eight millions of bushels of corn. As there are four times that number of hogs and pigs in the State, it is quite probable that as much more corn is consumed in wintering these. There are also manufactured in this State about four hundred

The whiskey manufacture probably consumes twelve millions of bushels. It is the distilleries which fix the money price of corn; and if one would learn one of the great frauds devised to perpetuate evil upon earth, let him know that this whiskey is largely used for the manufacture of the falsely called wines, brandies, gins, and other liquors which appear on the tables of hotels, private gentlemen, &c., to feed the vulgar appetites of the "better class," who look with contempt upon the bald whiskey of the laborer. After these great consumers of Indian corn-the hog and the whiskey-maker-we have all the fatted cattle to feed, which will probably consume three millions of bushels more. Then we have the stock cattle and the horses to winter, and the domestic consumption. With all those uses for it, our sixty millions of Indian corn in Ohio is not too much. We have use for the whole of it; and in proof of it, we know that in seasons when the crop is short, the price of corn doubles, and many farmers find themselves short of a supply. Even in this great producing country, and in that abundant article, Indian corn, we have daily evidence that the production is not beyond the demand; but on the contrary, that from year to year the price of this staple article advances, and on the completion of our numerous railroads to markets, it is certain that corn will advance largely in price."

The above estimate of the quantity of Indian corn raised in Ohio, does not differ much from the amount deduced from official documents, published in page 23 of the Review. But we have here an item which excites some very melancholy reflections, and which ought to arouse the people not only of that State, but of the United States, to seek and apply a remedy for what must be considered, on all hands, to be an evil of appalling magnitude. That 12,000,000 bushels of that very valuable grain should be annually wasted in a single State, would, of itself, manifest a great disregard of the favors of Providence. But that this quantity should be not merely wasted, but appropriated to the destruction of morals, and the production of pauperism and crime, constitutes a grievous and criminal perversion of those bounties.

to procure a law, similar in its character and objects to the Maine act, to prohibit the manufacture and sale of distilled liquors, except for use in the arts, and as medicine. We may, however, reflect, that to render any provision of this kind effectual, the concurrence of the other States is essentially necessary. We must likewise remember that laws, however good, require the support of public opinion to render them available; and that public opinion is greatly influenced, if not chiefly moulded, by the practice of the more respectable classes.

MINING-LADDERS AND MAN-MACHINES.

It is scarcely conceivable, except by those who have actually witnessed it, that nearly all our miners descend to and ascend from their work

by ordinary ladders. The fatigue is so enormously great-the waste of flesh, mental energy, and animal spirits so grievous-the danger of serious accidents so imminent that it is quite an opprobrium to the mechanical skill and the practical good sense of our age, that such a system should so long have been maintained. But there is a good agency now at work, from which better things may be expected.

Let us see what is the malady, before discussing the proposed cure. Suppose an elevated spot, four or five times as high as St. Paul's in London, or two or three times as high as Arthur's Seat at Edinburgh; suppose that workmen had to ascend to that spot to their daily work; suppose there to be no means of ascent or descent except by nearly vertical ladders; and suppose the entire ascent and descent to be necessarily included in each man's daily laborthen will our supposition enable us to judge the kind of exertion required from hundreds or perhaps thousands of the Cornish miners. Some of the workings in these mines approach 2000 feet in depth; but these deepest, as well as the shallowest workings, are both reached by ladders. The ladders are in lengths of twenty or thirty feet, and at the bottom of each portion is a resting platform; the whole together thus forming a zigzag from top to bottom of the mine. One reason why so few persons except miners ever descend into mines, is the terrible mode of ascent and descent; but this is a small matter, compared with the interests of the miners themselves. In the Cornwall Polytechnic Society's Second Annual Report, the waste of muscular force is thus strikingly enunciated: - Suppose a man to weigh 160 pounds: in ascending 260 fathoms (the depth twenty years ago of the Consolidated Mines, that are still deeper now) in one hour, which is below the average computation, he exerts a constant force equivalent to that required in raising 4160 pounds one foot in a minute, or rather more than one-eighth of a horsepower; and supposing one-third of this force to be expended in the descent, we come to the result, that one-third of his whole physical strength is exhausted in going to and returning from his work. Taking a fair average of the deep and the shallow mines, it is considered to be not far from the truth, that one-fifth of all the muscular power of the Cornish miners is thus expended. The waste of power is not all; there is the injury to general health, and there is the recurrence of frequent accidents by falling off the ladders.

