istovicn! 
which had been dissolved in 1806, 
.The object of 
the Confederacy, according to the first article of 
the Federal Constitution, is “ the preservation 
of the internal and external security of Ger¬ 
many, and the independence aud inviolability of 
the various Gcrmau 8tatee." The orgau and 
representative of the Confederation is the Fed¬ 
eral Diet, consisting of Plenipotentiaries of the 
several German States, and permanently located 
in the free city of Frankfort. The administra¬ 
tive Government of the Federal Diet is consti¬ 
tuted In two forms. 1st. As a General Awembly 
or Plenum, in which every member of the Con¬ 
federation has at least one vote, and the larger 
States have two, three or four votes each ; and 
uecond, the Minor Council, or Committee of 
Comederation, in which the eleven largest 
States east one vote each, while six votes an- 
THE WAE IN EUROPE, 
STRENGTH OF THE CONTENDING PARTIES. 
As a European War seems inevitable, the fol¬ 
lowing sketch, giving an idea of the size, popu- 
lation and military and naval strength of the 
powers which are likely to be first engaged, wLl 
be read with interest: 
I.— PruuMla. 
The area of Prussia j 3 at present 108,212 Eng¬ 
lish square miles, or about equal to the com¬ 
bined territory of Georgia and Florida. The 
population, according to the census of 1804, was 
19,304,843, falling but little below that of the 
Northern States of the Union, The great 
majority of the population are Germans; the 
total number of persona belonging to non-Ger¬ 
man nationalities being 2,504,179. A considera¬ 
ble portion oi the latter are feeble remnants of 
small tribes, which are rapidly being absorbed 
by the German nationality. Within the last few 
years the Government of Prussia made several 
CHORL’S—Tenor. 
a saint ' * Uav,: 8at ^ *•»« picture of 
^ 3 d0Hr ‘‘ y 8ueJ * lobe Its 
, ’ ,ind bkw l t one, two, three times The 
plumes flutteredarannd i... r 
w. left « a.. r d ° 0 ‘ on “ 
me’' she ft, 1 M 7 ' Grantlt aamma wants 
”'w, . \" uj ™" b “ k *» ll "> door. 
,vi'! .1“ ",*“’ ppe<1 J °" f*r. mu. oo. ?" 
W by, thei o is Rcaree’a dandelion ' left down 
here m the grass, where so many pe.w a u d ln 
1UI places are rows of round gray heads i 
1 he soft eyes smiled a little more tenderly in 
answer “ Did you see where the seed-feathers 
Item’d-^ l088 Halr * Wbe “ JOa t>lew tt « n » from the 
“ 0, into the air, to sail off on the clouds, and 
be drowned in the stmset, perhaps.” 
“ No, no, dear; some of them glided away to 
hide under the velvet grass of the lawn, where 
they will sleep all summer and all winter, and 
next spring will come opt again, wide-awake 
young dandelions, And some hurried out to 
he road-sides aud field-borders, where in years 
to come poor folk will seek their roots for food 
and medicine. And see there,—the yellow-birds 
are fluttering over the dandelion-stoma by doz¬ 
ens ; they will take the gray plumes to weave 
into the lining of their nests, and hundreds of 
Uttlo, shivering bird-breasts will be thankful 
another year, that the golden blossoms you like 
SO well were changed to dandollbu-down. It is 
better lobe useful than pretty, pet: and see that 
a flower’s going to seed Is only Its last, aud best 
way ot doing good." 
“So the dandelions are spinning silk to line 
bird s-nests with,” euid Floss-flair; “andgrand¬ 
mamma sits and spins for mo. Dear grand¬ 
mamma, your hair is gray and soft, like dande¬ 
lion down,—I hope no cruel wind will overblow 
you away from me.” 
“ Put, little one, my hair was once all fly-away 
gold, like yours. Call me Dandelion-Down - 
the phantom of a little Floss-Hair that played 
among the meadow-blossoms seventy years au-o ” 
Base. 
WORDS BT FRANCIS 8, KKV, 
Anil where Is that, band who so Tauntingly swore 
1 hat the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion 
A home and a country should leave us no more? 
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ 
pollution. 
