cattle, swine, squirrels. Birds, Deer &c., The ice in the western waters and down the whole length of the Mississippi, go beyond all former years. The deep snow of the fourteenth and fifteenth of January 1831-caused good sleighing till the middle of February-The present sleighing lasted till the end of February also-and began the fourth and fifth of January-of course the longest snow.

The Year 1856—Annus Mirabilis.—This year has been wonderful -as stated in the "Evening Bulletin"-The last Winter so co'd; this summer so hot and dry.-So many terrible calamities-of Ocean -Flood and Land:-Such accidents of Steamers and Railroads-A year of the terrible and effective.

"Who Reads an American Book?"

This sneer uttered in England a few years ago, is now well answered in the annexed article-as stated in 1856 at Crystal Palace, New York.

“BOOK PUBLISHING IN THIS COUNTRY.-The Secretary of the Book l'ublishers' Association, in his valuable address at the Crystal Palace, said: Let it be remembered that the aggregate number of the new books first manufactured in a single year is not less than two millions four hundred thousand. Putting aside school books, Bibles. and society publications, the number of volumes printed and reprinted. will reach eight millions! The school-books alone will swell the number twelve millions more. The number of volumes issued yearly from the gigantic establishment of the Messrs. Harper alone, has been estimated at more than a million of volumes; and the Philadelphia house of Lippincott, sends forth books at an average of fifty cases per day, the year round. And consider, besides, the enormous bulk of reading matter issued by our 200 periodicals, and 2,000 newspapers! Think of the 18,000 double or 36,000 single reams of paper required yearly for a single magazine, which courses over the country. unprecedented in cheapness and attraction, at the rate of 150,000 per month. The wildest imagining at home or abroad, twenty years ago, would not have stretched so far as this. Why sir, the sheets from our -book-presses alone, in a single year would reach nearly twice round the globe, and if we add the periodicals and newspapers, the issue of our presses in about eighteen months, would make a belt, two feet wide, printed on both sides, which would stretch from New York to the moon!""

VARIETY OF PASSING BRIEF FACTS. VIZ:

News Papers at one cent a piece, were a wonder for cheapness, when first out.

It is new to use professional singers in churches

It is still newer to sing responses while kneeling, as in the ten commandments.

The use of Cloroform in painful surgical operations, is new and assisting wonderfully.

Dentists are arriving at great improvements in "saving and preserving teeth.

Private penny posts, for delivery of letters in the city, and express carriages for carrying heavy parcels about the cities, and omnibuses for carrying people at small charges, are all new enterprises and succeed. The vending of clothing for gentlemen, ready made, is a new enterprise.

Dispepsia and Spinal Diseases.-Dispepsia in men, and spinal diseases in women, are new forms of diseases, coming in, as a consequence of luxurious and indulgent living.

Boquets, (flowers) at Parties-is new-so also Boquets, on the Centre tables,The tables themselves, are also new-Suppers to such parties, is also new.

Slate roofs, is now a beginning affair-because Cedar shingles come so high now.

-Cedar Posts, too, are becoming so high as to induce the use of Iron posts.

Building brick houses, in the City, in Winter-is a new enterprise, to save time.

Envelopes for Letters.-It is new to put letters under an envelope -It is a useless adjunct and will destroy the evidence of Post marks to letters. The courts will some day complain of this.

We are invaded with new rules and new forms by Fashion's invisible Agent.-Who knows who first imposes the cuts of our dresses!

Use of Granite and Iron posterns.-The use of Granite and Iron posterns and pedestals to house fronts, is new.

The cutting of our garments, as now, is an entirely new device, and capital, too.

The planeing, jointing and grooving of boards, by Steam power, is wholly new.

Great signs to houses and some elevated upon roofs for displayand signs to read perpendicularly-and the formation of new forms of Sign letters-is all a new contrivance. So also, is various imitations of grained wood-such as oak, maple, mahogany &c.,-they were all began first in New York and then followed here.

It is new to cover houses with plaster, in imitation of marblebrown stone and yellow &c.,

It is new to cover roofs of houses with zinc, tin, and slate.

The numerous wholesale Silk stores, exclusively of silk and ribbons from France, is new. So too, the importations from France of cloths and cassimers, is new-also French boots.

Eating houses and Refectories is new among us,-especially oyster houses.

Paving foot ways, with flag stones-is a new affair-adopted from New York, when they had not good bricks.--The paving the streets with blocks of wood and blocks of stone-for carriage ways is new.

Ship Launching Now.-They have now changed the way of launching ships-They now slide them off without the use of a girdle of wedges-by heavy hammers-That was a means far more interesting to hearers and spectators, than now.

The Pegging of Shoes and Boots, is a modern affair-so also of turning lasts-The wood pegging was the invention of Joseph Walker, now alive, at Hopkinton Massachusetts. He lives to see the trade of that State in shoes and boots, equal to eighteen millions of dollars! Steeples-wherever built, were universally white, so as best to be seen furthest and among trees.-Lately has come up a new conceit, of having them brown and chocolate--Aheu!

Carriers. It is a modern thing to send home parcels from the stores, for purchasers,-and equally new for Butchers to send home meats purchased.-Men and women took home their own marketing; and many boys of good families, went with wheel-barrows, and stopt near the markets till filled-One remembers well, many young ladies of good families, who used to do all the marketing-Stores did not formerly have porters to cary parcels, and make fires, and sweep, &c.,-That was always done by the apprentice merchant. Boys are far prouder now, than they used to be, and more dressed in business.

The only known Gibbet Left.-The only known gibbet now in the United States-of the olden time remains, is now kept as a relic, at the Moyamensing Prison.

