VARIETIES. 
563 
Drake,  with  the  understanding  that  he  should  gather  the  oil  at  his  own 
expense  and  pay  them  12£  cents  a  gallon  for  it.  His  lease  extended  for  15 
years,  with  full  privilege  of  working  it  at  hia  own  option.  In  May  last,  he 
commenced  looking  for  salt,  and  after  sinking  a  shaft  71  feet,  on  the  first 
of  last  month,  he  struck  a  fissure  through  which  he  was  boring,  and  the 
discovery  of  the  subterranean  spring  of  oil  was  the  result.  The  yield  per 
day,  up  to  the  period  of  the  recent  fire,  had  increased  from  400  to  1600 
gallons.  The  tract  of  land  on  which  this  spring  is  located  was  once  pur- 
chased for  a  cow,  and  previously  it  had  been  sold  at  the  treasurer's  sale  for 
taxes.  Now,  it  is  believed,  100,000  dollars  would  not  purchase  one  acre 
of  it. 
The  substance  known  here  as  Seneca  oil,  exudes  from  the  rocks,  or  floats 
on  the  surface  of  springs,  in  various  parts  of  the  world.  The  name  of 
Seneca  oil  was  derived  from  the  Seneca  Indians,  a  tribe  famous  in  the  con- 
federacy known  as  the  Six  Nations.  The  oil  in  this  county  was  dis- 
covered and  used  by  this  tribe.  A  similar  oil  is  found  in  abundance  at 
Amiano,  in  Italy  ;  Birmah,  on  the  borders  of  the  Caspian  Sea  ;  on  the 
West  India  Islands  ;  along  the  shore  of  the  Kanawha,  Virginia  ;  in  Ken- 
tucky ;  near  Seneca  Lake,  New  York  ;  in  western  Pennsylvania,  generally  ; 
and  in  great  abundance  in  Venango  county.  The  wells  of  Birmah 
yield  400,000  hogsheads  annually.  Its  uses  are  almost  endless.  As  a 
medicine,  it  is  used  both  externally  and  internally  ;  is  regarded  as  an  ex- 
cellent stimulating  embrocation  in  chilblains,  chronic  rheumatism,  affec- 
tions of  the  joints,  paralysis,  and  kindred  complaints.  It  is  an  ingredient 
in  the  celebrated  British  oil.  It  is  also  used  for  making  an  excellent  lamp 
oil,  known  as  Carbon  oil,  and  is  considered  among  machinists  as  the  best 
lubricator  extant. —  Client.  News,  Jan.  28,  1860,  from  Scientific  American. 
Autumn  on  the  Thames. — No  gardens  of  ancient  or  modern  times  can 
compare  with  the  Royal  Botanic  Gardens  at  Kew  for  the  innumerable 
variety  and  number  of  foreign  plants,  rare  and  majestic  native  trees  and 
exotic  ferns,  thriving  in  health  and  marvellous  beauty  within  its  ample 
domain.  To  the  young  artist  and  artificial  florist  desirous  of  making  pro- 
gress in  their  calling,  the  months  of  September  and  October  offer  a  favor- 
able opportunity  for  the  study  of  foliage  in  all  its  endless  variety  of  form, 
size,  and  hue  ;  the  lover  of  nature,  too,  in  one  of  her  most  beautiful  aspects, 
and  the  admirer  of  gorgeous  coloring,  may  also,  at  this  season  of  the  year, 
enjoy  a  treat  of  the  very  highest  order,  as  the  old  and  new  arboretums, 
the  pinetum,  and  many  of  the  conservatories  are  brilliant  with  a  thousand 
exquisite  tints,  the  whole  forming  a  series  of  sylvan  pictures,  rich  with 
excess  of  beauty,  forcibly  reminding  visitors  of  the  departing  glories  of 
ancient  Sherwood  and  the  grandeur  and  magnificence  of  American 
primeval  forest  scenery  during  the  fall  of  the  leaf,  or  Indian  summer, 
of  that  vast  continent.  Standing  on  the  western  terrace  of  the  great 
tropical  Palm-house,  gilded  by  the  setting  sunbeams  of  a  fine  autumnal 
cloudless  sky,  the  matchless  view,  embracing  the  whole  of  the  extensive 