No refuge could save the hireling and slave 
From the terror ol' ilight or the gloom of the grave I 
And the Star - spangled banner iu triumph doth 
wave 
(> or the land of the Free aud the home of the 
Brave I 
Ol thus bo it ever, when Freemen shall stand 
Between their loved home and war’s desolation; 
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued 
land 
1 raise the power that hath made and preserved us 
a nation. 
Then conquer we must, when onr cause it Is juat, 
And this be our motto —in (ion Is ©or trust l 
Whoso broad stripes and bright stars through the 
perilous fight. 
O’er the ramparts wo watched, were so gallantly 
streaming; 
And the rocket s red glare, the bombs bursting In air, 
(rave proof thro' too night that our flag was still there t 
O say, docs that Star-spangled Banner yet wave 
O er the land or the Free and the home of the Brave? 
On the shore, dimly eeen through the mists of the 
deep, 
Where the foe' 
s haughty host in dread silence re¬ 
poses, 
What la that which the breoze o’er thu towering 
eteep, 
As It fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? 
Now It catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam, 
In lull glory reflected now shines on tho stream— 
Tis the Star-spangled Banner, O t long may lt wave 
O er the hind of tho Free and the home of th*e.Brave | 
mg to this Confederation. 
Deducting the population of the two great 
German powers, a population la left for the other 
States of about 19,000,000, with a Federal Army 
of about 300,000. As the record of the votes of 
the Fedaral Diet during the Inst year shows tho 
great majority of tho minor States side with, or 
at least lean, towards Austria, and it is still 
commonly believed, that soon after au outbreak 
of war between Austria and Prussia, the Diet 
will declare a Federal war against Prussia. 
All parties in Germany, Austria, Prussia, the 
Minor Government*, aud all the political parties 
among the people, are in favor of establishing a 
Central National Parliament, as a step toward 
the ultimate establishment of one Gorman Em¬ 
pire. This point is, therefore, likely to be one 
ot the results of the impending war. 
they go and come we know not whither, for 
nothing is left but a half eaten leaf, or a “ name 
In the sand,” to tell that they came, moved and 
bad their being. Every one has seen the snail 
at home— a strange little lump of existence, aud 
a queer little domicil to deposit it In. We all 
remember lt, lor It is associated in memory with 
pleasant things, just as thu cowslips and lilies 
are. It's a strange lump of existence, we said, 
and so it Is, plodding along In its quiet way, 
making the very bestof life and its vicissitudes; 
carrying a heart full of good will under It* um¬ 
ber shell, which, wbeu evacuated, turns to a 
snowy white, as If “ in memory.” 
There is much to be learned at home, for wo 
find sermons in other things besides books and 
stones; but, If we take the world as a field of 
action and research, we find the subject illimit¬ 
able and exhaustions. The land Is teeming with 
these beautiful creations and the ocean bears 
ample testimouv to its livln.r Wl'Ulfll ua It fltwsxT.r., 
LINCOLN’S GRAVE. 
A letter from Springfield, IU., in describing 
the grave of the late President, says :-The vases 
aud smooth stones of the tomb are already writ¬ 
ten over In pencil with the autographs oi pil¬ 
grims who visited his shrine with a view to re¬ 
new their devotions to country and liberty, and 
the remarks which each one adds ure expressive 
of the most tender affection and confidence* 
For Moore's Rural New-Yorker. 
A TALK ABOUT SHELLS. 
BY SILAS B. MCMANUS 
How comparatively little has ever been said 
or written on that truly interesting study, 
Conoholoqt. Men of science handle the subject 
with daiuty hands, and with still more dainty In¬ 
terest, as if not worthy of thought or consider¬ 
ation. True it is, they “class” and “order" it, 
and give it a stingy place in their wisely filled 
pages, yet they do It not as a pleasure, but a 3 a 
necessity. 
As we find a pleasure pure and gratifying in 
■ or the stars, or 
HOW TO MEET CHOLERA, 
was $174,500,000, had grown In 1863 to $1210,- 
--,085. From 1789 to the present time there 
tiw not been a single year i Q wliIuH the revenue 
of the 8tato has come up to the expenditure. 
I he present Emperor, Francis Joseph L, was 
born August, 1830, aud was proclaimed Emperor 
wd King in consequence of tho abdication of 
hia uncle, Ferdinand L, and the renunciation of 
is father, Francis Charles, December 2, 1848 
He was Commander-in-Chlef of the Austrian 
»rmy in tho Italian campaign of 1859. 
