8EA OF SAHARA. The project for Inundating tlio Dosort of Sahnru, and thus changing It Into a now ocennlo empire, Is tlio most astonishing of nil tlicglgmitlc enterprises of the ngo. We aro Inclined to favpr It because W Its vory boldness and grandeur. Mr. R. W. Wright publishes In tho Now1 Haven Journal anil Courlur a protest against this project. Among tho objections, Mr. Wright mention! tho following; 1. The existing iloBort is "a great radiator of bent, many times greater In fact than tho Gulf Stream." It operates, like lliittoooniile current; to J"prco tho • "thermal equator" northward null to change It as proposed would nllcct tho mean temperature of all Europe, aiut might seriously niodlly Its aioa of civilization. 2. Tho dosert acts "ns n gront rorial sponge," absorbing atmosphorlo moisture avor u wide and rain less region, and thus ameliorating the climate of 11 large portion of the Eastorn hemisphere. 3. This vast sand plain nets ns a "storm barrier," arresting and breaking up the tornadoes on tlielr way from the tropics to devastate Europe. It Ib a mistake to suppose these destructive winds to bo generated amid the solitudes of tho desert. The cause of the simoom, which often takes on tlio alarming form of a huge sand spout, Is the fact that when a tornado strikes tho desert it begins nt once to lap up the panicles of sand, until It has thus gathered into Itself thousands ol tons, which finally load it down beyond Its carrying power, and It fulls with Its burden and finds it fury spent. 4. The snnds of Sahara act as 11 great -"absorbent of malaria," thus preventing the fatnl maladies of Africa from Invading Europe The desert Is known to be abso¬ lutely free from 11 tilnrln, for the good reason that It contains nothing to produce It. The equatorial regions south of the desert breed the most dredful diseases known on tho globe. Substitute an Inland «ca for the wnste of snnd, mid the pestilential winds would sweep more swiftly across to pre¬ cipitate their plague-germs on the population! ofiEurope. ' I 5. Mr. Wright's greatest objection is that it would creutoa "deed sen," similar lu that of Palestlno, only on a fur larger scale. Theie would ho an artificial Inlet, but no outlet. The waters would bo hopelessly stagnant, receiving no fresh water streams from the African watershed, and out of the way of the oceanic currents. The Tunisian canal wOuhl let in tlio salt wntcr from the Mediter¬ ranean, which would become more and more briny by constant evaporation, Increased further by tho extensive natural deposits ol salt already known to exist In portions ol thedoseit. The Inevitable icsult would be the creation of 11 lifeless, terrible waste of dead waters, environed by dreary suit hills and dismal marshes like those that now Biiriound the Bite_of ancient Sodom. crumpled wntor, thnt tourneys with you tiny by day, und to which you seem bound by some -crfolmntmont. The sky bocomos a shallow close fitting dome, or else n pull of cloud that scorns roady to descant) upon you. You cannot seo or realize tho vast anil vacant siiiroundltigs; there Is nothing to deflito or set It olT.< Three thousand 'miles of"ocoan space aro loss Impressive than throe miles bound by rugged mountain walls." Indeed tho grandeur of form, of magnitude, of dis¬ tance, of proportion, otc^ro only upon shore. A voyage Borp>rthe Atlantic Is only a ten days sail' tlirQugh vacancy., There Is i)0 sensible progress; you pass no fixed points. .Is It tho steamer that Is moving, or Is it the sen? or is It all 11 dance and Illusion of the troubled brain V Yesterday, co-du.v, to-morrow you iirojn tho sumo parenthesis of no-whore. Tile 300 or ipore miles the ship dally makes 1s Ideal not real. Every night tliu stars dance and reel there In the same place ailild the rigging; every morning the sun comes up Irom behind tho same wave, and staggers slowly across the sinister sky. The eye becomes hungry lor form, for pormtinont lines, for a horizon wall to lift up and keep oil the sky, mid give It 11 souse of room. One understands how sailors be¬ come nn Imaginative and superstitious race; It Is tho rqactlon from tills narrow horizon In which tl|ey are put—this ring of fate surrounds and oppresses tlietn. They escape by invoking the aid of the supernatural. In the sea Itself there is far less to stimulate the Imagination than in the varied forms and colors of the hind. How cold, how merciless, how elemental It looks!