Grey Highlands Public Library Digital Collections

Flesherton Advance, 25 Mar 1897, p. 5

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â- ^ >i^ <^ MARIQUITTA, Yeis, It waa tbe houfie at the corner, •ad 1 pa.ssc(l U uvery cUiy ; its iunuites became (auUutr lu mo, ooid I became known t« tluMu. Father, luofber, dauifhiter and mm, tboru they aat on iho flaA roof in tbe fresh evenings of the Ijulian cold weuthiT; there, too, thoy loiLDtsed on nullry suiuiuer ni^shlD to catch a brt-ath of air. 1 did not know their name, but I knew that they were UuruiiajiH ; I did not even Icnow to what social grade they belonged, but I knew that I was not likely ever to uiecit them in any .society I mi|;ht frequent. I wa« not anxious to meet them or to develop any per.sunal ac- quaintance with them, but they had become familiar objects to my view, raU it Bcumed to be part of my every- day life to nee them sitting there on the roof. One day X noticed a distur- bamoe at the corner bouse. A vehicle of turture, otherwise known aa an In- dian cabâ€" that is prone to rattle its unfortunate inmates to atoms long be- fof« its destination be reaciutdâ€" stood at the door. Two boxes aoid a bag seemed to compose the luggage of tbe nAw arrival ; no 'board-ship chair, nolh- WK to suggest a sea voyage ; no, 1 olea-rly decided it was not the mail that biTought thin addition to the inhabi- tants of the comer bouse. The person, whoever it wafl, had entered before 1 patjoed, and only tJio luggage was wait- ing patiently outside. I had the cur- ioisitor to glance at the lal>els, and saw th«jr were marked "M. U." My friends did noit appear quite so often on the roof, now, and they were never accompanied by 4 be stranger. It was the gay time of tbe year, and the feistivitios were numeroua. 1 ha<l a young friend staying with me at tbe time, and for his sake i determined to bireak through my lonely habits that I might .show him some of tbe gayety of our tows. 'I^hiere was a "mad ball," as the natives term our fancy dress dancer, at the town hall, and fur the sake of my friend, I took tickets and we went. The evening, for the time of year, was unuouiUly warm, and all window.s and doors were thrown widely open. The ruum looked charming in its decorations, and as my young com- panion seemed to enjoy himself I felt •alisfied, iktuutering out on one of the verandas I sat down |)«ui>''>fully to en- Joy the strains of subdued music that leaciiod me in tbe balmy air. The ver- anda was dark that i uould not see the faces of two people who were sil- ting in the opposite corner. Hut 1 could not help overhearing a few words of their conversation. " '^low do you like being hi-re?" I wan aJuujtrt staxtlud to recognize tliiB voii'« of my yo< ug friend. ''Ob. 1 like it very much ; it is a great ctuinge," answered a girl's voice. As they pus.sed me I could see that her fancy drosa was a copy of. a Gro- oian rolMt, and tbut it was entirely while. Bind 1 heard my friend .say: "1 have not neeu you for months." I reluraod tu tbe ball-room and watolu^d the dancers. Then i became awart' tlinl my frieixl woisapproociiing me, and thut his tlreciiin partner was atill with him. This time I saw her face; It was very beautiful â€" her com- plexion pale, but not .sallow. Her face aulte<l her fancy drejt.s, for it was purely classical. Iler eye.s were lartje and 4ark, her hair wa.s <if a deep brown and louNcly coiled at the back of bor hood in a Gre<'iiin knot. "Let me in- troduce you," ho said, "to Miss Goii^ >alo." With a .stately little bow she turne<l to mu, and wo were .soon engag- ed in conversation. My friend bad left us, and allhou4;h I no longer dance, 1 had asked her to ho my [wirtner. J^he had not lieen in town long, she guiil ; slu^ cujne from up country, wlu^re she had first m<-t my compiuiion. "No, I do not rinieiiilHjr lutving .seen you at (Idvcrnnient Mouse the other evening," 1 said. Htm: ilid not reply, hut played with th« tassel of bi'r penlum. . l^ier on I said, "lUve you visited our small picture exhiliilion yel (" "VM,"«bu un-swenul, her fiu'e light- •nlrig up. "I iini very foml of plc- ;tur>'s; my fnlher was an artist," I noticed tluit she .spoke in the past teose; ba woe dead, then. "\i)ii