Ill- —Italy, 
Jhe Kingdom of Italy has ah area of 98,784 
English square miles, with a population, aceord- 
2, t0 , the ,tt8t ce,16ue * take « ‘a the spring of 
A, of 21,703,710 souls, being on an average 
-f) inhabitants to the square mile, a figure 
WKher than that of France and Germany, but 
l0wer lhi *« Uwt of England. There has been in 
forne of the Provinces a rapid Increase of popu- 
, of late years ; but the increase of wealth 
has been much more rapid within the last cen- 
A y lban tti e increase oi population. The great 
oi the people are devoted to agricultural 
P ramtg, aud the town population is compura- 
l,;;r alL Xt haS a 8eafarIu K Population of 
individuals, nearly all of whom are liable 1 
’ the niaritime.'couscriptiou. The military or- 
ionization of the Kingdom is ba*ed on conscrip- ' 
CaKw 8 6UDdiD * umy co08lBt8 of 
t ZZ'Z 0a a peace footing, and more 
ot thf?’ 000 . 011 a War e3tabl,ftkment . The navy 
of 20 ™ D v gd ° m COD8i8t * d 111 W«6 of 98 steamers 
Euiibl hor8c -P° w<ir i wllb 2,160 gang, and 17 
men of!! 666 ® VVith 279 KUD9 i *1 together, 115 
debt ot I" , With 3 ’ 43y gOUS - 1My has a Public 
ot nearly eight hundred millions of dollars. 
- expenditure U largely to excess of the au . 
Cm'm n" T i“ ”$»** s °™up, Victor 
eldest born MarcU 14 > W20, and lathe 
and Arehl? f K KlUg Chapl< * Albm of Sardinia, 
ceeded to the?* Tlj '' r, ' !:a ° f Auhtria - He sue- 
father, March» ml °Y Ubdk f tiou <* ^ 
of I( a i u , lwy j“nd was proclaimed Kine 
the study of (lowers, tho earth, 
“ i- vmo main, VI 
any other natural seleuee,—so alike do we find 
an enjoyment just as keen and genuine in the 
study of shells. They were fashioned by the same 
wine and Ingenious hand, and endowed with an 
existence just as beautiful, and a power equally 
attractive; aud we have only to know and study 
mild, painless diarrhea, which generally contin¬ 
ues for hours, sometimes for days, before the 
stage of collapse sets iu. In this premonitory 
stage the disease is readily and promptly curable 
by simple remedies, combined with rest in the 
recumbent position. All that Is necessary, 
therefore, to prevent a fatal attaek of cholera, is 
that the patient shall lie down, keep warm and 
quiet, aud take such remedies as will relieve the 
diarrhea. 
A knowledge of these facts led many English 
towns, in former visitations of cholera, to or¬ 
ganize a body oi visitors, under the direction of 
a central medical board, whoso duty it was to 
visit from house to house two, three or four 
times daily, and inquire in every family for these 
cases of diarrhea. Each visitor carried the 
proper remedy, and personally attended to its 
administration, and to the confinement of the 
patient to his bed. The result of thorn, organi¬ 
zations was most happy; In numerous instances 
towns lying Lu the direct track of the disease 
dtd not lose a single inhabitant by the cholera, 
though thousand* of eases of painless diarrhea 
were treated .—London Examiner, 
power equally 
SINGULAR DEPOSITS OF CRYSTALS. 
The editor of the Monongahela Republican 
has been shown a singular aud beautiful crys¬ 
talline formation in a common water pitcher. 
He says: “After the rain storm on Friday eve¬ 
ning, the lady who was using the pitcher on her 
toilet stand had it filled as usuul from the cis¬ 
tern. I he water held lu solution some coal 
soot, but not more than usual, after a ruin, in 
our coal burniug districts, and the pitcher full 
was set aside until morning. To her surprize 
the morning light showed tho coal crystals pre¬ 
cipitated upon the sides and bottom of the 
pitcher, forming flowers, trees, and bushes, with 
every delicate leaf, petal, and branch, pencilled 
in the most charming manner. We huve seen 
many experiments In crystalizatlon, and have 
been delighted with them, but this specimeu 
formed Into beautiful, most beautiful flowers, 
surpassing tho finest engraving, has been ad¬ 
mired by all who have seen it in terms of sur- 
prise and delight. 
them to develop their pleasing attributes. Shells 
must have been thought of when flowers were, 
and fashioned at. the same time. Both have the 
same vivid coloring, the eutnc mingling of the 
immaterial with the material, tho same some¬ 
thing, that man can «nly conceive but not create. 