—From John Bur- i oughs, in April Century. ( RUMSEY TRIUMPHANT. A. R. Rumsey went to New York some time ngo In the Interest of the Vessel Owners' Association of tblu city, to secure men to ship on tlio lakes. Among others whose services ho engaged was Frank Messau. This man had uo money and owed n %3 board bill. Rumsey paid the bill und purchased the mull a railroad ticket to this city, taking his baggage as security- lor the debt. "This baggage was ekecked to this city. The man, having nrrlved liore, found that the Sailors' Union received moie jiay than the Vessel Owners' Association had oll'eral him, ?o he joined the union. He then leplevlned the N. Y., P. & O. Railroad to selrare his bng- gago, but as ho could produce no checks ful It, of comsu he could do nothing. Rum- soy in tho meantime had secreted the fbug- guge, and Mcssan brought suit beforo Justice Coates lor damages. Messau did .not duny that he had received the money, and failed to show that ho was making anv provision to pay It buck. The Justice lUsmlssCd the case at MeSBUit's cost.—Cleuclqnd Leader. WHARFAGE DECISION. Decision has boon rendered hy the Su¬ premo Court of the United States In tliu case of the Parkersburg nnd Ohio river Transpor¬ tation Company, appellant, against the Cliy"| of-Parkor8burg',_West Virginia, and others This enso, which is que of consider¬ able Importance to nil cities nnd towns alnrhjrj the Ohio nnd MlailmtH pi'rivers,-arises out of the following state of facts: The City ol Parkersburg, West Virginia, built a w|uirf and established cortaln rates of wharfage, which tho Parkersburg and Ohio 'Transpor¬ tation Company complained of as cxtoi don¬ ate, and ns being merely a pretext for levy¬ ing duty on tot nngo. The company tliere- upon filed -a bill lu tho Circuit Court of the United States to restrain proceedings In the suit brought in the State Court for the pur¬ pose of collecting whurfnge, and to have the wharfage ordinance-declined Illegal nnd void. This court holds, llrst, thnt ns the or¬ dinance, on Its face, Imjiosed charges for whurfnga only (though tlieBc charge's might be unreasonable and exorbitant), tho court will not entertain nil 'averment thnt they won) In reality not Intended as wharfage, but ns a ilnty on tonnage. An Inquiry Into the secret intent of the body which Impflses the charges Is imulmlssable. Whether It Is one thing or the other must be determined by tho ordinance or regulation Itself. 2. That whurfnge is a charge for the use of the wharf, mude by the owner thereof by way of rent or compensation, while duty of tonnage Is tax or duty charges for the privi¬ lege of entering or trading or lying in port or harbor, nnd can be Imposed only by the Government, 3. That, whether charge of wharfage or a duty ot toiuuigo, there Is a question, not of Intent, but of luct nnd law. 4. That ulthough wharves are related to commerce and navigation jis aids and cou- venleneesf.yet, being local In their nature, and requiring speclnl regulations for partic¬ ular places, control of them (In the absence of Congressional legislation on the subject) belongs to tho states in which they are situ¬ ated. 5. That tho suit will not He lu the Circuit Court of the United States for relief against^ oxhorbitant wliarfiige us n case arising uu^| dor the Constitution or laws of tlioVUulted Stales, oven though it be alleged, that the wharfage was Intended ns duty of tonnage. Decree of cOuit below, in tuvor ot the City ol l'ai kei'sburg, Is thcrctorc affirmed. I'plnlon of Justlco Bradley, Justice Har¬ lan dissenting. assessment dlstrlot where she Is enrolled, lint) whoro shoTir-reglitorcil nnd licensed If theso are done; or If she Is not registered or licensed, then she must be nssoB&od where -she Is kept. Another point mode Is thnt un¬ der fetlon 28 the county board hns author¬ ity tojdeoldo where vessel shall he assessed, ami In the exercise of this authority decided that' vessels belonging to residents In the North Town should bo asscscd In tlio North Tow n. Tno Court did not think it wns the intention of tho Legislature to give the county board legislative authority, but where there nrlses a difference about a spo- clflc piece of propel ty tho coiinty bonril may Judicially determine where it shall be as¬ sessed. The board had not power to say where a class of propcrty"shoiTld be assessed. Had-' it determined whoro the vessels lu' question should be assCsseJ Its decision ■ would have been final. The relief nsked for would therefore bo denied. AT SEA. One dees not seem really to have got out of doors till he gets to sou. On the land he Is shut In by the hills or forests, ofcmore or less housed by the sharp Hues of the horizon; but at Beu he tlnds the toof taken oil', the walls taken down; he is no longer In tliu hollow of the earth's hand, but upon Its nuked buck, with nothing between him nnd the Immensities. Ho Is lu the great cosmic out of doors—as much so as II voj aging to the moon or to Mars. An astronomic soli¬ tude und vacuity sin rounds him, his only guides and landmarks me stellar, the earth has disappeared, (he liuii/uu has gone, he has only the sky and Its 01 hi loll, this cold vitreous, blue black liquid through whlih the ship nlows Is pot wiitet, hut some denser foim ol the insinle otliet. He can now see the curve of the sphere which the hills hid fi 0111 him, ho can study astronomy under Im¬ proved conditions. 