arc lieie with your motlierf" I HUggivtted. "I am an oir))han," .she said quickly; "I ant hero wuh friends". Here my frlen4l came up t«» claim ber (or a dance. Later on in the evening 1 ntfain foun<l myself alone on the venindn, a clear Judmn sky aliovu me, and my thoughts m an Knglish home. My young friend came up to me. "They are playing the last dunce," ho soid'; "let as uo home." "By all m<-«ns," 1 gladly rejoined. "Have you enjoyed your evenint^C "I'mtty well. Whjit do you Hunk of â- Iari<iuitta (j<jaizalo?" "rih<^ is very hjindsome and duiriuing. ^ Ja she Kjiultsh?" "Her father was a Kiianish morchantj ' ' Mid painter, and left her a very largo ;, fortune." "You have known her some time, I hear*" "tiogjii Jnonrths. I nm glad you ad- mln! hor. 1 riwilly like the Kirl, iiiid lw>r foiluoe is worthy of old Indian tlrueis." 1 WW) not |)Pf>i>ttre(l for this. "And â- o you are gouig to make mo the wil- ne.sA of an enga^^ement, X sujipuse t" I said, with a emilo. "Not Hk»Jy," i^ answenwl. with a flw;;;,! tnnt aomeiliow struck me un-' ~|i1easMillv, "O. well, I odily thought from what you said " "No, no; not for me," he rejoined; "they are all very well to talk to; per- Juuxs, yoti may aay, to flirt withâ€" I da .'iiot nay no; hut marry a woman withi â€" wellâ€" dork blood In ber ancestryâ€" ne'ver I" i tu^anl a slighlt noise and turning saw Mari<iuilta Ciuu^talo in the door- way. The next minute who was gone. "She heard," I faltered. "Well, well, it cannot' be hielped," an- swered my companion, and turned to depuxt. My friend left the next day ; a con- straint seeme*! to have fallen upon us. • • • • • • • It was a cool, pleasant evening when I stopped my carriage at the corner bouse I knew so we,i, It was not the usual calling hour, but the one at which I tiiought my friends were most likely to- be found ossemlLed. It was some time before I discovered a man who luoked as if be might belong to the nluce, as he sat reuiimg, and, seeuiing- ly, by no means inclined to understand me. When, at last, ho appeared to have grasped tlie situation, he took my card and vanl^ied into the house. Another man appeared, a very untidy man, whose wouid-be white clothes looked somewliat ashamed of themselves. He led me up a hare staircase to a still Ijorer lanuing-place and from thereinto their ^ay coloring, and certainly not bare. The wa,il8 were covered with brightjy colored prints; all the tables, anil there were many, had brilliant oloths thrown over Ihera, and were lit- tered with bright ornaments, photo- graphs, and, incongruously enough, sigrui of a meaJ in the form of plates tbiit had not yet been o'.eared away. f)t birds there seemed quite a collec- tion, hut, like the furniture, they seem- ed chiefly to have been selected for they gay coiloring, and cergainly not for their me'!o<lii>ua voices. Some mom- ents elapsed before "the mother" en- tered. I knew her wed from my ob- servations of the family as they sat on the roof. Over a loose wrapper she tuid tlirown a bright criiii;son shawl which roade one teel uncomfortably wurm, though, doubtless, it was meant as a reception costume. I asked after Miss Gonzalo, on whom I bud come to call. ^'hereupon the lady called, "Floral" Flora, appearing, bore a great resemblance to her mother, and was also attired in white, but her dress was tidier, and she proved decidedly pretty. "Flora, this gentleman wants to see Mariquitta?" "Yes, she is in," was the reply, and t.he damsel vanished. "Miss Uonzalo is your niece f" I ven- tured. "O, dear, not She is staying with us because we knew her woJ up country before her inoiher died, and we wanted her to see the town and enjoy herself, ao we liave been taking her ulKiut." "I was happy enough to meet her at the fancy dress bQ,ll the other evening." "Ah, well I Bhe did not enjoy that, she was Ul afterwards; hut k lora lik- ed it." Hero we were interru^)ted by the ap- peaj-auce of that young .ady and Mari- quitta herself. The wMitrast between tne two gu,s was very striking; no- body could luive suspected Moi'itiuitta of ancestors darker than Spaniards. She greeted me quiet.y, though, as she first recognized ine a deep f.usb hud mount- ed to her cheek. "X wonder if that man is bringing teat" asked the mother, api>arenl.y of nobody in |>articalur. 