MAUCH CHUNK.

THE MARINER'S COMPASS-THE BENEVOLENT QUAKER.

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erection of houses and business establishments, | extensive improvement, and ere long become a in the anticipation of the future. The houses flourishing and populous business town. and shops have all been constructed to accommodate the circumstances of a laboring community, and with less regard to taste and elegance than convenience and economy. With the exception of the Company's offices and store, and the hotel, which are plain but spacious stone buildings, they are generally small, having two rooms on a floor, and two stories high. Some of them are plaistered or stuccoed on the outside, which gives them a very uniform and neat ap-but its tendency to point towards the north and

pearance.

THE MARINER'S COMPASS. It is somewhat uncertain at what precise period this noble discovery was made; but it appears pretty evident, that the Mariner's compass was not commonly used in navigation before the year 1420, or only a few years before the invention of Printing. The loadstone, in all ages, was known to have the property of attracting iron; south seem to have been unnoticed till the beThe town now contains about one hundred and ginning of the twelfth century. About that time fifty dwellings and shops of every description, some curious persons seems to have amused and supports a resident population of one thou- themselves by making to swim, in a basin of sand inhabitants. It has a place of public wor- water, a loadstone suspended to a piece of cork; ship, four elementary schools, two of which are and to have remarked, that, when left at liberty, taught by males and two by females; a resident one of its extremities pointed to the north. They physician, a post office, a printing office, two had also remarked, that, when a piece of iron is stores and one tavern. There are four daily ar- rubbed against the loadstone, it acquires also the rivals and departures of the mail by stages-one property of turning towards the north, and of from the city of Philadelphia, and three from dif- attracting needles and filings of iron. From one ferent parts of the country. In addition to the experiment to another, they proceeded to lay a usual trades prosecuted in country towns and needle, touched with the magnet, on two small villages, this place supports an iron foundry, a bits of straw floating on the water, and to observe manufactory of rail way cars and other cast and that the needle invariably turned its point wrought iron machinery, and a cast steel axe towards the north. The first use they seem to manufactory; and affords employment to about have made of these experiments, was, to impose one hundred and fifty boat builders, sawyers and upon simple people by the appearance of magic. , carpenters. The whole number of men employ. For example, a hollow swan, or the figure of a ed in the various branches of the coal trade of mermaid, was made to swim in a basin of water, Mauch Chunk at the present time, is from six to and to follow a knife with a bit of bread upon its seven hundred. point which had been previously rubbed upon the loadstone. The experimentor convinced them of his power, by commanding, in this way, a needle layed on the surface of the water, to turn its point from the north to the east, or in any other direction. But some geniuses, of more sublime or reflective powers of mind, seizing upon these hints, at last applied these experiments to the wants of navigation, and constructed an instrument by the help of which the mariner can now direct his course to distant lands through the pathless ocean.

The dependencies of the Company's establishment include the village at the great coal quarry or Summit Hill, and the village of Nesquihoning, in the valley of the same name, near the coal mines recently opened at Room Run, and from which a rail-road four miles in length, terminating on the Lehigh at Mauch Chunk, has been completed. These dependencies give employment to about three hundred men, principally miners, which together with their families, will constitute an aggregate population of two thousand souls for Mauch Chunk and its branches.

The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company have at length, by a steady perseverance in their hazardous enterprise for more than fourteen years, and at an expenditure of two millions and a half of dollars, brought to a conclusion their magnificent scheme of improvement, and are now prepared to meet with a supply of coal the increasing demands of the market. With their accustomed liberality, they have thrown open to public enterprise so much of their property as the public are likely to be interested in, and have recently effected sales to individuals, of several water powers along the line of canal, and of a large proportion of the town plot of Mauch Chunk, improvements upon which, at private cost, and for private purposes, have been commenced and are being prosecuted with great spirit and activity.

Viewing the various advantages which this place presents for individual enterprise as well as combined capital, and looking to the rapid increase of the coal trade, little doubt can be entertained that it will shortly exhibit a scene of

THE BENEVOLENT QUAKER.-Doctor P. a Quaker of Philadelphia, is very kind to the poor. In times of sickness, produced by whatever cause, he is always ready and willing to assist them. His benevolence, in such cases, extends farther than bis gratuitous services as a Physician. Of course he is beloved.

