Year: 1864

we clip the following from her communi-
cation after her return:


Speaking of the natural facilities for
the very common sport of skating at the
junction of the Oswagatchie aud St. Law
renee rivers. reminded me of a description
of Skating Rink in Montreal, given me
by college student of that city, Mr..
Rixford before mentioned. That is, an
extensive building two hundred feet in
length and eighty wide, the sides COM
posed of arches of brick work and roof
over the whole The ice is formed by a
ueighboring fountain, which foods the
ground few inches deep only. and of
course will freeze solid to the bottom.
When this is Scared by three or four
hundred ladies and gentlemen, who daily
and nightly visit the Rink, at the rate
of ten dollars season, all that is neces-
sary to make it new, is to let on another
inch or two of water from the fountain,
which old Boreas will CONCEAL in a single
uight, without money and without price.
Adjoining the outer WALL are rooms neat
ly furnished and supplied with lights,
fire, servants oyster suppers, wine, music
and all the luxuries of wealth. Here the
young and middle aged meet on each sue
ceeding evening; some to lounge aud chat
on cushions of velvet, and others to join
in the skating sport and all are "as mer-
ry as marriage bell" Similar to this
is a ground fitted for the same purpose,
by Mr.. Bowman Butler, st. Johnsbury,
vt.


Well, when commencing this letter, I
had not. intended to bring up in Montreal
or st Johnsbury, for not either place Was
in my prog omme, but sort of side show,
for which there will be no extra charge" !"
While at Potsdam Junction met lady
in the Hotel, where we we're both wait
ing one for the cars and the other for the
stage. who was one of the nurses in Stan.
ton Hospital, Washington From her |
CLEANED considerable information with re-
gard to the management in the Hospitals.
Women intending to make themselves
useful in that capacity, are obliged to
furnish the government with satisfactory
testimonials with regard to capacity and
character, and they should have also
some experience formerly in the useful
art of nursing Neither can any woman
enter hospital as nurse, without regular.
ly enisting into the United States service
for fourteen months, and tlking the oath
Of allegiance. The pay is twenty-five
dollars per month. besides rations of food
and clothing. The Bloomer costumes
only is allowed in the building, and but
two other suits can be in possession of a
Hospital nurse, which she must furnish
herself, and never wear, but on other
business away from the Hospital. An
oiled silk apron covers the front of the
dress, Furnished by GovernmenD from
the neck to the bottom of the skirt. The
ease and comfort of the nurses must al
ways be considered second to that of the
poor sick, or wounded soldier, and any
hour of the day or night, they must be
in readiness to attend to the wants Of
those who have periled their lives on the
battlefield. Mrs. McCue, for that was
her name, said she had held many leg
and arm to be amputated, and the blood
would fly all over her, and run in streams
from her oiled silk apron to the floor.
there are but few women who would have
the nerve to endure such sickening sights,
at least without long practice; she had
seen but few years, think she told me
her age was twenty-six, or at most, twen-
ty-elght years. but she had spent most of
her time from the age of thirteen, nur-
sing the sick. three years of it at Albgurh
Springs, VT, and she had been in this
same Hospital (Stanton) frcm the COM
mencement Of the war. She told me
that she had become perfectly hardened
to scenes Of misery, and seemed to regret
that she had no-longer the tender heart
of woman that she could stand by ui-


moved and see q person literally cut to