1 heg-.in to talk to Mariquitta. and was g.ad when mother and daughter vanislied. oue af- ter the other, evidently in quest of tbe untidy man and the tea. Then Mari- quitta rose and walked to the open door thnl led to th* flat roof X kuewi ao well. "It is hot here." she said. We both stepped oul and sat in low chairs on the rouf. 8he was dressed in a neat, white dress, and wore no orna- ments, save a large, plainly set sapphira at her throat. Iler beauty was ol the finest S|uini8h type. "X am glad of having an opportunity of wiahing you good-hye," she said. "Are you lea^uig us so soon t" "\es I do not thuik 1 like town life, after ull." "XXi ^'ou not find it lonely up coun- try i ,\ou do not live by yourself f" "An old frimd of my mother lives vrith mo. She an<l I have no time to bo lonely, for I like to .see to everything myself, liesidcs I am not always there. X have been to J'luroiie twice since my I>arents died. X went to Spain, hut my father's relatives are all dead." "Miss Gonzalo," 1 said rather al>- ruiiily "your frittnds will return direct- ly, and I have a message to deliver to you." "YesJ" with a questioning glance. "From my fri^iiid; he h:i3 left me; hu wa-s very sorry youâ€" ovi-.rheariL lie was grieved to have hurt you." 1 liKikcd at ln'.r, but withdrew my glance amazed, for tlie quiet girl l)c- sidi> me seemed of a sudden to he in- spired with all the fire and dignity of her father's race. "Grieved to have hurt mel" she re- peated slowly, "tf I had IH-Iieved liisi aid III words, if vvvr i couUl have lie- liesed him, (ho might have hurt me. Hut I kiU'W tl^al ho could not mean siiih proicslal ions tor more than a fi^w- hours. I kiU'W, for 1 had U-arned. Lis*- ten, 1 have had a good cdiu-utioii, and my fiilluT was one of tht' iiio.st refinc<l niit'ii I ever iiiul. I knew long ago thai, 1 was rich, and thought. 1 had advaiit- og'^.s even alMivo other girls. Ah! Imli 1 did not undei-staiiil. My falh<ir nev- er brought me to this town â€" I was l^d- uuated m a convent at honn'. 'I'hen my parents diud, and grailvially 1 In>- gan to undtu'stand. 1 might have «d- \antages, Iki iHlucaled and rttix; liuti th«'r« would evor he one liarrier thai. no man's hand conild raises â€" tlie barrier of pn'judue, of rttc4i. And L do not blaiii|L< Uieiii ; but it us hard sometimi^, and I thought tliero might l>e eice|>- titJIlS." Sb > faltered, deapile the proud curvo of t li/.i li|i, and X felt dimly what juy fri«'nd had won andâ€" las!. 'There are exceptions. Miss Gonzolol" I (exclaimed, I gave her my hand; she prtviwed it lightly, lm( gently shook lu^r head. Rlol her aud (laughter returned; the fatiutr and hrolher, too, appeared, Uilb very dark, both very lalkative. \\'o conver.siMl, we drank tea out of oddly aast^rted cups, anil I hen the untidy man en-orleil me Ihroaiigli the gaudy silting riMiin and Uire landing, down the dark staircasii, imt into the street, with its gayly rolled hojuewaril iHmiid nativesj Before leaving I had turned to Mari- q-uillii. "li(XKl-l>ye," X said. "X hoiw wy mnv meet again." "Good-byi'," :;ba answered.^ • •••••• I still pnw) the house at the corner; an<l l<M>k up at Ihu roof, but I havei U'lver been in.sido of it again. The iiu>- ttier wmieliinieH nods to me from tho top, but they claim no other aciiuain- tanc«'ship. I often reJn6Inl>l^r Mari- c^uitta and Iu<r st range fate ; and thii\k angrily of my friend, whom I have not seen since, and wonderingly of ber â- words, "And I do not itlauiie tbein." But when I recollect the untidy man, th« gaudy roomi, the white-rolwd mo- tbfir, I'' lora, tlie ill-assorted caipa, the objectionable father and brotherâ€" in fat'.t tlu) whole establishment â€" X leave off wondering, and I, too, understand and do not biam>-. But, understand- ing with my hi;ad, there is a feeling whch is still foolish enough to whis- p.jr: "Poor gijrX! poor Mariquittal" OUR INDIAN POPULATION. Aanaal Btport arihe Department for tke Paxt riftcal l>wr. Tbe annual rei>art of the Indian De- portment foor the fiscal year ending June 30, 1896, has been printed. Ac- cording to it there are 100,000 Indians in tbe Dominion, 24,498 being classified as rrc^estants ; 42,45-1 as Roman Catho- lics, and IG,812 as pagans. The religion oif 12,263 is put down as "unknown." In Ontario there »ire 17,603 Indians; in Quebec, 10,626 ; in Rritisb Columbia, 25.