SOLAR ECLIPSES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2053, 3 September 1885, Page 3

SOLAR ECLIPSES.

In connection with the eclipse of tho sun to take place on the Uth nut, tho following amusing aiticle appealed m tho New York Times of the 17th of last Maich will bo of interest: — Yestoi day's eclipse was, on tho whole, a creditable anan. That h to say it fulfilled the promises of the astronomers, 'llu mvi wa« not d.ukenud perceptibily, although some 2:14,003 noses weie tn.it ked with lampblack. The chickens did not go to ino»t on the trees in the City Hall PaikatL'pm, and nobody c\pie*sed the opinion that the world was coming to an end. On the other hand, the eclipse was distinctly w<ib!e thiottgh smoked gla^R, and the moon, disguised as a lu-eb.xll, ciossed the sun's disc promptly at the hour fived. The decline of eclipses is one of tho features of modem astronomy. In foiuier years total eclipses weie quite common, but they are never produced at the present tune e\c3pt in localities where there is nobody to look at them Occasionally an almanac announces that on such a date there will be a tot il eclijs^ of the sun ; but it always adds, " visible only at Finn/ Josof Land and at Mgombw-a, on the w ist shore of Like Tanganyika. ' There was a time when the total eclipses of the sun weie produced in localities where theie were people to observe them. They were eclipses worthy of the name, too. The sun was ob-c.ued to Mich an evteut that not only chickens, but young men abo'it town, and othei htill more stupid animals, imagined that night had suddenly arrived. Intliegieat total eclipse produced before tho Kinpei<>r Nero Koine became so duk th it hundreds of people went to tho thoatie, and thousands of men made what they ffiiicit d w ere evening calls on ladies of their acquaint ante. No Roman aslroiiomei would lia\e ventured t«> announce an eclipse "visible in Michigan only," foi the average Roman Kmperoi would hi\e held such an announcement to he a personal insult, and would have promptly thrown the astrononiei to the lions. When Columbus found that a total ctlipse would be useful in persuading the Tndims of Jnmuci to supply his cicw with thecelebiated nun of the island he did no inform them that m clothe nun was not produced theie would bo a total eclipse «>f tha him visible in Russia, America, and the southern part of Arizona, only. He told them that the eclipse would take place right in front of the leading distillery, which was about ten rods from the whaif where his ship was lying, and the eclipse did t.ike place precisely there, with the anticipated effect of sending the l«cal chickens to most and an e\pre«s wagon full of ke(?s of rum down to the ship. What has been the cause of the disappearance of total eclipses from the inhabited regions of the globe the astronomers have not told us. It does not follow that it is their fault, though, of couise, suspicion will bo directed toward them. As for the small and incomplete eclipses which we do have they are of no piactic.il value and exert no beneficial influences upon chickens After all, total cclip-trs aie not \eiy beautiful or interesting snecticlfs, and the world can get along without them wry easily.

Nk.koi.s rßhnonrs \Ti\(i — Tim rapid pi ogress of the blacks towards immune il supiemacy in the United States is beginning to atti let anxious attention ('-ays the St Janus' (i.i/utte) "-oine startling tigmes btamtg on the subject were given !>y the Re\. Di All in, Sec.etny of the Fieedim n's Aid Society, in the Piesb}tenan Geneial Asaembh at Cincinnati, on the 25th of May, Twenty yeais ago, heobseived nt the close of the war, theie were in the Southern States 3,947,000 colouied pcnjile, and now theie aie moie than 7,000,000 Then theie woe in Mississippi 220,000 negioes; now (i;>0,000 Then they weie in South Carolina 400,000; now moie than 000,000. Fne hundred coloured babies aieborn in the United States e\eiy day. The coloured population of the United States doubles csery 20 ye,us ; the white population only once in 33 yeais. Eight yeais will not hate passed before the negroes will be in a numeiical mnjouty in some of the soutlx m states At the piesent rate of incuaae in l»8.") there will be 92,000,000 white people in the United States and 192 000.000 coloured people. The clay, in Dr Allan's opinion, isnotfar distant when it will hi a physical impossibility to discontinue the piesent practical dis fraiichiscment of flic coloured man in the Southern .States. In South Carolina he has bought and paid for no less than 270,0 0 acits of land, which he ctilti \ates. In the South he pajs tixes on !)l.(.00,000.lol w oi th of propei ty. He is editing, printing and publishing IOIJ newspipeis, and yet of the 7,000,000 caloured people of the country moie than 6,000,000 cannot read or write. (i m.l \nt Dkfknci: of a Fi.ac. — Otta wn, 111 , June 19th —The associated Press despatch saying that there has been found in the War Depaitment at Washington a bloodstained, battle worn flag, of which the authotities know nothing except that it is marked with the name of the Fifty third Illinois Infantry w hid) was reel in tod at Ottawa, and was in a great measuie composed of men fiom this country. On July 3th, ISG3, the Fifty-third mo\ed with General Sherman's army against Jackson. On the 12th the legiment was engaged, with the Thud lowa and the Twenty eighth and Forty fust Illinois, m the battle of Jackson. Tl-e Fifty-thiul paiticipated in the gallant but disastious charge of that day, going into the fight with 200 men and coming out with sixty, Col. Earl fell pierced by four bullets. Licut.-Col. MeClanahau was geveily wounded. Capt. Michael Leahy and Lieut George W. Hempstreet were killed, and Capt. J. E. Hudson mortally wounded. Capts. Potter and King weie wounded, Lieut. Smith lost an arm and was taken prisoner, and Capt. Lodge was cnptuied. Lieut. Ornn Bull was wounded. The entire loss was eighty-eight killed and wounded and foity-six missing. The colour guard ot eight men was anninilated. George C. Poundstone was the colour sergeant. The flag was liddled, the shaft broken by the h'eice storm of shot, shell, and canister. At last to sa\e tho colors he was obliged to tear them from the staff. He received a canister shot in the thigh, but he stuffed tho flag in the breast of his coat. Then came a bullet through the left eye, and Pondstone lay upon the field drenching the colours of the legi.nent with his life's blood. He was found on the field by tho Confederates and removed to a house at Jackson. When they abandoned Jackson he was found with Captain Bailey Smith, who«e aim had been shot on", but could walk around. He died at Vicksburg on July 23rd, and his remains weie brought home I hey now repose in the Poundstone family cemetry, a few miles south of this city. The Poundhtone family is one of the oldest and best-known m the country, and the news about the Oat? is leceived by them with much excitement. The sur vi\ors of the legiment residing lure will take steps immediately to h.ne the flag brought here.— New Yoik Sun. MrJ S Hiirkl.md will sell .it the Cambridge Y itds on 'Ihiirsd.iy next, dairy cow\, fat and store rattle, sheep, lie. On the Saturdaj follow ing, at the Cambridge Horse B.i/.iar, he will submit a largo number of horses of various clas'es, timber w.ijjffon. saddlery, etc.; and al the Niraruawahia Yards on Friday, October Oth, he will submit a number of cattle, sheep and ; horse*