Strange it is that a pursuit yielding so much 
pleasure and enjoyment, should be so almost en¬ 
tirely neglected. How rare it is we find one, 
even in this age of research and investigation, 
that has even the moat scanty knowledge of this 
Btrange aud carious existonc^ that lies around 
ub, though the book of their lives has been wide 
open for ages, aud we have only to read to be¬ 
come master* of their secrets and mysteries. 
Shells, like flowere, have been scattered with 
a lavish baud. We tlnd them everywhere — on 
the mountain amid the clouds, In tho forest 
amid the foliage, in the river* and lakes, teem¬ 
ing with life and existence. And the mighty 
ocean tosses up her treasures of rainbow-tluted 
shells on the sandy beach, as a tribute to earth 
from its awful depths. There U a beautiful con- 
MAY DAY AMONG THE CHIMNEY SWEEPS 
One feature of May Day in the English 
©i umy L»ay in tne English me¬ 
tropolis is the mauuuer in which the chimney 
sweeps celebrate it. They busy themselves days 
previous by visiting the suburban districts, from 
whence they bring plenty of green leaves and 
May flowers, with which they make what may 
be termed a green hive. Within; this is a man, 
who though unseeu by the vulgar crowd, man¬ 
ages to keep It in motlou while a dancing crowd 
of grotesque figures encircle It. Some are 
dressed as fairies, others as harlequins, while the 
fool busies himself with pluylng fantastic tricks, 
to the immense amusement of Cockney small- 
fry. Hundreds of such exhibition* will be seen 
in London streets to-day, and many a* penny 
earned by these sooty sons of tho chimney, for, 
of course, money is the end aud aim of an Eng¬ 
lishman’!* diversions. At night the funds are 
divided, and then the garlands, faded aud dusty, 
are cast aside, aud the tinsel garments torn to 
shreds. The May Queen is forgotteu aud King 
Bacchus roigns. 
SNAKE STORIES. 
Tukse are proverbially suspicious things, and 
many of them challenge belief spite of high 
authority. Captain Speke, in hi» lately pub- 
li*hed work oil the discovery of the sources of 
the Nile, relates a very extraordinary one, which 
as we fine quoted by tbe Family Christian Alma¬ 
nac, and there la nothing to indicate the posai- 
Diliry oi its being u*ed as a pia /rant, may be re¬ 
garded, not withstanding Its heavy demands upon 
our confidence,as absolutely wot thy offull credit. 
The reptile, a species of boa, had been shot by 
Goddard, the French xronaut, has discovered 
a new method of telegraphing. By the aid of a 
single luminous point he seeds messages to any 
part of the visible horizon. The system i» ex¬ 
tremely simple. By means ot screens, which 
conceal or allow the light to escape, partial or 
total eclipses are produced. The screens are 
cither white or red gL^s The colors emitted 
and the duration of that emission suffice to form 
an alphabet analogous to that of words used by ; 
the usual electric telegraphs. The extreme sim¬ 
plicity of this method would be specially useitil 
for signalling at sea in time of war. 
A Wise Excuss.-On oue occasion at a din¬ 
ner at the Bishop of Chester’s, Hannah More 
urged Dr. Johnson to take a little wine. He 
replied, “I can’t drink a little, child, and, there¬ 
fore, I never touch it. Abstinence is as easy to 
me a* temperance would be dilfieult." Many 
have the same infirmity, but are destitute of the 
same courage, and therefore art* ruined. 
Captain Grant, who accompanied Captain Speke. 
The latter says ? “I shuddered mb I looked upon 
♦ k #. lY. . i . . ZI ’t * z 1 
the effects of his tremendous dying strength. 
For yards around where lie lay grass and bushes 
and saplings, and in ft; t everything except the 
More than half of mankind should not i 
their mouths except to put their victuals in 
The road to ruin is always kept in good repair, 
and the traveler pays the expenses of it. 
