/ 
Term*, Five Dollar* a Year. 
Ten Cent* a Copy. 
NEW YORK, THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 1875. 
THE SONG OF STEAM. 
for FOr*»t and StfMrn. 
JjunlittQ in Httillit . 
I The following fine poetn hy Ooorgo W. Cutter, of Covington, Ky., 
Blackwood has pronounced "the best lyric of the century."] 
H ARNS9S me down with your Iron bands, 
Be sure of your curb and rein, 
For 1 scorn l he strength of your puny hands 
As a tempest scorns a chain. 
How I laughed us I lay concealed from sight 
For many a countless hour, 
At the childish boasts of human might. 
And the pride of human power. 
When I saw an army npon the land, 
A navy npon the sons, 
Creeping aloug, a snail-like band, 
Or wailing a wayward brecr.o; 
When I saw the pea-ant reel 
With the toll that he fuintly bore, 
As ho turned at the tardy wheel, 
Or tolled at the weary oar; 
When I measuved the panting courser’s speed, 
The flight of the carrier dove, 
As they bore a law a klug decreed, 
Or the lines of Impatient love, 
J could hut think how the world wonld feel 
As these were outstripped nfar, 
When I should be bound to the rushing keel 
Or chained to the flying carl 
Hal lial bat They found me at last, 
And they Invited me forth at length, 
Ami 1 rushed to my throne with a thunder blast, 
And laughed in ray iron strength I 
Oh! (lien ye saw a wondrous change 
On the earth nnd ocean wide, 
Where now my flery armies range, 
Nor wait for wind and tide. 
Iliirrnh I hurrah! the waters o'er. 
The mountain's steep decline; 
Time-space— have yielded to my power— 
The world! the world Is mine! 
The rivers the sun hath curliest blest, 
Or those where his beams decline; 
The giant streams of the queenly West, 
Or the orient floods divine. 
The ocean pales where'er I sweep 
To hour my strength rejoice, 
And monsters of the briny deep 
Cower trembling nt my voice. 
I carry the wealth and ore of earth. 
The thought of the God-Hke mind; 
The wind lugs after my going forth, 
The lightning Is left bchlod. 
In the durksome depth of the fathomless mine 
My tireless arm doth play, 
Where the rocks ne'er saw tho sun's decline 
Or the dawn of the glorious day . 
I bring earth's glittering Jewels up 
From the hidden caves below, 
And I make the fonutaiu's granite cup 
With u crystal gush o'erflow . 
I blow tho bellows, I forge the steel 
In all the shops of trade; 
I hammer the ore and turn the wheel 
Where arms of strength lire made; 
I manage the farnare, the mill, the mint— 
I carry, 1 spin, I weave, 
And nil iny doings I put in print 
On every Saturday eve. 
I've no innacle to weary, no breast to decay, 
No bone* to be "laid on the shelf," 
And soon I Intend yon may "go and play," 
While 1 manage the world myself. 
But harness mo down with your Iron bands, 
Be snre of your enrb nnd rein. 
For I scorn the strength of your puny hands 
As the tempest scorns a chain. 
— 1 That part of Boston Harbor known as Dorchester Bay 
was the scene last week of some exciting sport, trotting on 
the ice. The largest turnout was on Friday evening, the 
day before the thaw. A straight course of a mile and n 
half, between City Point and Squantum, was lined with 
spectators. 
L AST Tuesday night I arrived home from my oxpodi- 
dition, the particulars of which I will give you in 
detail. I was away eleven days. A carriage came to tho 
office for me at half past twelve o’clock on Saturday, and 
jumping in with my friend P. J., who is a Portuguese in 
our office, we left for my house to get my clothes, etc. I 
immediately donned my shooting rig, hunting knife, etc. 
We then drove to the house in which we eat, cracMl a 
bottle of champagne with poor D., who has been gpedy for 
some time past, and who was to leave for home two or 
three days after we left, and wished him a speedy passage 
home and a safe return. 
I don’t think I ever told you that three of us, some time 
back, ordered a dozen carrier pigeons from England, eleven 
of which arrived safely here. They arc all prize birds, 
and have flown between Belgium amt England. This wo 
have kept secret, us it is a speculation on our part, and we 
intend establishing a line between the Provinces ami Ma- 
nilla, and between Manilla and Ilong Kong. They have 
been at our house some three months, and are heautilul 
birds and are getting on well. 
As we were going inland some distance, we thought it 
would be a good opportunity to try them tor the llrst time, 
nnd accordingly, having had u little wicker basket made, 
I put in a pair and took them with me in the carriage. Wo 
felt doubtful about their returning, us the birds generally 
have to be born in the place to which they are flown. For 
instance, if there was a line of carrier pigeons between 
New York and Boston, there would have to he a cole in 
each of those cities; and if a message was to go from New 
York to Boston, they would have to carry birds that weru 
born In Boston on to New York, and us soon ns they were 
let loose they would return to Boston, and vice wrm. But 
I argued that as the birds had come all the way from Eng- 
land, there was no chance to get hack, nnd us they hud 
lived with uh for about, three months, and had boon well 
taken care of, in all probability they would return. All 
the others said they would not, and we had several bets, so 
that it was to be an interesting trial. 