At various times prizes were offered by the Polytechnic Society, and by individuals, for the best plan of ascending and descending mines; and this produced many useful hints. In the meantime, it was ascertained that the Harz miners had forestalled us in this matter. Some of these mines are 2000 feet deep; and the ascent and descent were wholly by ladders until 1833, when an accident suggested a new method. The pumping apparatus for one of the mines having been rendered unnecessary by the cutting of an adit, the idea occurred to some one of employing the pump-rods in aiding the ascent of the miners. The rods were of wood, seven inches by six, strengthened by iron. A portion of 100 fathoms was first tried; this was divided into twenty-two portions, and in each portion iron steps were fixed, at intervals of four feet: there were also handholds fixed at convenient distances. A reciprocating motion of about four feet was given to each rod; and the miners stepped to and fro from a bracket or ledge on one rod to the parallel one on the other. As one rod is always descending while the other ascends, and vice versa, it is easy to see how this alternate stepping on to the little platforms would lead to the ascent or descent of the miner. At the division between each two of the twenty-two portions there was a larger platform, on which the miner might rest awhile. This first attempt proved so acceptable to the men, they availed themselves of it so eagerly, that a new machine was made in another of the mines in 1836, and a third in 1838. In these machines, wood and wire-rope were combined in an ingenious way. Every oneowners, engineers, miners seems to be highly satisfied with these contrivances, one of which descends to the vast depth of 2070 feet.

Mr. Tregelles, a civil engineer, prepared, at the request of the Polytechnic Society, plans of this Harz machinery, suggested a few improvements, and made estimates of the probable exHe showed how 10,000 miners, by

adopting the machine, might save £39,000 per annum, in the value of time alone, after paying every expense of constructing and working the machinery, and without reckoning anything for the avoidance of the waste of muscular power and injury to general health. After many plans had been suggested, and the inventors rewarded, the owners of Tresavean Mine announced their willingness to make use of one of the forms of apparatus to a depth of 24 fathoms, and to extend it to the entire depth of 280 fathoms (1680 feet), if successful. The expense for the whole depth was estimated at £1670. The Society agreed to give £300 towards the expense of the first hundred fathoms, and £200 towards that of the second, after a trial of two months. The mine owners accepted the offer, and set to work. By the beginning of 1842, they had carried the work to the depth of 26 fathoms; and Sir Charles Lemon, and other amateur miners, descended and ascended, much to the satisfaction of all concerned. The works wont on so well, that this first English man-machine was considered to be better even than those of the Harz. It took a long time to complete them; but by the autumn of 1843 they reached the very bottom, or near it, of the mine. The committee's report for that year is highly interesting; and Sir Charles Lemon, as chairman, said: "460 working-miners daily bless the Society which projected this scheme, the adventurers who achieved it, and the engineer whose skill has rendered the experiment safe and successful. I hold in my hand a paper of very extraordinary interest: it is a memorial presented to this Society, expressing on the part of 391 workingminers of Tresavean-whose signatures are affixed-their gratitude for the exertions of the Society to relieve them from their hitherto distressing and dangerous toil." Sir Charles then read a simple, grateful letter from the miners. Then came an announcement which struck a commercial chord at once: the miners saved so much time and so much strength by the use of the machine, that they found themselves able to take the work on lower terms than before-thus directly benefiting the company without injuring themselves.

This apparatus resembles in principle that used at the Harz, but is more efficient in details. With the aid of the Society, the United Mines Company put up a similar apparatus in 1845. The apparatus cost £2000; but the engineer of the mine estimated that it would all be paid in two or three years, in the saving of men's time alone. This agent, Captain Francis, said in a report to the Society: "the relief afforded to the miners by this machinery can scarcely be estimated; and can only be fully appreciated by those who, after having nearly their whole strength and spirits exhausted by working for eight hours, and even longer in some instances, in an atmosphere varying in temperature from 95

it and hand labor, we have only seen the drawings contained in the patent, and examined the pair of shoes made by it, to which we refer. It seldom happens that any new machine, invented to perform totally new operations, is perfect, or any thing like it, but generally it embraces a principal feature, which, when secured by patent, prevents those who may make future improvements, from using them without the consent of the original patentee. We understand that the patent rights for all the States except New York, Pennsylvania, and New England, are yet for sale, but cannot tell anything about the price of rights; such information can no doubt be obtained by letter addressed to Mr. Norfolk, the owner of the patent. - Scientific American.

