p. 269 | Untitled article

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, October 8, 1867

News and Miscellany.

Can ye not discern the Signs of the Times? Matt. xvi, 3.

—A terrific hail storm recently passed over the city of Philadelphia, lasting only a few moments, but breaking thousands of panes of glass, and stripping the trees of their foliage.

—The Sabbath is no longer to be a source of trouble to the conscientious followers of Moses. The Rabbins have pronounced absolution in the name of politics. It is announced to be the decision in high rabbinical circles in Germany, that the religion of the Jews does not prevent a voter casting his ballot on Saturday.

—A Paris letter states that the French Minister of War, on dismissing the troops encamped at Chalons, made use of the following significant words: “Messieurs, you have been studying the theory of war; you will soon study its practice.”

Heavy Safe Robbery in Nebraska.—St. Louis, Oct. 2. The safe of the Merchants’ Union Express Company at Brownsville, Nebraska, was robbed last night of about $15,000. There is no clue to the robbers. One package of $2,400 was dropped by the robbers and secured.

Bonds Stolen.—Providence, Oct. 2. Twenty-two thousand dollars worth of bonds were adroitly abstracted from the Cashier’s desk of the First National Bank to-day.

Blue Plague.—A contagious malady has appeared among the emigrants at New York City, called the blue plague. The disease broke out on the emigrant ship Illinois, and has thus far proved fatal in more than half who are attacked.

The Crow Indians.—St. Louis, October 2. The Crow Indians refuse to meet the peace commissioners at Laramie in November.

Brutal Prize Fight near Portsmouth, N. H.—Portsmouth, N. H., October 2. The prize fight between Rockey Moore, of New York, and George Rooke, of Providence, for $1000 a side, came off this morning on Smutty Nose Island, one of the Isles of Shoals, and was a desperate affair. Moore won the fight in 24 rounds, lasting one hour.

France.—London, Sept. 30, Evening. It is reported on the Continent that Napoleon has addressed a note to the sovereigns of the South German States on the subject of their relations with Prussia, and that in this note the French Emperor, after calmly discussing the last circular of the Prussian Cabinet, urging German unity, asks the Southern potentates to pledge themselves not to pass the Maine and immerse their countries in the new Confederation of the North.

Italy.—Florence, Sept. 30. Garibaldi has refused to give the Italian government his parole not to engage in hostilities against the Papal States.

Great Britain.—London, Sept. 30. The Pan-Anglican Synod has adopted and issued an address condemning Rationalism, Popery and Mariolatry, and seeking to promote unity in the church.

Papers Sustained by the Blacks.—“The Elevator,” San Francisco, California; circulation, twenty-three hundred copies; edited by a colored man. “The Pacific Appeal,” published by colored men. “The New Orleans Tribune,” a daily and weekly; each issue about ten thousand copies; managed and edited by colored men. “The True Communicator,” Baltimore; George T. Cook (colored), editor; published until a few months since; suspended at present, but is to be issued again. “The Zion’s Standard and Weekly Review,” New York City; circulation, four thousand copies; colored people do all the literary and mechanical work; William Howard Day (colored), editor. “The Christian Recorder,” Philadelphia, published by the Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal church; circulation, five thousand copies; Rev. James Lynch (colored), editor. “The People’s Journal,” Brooklyn, N. Y.; circulation, two thousand copies; edited and printed by a colored man; and “The Freedmen’s Torchlight,” a monthly paper, both published by the “African Civilization Society.” “The Colored Citizen,” Cincinnati, O.; circulation, two thousand, four hundred copies; under entire control of colored men.

A New Religion.—A London paper says a singular course of lectures has just been brought to a close—nothing less than the formal inauguration of a new religion! The new religion is that of Positivism, founded a few years ago by Auguste Comte; and the lecturer was Mr. Richard Congreve, long known as a fervent follower of Comte and believer in his religion, although he has only now taken steps to found a church, with a building and regular services. Mr. Congreve has announced, that a church will shortly be built, and regular services instituted for promoting the new creed, which is to regenerate humanity. With them, no other philosophy or explanation of the universe is possible, except such as can be got through science, by observation and experiment; but the majority stop short of Mr. Congreve’s doctrine, which was also Comte’s own, that the religion of the Future must consist of these scientific truths alone, and the practice of the moral precepts thence derived.

Across the Sierra Nevadas.—The great tunnel of the Central Pacific railroad at the summit of Sierra Nevada range is opened. The track is being laid on the eastern slope, a locomotive is already running in the Truckee valley, and in a few days the road will have reached the open country of the Salt Lake basin, after which the progress will be rapid and easy. This overcomes the only noticeable obstacle on the western portion of the through line; and its significance is understood when we are told that the cost and difficulty of grading the 150 miles now completed, is greater than for the 650 miles next following. The Chief Engineer expects to average a mile a day across the interior valley next year. The local traffic on the completed portion surpasses all previous estimate, and is lucrative without the immense through business which we may expect to flow over it.

