were dull boys. So was Goldsmith. So was Gib¬ 
bon. So was Sir Walter Scott. Napoleon when at 
school had so much difficulty In learning his Latin 
that the master said It would need a gimlet to get 
a word Into hl3 head. Douglas Jerrold was so 
backward In his boyhood that at nine he was 
scarcely able to read. Isaac Barrow, one of the 
greatest divines the English Church has ever pro¬ 
duced, was so dull that his father more than once 
said If God took away one of his children he hoped 
it would be Isaac, as he feared he would never be 
fit for anything In this world. Yet that hoy was 
the genius of the family. 
•Jerusalem Artichoke.— Belle Tin* that the Je¬ 
rusalem Artichoke* are exceedingly valuable a* 
food for all kinds of farm stock, we place them 
amoDg our valuable premium plonts. Wo will send 
one-half pound each of the Long Purple and Round 
White, for each new subscriber a* above, or one 
pound of tho tubers of either variety. 
Achnnla mnlvnvlscu* or Mai vitvlseiia nr 
boreaa.—Tho flowers are bright rod, of a turban 
shape, two Inches long. It blooms Incessantly 
whether Indoors or out. In the conservatory 11 may 
be trained so as to cover wood-work ns readily as a 
vine. We oommond this plant with oonfldence. 
MolnecHIn. laerta.— We will send, also, to all 
who are entitled to aoholeeof any two of the above 
plants, a package of the seeds of the beautiful Shell 
Flower, an account of which and an engraving were 
given In the Rural of Aug 17, p. 117. 
outfit. Loading themselves and their goods on 
the horse, they took to the road, intending to 
undertake daring highway robberies. They made 
their first attempt on a stage coach, were cap¬ 
tured, and are now In JalL 
The Virginia Legislature has sanctioned the 
erection of a lunatic asylum for negroes. 
Thena, the Albany butcher who recently killed 
a boy by throwing a knife at him, pleaded guilty 
to manslaughter on Wednesday, and was sen¬ 
tenced to the penitentiary for three years. He 
said he threw the knife in anger, without intend¬ 
ing to kill the boy, and that the white face of the 
boy Is constantly before him, turn which way he 
may, both day and nlgbt. 
A singular suicide recently occurred in Dro- 
wana, Australia. A Greek who had become 
Insane by reason of poverty and misfortune 
poured a quantity of molten lead down hlsthroat. 
He died In agonies, and after death a lump of 
lead nearly half a pound In weight was taken 
from his stomach. 
Rave Your IJnir.— If you wish to save your 
hair and keep It strong and healthy, use Burnett’s 
COCOAINE.— EZ. 
SEMI-BU8INE8S PARAGRAPHS 
West Grove, Chester Co., Pa., Jan. 8,1877. 
Wells, Rich a rpson & Co., Burlington, vt.: 
Dear sirs I have given your "Perfect Butter 
Color " a careful trial, and am free to say It Im¬ 
parts the most natural "summer color" to butter 
of any thing I have ever tried. It leaves no sedi¬ 
ment, and gives no unpleasant taste or odor. 
Yours truly, John J. Carter, Supt„ 
Experimental Farm, West Grove, Pa. 
FOREIGN N0TE8. 
TERMS FOR 1877, IN ADVANCE, 
INCLUDING POSTAGE, WHICH PUBLISHERS PREPAT. 
Single Copy, *2.80 per Year. To Clnbe -.-Five Copies, 
and one copy free to Agent or getter up of Club, for 
$11.26; 8 c von Copies, and one free, for $16.06; Ten Cop- 
lee, and one free, $ 20 —only $2 per copy, The above 
rates include post-age (under the now law) to any pari 
of the United Staten, and the American postage on all 
copiosmailed to CanadA On papera mailed to Europe, 
by ateamer. the postage will be 86 cents extra for eaob 
subscription. Drafts, Post-Office Money Order* and 
Registered Letter* may be mailed at our risk, pr Lib¬ 
eral Premiums to all Club Agents who do not take free 
copies. Specimen Numbers, Show-Bills, Ac., sent free. 
The Director Of tho Mint, at Brussels, Belgium, 
has made a proposition to coin 6ilver for the 
United .states Government. He states that the 
mints of Europe are closed against sliver and the 
European market la In a deplorable condition. 
