers wer,
shown into the speakers gallery, wher,
they remained for n while listening x
the debate.
The railroad between Vera Cruz ant
the city of Mexico is said to be marve
of engineering. 1t ascends 1900 feet
400 in twenty-five miles. II passes
from hot to temperate, and from thu
latter to the cold country. 1t spans
ravines, scales precipices and plunges
through the bowels of mountains below
then up into the clouds again. To con.
struct this line took thirty.six years
forty presidents and one emperor.
Some ofthe French journals give very
fattering accounts of the progress of the
preliminary work on the tunnel which
is to connect France and England. Itis
stated that the shaft is sunk to the
stratum in which the tunnel is to be cut
and that those engaged in the work arc
ahnnt to sink another shaft, ana u
.ower the machinery for boring under
the channel. The work on the tunne
is expected to be finished in two OF
three years.
Bret Harte says: l never see here IL
Europe woman toiling in the hoi
fields, or q peasant working to reclaim
and fertilize few yards of sterile noun.
tain side, that / do not come home tc
my room and abase myself before the
little American flag that hangs above
m hot Errf
in republic where there are me1
enough to pIow and hoe and reap, and
which has room enough on level ground
for all its people.
The manufacture of bottle corks is o
considerable source of wealth i'll France
The annual production amounts tc
l,2S3 ,000, 600, valued at about SO, 100, 600.
The value of the raw material is about
100000 The French government has
formed many plantations of the cork
oak in Algiers. Parts of the United
States are well adapted for the success.
ful cultivation of the cork oak.
On the other side of Jordan is the
town of Salt, ascertained to be the an.
cient Ramoth Gilead. containing pop
ulation of about 5000 nominal Chris
tians and Mohammedans. There are up.
ward of 1900 vineyards in this town
and neighborhood, and also large fields
OF corn land. 1t is a singular fact, as
credlbly reported, that these people
know nothing of intoxicating drinks
and make their grapes into raisins
milban.
The American consul at Geneva saws
American beefand live stock have pene-
trated ms far as that region ard the value
OF choice cattle raised in large numbers
in Switzerland for Paris and the French
markets has been sensibly diminished
by the importation from America. Pre-.
served meats and fruits from the United
States are SO well established and ad-
vertised that they may be left to take
care of themselves; but butter and
cheese could be sold in much larger
quantities in central and southern Eu-
rope and profitable market for more
nutritious brand of American flour
could be found.
There was recently sold ut auction il
London piece of freehold property ir
Park lane, Mayfair, covering 9, IOt
square feet, for S62, 800. This is ut tn,
the value of land in London. The
Drexel purchase of the corner of Wal
and Broad streets, in New York city
few years ago, was $500 in golC
for 675 square feet, or at the rate O
S2l ,000,0 900 per acre. Gold was then al
twelve per cent. premium, and the
price paid was the highest ever given il
any part of the world.
A new grievance is brought against
the ailantus tree, which forms such {
large class of the shade trees of New
York city. The poisonous quality ofits
blossoms has long been known, causing
the air to be not only extremely un
pleasant, but unhealthy, during the
blossoming period. 1t is ascertained by
examination that many of these trees
to all external appearance vigorous
and healthy, are in the interior entirely
rotten. This accounts for the we'll
known fact that during our violent vino
storms the aliantus is generally the frs
tree to fall by the fury of the storm. tt,
safety of the passers-by seems to require
the removal of such trees.
Belts of cream white, black or gray
striped saddle girthing, from two t.
three inches wide, are worn, fastened
with leather straps and buckles.
Large shade hats when either white
or black are simply trimmed with long
full ostrich plume and bow of lace
Mixed straw hats are popular with tao
ribbon. They have punches of fruit
A. rrraccoc for
Belts on the front OF basques are ex
tremely broad. When meant to b,
smooth and straight they are stiffenet
by whalebone, and fastened by doubl,
row OF buttons. Some belts are shirret
and others are laid in narrow folds.
All soft null and Indian muslins ar
this season trimmed with lace, ant
Languedoc, point d'esprit and Bretol
are selected in preference to Valenci
ennes. Washing dresses, whether whit
or colored, are almost guiltless of starch
and the laundress makes no effort to Civ
them a gloss from the iron. The sol
finish of Oriental material, or Turkey
red calicoes is aimed at. Gathered frill
are no longer huted, and plated fiounce
are only pressed flat half their depth
the remaining halfis pulled upward ant
apart by the laundress to give it the ap
pearance of fullness.
With black dresses made with rounC
wasted bodices black surah sashes ar
used and finished with a jet ball; some
times the black sash is lined with re-
surah; there are also sashes that ar
b.ue one side and red on the other
These surah sashes are so soft that the
may be tied around the waist withou
adding TO the bulk; they are fastened b
a knot to the left side, from which tn
ends hang only as far as the knee
very long sashes are not stylish. Som
times plain belt is covered with sural
and two long ends of double surah, fin
ished with spikes or balls, hang straigl
down the back; this gives u finish I
the round waist and takes away tn
plain look at the top of skirts that hav
no overskirts; loops with these sashe
detract from their broad Oriental styl
quite as much as would too great lengtl
At the Panoptikon of Dresden ther
is on exhibition curious piece Of m,
chanism, entitled "Get Up" Over
bed is dial. the index OF which is 81
over night to the hour at which tn
sleeper wishes to arise in the mOrninl