- 06S; in Manitcjia, 9,444; in the Terri- tories, 14,679. There are only 340 straggling Indians in the North-West Territories, which speak well for the efforts of the mounted police. The re- patriation of five hundred Canadian In- dians who fled after the rebellion of 1885 to Idontana is noted. The history. oif "Charcoal, " the Indian who was exe- outed on March 12, is thus given: "Char- coal, an Indian of the Blood tribe, al- ways bore a good character, but owing to the improper intimacy on the part of another ISJood Indian with his wife, the"|)cor fellow became maddened with jealtiU.sy and shot the offender. Like the tnue savdge, once having drawn blood, the desire for m<ire became aroused, and under such circumstances white men, if in tbe vicinity, liK-ame the victims. Thus the agent, being the most promin- ent iKT.son, wn« selected but he w~as al)- st-nf when Charc<nl sought- his life. Ila then attempted to kill Mir. McNeill, farminot instruct!?, by shooting him, when SicNeill gott l)etween him and a lighted limp, and an intervening ibject) c^iused ihe bullet toswerve andMc.NciU escape<l withaslight wound. Itecoming desperate. Charcoal threatened to kil\ any one who atteni|>te<i his arrest, and Sergeant Wylde of the pidice, who mado tht- first atteiiupt, was shot dead. The expendit'iue en the Indi.ins oj tho IXuiinion for the year was JHSO,- 50(1, to which heod<t iiirters' expenses are to be added. It, is stated that the sun dunce has becotne alxnost an ex- tinct Indian retrelnony. In British Coilumliii the prodigal "potlatch" fesii- v.il is fiUo l)eing st.-imped out. The "Taimiawas" dance is deecribed as de- grading and disc^sting. The npmber of impil* at the Indian 8cho<ij8 in tbe Dominion wis 9,714. and the average attemlance 5 S7(>. There are fifteen industritl sch'x Is. thirtv-four Ixvirdinrt and 239 day schools. l\ may yet bpcime inoumlient upon the depart- ment to adopt more stringent measures to secure increased attendance. A REAL LIVE DOLL BABY. Wrapped I'pin FlnnarUanil with t'lollilnc nnd til II MrUhH Oalv «; fnanda. Kansas city has tbe honor of lieing the birth pl.ace of what is probably the smallest baby in tbe world. With all of its clothing on and wrapped in a thick flannel l>lanket it only weighs two and a half pounds. Tbe child was born a week ago. The baby, small as it is, seems to lie as healthy and well- developed as tbe noisiest of ten-pound affairs. The infant is the daughter, of Mr. and Mrs. Willis Chandler. They have bad several children ami all have l>een of normal size e.xcept on one occasion, when Mrs. Chandler gave birth lotrip- lets. They averaged a little over four |H>unds each. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Chandler can understand why it is that Ihs child is Ml small when all of the other children, save the triplets, weigh- e<l from eight tn ten pounds. It is a mystery which neither will attempt to explaiu. 'I'here was const eriutt ion in the Chan- dler hiiu.schold on the nglil when Dr. It. K. O'Daji el bromrht this liny young lady into the world. It w.i.s so puny that he did not think such an insig- nificant bit of flesh alid bliKid could pikss'lilv "make a live of it." The Imliy, in a weak, plaintive voice, protested its right to a livinst, and care was taken of it awortlingly. It was fed for three d,-iya on catnip tea, l>ut now it receiv»>aits mother's milk froiii a doll's play spooui, the mouth N>irvg so small that it caiinoi take nourish- ment in the old-fashioned way. Dolls' dotlKw have )h«u hnuKhl. ami a pil- low i.s the cradl". The physician liofeH to bring tbe child up to be as larpe a« nn,v girl wants to lie. The arms and logs are hardly thrw in<'hes long and are alHiut Ihe size of a slate peiu-il. A WtWinKH.FUl, TRICK. Levi ivwl M<««.'s were twin brothers, anid siaue time a«o were invited hy a frieiul tu dinner. Now it was quite im- IKissihlp for Moses not to make "mon- i»h" oul of .stu'b an opportunity; accord- ingly, when he I liought he was unob- s<Nrve<l he .slijmed a silver sp*. ,>n into one of his IhkiIs. lipvi sn.w hiku do Ibis, and wlLM iiulurally "Kreen" with envy at Mt»«vs' succeB.s, fur he had not even muLiiaged to "Iraiisfeir" .