He thinks by using the bullion houses In Brussels, 
Paris and London, for purchasing bullion and 
coining it at his mint, great stability would be 
given the silver market, and the United Stales 
would thereby be able to coin trade dollars to an 
extent sufficient to control India and China 
exchanges. He la further of the opinion that 
American silver mining Interests would also be 
promoted It his proposit ion was accepted. 
Why has there been so little holly berry and 
red clover In England tho past year? Mr. Darwin 
explains that bees wore extraordinarily rare In 
the early Spring, and that without bees to carry 
pollen from the male to the female plant neither 
holly nor clover can bo fertilized. Tho Spectator 
goes furt her. It attributes the Inactivity of the 
bees to Conservative reaction, and suggests that 
they were exchanging their Queen for an Empress, 
or altering the labor laws to suit the drones, or 
lioney-comblng the hives under some impulse of 
sanitary panic, aud so the clover and the holly 
flowers were sadly neglected. 
Tho Ministerial crisis In the Austrian Empire, 
which has been lingering since the opening of 
negotiations on the hank question, has now be¬ 
come acute. 
ILLU8TBATED EEBU8, 
THE MARKETS 
PRODUCE AND PROVISIONS, 
tr Answer in two weeks, 
NEW York. Saturday. Feb. 17, 1S57. 
Beans and Py.A8.-The demand for medium 
bean* has been good, but price* are hardlv as 
strong. The supply I* quite liberal including’**It 
does many lots that have been attracted by the good 
steady price.* here from localities r.ulsldc of our 
regular shipping points. Many of these iiilrtltions 
are altogether under grade for our use. Marrows 
have sold well, conslderti g the reduced supply, it 
ts evident, that we shall liuve atinthnr light season 
of pea beans. While Kidney* may move belter If 
Marrow* ran down In guantlty. Bed Kldncv* are 
high and only moderate sale* art* reported. Turtle 
soup beans have Intervals at a good sale. Canadian 
peas are quiet nt late figure*. Green pons aud B E. 
peas higher with sales. 
Beans, medium, prime $2.2V»2.aO; fair to good $3 
(32.2U. western, prime, $2,006(2.25: other. tl.Hiai.76 : 
marrow, prime, delivered to vessel. ' ~ ■ 
to good, $2.26&l.4lf: pea, choice, 
good. $ 2 . 10 ( 82.60 white kidney, choice 
to good, tS.Aict2.iO; red kidney, prune, 
fair to good, t3.46r.i2.f0; Mark p husli, 
Canadian, bulk. In bond SdaiL’c.; 
$1 1(>7tl.i.i; southern, H. PL. $1 2 bn. te; 
GEOGBAPHICAL CHABADES, 
1. Part of an apple; a vowel. Whole, a penin¬ 
sula of Asia. 
2. A boy’s nickname; part, of a circle; a con¬ 
junction. Whole, a city of Turkestan. 
8. To stop abruptly; a tree. Whole, a city of 
Siberia. 
4. A passive verb; a pronoun. Whole, a river 
of Siberia. 
5. To spoil; a tree. Whole, a city of Asia Minor. 
6. A vowel; a boy’s nickname; like my first. 
Whole, a city of Asia Minor. 
7. A companion; a lady’s name. Whole, a city 
of Syria. 
8. Myself; exactly; a kitchen article; part.of 
the verb “ to bemyself; an article. Whole, a 
country of Asia. 
9. Against; an Irish Interjection. Whole, a city 
of Syria. 
10. The baby’s name for mother; a sort of fly; 
a beast, of burden; a vowel. Whole, a city of 
Africa. 
11. Sorrowful; a vowel. Whole, an Island of 
the Sea of Japan. 
x*r Answer In two weeks. Little One. 
HOME NEWS PABAGBAPH8, 
A congregation In Galesvllle, Wls., Is trying to 
get rid of Its pastor because he preached In favor 
of theaters. 
A faro table has been set up in Ithaca, and any 
Cornell University student who plays on it will be 
expelled. 
Inducements are offered by the Land Depart¬ 
ment of Florida for 00,000 wealthy Mennonltesto 
Immigrate to the orange groves. 
Six hundred railroad passes have thus far been 
given this year to the two hundred and eighty 
members of the Massachusetts Legislature. 
Maine has prohibited pool selling and lotteries 
within her boundaries, and the law applies 
especially to schemes of ebanoe In church fairs. 