BOOKS.

In former times a kind of reed was used to write upon. That reed was called papyrus. It is from this name that we speak of our paper. In former times, also, they wrote upon the leaves of trees; it is from this cause that we talk of the leaves of a book.

The Romans call a book liber. This word made us call a room where books are kept, a library.

In those old times, when skins were written upon, they were rolled up. This roll was called volumen. This old word has been kept up by us as near as may be. We call a single book a

volume.

The inner bark of trees was used for writing upon. The people who lived in England many hundred years ago used to write upon the bark of the beech tree; they called this bark boc. We have not changed the word much; we still talk of a book.

MY SISTERS IN HEAVEN.

"He shall gather the lambs in His arms, and carry them in His bosom." ISAIAH, XI. 2.

Once they were little pilgrims here,
But they are angels now;

Their eye once glistened with a tear,
But now around their brow

Their Saviour binds a crown of light,
With jewels by his smile made bright.

I think I see them as of yore,

So full of life and health,

When each within her sweet heart bore
A treasury of wealth;

Such wealth as kind affections bless
The heart of love and gentleness.

The one, within her dark eye, hid
Thoughts which her God had given;
In every thing she said or did
There was a touch of Heaven,
And yet she loved the things below,
As streamlets where God's mercies flow.

And there was one for whom her soul
Ran over with sweet love;

And often from her play she stole,
And, like a little dove,
Would nestle in his aged breast,
And there would feel her spirit blest!

It was her grandsire; he was old,
And she a bud of spring;
But her affections were not cold,
Nor his a worthless thing:
So they were bound, in lovely yoke,
Like woodbine round an aged oak.

We never knew what words they said,
Thus banded, side by side,

But thought was o'er her features spread,
So calm and sanctified,
I fancy that the aged told

The lamb, of pastures and a fold.

I fancy, in a low, kind tone,
He told her of that breast

On which might lean the little one,
When he should be at rest;

He knew not that the lamb would go
While yet the aged stayed below!

My other sister-she was one,
On whose sweet azure eye,
The light of summer skies had shone,
And left their purest dye,
And, but for passing shades of earth,
Her beauty spoke of seraph birth.

Thus, thus they were; and when we laid
Their coffins side by side,
For what we loved no grave we made
Their bodies only died-

Bright spirits now around the throne,
Sweet sisters, ye are still our own!

I even think I love you more

Than when ye played with me;

Your tears are dried, your sorrows o'er,

From all but joy set free!

And you love us, e'en more, above,
In presence of a God of love.

AUNT JANE'S VERSES.

SUMMARY OF NEWS.

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. -The Steamship Africa, with Liverpool dates to the 10th ult., arrived at New York on the 22d.

ENGLAND.-The Board of Trade returns for the month ending 8th mo. 5th, have been published, and exhibit an increase of £1,405,918, in the value of exports, compared with the corresponding period of 1852, the increase being largely in articles of Australian consumption.

A trial of reaping machines had been made at Stirling. The first prize was awarded to Bell's, and the second to McCormick's, against twentyone competitors.

FRANCE. The peculiar position of the grain trade yet occupies the chief share of public attention. On the one hand it was asserted that the interference of government had caused numerous importers to resell their purchases, and to countermand their orders in America; on the other hand, the Moniteur contradicts that the government is disposed to make purchases of corn. Far from opposing the course of commerce, (says that journal) the government interferes only to assist it by general and equitable measures which secure its liberty and the security of its operations, and which promote the importation of grain and its distribution throughout the country.

A decree has been published, ordering that all French or foreign vessels loaded wholly with grain, breadstuffs, rice, potatoes, or dried vegetables, shall pass on all the rivers and canals free from all navigation dues from this date, to the 31st of 12th month

next.

ITALY. A secret convertion of French and Sardinians of the retrograde party was recently held at Paris to devise means for carrying on a secret war against the Piedmontese government. It was resolved to endeavor to foment discord among the representatives and people, with the view of gaining, in the election of 1854, a majority either of the extreme Radicals or the Retrograde party, either of which results would be fatal to the liberties of Piedmont.

A number of journals are secured to the plot, and the active aid of the ultra Montane Clergy is confidently counted on.

