Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-02-16
NO. T..



of almost unbroken forest, comprising pine,
chestnut, oak, maple, beech and walnut
Bills applying for permission to construct
1,77O miles Of new railroad in Great Britain,
Of which three-quarters will lie in England,
are to be laid before the coming session of
parliament.
The autobiography of Thurlow Weed
upon which he was employed during the later
years of his life, will soon be published, sup
plemented by memoir written by his grand
son, Thurlow Weed Barnes.
Near Metz tame bear was walking in
the woods and suddenly came upon an Asa-
tian hunter who pointed his gun to fire,
when the bear stood on his hind legs and
danced The hunter thought it was the dew
il and fed
Thirty million dollars are annually paid
over the bars of Chicago for drinks. The
United States spend 5000, OOO, 900 a year for
their alcoholic drinks It is estimated that
more than 200, 600 people are engaged in
selling that amount Of poison.
The Suez canal is to be enlarged and i'm
proved at an expense of 81 600, 600, and the
work will occupy several years. This is one
story. Another is, that, in lieu of an enlarge
ment aud as matter of economy, a parallel
canal will be built.
Iceland does not seem to be misnomer
being frozen out of their homes by the en-
croachments of the glacial fields. It is be-
lieved to be only question Of time when the
whole island will be barren waste.
"A real blessing to spinsters is William
Darlington of Montezuma, Ind He has sew
EN- pure white tombstones in his cemetery lot,
representing so many dear departed better
halves. He recently married number eight,
and is yet but 49, hale and vigorous.
The Mexican style of duel seems to be
the most barbarous on record. Two men re-
Gently armed themselves with axes, locked
themselves in a room, and fought until the
head of one was severed from Lis body and
the other was so badly cut up that he cannot
live.
Thomas Harrison, who will probably con-
tinue to be called 'the boy preacher" if he
lives to become centenaran has been hold
ing revival services for eleven weeks past in
Decatur, III. Nearly l 100 persons have, it
is said, professed conversion under his ex-
hortations
"A colony of bees occupied an almost in
accessible cave near Gridley, Cal, for 10 years.
Recently party of invaders determined to
capture the accumulated sweets They gain
ed the cave and after three hours battle with
the bees came off victorious. solid mass
of honey in the comb, .! feet thick, was found.
The tomb of the late President Garfield
is still protected by military guard, who oc-
cupy an encampment in the cemetery. In
connection with this fact the improbable sto-
ry is told that the coffin is opened daily with
every change of guard and that the officers
give each other receipts for the remains and
raise the lid for identification.
A vigorous war against drunkenness has
been begun at Copenhagen. The public
houses are to be reduced from 1850 to 300.
Sales to minors or intoxicated persons are for
bidden, and there is a unique provision in the
law which directs that drunken person shall
be conveyed to his own dwelling in a covered
carriage nc the expense of the landlord at
whose house he drank the last glass.
W. H. Vanderbilt has wall covered with
a myriad of butterflies of the most gorgeous
colors, and gemmed all over with imitation
diamonds of the kind used by jewellers as
foilbacks. There are sixteen panels of rose
colored velvet, each bearing 16s butterflies.
The wings and eyes are thickly studded with
artificial stones, and by gaslight the effect is
dazzling. 1t seems to be q wall of diamonds.
The Belgians dispute with the Swiss the
unenylable distinction of being the most
drunken nation in Europe. The auditor of
the Belgian post Office has published statis-
tics showing that the consumption of alcohol
has quintupled since 1880, and that there is
now in Belgium one drinking shop for every
twelve male adults At the Brussels hospital
the doctors say that of every one hundred
cases under their care which terminate fatally,
eighty are due to the effects of alcohol.
The Columbus (Ohio) State Journal tells
this story of a sleigh-ride the other night.
When returning home the young man fell
asleep, and, in reaching for a handful of
snow, the young woman fell out of the sleigh.
The young man slept on and the horses trot-
ted back to their stable. In half an hour the
young woman entered town on foot and went
to the stable to get her purse, which had been
left in the sleigh. Henceforth the young
woman has no use for that young man.
Steel manufacturers are anxiously await
ing the result of a trial of paper rails to be
made on a prominent Western road Car
wheels of this material have long been in use
and are reported to give satisfaction. The
rails are to be made wholly of paper pulp sub
jected to pressure which renders it solid as
metal. 1t is claimed that the paper rails are
not affected by atmospheric changes, that
they are more durable than steel and that
they can be manufactured at one-third less
cost than those of steel.
The New York Mail says it is probable
that the number of buildings in that city at
the end of this year will be nearly 100000
The number erected last year was 25G1, and
the indications are that larger number will
in this way in 1882 was nearly $45, 100000
aud it is thought this year it will be SO, 000,-
600. The value of real estate is higher than
ever before. A lot at the corner of Broad-st.
and Exchange place was recently sold at the
rate of S15, 600 per acre. The best land
on Broadway is worth $4,000 600 an acre.
Professor Melville Bell, father of the
Professor Bell of telephone fame, and him
self a noted inventor, says that inventive gen
q, 10 l. N,,, Tsa FaNha
and grandfather possessed 1t in marked meas
ure, thus making to date four generations of
inventors. He believes that the problem of
aerial navigation will be fully solved before
long that means will be found for making
electricity travel and convey messages at will
without wires that method will be found
of detecting the location of minerals in the
earth, and that the next century generally
will be more fruitful in great inventions than
the past.
Mr.. Bancroft the historian, rises at five
o'clock in the morning, eats light breakfast
usually consisting of a cup of chocolate, an
! egg some fruit and roll, and takes nothing
more until dinner, which is always a substan-
tial meal. Few men, he believes, can per-
! form good brain work upon full stomach
He spends the morning debating to his secre'
taries aud revising the work of the previous
I day From l until 230 he receives visitors
| The latter part OF the afternoon he spends In
the saddle, riding from 20 to 30 miles, man
| aging his steed, and mounting and alighting
With the agility of young man, notwithstand-
ing be entered upon his SD year some months
! ago
"A citizen of Paducah Ky, recently be-
came possessed of litter of pups of an utter
/ ly worthless breed, but being a humane man,
was averse to saughtering them. So he pro-
! posed to the captain of steamer that he
| should take them up the Tennessee and tryt to
| give them away to the denizens of that re-
| gion. The captain assented and told the
| owner to put them in basket, cover the same
with mosquito-netting and invoice them to
some person in Florence, Ala. at a value of
| S2j each. This was done, and the basket of
| pups placed at the foot of the cabin stairway,
where they were surrounded by an admiring
throng, the captain occasionally speaking
good word for them. Before the boat reach
ed Johnsonville every pup in the basket had
been stolen and spirited away by the admirers
OF choice dog flesh ON board.
"A correspondent thus describes Miss
West, the daughter of the British minister
/ Of ttGba ia a VipoFOug and