Gamblers In Virginia City have presented a pe¬ 
tition to the Legislature to prevent a man’s 
wages from being attached for a saloon bill of 
over five dollars. 
The wealthy citizens of Boston are to be massa¬ 
cred, and their property divided among the 
people, unless a society of radical reformers have 
resolved in vain. . 
Frederick Douglass, In a Chicago lecture, praised 
the Washington Ring because " even If it has 
spent a great deal of money, most of It has been 
well spent.” 
A bullet fired by a hunter In Texas struck the 
surface of a lake at considerable distance, glanced 
upward, and wounded a girl who was walking on 
a hill beyond. 
“ A Christian gentleman, widower, over fifty. In 
splendid health, free from vices, and rich,” adver¬ 
tises In the Boston Traveller for a wife; and the 
editor says that he la all he claims to be. 
The town of Harrison, Maine, contains among 
many other natural curiosities, a mineral spring 
In which the temperature of tho water never 
varies. Upon the hottest day of summer, or the 
coldest day of winter, a thermometer lowered In¬ 
to Its water will Indicate exactly 46* above zero, 
A colored statesman In Nort h Ca rolina offered a 
resolution asking the Legislature to suggest some 
plan upon which Congress could be memorallzed 
to set apart a territory west of the Missouri river 
for r.he colonization of tho colored people of the 
South. 
A negro man and a white woman t raveled all 
over Macon City, Missouri, recently, trying to get 
some magistrate or minister to marry them. 
Everywhere their request was denied, and at the 
house of the last person to whom they applied 
the refusal threw the woman Into violent spasms. 
A fragment of a meteor fell In Iowa, and was 
carried away by the man who found It. The 
owner of tho grountysued to recover the curiosity, 
and the suit was decided In hls favor. 
A bag of arsenic w as found tied to the spout ot 
a pump, in Albany, Oregon, In such a way that all 
the water drawn would contain some of the pol- 
80 n. Neither the author nor the motive ot the 
deed is known. 
Mr, Moody is "more than satisfied with the re¬ 
sult” of the first three weeks of tho Boston re¬ 
vival, although ho doesnotflnd thatNew England 
fchrtstlans are as efficient workers In the Inquiry 
rooms as he could wish, 
l2.Vya2.rV.l- (air 
>2.76; fair to 
l 2.W<32.70; Inir 
. $2,706*2.75; 
rel, $1681.25. Peas, 
nm-.ii > bushel, 
Up.” »2.<Xto2.«). 
Brmvt, I* wanted at higher prides; sale* at 
31 H®33e. for Western and 33H^M(4a for Southern. 
Bi'TTEK-—T ho rnarknt cnjitlnne* to rhow a |i<*r- 
pli-xing lack of activity, not* linstandli c (he general 
marking off Hint ha* boon lately made In nil quali¬ 
ties. It whs thought during on*-curt nf the week 
that the decline liad become checked ; hut 88 the 
new and ennltir-rlmdcd iijrurcii fall to bring buyers 
out In force, holder* expre.** n determination to 
sacrifice any stylo or stock 11 1 least lor* enough to 
give animation to business. Slrictly siicuUlng, 
Slate butler Is up to a pretty go< <1 point In price, 
for trade has been so h-ng of 11 fastidious and pi (id¬ 
ling character that the tine linns have beet am quite 
reduced In good average making stuck. Nnt much 
dependence cun tie put upon future receipts fur 
lileli grades of a bulky amount 8muc tine re*er> ea 
Of t-Ounte remain In one or two of the banner oil n- 
ties, but these lire npt to blive an appointed place 
for spring and do not enter Into ci itipetiiioii with 
regular receipts. Western butter partake* ot the 
f ircvsleut dullness, but dealers In it do not feet the 
ull a* badly as sellers 01 Stale. Exporters linve 
taken stock to an extent tliat keel * dow t. oppres¬ 
siveness of receipts. They buy low, mostly tv ext¬ 
ern. State hits not struck their prl©e,v|e»- enough 
for a liberal business to he noted, Exports since 
our lastuuout 6,000 package#. 