â- ai muchi as a sti.it spi»>ii. A brilliant idea of revenge struck liim. "My (ea.i> frerit.s," he Hi».id, "I vill sbumT yoiu now vunderful driivka" i^eiziiig a spcion, ho cried, "You see decs 'ere spinui, my frenl.s? V«\;i it ha.s g<y!iK\" an it pa-wed up his s'eiive; "you will find it in Moeea'iMiotI" They did find one there, much to Moses' disgufit. . ' AS TO GLOVES. The proper kind of a glove is a heavy dogskin, with a tailor-made gown for shopping, white glace four-buttoned kid ones stitched with lilac.k for other day- time ocottaions, and white or light-col- ored suede mousquclaire for evening w»^ur. SOMETHIM AB31ir CRETE HER PEOPLE, HER CITIES, HER FRUITS, AND HER WRONGS. Ber Crand Old M«u, Wbo al W Is Mill HIruiiKlliiu (o Tbruw ofr ibe TurkWb Titkr auil .iniir.v the l»lau<l to <>reeeeâ€" rcrlldy ur tbe niill«u-.%o Krloriu, but Mrpiirulluu From I'urlte), timy the i're- taiM. A Greek mail steamer plies weekly between Piraeus, the seaport of Ath- ens, and the island of Crete, and trav- ellers who misa it, and who do not care to wait a week longer, usually taka passage on one of tbe many small Greek freighters. These freighters touch first at the isIand*of Syra, the ancient Hermopolis and the residence of the Governor of Cydades Islands. After a day in port tber§ they pro- ceed to'CTete, touching at the islands of Naxos. Paros, and Siphnos, the w^le trip lasting three and one-half days. The harbor of Canea, the destination of the vessels, is protected by a well- preserved fortress, one side of whicb extends down to the edge of the wa~ tier. The eastern side of tbe fort is about; 1,500 feet long, the southern side 2,400. and the western side 1,800. These walls are protected by four ram- parts, two of which face tbe valley and the other two the sea, and the whole is surrounded by a deep and wide ditch. The northern side of tbe city is built down to the harbor, which is partly protected by a chain of rocks hardly visible above the water. Upon these rocks is a wall 1,130 feet long, in tbe middle of which is A STRONG RAMPART. At the eastern end of this wall is a tov\'er with a lighthouse, the light being visible twelve miles away. At the vt'estern end there is a fortress with a few old-f.i3hiobed guns. Al- though the harbor of Canea is larger than that of C^dia or Retimo, it is very shallow and can accommodate only small vessels. L,arge ships usu- ally anchor in the l>ay uf Souda, which is divided into upper and lower bays. The harbor of Souda is, strictly de- fined, the upper bay, being five miles long and one mile and three-quarters wide, with a depth of 45U feet. Co tk small island at the entrance of the harbor is a fortress with twelve Krupp guns. On tbe sauthern shore of tbe harbor is the Mediterranean navy yard of Turkey. It is in this harbor thoti most of the European men-of-war sent to Crete find safe and comfort- able anchorage. The city of Oinea, being the seat of the Governor-General . has clean strets, fine houses, and some public buildings of considerable pretensions, such as tbe Governor's headquarters and the Court House, both of which are of modern ccnstruction. The military hospital, two armories and the health office also are fine structures. The population of tbe city is estimated at 14.610, of whom 4.7o(> are Greeks and 9,500 Turks, X60 Isrealites. and 200 Roman Catholics. Nearly every European Government is represented by either a Consul or a consular agent. Most of these repre- sentatives live in the small town of Halepa. about half an hour's walk from Oanea. IXile^ia l>ecame quite famous on ac- count; of the well-known tre;ity of 1878 timt was signed there hy the Cretan plenipotentiitries and the Sultan's en- vciys. On lofty grounds, covered with olive, pomegranate, and almond trees, commanding an excellent view of Hale- pa and tho country aroUnd it, there stands the famous OTTOMAN row tat OK HALEPA. built by the Janizaries. It is well for- tified, and bus been a refuge for 'IXirk- ish families in revolu' ionary limes. The Turkish quarters of Canea are around the S|iauzi'i