Morning journal and courier., 1890-09-24

other night, and quite in the old fashioned
way demanded his money. The traveller
happened to be policeman and to have
his-club handy. Pretending to parley with
the highwayman he watched his opportun-
ity, sprang out, dubbed the robber into
insensibility, and triumphantly took him
to Bangor Jail.
A London correspondent thus quotes
the market on autographs: One, and only
one, letter written by Corneille, the drama
tist, has ever appeared in the trade, and
that was purchased for $500 by Mr.. Nor
rison of London. Comedies signature
alone sells for 5000. The signature of
Christopher Columbus finds ready purchase
for $500; the only known letter written by
Titan brought $500, and letter that
Raphael wrote to lady friend once upon
time was sold for $780, No letter of
Moliere's is to be had Gt is not known that
any is in existence), but the great play
wright's signature is to be had for 5000.
Bonaparte's last letter to the Empress
Marie Louise sold for $500, yet what is
termed an ordinary Bonaparte letter is to
be had for s1O0. Autographs of royalty
can be depended upon to bring q certain
fixed price; the signatures of Louis XIV.
and of Henry ". are valued at 5000
each.
1t is related that an American gentleman
who was recently at a dinner party in
London had rather curious experience.
There was also present an extremely aris-
tocratic but insular Briton, with that large
contempt for things American that even
to-day few Englishmen display. Never
theless he designed to notice the American
gentleman4so farsastto ask him great
number of questions about the United
States, some of them very ludicrous.
Finally the question Of geography came.
up, and the Englishman inquired as to the
relative size of Texas, the largest State.
sssWell, p replied the American, cit is about
as large as England, ireland, Scotland,
Wales, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Switz-
erland, Portugal and Greece combined. !"
1t became at once evident that the ques-.
toner not only disbelieved the statement,
but was indignant at what he regarded as
an attempt to chaff him. Indeed, after
dinner he complained to the host about
the in-breeding of the American in trying
to hold up to ridicule an English gentle
man.
Sergeant-at-Arms Adams of Massaehu-
setts has ordered of the State printers the
blank books for docket for counsel en-
ployed before committees of the legisla-
ture, and docket of legislative agents, as
required by the act of the legislature of
this year. In the former will appear the
names of counsel employed to make argu-
ments or examine witnesses before COM
mittees, and also of all employed for other
purposes who act or advise with regard to
legislation. In the agents docket are en-
all corporations or persons who employ
legislative agents, the names, residences
and occupations of the persons employed,
the date of the employment or agreement
therefor, the length of time it is to con-
tinue, and the special subjects of legisla-
ton to which the employment relates. The
dockets will be closed at the prorogation
of the general court, and within thirty
days thereafter each employer of counsel
or lobbyists must file with the secretary of
| the commonwealth detailed statement of
| expenses.
| It is reported from Ceylon that an at
tempt is to be made to introduce Celyonese
| cigars to the American market in the hope
that they may win the favor of the Ameri-
can smokers. The cigars made in Ceylon
from the tobacco raised there are some
what like cheroots in appearance, if not in
other respects, and they can be bought for
a price much cheaper than those which are
made from the tobacco grown in Virginia,
| Cuba or Connecticut, but New Yorker
who once dwelt in Colombo says that the
Ceylonese cigars have Objectionable pecu-
liarities, for, though the smoke is fragrant,
the taste agreeable, and the price low, it
was out of his power to use any one of
them 'to the stump" 1t seems that the
consumer may enjoy one of them till half
of it has disappeared, but after that ii
''burns hollow" while the outer leaves re-
main untouched by the fire and a kind OF
hard cinder forms in the tube, SO that any
| effort to use the other half is annoying, and
apt to produce nausea. If this be true the
attempt to introduce the Ceylon weed Il
the American market must prove a failure