| Show A SKYE AND tim THE LIFE 1 in IT sitting in it the inn I 1 began to remember me how frequently I 1 hid had heard in the south of the destitution of the tikye k people eople and the discomfort of the skye sky helut hut during my wanderings I 1 had the 0 opportunity tf bf visiting several of then these thel tte tie dwellings and seeing how matters adre vere transacted within lyn andly speak ing the highland hut but is not a model edifice it is open to wind and almost always pervious to rain rain an ali old bottomless to herring nerring firkin stuck in thereof the roof usually serves for nor chimney but the blue peat reek disdains that aperture and steams wilfully through the door and the crannies in the walls and roof the interior is seldom well lighted what light there is proceeding rather from the orange glow of the peat fire lire on which a large larie pot is simmering t than from the tho narrow pane with its it 8 great bottle green bullseye bulls eye the rafters which support the roof are black and glossy with soot as you can call notice by sudden flashes of firelight the sleeping accommodation is limited and the beds are eor cor composed posed of heather or ferns the floor is the tile beaten earth the furniture is scanty there is hardly ever a chair stools and stones worn smooth sillo otil by the usage of several genera generations tiona to do instead one portion of the hut is not frequently nn a byre and the breath of the cow is mixed with the odour adour of peat reek and the aaa of the ealr call mingles with the lings 0 and swift ift e ejaculations jacu lations of the infant high landers landera in such a hut as this there are sometimes three generations the mother stands knitting outside the children are scrambling oil on the floor with the terrier and the poultry and a ray of cloudy sunshine from the thel narrow larrow pane smites the silver hairs of the grandfather near the fire who is mending fishing 0 nets against the return of his hi S sonin son in law from the south am I 1 inclined to lift my hands in horror at witnessing such a dwelling certainly not I 1 have only given iven one side of the picture P leture the hut but I 1 speak sneak of nestles beneath a rock on the top of which dances the ash tree and the fhe birch the emerald mosses on its roof are softer nuu man the me velvets velvety of kings twenty yards down that path you will find a well that needs no ice in the dog days at a little distance from rod rocky Y shelf to shelf trips a mountain burn with abundance of trout in the brown pools at the distance of a mile is the sea which ia is not allowed to ebb and vain for in the smoke there is a fishes drying and on the floor a curly headed urchin of three years or thereby is is i pomme pom meling ling the ter terrier rier with the scarlet claw ofa lobster THe thought 0 0 too when I 1 entered I 1 saw beside the ie door a heap he ap of oysters oyster s hells shells within it the hut there is good food if a little scant at times without there ia is pure water play exercise work that the people are healthy you may see from their strong frames brown faces and the tile age to which many attain that they are happy and lighthearted the shouts of laughter that ring round brouna the peat nire lire of an in evening may be taken as sufficient evidences evide eviden be cel eel ceI i I 1 protest I 1 cannot become pathetic over the highland hut I 1 have sat in these dwellings dwell inis amide the surg ings of blue smoke and received hospitable welcome and found anion anlon amongst st the inmates good sense industry family affection contentment piety happiness and nv when contentment en I 1 have heard philanthropists with more zeal than discretion maintain that these dwellings are a disgrace Z to the country countr y in t which they are found I 1 have thought of districts of great cities which I 1 have seen within the ashund of the rich mans chariot wheels within hearing of multitudinous sabbath bells of evil s of windows stuffed ditl rags of female faces that look outon out on you as out of inferno Dant dantes els effaces of men con gainin tile the debris of the entire deca decalogue loue faces which hurt you more than a blow would of infants poisoned with gin gln in of children bred for the prison and the hulks depend ulon upon it there are worse odors than peat smoke worse next door neighbors than a cow or a brood of coultry poultry and although a couple of girls ris rig dra dragging aging a harrow be hardly 1 in i n accordance accor danel danoY with oui our modern notions s yet we neet need a not forget that there is worse employment for girls than even that I 1 do not stand up for the highland hut but in one of these smoky cabins I 1 would a thousand fold rather Q my days than in the of edinburgh or in one of the streets that radiate from seven dials 11 alexander sta smith ial RAILWAYS IN RUSSIA the nord yord contains an enticing description io n of the ral rai railway iwa carriages carria 1 es now running t on the T moscow and st petersburg