State dairies. With tubs, choice. 24®26; good to 
prime, 21®33c.i fair to good, 10&21r.. poor to fair, 
li@19e.; dairies, tlrkln*. choice, 22@28o.| good to 
prime, 2 U 422 r.: fair to good. l8«20o.: poc to fair, 15® 
18c.; creamery, hnlGflrkln tubs, choice Full, 30®32c.: 
good to prime. UtH'Xio-; tutr to good, 22®24c.; poor 
to fair, I7f«t20c.; dairies. I8 m. 21c.; good to prime, 
20@23<v; fair to good. 16®20c.: poor to fair 14 
(ioMIO.; very poor, 18® 15c. Western erennury. select 
Invoice*. tfiStSV!.; good to prime. 2ii<30c.; fair to good. 
236s27o,: firkins, good to prime, 16&l8tv, (air to good, 
14@>l8c,: dairy tubs, ael eel invoicesai@i2c., good to 
prime. 18«*20e.; fair to good. Ms®lflr.; fuctory tubs, 
select Invoices, 20lS>22.v, good to prime. )7<&2ft\: fair 
to good. !5®17r.; all styles, poor to fair, 12(2,160.; 
Rolls, western, good to prime. 1&&20C.; fair to good, 
naiflc.; poor, 14®Hie 
OtiEKHE. -Tho export movement has been very 
fair, and operated against I he rather freer receipts. 
Choice factories have been Bold at 15Vail6Vc., aud 
there l* a good deal of cnuhdenco umong holders. 
The medium grades have shown n little more Ircely 
in the supply and have been taken promptly. This 
class of stock especially wanted at prices well up to 
the higher grades, The receipt# include several Jots 
from Canada, on direct shipment abroad. 
Fancy factory at 15A@l6Vc. lor fancy colored, 
16Iso. fur fancy white; good and prime, lt(.al.'»c.; 
Mate farm dairy, fancy 11>(<al4Vc.: good to prime, 
13 &U 0 ,: Western factory, funoy. 14M@14MC; good 
and prime, 13®Hc.; factory. State and skims. &®10c. 
The demands of Hungary aud Aus¬ 
tria regarding tho constitution of the Board ot 
Directors of the bank are Irreconcilable, the for¬ 
mer demanding equal representation, while Aus¬ 
tria demanded nearly two-thirds of the number 
of directors. Negotiations, therefore, are broken 
orr. The Hungarian Ministers have left for Peath, 
haring, It la stated, tendered their resignations. 
Even If their resignations are accepted It Is un¬ 
likely that, any other Ministerial combination can 
be made at this time to carry through the Hunga¬ 
rian Parliament the Bank bill projected by the 
Austrian Ministry, while dissolution would make 
matters worse instead of better. 
Rata used to abound In Paris before the siege, 
but now no complaints about them are heard. 
They ware oaten away. 
A piece of Gobelins tapestry has Just been sold 
in Paris for the fabulous sum of $ 20 , 000 . 
A Btatue is to be erected at Lons-lo-Saulnler, In 
Franco, to Rouget de Lisle, tho author and com¬ 
poser of the “ Marseillaise." 
Tho new collecting rage in England Is for book¬ 
plates—crests, arms, and other devices Inserted 
by possessors tn their books. The bookplates of 
celebrities are those most prized. 
To oppose the doings of Protectionists a new 
FreeTrado Union has been opened In Germany, 
with the head office at Berlin and branches at 
Bremen, Stuttgart and Leipslc. 
It Is an old practice In Cambridgeshire, En¬ 
gland, villages to sprinkle with chaff t he door¬ 
step of a house belonging to a man suspected of 
beating hls wife, chair being the result ot thrash¬ 
ing. 
The Austrian Government is fortifying various 
points In the Italian Tyrol, and forts, in addition, 
arc to bo constructed near Mattarello, in the val¬ 
ley ot the Adige; also near Vergtne and Verzano. 
Russian papers announce the destruction by fire 
ot t he superb historic scat of Count Hlnsky stet- 
oky, in Valhynla, a province contiguous to Aus¬ 
tria and Poland. It contained rich furniture of 
the time of Catherine II. and Paul I., splendid 
paintings and frescoes, a library and chapel, and 
the grand style of life there gave a maintenance 
to the people of half a dozen villages. 
The large xmsumptiou or spirits in Sweden Is 
proved by the fact t hat, with a populotionof only 
about4,000,000, the revenue derives nearly 14 , 000 ,- 
000 crowns from the tax on home-made spirits. 
Denmark, with a population of about 2 , 000 , 000 , 
only derives about 4,000,000, 
The great town of Nottingham, England, is es¬ 
tablishing a sewage farm, and the waters of the 
Trent will no longer be polluted. New York 
casts into the sea millions of dollars which might 
make of wastes, a garden. 