Our streets are frequently somewhat crowded with building materials-so much so as often, at particular places, to prevent two vehicles from passing each other, if the driver of either is disposed to be obstinate.

As the Doctor was one day proceeding to visit a patient, his progress was impeded by a draythe driver of which had stopped his horse in one of those narrow passages. After waiting several minutes, the Doctor requested the drayman to allow him to pass. The latter, who had heard of, but did not know the former, poured forth a volley of the vilest abuse upon the "straight coat," and swore he would not move till he thought proper.

"Well, friend," said the Doctor," all I have to observe is this: If thee should get sick, or if

SNAKE STORY-POPPING THE QUESTION,

INTERESTING SNAKE STORY.

A writer in Silliman's Scientific Journal gives an account of an interesting experiment made upon the body of a large Rattle-snake a few years since in the northern part of the State of Ohio were Rattle-snakes are said to be very large and numerous.

The experiment which we are about to relate, was made about thirty years ago by Judge Woodruff in order to test the accuracy of a prevaling notion among the people that the leaves of the Whiteash were highly offensive to the rattle-snake, and that this horrid reptile was never found on land where the white-ash grows. It is the uniform practice among the hunters who traverse the forest in summer, to stuff their boots and shoes and pockets with white-ash leaves for the purpose of securing themselves against the bite of the rattle-snake; and it is said that no person was ever bitten who had resorted to this precaution. The account given by Judge Woodruff mentions that he was one of a small party who went to the Mahoning river for the purpose of hunting deer. The party took their station upon an elevated spot, fifteen or twenty yards from the water's edge. Here the men watched for their wished for game about an hour, but instead of a harmless and beautiful deer, they saw a large rattle-snake which had crawled out from among the rocks beneath the men and was slowly making his way across a narrow, smooth sand beach towards the river. Upon hearing the voice of the men the snake halted and lay stretched out with his head near the water. It was determined to try the effect of the ash leaves. Accordingly search was made, and a small white-ash sapling, eight or ten feet long, was procured, and with a view to make the experiment more satisfactory, another sapling of sugar maple was cut. In order to prevent the snake's retreat to his den, the Judge approached him in the rear, and when he had advanced within about eight feet of him, the snake coiled up his body, elevated his head several inches, brandished his tongue and thus signified his readiness for battle. The Judge then presented the white-ash wand, placing the leaves upon the snake. The snake instantly dropped his head upon the ground, unfolded his coil, rolled over upon his back, twitched and twisted his whole body into every form but that of a coil, and gave signs of being in great agony. The white-ash was then laid by, upon which the snake immediately placed himself into a coil and assumed the attitude of defence as before. The sugar maple stick was next used. The snake darted forward in a twinkling, thrust his head into the leaves, "with all the malice of the under fiends," and the next moment coiled and lanced again' darting his whole length at each effort with the swiftness of an arrow. After repeating this several times, says the Judge, I again changed his fare; and presented him the white-ash. He immediately doused his peak, stretched himself out on his back; and writhed his whole body in the same manner as at the first application. It was then proposed to try what effect might be produced upon his temper and courage by a little flogging with the white-ash, This was administered. But instead of arousing him to resentment, it proved only to increase his troubles. As the flogging grew more severe, the snake frequently struck his head into the sand as far as he could thrust it, seeming desirous to bore his way into the earth and rid himself of his unwelcome visitors.