line it appears that for the trifling addition of two roubles coubles to the usual fare travellers trav ellers are received in brilliantly brill antly lighted salons around which luxurious s sofas saas and armchairs invite the weary to repose while perusing the latest periodicals and newest novels which are scattered on the tables of if this salon ambulant when the hour of retiring arrives th the calet valet de do chambre conducts the gentlemen passengers to the previous to their being hown their sleeping apartments while smart femmes de chambre point out to the lady tra tri travellers dwellers trav lw ellers eilers their bedrooms bea bed and boudoirs bou doirs fitted up tip as the advertisement says with every modern luxury including baths ac SINGULAR electrical PHENOMENA pie L IN THE HUMAN BODY FOLLOWING LIGHTNING STROKE 31 boudin recently sen senta tira tita note to the french acad semy jemy of sciences showing a powerful electric action in the bodies of persons recently struck by lightning based on two observations which he related the first was the case of a man who june 30 1854 was killed by a stroke of h lightning linning near the garden of plants at paris baris and nd whose body remained for some time exposed to a heavy rain after the storm two soldiers wishing to rals rai esthe sethe body received each a violent shock at the moment when they touch edit ed it 4 1 I 1 in the e second case two artillerists char charged ad with raising two electric tele raph pests posts which had been thrown down own sept 8 1858 by a storm at zara in dalmatia having two hours after the storm was over taken hold hoid of the telegraph wire felt at first slight shocks and then were suddenly thrown nn down both had their hands burnt one of them indeed iid ild lid did not return to consciousness ness the other in attempting to raise himself fell back again immediately mille oil on touching with his elbow one of his comrades who had been draw drawn H i by his bis cries to his assistance this last j man also thrown down in it pis ais his turn received various injuries ot of a nervous character I 1 and his arm showed a burn on the skin where he had been touched melancholy FINANCIAL rao rio x OF SPAIN not only the tile opposition sl press but kut several jo journals urnald a affected tr e eted to tiie tile the party in power concur in depicting depleting lepic ting the present financial condition of the country in very veny sombre colors color it is stated that in mercantile circles inh luH in adrid madrid no security is acceptable I 1 no signature inspires confidence dien men of business who have embarked the greater part of their capital in various commercial enterprises cannot obtain the accommodation they require even to maintain their positions much less enlarge their operations tile tiie epoca represents the condition of the provinces evinces as equally unfortunate the warehouses in the ports are filled with merchandise that finds no buyers even at very reduced prices while the cen tres of production are similarly gl glutted butted with articles of first necessity that cannot be disposed of in the large towns of the peninsula on account of the existing in system of heavy duties which besides places an insuperable obstacle e to the development of spanish agriculture Z i DL the long iong french war as two old ladies in stranraer Stran raer were going to the kirk hirk the one said to the other was it no a wonder wonderful fu thing thattie Bree tish were aye victorious ower the french in battle not a bit said the other lady dinna ye ken the Bree Brec tish aye before galin battle battie the ot other er replied but canna the french khy iby say say their thein the ir prayers as a well swell the TI 1 e reply was most characteristic hoot hoo t bodies wha could understand them EVERY house in japan seemed to be overrun with children eh ildren lidren in in some of which I 1 counted ten terr or a dozen and all of about the same size the birds in a nest pest the chickens in a coop the frogs in in a pond fond ond are not more compact and crowned crowded than these human dee bce beehives hives seem to be and I 1 may add or more mor e happy the average number of the inmates of aeh each ach liou house se in japan is estimated at between thirty and forty they eat but little meat except fish which abound in these batero waters both in the bays and in the sea and are easily procured as well as fine A gentle gentie gentleman maii mali told me that he believed believe 1 from his most careful observation not above one in fifty of the people ever eat cat any other animal food magon mason rason 3 ragon fagon 11 a swiss naturalist ila iia has s invests investigated ga ted and confirmed the statement that small fish have been I 1 found in algerian artesian wells two hundred feet deep these fish belong to the carp ane species e c les ies they are healthy and have nine fine large and perfect eyes subterranean fish are usually blanp blind on account of the uselessness of eyes to such creatures |
