Evening star., 1881-12-28

tary vireO, etc.-become birds of the groves and
orchards, and there would be burst of song
indeed.
Pickerel-Fishing Through the Ice.
From the Lewiston (Me.) journal.
At this time Of year there's no more exciting
sport than pickerel-fshing through the ice.
And, taking the whole year around, Maine
sportsmen have no pursuit that is more exhil-
Grating. Pickerel bite well after the ponds
have just frozen over, and the fishermen like to
get on the ice about as soon as it will bear
their weight. Talk with an incorrigible angler
for half an hour and you will generally find him
iuii OF old chimney corner superstitions and
TRADITIONS OF the forest and stream. One of the
current beliefs is that the first time green
hand goes out he is bound to have good luck.
Another tradition is that pickerel sometimes
swim or scOOt on down grade and sometimes
on an up grade. and that when they have their
noses pointed toward the bottom, you can't
catch one if your pickerel bait were peaches
and cream. The piscatorial belief in the intlu-
ence OF the signs of the almanac is profound.
And your sly Old fisherman generally consults
his almanac before he catches his bait '.When
the signs are in the belly they'll bite well every
time. don't know what the meaning of it is.
but spose they're hungry said veteran
whom we consulted on the ZOdiacal question.
Fish will not bite well when they are spawning
Their many traits afford wide range for study
way the aforesaid veteran sums up his philoso-
ply When the pickerel-fisher finds the signs
and the weather right. he takes his dp-liet and
goes down to the river after live minnows for
bait. These foolish little fish are attracted into
the fine meshes by meal literally fed TO them
The pickerel doesn't relish dead food and must
be caught with live bait. The fun Of pickereI-
hstiing is in your ability to have SO many
strings a-gOing at once. Twenty-Five is a fair
number, although two men can fish with 40
Cutting the holes through the ice is fun if you
have sharp chisel and the ice isn't over four
inches thick; but when you have two feet Of
solid freeze under you and an old axe with
which to penetrate it, it's more like busi-
ness Two men generally go together. and one
sets the sticks and arranges the lines while the
other cuts the holes. The man who sets the
lines first gets the bottom aud adjusts his bait
about two feet above it-mOre or less perhaps
according to his own idea of the correct thing.
The lines are attached to poles set in the ice at
an angle OF about 45 degrees over the holes
Each line is also looped over bob screwed
looselyon the pole. SO that when pickerel bites
and darts off, the bob is turned and forms a
cross with the longer stick, thus signalizing the
fisherman. One of the ways Of the pickerel is
to chew his bait little while and this is in ia
vor OF his catcher. When the pickerel COM
mence to bite before the lines are all set, as
they frequently do. the excitement is at its
pitch. There goes 0ne!" shouts one man,
There's anOther!" shouts his chum dropping
his axe and running to pull him up and when
the 25 Or 40 lines are all in and are pulling
sharp, who then wouldn't be a pickerel fisher ?
The English Trade in Opium.
1t Is worthy OF notice that two simple plants.
the poppy and the cotton, have been associated
with some of the most extensive social changes
which have occurred in the history of the world
How the inconsistency which permits Chris
tian nation like England to force nation of
pagans to consume poisonous drug, in face of
continued protest, is to be done away with, is
indeed puzZling question. Yet it is one
which is now occupying some of the most
thoughtful men in England, and was recently
discussed at a public meeting in Exeter Hall
If the financial aspect of the opium question
were not so important the matter would ad-
NIT Of more easy solution, but revenues are
necessary to pay national expenses, and one
sixth of the revenue of India is derived from the
sale of opium. The vast proportions of this
opium trade are shown in the report published
at Shanghai by the inspector-general of Gus
toms concerning the relation of the foreign drug
supply to the custom of opium smoking. This
report is based on replies which were received
in answer to circulars sent to the commissioners
in charge oftwenty Chinese ports. BY means
of these circulars information was sought con-
corning the amount of imported opium and the
revenue on it, the amount of the native-grOwn
opium the retail price of each variety, the
quantity consumed daily by the smokers and the
length of time necessary to develop the opium
habit in those who were addicted to it's use.
summary OF the report shows that the annual
importation, most of which comes from linda,
amounts to 13.000,OGO lbs. avoirdupois which
will yield 1900. 900 lbs. ofprepared opium After
payment of duty. this is worth f16 500 600 sterl-
ing. To ascertain the number Of those Chinese
who smoke foreign OPIUM an estimate is made
from the amount an average smoker would be
obliged to pay for his daily portion, which would
cost about ten pence three farthings, and hence
it is believed that there are 600 600 smokers of
foreign Opium in the Chinese empire But
China contains three or four hundred millions of
people, and consequently 81 in LOCO of this
vast population are consumers of foreign opium
In addition to these must be reckoned the
smokers of the native growth, which sells for
about half as much as the. imported article.
The quantity of this will probably not exceed
the entire amount imported, but this is also
used and represents an additional number of
victims to the drug. The total sum paid by the
Chinese yearly for this injurious indulgence is
not less than f25, 600 eco
The time required for the formation of the
opium habit is said to vary much and depends
to considerable degree upon the manner In
which opium is used. The period estimated is
from three months to ten years. When the
smoking is practiced at regular times In the day.
few months only are necessary to develop the
habit; but II the narcotic Is used irregularly.
much longer time may elapse before the habit
becomes fixed, and it may then be broken up
with comparative ease. -
st. Louis has hundreds l,ef people, of both