Samuel Breck's Letter.-He describes our poverty, and our depression of spirit, at the conclusion of the War of the Revolution -and shows how wonderfully, all things revived and flourished, by the adoption of the Federal Constitution.--A charter which some proud and angry men are now disposed to annul and destroy! Read it-Read it! in the "North American," of the eleventh of February, 1851.

Mild Winter of 1850-51.-The Past Winter-of 1850-51, is one to be remembered for its mildness-The mean temperature of February-has been (though usually one degree the coldest in winter) 41 degrees, which is eleven degrees above the common mean averagevery litlle of snow and very littic of frost has been seen-At this time, (March 1,) vegetation is one month ahead of ordinary seasons.

Appendix.

Flags of the Revolution. There are now at Alexandria, Virginia -The Hessian Flag, captured at Trenton dated 1775, of embroidered silk-Also the Flag of the seventh Regiment, surrendered at York Town-Also the Flag of Washington's Body guard-is of silk and has the motto "Conquer or die."

66

Macpherson's Blues."-This corps of infantry originated in 1794, at this time I am furnished with a copy of the Roll of names, being four hundred and twenty-nine in all.-I joined the same corps. a minor, in 1798-9-and now I see that all are gone, to be no niore, except seventeen persons, now "oldest inhabitants."

Henry Gideon, the last of Washington's Life Guard.-He died at New York, on the fifteenth of March, aged one hundred and one years he was laid out in state, at the City Hall. He is the same person, whom I formerly knew in Arch street. Philadelphia-above fifth street-He was called, as I remember, Washington's trumpeter -He had a fine-looking daughter.

Segars.--Men of the present age, seeing the immense use of segars, might think they were always so used; but not so--They began with the fever of 1793-and were first used, along the streets, to keep off the yellow fever.

Improvement of Street Paving.-In August, 1852-I wrote a letter to the City Commissioners-offering for the public good, my suggestion for an easy means of making the pebble pavements, more enduring-It was simply to underlay with cheap, rough, flat stoneWith such underneath, the pebbles could not sink as now, and form wheel routs,--For a beginning trial, let them only underlay the usual wheel routs, and prove them-afterwards underlay the whole crown -leaving the side alone, as least used.—

General Thomas Harrison, the Regicide-I saw lately his portrait, in possession of Doctor Charles Willing of Philadelphia-It is a fine cavalier face and dress-with pointed heard and moustache-a face of about forty years-His three sons, Samuel, Benjamin and Joseph, came to this country at the earliest settlement-Samuel settled at Gloucester-New Jersey-and has left descendants there, known to me-Joseph was killed by a horse, at Crosswicks, New Jersey.-They have also an old Pear tree on the farm-brought out at first coming, and still alive and bearing fruit. Benjamin settled in Virginia—and was the progneitor of General Harrison, President of the United States.

Swedes on the Isle of Kent.-I came to the knowledge of the fact that there were Swedes settled on this Island as early as 1653.— Among them was Swan Swanson, Andrew Hanson and Valerious Leo, who appear named there in 1655-Swanson had his grant from Queen Christina, for Wiccoca at Philadelphia, 1653.

The Year 1854, "A Year of Terror."-In this year it has been estimated as losses, to wit: Property destroyed by fires, twentyfive millions of dollars-with one hundred and seventy-one lives lost thereby-one hundred and ninety-eight Rail-road accidents, caused

the death of 186 persons, and wounded five hundred and eighty-nine; forty-eight steam boats sunk or burned, killing five bundred and eighty-five and wounding two hundred and twenty-five. There were eighty-two murders and eighty-four executions-Add to all this loss of life and property by ship wrecks,--by burning of Ocean steamers, pestilence in many places, would constitute a vast amount of the horrible, for this eventful year.

Undertakers for Funerals.-This is wholly a modern affair-It was formerly the case, that long trains of Friends-male and female, walked in procession-It seemed more solemn than now-and when the coffin was accompanied by pall and pall-bearers for respectable funerals, it was more dignified and imposing-It was a kind of willing homage of friends,-who thereby signified a willing respect and regard to the deceased.

"God Willing."-This was once of universal declaration, in announcing forth-coming sermons to be preached at given placesNow it is almost as universally discontinued and ministers come, and go, without any such rest on contingencies-No cause has been published for the change, from Nisi Dominus frustra.

Shipments of Specie, abroad.-The Jeremiads, so repeatedly given in our public journals-of the amount of the last shipments of Specie abroad, is a very queer affair.— as being, as alleged, a matter to concern me and every man-Why should I or they lament over this, if it was not our money!--How would we individually suffer by it-Or even the nation itself—if it was not our own?

Recent Discoveries.-In 1807, the first effective Steam boat was by Fulton-now there are more than four hundred in our rivers and lakes. In 1825 the first rail-road was put in acceptable operationNow there are over twenty thousand miles of them in the United States, at an outlay for building of three hundred millions of dollars. In 1845, the Electric Telegraph was started successfully. In 1839, Daguerre, showed his invention of printing from sunbeams-Since then we have Gun cotton and chloroform working their wonders. Look, too, at Hoe's admirable printing press productions, turning off twenty thousand copies in an hour.-Gas, which was only made known in 1809, is now lighting up our streets and halls, every where -How all these things, manifest the operations of our truly fast and progressive age-Who can sufficiently appreciate the coming future?

City Police. What a change is there wrought also, in having now eight hundred policemen to hang and lounge about the great Town, to be ready to suppress outbreaks, and to preserve the peace of the city!-What a change, since a few constables, could answer equally well. The fire men too, of the present day, so much more numerous, and so much given themselves, to outbreaks and violence -So different in men and morals, from the grave, substantial householders, of the earlier Fire companies-"What a falling off was there!"