Shipments of Wheat and Flour from San Francisco—Bank Business.—San Francisco, October 2. The wheat shipments for the quarter ending September 13th, were 1,492,444 sacks, valued at over $2,750,000. A fleet of 685 vessels, 54 of which left Europe since January 1st, have carried over 3,500,000 sacks of wheat, valued at $6,750,000. The number of flour shipments for the same period were 436,547 barrels, valued at over $2,500,000. Twenty-four vessels are now chartered and loading with wheat, 14 of which are from England. The annual report of the cashier of the Bank of California, shows transactions for the year amounting to over $62,000,000.

DR. HALL assails the idea that men rest by doing nothing. He says the only healthful rest, as long as our physical and mental condition remain as it is, is to be busy. Men of force and industry will everywhere tell you, “It is the hardest thing in the world to do nothing.” The true object of rest is recuperation, and that is best brought about as to the body, by exercising a different set of muscles; and as to the brain, by calling into requisition a different set of organs or powers, causing the mind to act upon new objects.

Impending Financial Crisis in France.—New York, October 2. The Commercial Advertiser says: Among some foreign bankers there is some apprehension that embarrassments may occur in continental money markets, from the critical condition of the Credit Mobilier, of Paris. The latest mail advices represent that it was doubtful whether the Mobilier would effect the proposed loan with the bank of France, owing to the indisposition of directors to give their own personal security, as they had in the first instance proposed. It is considered impossible that the institution should stand without. Support from the bank of France is asked for, and in the event of its failure the financial disaster, not only in Paris, but in Italy and Germany, must be very severe.

Napoleon’s New Gun.—The following is the most explicit account of the new weapon, said to have been invented by Louis Napoleon, which we have met with in our foreign files. It is taken from a Toulouse paper:

“The trial of the new small cannon, the most terrible arm yet invented, continues at Meudon. None know their mechanism, except the artillery officers, who direct the experiments. Cannon, carriages and ammunition are brought in leather valises, and the trials take place behind a screen of planks. All that can be known is that at two thousand five hundred metres these arms send a perfect hail of balls against a target two metres high and one broad. At that distance the balls pierce an iron plate two centimetres thick. Each cannon can fire twenty shots in a minute, and two men suffice for the transport of the arm, the carriage, the ammunition, &c. Lately these guns were tried against a clump of trees at fifteen hundred metres (nearly an English mile). The trees were mowed down in a few minutes, like a cornfield by a steam mowing machine.

“It is frightful. Five or six men armed with such an engine could destroy a whole regiment in a few minutes.”

The Execution of Maximilian.—Tudos, Maximilian’s body servant, and the priest who attended him in his last moments, give the following description of the tragedy, which no doubt is the authentic one. We omit the preliminary proceedings, as described by the narrators, excepting only the facts that there were five men detailed to shoot each prisoner—one to act as a reserve; that they stood five paces distant, and that the condemned stood three feet apart from each other.

“His Majesty placed his hand on his breast to show the soldiers where to fire, and opened his arms to receive the shots. The signal was given and the four men fired. The Emperor looked upward and fell slowly in a sitting position. He was struck by all four balls, by three in the lower part of his waistcoat on the left side, and by one high up on the right. He moved his eyes and arm, and looked toward Tudos, who had been standing only three paces from him, as if he wished to speak, but he was not able to articulate. One of the priests sprinkled him with holy water. The man held in reserve then came up and gave him the fifth ball, but it only went through the lungs on the right side. The muzzle of the gun was so close that the waistcoat took fire and Tudos had to pour water on it to put out the flame. The Emperor in his agony pulled at the waistcoat as if to open it, and tore it at the fifth button hole from the bottom. He continued moving, so another soldier was brought up, but his rifle missed fire. Gen. Diaz came up on horseback and told them to make haste and finish; again a soldier came up and pulled, and again did the piece miss fire. There were no more men ready with their arms loaded, and some moments were lost in finding one. At last one was brought who stepped up close and fired, and this time the shot went through the Emperor’s heart, and put an end to his sufferings. He gave a convulsive start, gasped, and fell back dead. His dress had again caught fire, and Tudos had to extinguish it with water. The Emperor must have lived about two minutes after he received the first fire.

“Four cargadores then brought a rough kind of coffin, too short for the body, which was pushed in with the legs hanging over the edge, and in that manner it was carried back to Queretaro, unaccompanied by any officials; it was followed, however, by a great number of poor Indians, weeping loudly. Every drop of blood which fell on the ground was quickly wiped up by the handkerchiefs of these poor people. Mejia did not die till after the Emperor; it took seven balls to kill him. Miraimon was the only one of the three who died immediately. All three were fired at all the same time. It was his Majesty’s particular wish that, in case they were condemned, they should all be executed together.”