The Royal State coach In which Queen Victoria 
went to the Houses of Parliament the other day 
has Just had a complete overhauling and beenre- 
gllt. It was constructed In 1761. The builder was 
Sir Thomas Chambers, and the paintings were 
executed by Cipriani. It Is richly ornamented 
with laurel and carved work, the whole being 
elaborately gilt. The lengt h of the body is 24 feet 
It Is 8 feet s Inches wide, and 12 feet high. 
Prof. Nordenskyold, the Hwedlsh Arctic ex¬ 
plorer, has Informed. Dr. Petermann of hls Inten¬ 
tion ol starting, early In the spring, on a new voy¬ 
age of exploration to the Arctic regions north si 
Siberia ; the return journey will be round Asia aud 
through the Suez Canal. 
The Italian government has In contemplation 
the erection of an observatory for meteorological 
and astronomical investigation upon the summit 
of Ml. Etna, which will be placed In communica¬ 
tion with the University ot Catania. 
TRANSPOSITIONS 
1. Transfose a flower, and leave a mount. 
2 . A flower, and leave to help. 
3. A flower, and leave weeds. 
4. Behead and transpose a flower, and leave a 
woman’s name. 
rw Answer In two weeks. Port Crane. 
PUZZLEB ANSWERS -Feb. 10, 
Illustrated Rebus.— Care to do right, but fear lo 
do evil to thoee around you. 
Historical Enigma.—Ab large oak treea are not the 
most productive of acorns, neither are wealthy men 
the moat liberal. 
Geographical Enigma.—Two beads are better than 
one. 
TO THE LADT READERS OF THE RURAL. 
SPECIAL OFFER 
OF RARE PLANTS AND SEEDS 
Ha vino a few choice plants now growing in 
the Bubal’s Experimental Grounds, which 
we think would be desirable to some of the lady 
readers of the Bubal New-Yorker, we make 
the following offer: 
Those who, in renewing their own subscrip¬ 
tion, send us an additional name (uot already on 
our list) with the sum of $4.90 for the two, may 
select any two of the following-named plants 
and a paper of tbo seed of the Molucca Balm. 
Those who receive these premiums esn divide 
with their friends, or keep them all, as they may 
agree among themselves, as our object in mak¬ 
ing the offer is to induce old subscribers to 
send ub new ones, thereby increasing our list. 
The plants and seeds offered are very choice, as 
will be seen in description given below. The 
plant* will be sent by mail free, and carefully 
packed and forwarded immediately on receipt of 
subscriptions. 
A bullion Boole de Nelge. — The best of the 
Abutiloni. Its flowers ore large and white. It 
bloom* throughout the whole year and therefore U 
alike de* ireble for the conservatory and garden. 
Marie Uemoine. —Among a hundred or more 
varieties of double-flowered Pelargoniums, new aud 
old, this is yet unrivaled. The Individual flower, of 
a delicate rose color, as well aa the truss, are the 
argent of their class. 
Hydrangea panlculnta Grnmliflorn. —80 
much has been said of this new Japanese shrub 
during the past year that little need be added now. 
It begins blooming In early August, continuing until 
after hard frosts. Hardy. 
Variegated Ampelopsi* or TT‘1* heternphvlla 
variegitn.— Wo do not hesitate to pronounce tb * 
one of the most attractive vines in cultivation. The 
leaves are deeply-lobed and variegated with white 
and green. Hardy. 
"They lack tact and 
Enthusiasm.” The requests for prayer number 
About five hundred per day. 
A steam iceboat, constructed by Mr. Mower of 
Areola, Minn., has been doing a good business on 
the St. Croix river this winter. The boat has a 
line cabin for passengers who prefer such warm 
quarters to an open cutter. The boat has an Iron 
wheel filled with spurs, is moved on runners of 
steel, and propelled by steam. 
Rutland, Vt., expects to beeome an Important 
mining centre. One man there thlDks he has 
found coal; another knows where there Is iron, 
and a third has a gold mine on Bald mountain 
which ho stealthily visits at night, carefully con¬ 
cealing Ills tracks. Specimens of tho gold here, 
sent to Boston for essay, are said to be very rich. 
Two boys in San Francisco resolved to become 
robbers of the Claude Duval kind. They began 
by breaking Into a store and stealing $180, with 
which they bought a horse, guns, and a camping 