Great excitement prevailed throughout the Roman States, and several riots had taken place, ostensibly in consequence of the high price of

food.

PRUSSIA. The Prussian Board of Agriculture has published a circular stating that there is no foundation whatever for apprehensions of a scarcity of

corn.

RUSSIA. Viennaletters state that the cholera was making great inroads in Russia, especially in the southern provinces, where large bodies of troops were stationed. It had also made its appearance at various points of the frontiers of Eastern Gal

licia.

Several rich gold placers have been discovered on the banks of the river Sena between the mouths of the Vitime and Olekma.

GREECE. Further details are given of the recent earthquake at Thebes.

The town, or rather village, was built partly of stone houses, which were all new, and partly of old houses of wood and bricks. All were more or

less injured, the former having been completely shaken to pieces, and the latter having been rendered uninhabitable. Eleven persons were killed, and eighteen were rescued from the fallen ruins. The survivors were encamped in the open air, and were suffering from want of water, the earthquake having dried up the wells. Seventeen vil

lages, in the vicinity of Thebes, as far as Platea, had partially suffered, and one or two houses fell at Chalkis. The shocks continued for some days, one to three shocks within the twenty-four hours. TURKEY.-The Turkish government had received no reply from the Emperor of Russia, to its modification of the note from the four Powers. Mili

tary preparations were still going on, on both

sides.

MADEIRA.-Late accounts from Madeira state that the grape crop is entirely destroyed by a blight which had appeared on the whole island.

CALIFORNIA. The Steamship Northern Light, from San Juan de Nicaragua, arrived at New York on the 25th ult., bringing San Francisco

dates to the 1st of last month.

The shipments of gold for the present year show an excess for the eight months over the corres

ponding period of last year of nearly $10,250,000. The mines generally were doing well. Immigrants from China and across the plains were arriving in great numbers.

Large shipments of quicksilver have been made to China.

Nearly half the town of Sonora has been destroyed by fire. It commenced at Barnum's hotel, and swept down the whole north part of the main street, including the business portion of the city. The buildings being frame, the loss was but $40,000-uninsured.

The town of Kelsey's Diggings, in El Dorado county, was burned down on the night of the 25th

of 8th month-loss $90,000.

The journeymen bricklayers have struck for an increase of wages from $10 to $12 per day, and have obtained it. The hod carriers struck successfully for $6.

A vast number of buildings, mostly brick and fire proof, are going up in San Francisco. Of these buildings two will cost more than $200,000 each, and nine will cost more than $75,000 each. The total capital invested in buildings now going up, is not less than $2,500,000.

By the exhibit of the City Assessors the total value of taxable property is $28,802,000: $10,000,000 of increase over last year's valuation.

The Council has passed an ordinance to permit a magnetic telegraph ph to be erected from the Merchant's Exchange to Larkin street, for the purpose of reporting vessels.

A combination against the whites, had been formed by the different tribes of Indians on the Klamath, Shasta, Smith and Rogue rivers. A body of them, three hundred strong, have established their head quarters at a point called Table Rock, about eight miles from Jacksonville, and said to be one of the most impregnable fortresses in the territory. Twenty persons had been killed and twelve houses burned by these Indians. Gen. Lane, at the head of a body of volunteers, had proceeded to the scene of these disturbances, immediately on being informed of the outbreak.

Advices from China had been received to sixth

month, 21st. Important successes have attended

the movements of the insurgents. who are stationed in force at Nanking and Amoy. Canton is menaced and the greatest apprehension exists in the imperial city. It is also stated that the rebels had commenced their march for Fuh-Chan, where a desperate struggle was anticipated, there being 60,000 Tartar troops in that city, one-third of the inhabitants within the walls being also Tartars.

DOMESTIC. The yellow fever at New Orleans continues to decrease, but it rages fearfully at Grand Gulf, Port Gibson, Vicksburg and other places.

The new railroad from Norristown to Downingtown, where it connects with the Columbia railroad, was opened on the 22d ult.

Letters from the exploring party of Gov. Stevens, at Fort Union, at the mouth of the Yellow Stone river, dated August 2d, have been received. The party had passed over 725 miles of the proposed northern route for the Pacific railroad, and the results obtained have proved eminently satisfactory. Gov. Stevens has expressed very decidedly his opinion that this route has so many advantages above all others, that its early completion has ceased to be doubtful.