siitiare. It was impoasible for a Chrisiian to pass thriiuglv Ihe sqiicre without being at- tacked hy Ihe nlussulmans. It is here also that the M.iliomiueduii families gather in Ihe evening for recreation; they sit on wooden benches an<l listen to the music of t,lie Arab musicians of Canea. I 'alii a few yeorj ago Ihe population of the island of Crete was a matter of conjeciiire. The most f rust worthy census on the island wastaken in I8M. hy order of Gov. Pbotiadcs and is re- garded by competent aulhorities both Christian and Mohammedan, as fairly honest. It gave a total population of 27il ll!5. Of these 205.010 were ortho- dox (! reeks. 7;),'j!34 Moh.immedans, 2-"8 Koniiii Catholics, h Armenians. 647 Israelites and 13 Protestants. Nearly all the inhahitauie si>eak lireek. Even Ihe Mohnmniedan priests and teachers use the tireek language in explaining the Kor.iu or the Turkish lessons to their pupils. Besides Canejv theie are Iwo other cities of some importance in Crete, namely, Candia. inhabited hy 13.000 Turks and (iOOO Grei^ks, and Uoiimo. with a iioimlalioii of 6;t2l 'hirks anil 1,320 GrccKs. Both ciiies lie on Ihu northern shore of the island, and they aro only a short distance apart. Not far from Retimo is a range of hills, known as ihe White Mounlainsj willii extensive table land at each end, which are places of refuge during re- volutions tor the Christian families. The miiuntains are covered with pine, chestnut, and cedar trees, and abound in springs of exiHsllent water. t>n the southern civist of Crete therd are few settlements of any im[Kirlanpe, Tho only noteworthy post is l lie har- bor of I- air Havens, mentioned in the Acts of Ihe Apostles, chapter 'J.1. versit 8, in which the vessel carr^-ing St. Paul to Malta found refuge. Vessels to-day usually seek refuge in the same port IN VAU WKATHEU. There are but a few stuall houses at Kair Havens, and these are ix-cupied by Turkish' officials stationed there to re- port on the Aga of I>paki, the chief villaga of tbe aistxiot, the passing of vessels. These officials have little t* do. On the east side of the bay ther» are the ruins of the old Greek chapel dedicated to St. Paul: legend has iti tliat the chapel was built on the spot oa which the Apoetle stood when h» preached to the natives of Crete. No island has a healthier or mora agreeable climate than has Crete. In the hottest days of summer refreshing sea bree/es are seldom lacking, anil winter which liegins in Di-cemljer, ends j-about: tbe latter part of January. The rainy sea.son oIu:n couiiuues until lata in April, but it very seldom rains in the sunmier. I A chain of mountains divides the i»* I land in,.o what are called the northera land southern slopes. One-third of thij I island con.sisLs ot rocky slopes; ano:heit third has a good soil, which remains ' uncultivated (or want of farm bands; ' and the other third is cultivated onlyi ' rudely for the same reason. Tbe cul- I tivBtion of fruit remains as it was centuries ago. The want of progress is owing to tbe repeated acts of in- justice committed against the Chris- tian farmers by the Turkish tax-gath- erers. Olives and their oil are Ihe staple products of Crete. Valleys from one end of the island to the othei* are co\ered with olive trees. Next to the olive industry comes that of the! vines producing many varieties «< ' grapes, raisins, and wine. Orcbarda of orange, lemon, citron, and almond trees abound in the valleys whilei chestnut and fig trees are found at ih» base of the mountains. A peculiarity of all Cretan products is their ex- quisite flavor, which they retain long after they are gathered and shipped. It is the opinion of the oldest and best, informed Cretan merchants that witb proper faciliiies for transpcrtalion ot products to the seaports, and a guar- antee against misrule and arbitrary taxation. Crete could PROVIDlE AXX EUROPE witb oil and fruits of several kinds. Like Cuba, Crete has always found ber curse in the beauties with whicb nature has endowed her. Since the island was left by the Venetians to tho Turks in 1715 no fewer th-in nine re- volutions have taken place among its people. Each time ihe revolt was precipitated by Turkish tyranny. Tha most remarkable