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Even though she love you with the whole of her little heart,
she possesses a flow of spirit and a woman's ready knack of
preserving appearances; and though her bosom may heave
responsive to your stammering tale, she will lure you on
with kind complacent looks, until you have told your
"pitiful story," and then laugh in your face for your pains.
It is not this either that I meant to express. Men are
not cowards, because they see distinctly the danger that
lies before them. When a person has sufficient to appre
ciate its full extent, he has in general either self-possession
enough to back out of the scrape, or, if it is inevitable to
march with due resignation to his fate. In like manner, it
is not that poor Pillgarlick, the lover, has a clear notion
[persons in his situation are rarely troubled with clear
notions] of what awaits him, but he feels a kind of choking
about the neck of his heart, a hang-dog inclination to go
backwards instead of forwards; a check, a sudden stop, in
all his functions. He knows not how to look, or what to
say. His fine plan, arranged with so much happy enthu-
siasm, when sitting alone in his arm-chair, after a good
dinner, and two or three glasses of wine, in the uncertain
glimmering of twilight, with his feet upon the fender,
proves quite impracticable. Either it has escaped his
memory altogether, or the conversation by which he
hoped to lead the fair one from different topics to thoughts
of a tenderer completion, and thus, by fine degrees, [he
watching all the time how she was affected, in order to
be sure of his strength, before he makes the plunge,] to in-
sinuate his confession, just at the moment that he knows
it will be well received.

The desperate struggles and flounderings by which some endeavour to get out of their embarrassment are amusing enough. We remember to have been much delighted the first time we heard the history of the wooing of a noble lord, now no more, narrated. His lordship was a man of talents and enterprise, of stainless pedigree, and a fair rent-roll, but the verriest slave of bashfulness. Like all timid and quiet men, he was very susceptible and very constant, as long as he was in the habit of seeing the object of his affectious daily. He chanced, at the beginning of an Edinburgh winter, to lose his heart to Miss, and as their families were in habits of intimacy, he had frequent opportunities of meeting with her. He gazed and sighed incessantly-a very Dumbiedikes, but that he had a larger allowance of brain; he followed her everywhere, he felt jealous, uncomfortable, savage, if she looked even civilly at another; and yet, notwithstanding his stoutest resolutions-notwithstanding the encouragement afforded him by the lady, a woman of sense, who saw what his lordship would be at, esteemed his character, was superior to girlish affectation, and made every advance consistent with womanly delicacy-the winter was fast fading into spring, and he had not yet got his mouth opened. Mamma at last lost all patience, and one day, when his lordship was taking his usual lounge in the drawing room, silent, or uttering an occasional monosyllable, the good lady abruptly left the room, and locked the pair in alone. When his lordship, on assaying to take his leave, discovered the predicament in which he stood, a desperate fit of sat bending most asresolution seized him. Misssiduously over her needle, a deep blush on her cheek. His lordship advanced towards her, but losing heart by the way, passed in silence to the other end of the room. Being now convinced that the experiment was a satis- He returned to the charge, but again without effect. At factory one, and fairly conducted on both sides, we deem-last, nerving himself like one about to spring a powdered it ungenerous by taking his life after he had contributed so much to gratify our curiosity; so we took our leave of the rattle-snake, with feelings as friendly at least as those with which we commenced our acquaintance with him, and left him to return at leisure to his den.

POPPING THE QUESTION.

There is no more delicate step in life than the operation designated by the elegant phrase I have selected for the title of my present lucubration. Much winding and caution, and previous counding is necessary when you have a favor to ask of a great man. It is ten chances to one that he takes it into his head to consider your request exorbitant, and to make this the pretext for shaking off what he naturally considers a cumbersome appendage to his estate a man who has a claim upon his good offices. But this hazard is nothing in comparison with the risk you ran In laying yourself at the mercy of a young gipsey, more fond of fun and frolic than any thing else in life.

mine, he stopped before her "Miss will you marry me?" "With the greatest pleasure, my lord," was the answer, given in a low, somewhat timid, but unfaltering voice, while a deeper crimson suffused the face of the speaker. And a right good wife she made him.

Francis First, having asked Castelan, Bishop of Orleans, whether he was of noble extraction, "Sire," replied he, "Noah had three sons in the ark, I cannot say from which of them I descended."

Among many other evils that attend gaming, are these loss of time, loss of reputation, loss of health, loss of fortune, loss of temper, ruin of families, defrauding of creditors, and what is often the effect of it, the loss of life itself.

A hackney-coachman has constantly cause to complain of the hardness of his lot, for at the best of times his business is at a stand

Written by the Rev. W. B. Collyer....Composed by G. A. Hodson.