After a pleasant drive of three quarters of an hour, and 
after nearly demolishing the carriage hy tho horse running 
us into a buffalo and afterwards into a stone wall, we ford- 
ed t lie Marlquina River, which runs through the pictu- 
resque village of the same name, and the coachman ap- 
plying his whip, we dashed up the bank on the Muriqulna 
side, and soon pulled up at tlio country house of my 
friends, the T.’s, who are all hunters, and it was hero that 
we had decided to make our rendezvous. The whole of 
Hie bottom of the house is one large stone floor, level with 
the street, and as soon us we entered we were greeted by 
our fellow huntsmen. There were some fifteen horses, all 
saddled, about seventy-five dogs, and lots of Indians In 
their hunting clothes. Our party was seven, including 
myself. We went up stairs, had something to ent, drink, 
and a cigarette, and as it was about lour o’clock decided 
to start immediately for the mountains. 
As we rode through the level rice fields, It was a gay 
looking cavalcade, and the fact of not having to go to the 
office for severul days, and the thoughts of nhooting some 
deer, made me feel very jolly. We jogged uloog until we 
reached the mountains, and then began the work, for the 
road was so steep that we frequently had to dismount and 
walk. We thus went on for about two hours, crossing 
rivejs, walking and riding, and at last arrived at the top of 
a mountain, the view from which was superb. In the far 
distance lay Manilla and Manilla Bay, with all its shipping, 
which looked like small toy ships, and on our loft we could 
see the whole of the great inland lake, nnd ull around the 
base of the mountain Innumerable little pueblos, or, more 
correctly, puehlocitos. 
After a couple of hours more riding, during which noth- 
ing of note occurred, we arrived at the lop of another 
mountain, much higher than the first, and as soon as wo 
got over to tho other side saw away below us the valle^of 
Dosoboso, where wo were to pass tho night, and as It had 
been dark some time, and wo wore rnvonous with our ex 
eroise, the lights glimmering from the windows of the cot- 
tages below us seemed most welcome b«* , 1 shan't 
forgot that descent'. iy> soon. For lw\ ... «iOur wo kopt 
going down, down, down, is if It wore to a bottomless pit, 
having, or course to walk all tho way. At last, when wo 
could get on our horses, wo did so, and tiled through ilio 
Hi tie village. All the people popped t heir heads out of the 
windows and gazed at us curiously, I might as well add 
hero that white men seldom go to this place, and u lew 
years hack all the inhabitants were banditti nnd outlaw*, 
who lived hy pillage und hunting. On the outskirts wo 
came to the little Mono church, und, dismounting, wo wout 
into tho padre's house, and were received by him Very gru- 
ciously, and, liko a good fellow, ho put tho liousc at our 
disposal. After looking after our cattle, and seeing tliut 
tho pigeons were comfortable, wo had a hearty dinner, und 
spreading out our mala on the floor, lost Saturday forever. 
Tho next morning wo were up uarly, und, swallowlug a 
cup of chocolate, had our horses saddled and had a btllUO 
a short distance from the convent. I had a shot at two 
doer, nnd wounded one badly, but there not beluf any dogs 
near me it got oir. No one else killed any. Tho dogs, 
however, killed n hoar. 
As soon ns we came hack, I decided to throw up ono of 
tho pigeons, and accordingly I wrote u long letter, telling 
P. about our trip so far. Senor G., who is also the editor 
of one of the dallies here (Manilla suppori* four), wroiu a 
postcript, to bo published. I then wrapped Him up iu u 
small piece of thin cloth, nnd tied It to the leg of tin- lieu 
pigeon. The fellows weio nil very much iuturcsted, and 
more bets were made, mid the, Indians turned out lo see the 
show. Wo went out in a crowd in front of the church, 
und, being tlio centre of an admit ing assembly, I throw the 
pigeon into the air, nnd much lo my chagrin, she III ou lop 
of the church, with tlio message dangling from her foot, 
and began bobbing tier head and looking at us iu tlio most 
innocent way. There was u tremendous laugh at my ex 
peOHO, I remembered having food that those pigeons gen- 
erally flew in pairs, and that perhaps the hen was waiting 
for her mate. Ho I doubled my bets, und bringing out tho 
cock, throw him Into the ulr, and lie lit on the church too. 
I threw a stone nt them, nnd tlio pair took wing togutlier, 
und made four or five huge circles urouud the village, going 
higher and higher ouch turn, until they looked very small, 
being so high up, and started straight for Manilla. I might 
us well slate here tliut when I) Joined us ut Sail Acldro ho 
said that the pigeons hud arrived ull right, und that there 
was much rejoicing in 'our house nt (lie success of our el 
periment. I think now that wo ore sure to make u good 
thing of it. 
After a hearty dinner wo started from the convent at 
about three o'clock, bidding good bye to tho padre. Filing 
through the village again, we took tho mountain path to 
San Acldro, having some guides In front, nnd among them 
u little child about six years old, who ran ahead of us the 
whole distance, I suppose something like twenty five miles. 
There was nothing of note ubout this part of our journey 
except tho road, which ascends a high mountain iu one 
part, and up which we had to walk, holding ou to our 
iiorsca' tails in order to help iih up. The path was so ste« p 
and narrow that two bomoa could not pass each oilier on 
it, and it was cut into the mountain so Him the hanks on 
either side were higher than our heads. We must now 
have been thousands of feet above Manilla, nnd it was de- 
lightfully cool. The whole trip from Manilla Is ascending. 
At obout sunset we arrived at the top of a tremendous 
mountain, and going to the other side found a beau'iful 
valley at its huso, and we found out from tlio guides tliut 
this was our hunting ground. The valley was entirely sur- 
rounded by high mountains, and looked very fertile and 
green, clump* of woods being scattered hero and lliwo. 
It seemed the beau ideal of a bunting ground. 
Y'ou must remember that when we let t Bosoboso we left all 