feature of all these revolutions is that in no instance havq tbe'Creians been forced by defeat to lay down their arms. Their disarm-% ing has been due always to the inter-- vention of some "fiiendlj power" which wishe>l to gi.e an opportunity to the Turkish Government to introduce re- forms. â-  Whoever hao lived in TurkeT bos his opinion as to the good faitb of Turkey in promising reforms, es- pecially when th»y are exacted by the threat of the deimoUtion of the Otto- man dynasty in Europe. But for "friendly" foreign intervention Crete would huve seiTored her independence long ago, Russian diplomacy has frus- trated the hopes and aspirations of tha Cretans in las' year's revolution and despite the role she is now playing with, the other Kuropean powers as it to furce the Sultan to carry out tha long-promised reform? among the Christians in his dominions she is the one country directing the Sultan's policy in the litst. There is not a Cretan of any prominence on tbe land who> has the least faith in the profes- sions of the Porte as to carrying out any reforms. At present there l* ^'^ â€"m trusted bv the Cretins th-inlhe Grand Old Man of Crete oil Costa Veh ud ikes. the permanent I*resident of the Revo- lutionary Assembly and a S'iin of one of the oldest families of the island. He has just celebrate 1 his ninety-fifth birthday. H-j has taken part in EVEKY REVOLUTION , on the island during bio time. In tha eight-year revolution of IP'it be was at. the bead of a strong Cretan force. h:»vina distinsuishe 1 himself hy li' cr- ating sixty-eight Cretan women held in bomlage in a Turkish fortress; Ha is a man of few worvls. but whenever he speaks his utterinces carry groatt weight. His ccuiape is proverbiAl. At the battle ot the Kounta-ns-in 1868 he was fighting beside his tvvo son* when a bullet killed one of them. Without flinchiiiL,' he gave or'ers to carry the dead from the battlttieldl he continued fightii.g ittitil the eucmy were re;<ulsed. In 187** he was pro- claimed Comminder-iii-Chief ot all the revolutionary forces on the island anA was subsequently selected with two other Cretans to proiieed to the Ger- man capiial durin.r t'ne dra^ving of tha IJerlin trentv to lay before the rei re- senta'ives of ibe poweis the claims ol the Cretans. Co give evidence of Ihe low es'eena in' which Turkish promises are held by the Cre'ans it is neces^iry only to quote Ihe remarks reoenHy made by one of the m-^st conservative mcmliers of the Cretan Revolulinnary Commitee. "Turkish firarms " he said "prant- ina reforms reminds m" of the s'ory of the schoolhov c.-mi«h; in mischief by hs teacher and then res»'riin){ to alt sorls of excuses and promises of better con luct so ns to esc,ii>e imnishment. So it is with tbe Pultan and M-* firmans granting privileges to Ihe I hristiana of Crel»i you may always look for them whenevoi snue high-luanded rascality h.-^,<t been conimittel by his people and the foreiirn Governments liwk sternly .14 him ft is needless to say that the excitement once ovtr you neel not look ' tor the fulfiliueni ol his promise." ' Public opinion amonir tne Cretans is adverse to the acceptance of any re- i forms. The prevauin,? opinion at the mi'elings of the Cictans is that they sh'iuld fight until the union of Crete with Greece is accomplished. IGRKAT EASTERN AS A SHOW SHIP. 1 T,h' last days of the Great Eastern > were certaiiiJIy sad. ct«n«iderini{ live purpose for which she was ilesigned, I and the great work she did in calil^ Inyinf^. For som.> time beforo .Mho was I bn»ken up on the mud of the River Mersey, hear Liverinxd, she was on ; view lis a aihow ship. Oiw liriu of l,iv- erpiH>l cUvlh.ers hired her (or a season, and in addition to u-sina; h.r for their advertisiing puriKises. made use of her I for catch-iwivny shows, lu the lai-ge i cable tank a circus was fitted up. and I perfoTUi;uit't\s given at so miiob a head, i while other exhibitious were a(iread all 1 over her deck. UNR.EUA.BLK MAN. lie^irge to'd me fihtit tvie of my gold- en bairs ciw'.d draw hfim like a team of oxen. â- Yes » A«<l then when Ihe harness brcOte (Um-n lie a(>!kk:d m«i i< X hud a rope in I my p<x-ket. K «.L'V

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