11 he was being home through the Interplanetary spaces on an I111- uiensu shield, his Impressions would nol perhaps be much dillereut. He would Hud the sauio vacuity, the flame blank or negative space, the same empty, Indefinite, oppressive out of dooi'B. It must be admitted thnt a voyage at sea Is mure Impressive to the Imagination than to the actual sense. 'The world Is left behind; all standards ol cl/«, of magnitude ot distance, aio vanished, there Is no size, no form, 110 perspective; the universe has dwindled to a little circle of A POET. The United States census,' two or three decades, ago, in Its summary of various occupations included 11 puot. Ho lived lu Arknnsas, If I leuioniber rightly, but may have perished-f 10111 want, for 1 have looked ill vain for him in later Issues of the census reports^ I have often thought ol him, how ever, when speculating about the conditions of'Uiithorshlp in America, und have udinlrcd tliu courage with wlilch ho made his confes¬ sion. JIc was tho only poet in America to stand up boldly and be cuiiutud. Tho 1 est us sheltered ourselves lu tho census behind such evasive titles is journalist, or prolessor, or editor, or If especlull} courageous, lltet- iliy iiiiiii. Mr. Catlyle, lu his celebrated petition wiote lilmsell down us a maker ol bookjT, but eveij one feels that Mr C111- lyle's was a case ot utlcctcd liuiulllty and hliintuoss. II ho had hud the net vo ol the ■mill liom Atkausiis he would have siib- sciibed hlmsell a genius,01 a man that turns tho world upside down. Only a very lew \enis ngo no lake vessel had ever cairicd 100,000 bushels ol gi iln, and when the Iron propeller Java managid IP take 100,000 bushels of outs Irom Chliago to Buffalo -tho font wns hulled as a notable one which marked 11 new ei a In our Inland commerce. NoyUlie great steamship Onok.o, built In this iflty lasONiur, bus lauded 11 cargo-ol lilOJfOO bushels ortyts „t Itiillulo, and with si/ne changes in her hold tin huge Bhlpcouloyiiudoubtedly cmry a fow thousand bushels moie. The commcico ol the hikes Is yet In its iuluucy.—Leadei MARINE LAW The Chicago Inter Ocean ol May 10, says: Judge Moran, of the Circuit Court, decided the case of Ann Halsud against the South Town Collector, which la of considerable In¬ terest 10 vessel owners. The facts were that til February Inst Mrs. Halstead filed her bill to enjoin thuTollector from collecting taxes 011 the schooners Homer and F. B. Gnrduoi, owned by her und which hud boon assessed by Mr Druke nt$2,800. Shu Is a resldcn the North 'Town and leturued the vessels pnrt of her personal property, and they w valued by Mr. Chase nt $1,100. The tuxcB tywo exteildWbn the South Tow 11 Assei sur's assessment at $100 20. Tho schobncis weie cuiolled tit the ctiBtoin house, sltuuted In the South Town, in uccoiduuco with the United Slates Navigation laws. Mis. Dai¬ sied claimed that the taxes should ha\e been extended on the North I pw U assess¬ ment, because Sec. 7, ol Chapter 120 ol the Keilsid hlatutes provides that "personal properly, except such us is reiiiilitd In this act lo be listed and assessed othel \\ Ise, shall be listed and assessed In the coiintx, town, city, village, ot district where the owner 11- sidvs." hecllon 1.1 ol the same act piovidcs that "all peisons, cjinpauies and eoipoi.i- tions In tills State owning steamboats, sail lug wbscls, wllurl boat'-, bin gi s and want craft, shall hi requiicd to list the same foi usscstuiieutuud tuvition lu the county, town, city or village In which the saine may ho en¬ rolled, registered, 01 licensed, or kept when not enrolled, registered or licensed." 'The schooners wuie not permaiieully located In the town of South Chicago, null the own¬ er Is u lcsldeiit ol the North Tow 11 'The'Couit did not ugiee with the reading of the acl, hut held, taking sections 7 and 1,1 together, (hat tliu Legislature Intended that j lug mid give me III a vessel must be listed I'm taxation In the J'k-hi. The Treasury Department tins decided that after a vessel has surrendered its register nnd enrollment papers, and changes Its namo during such undocumented period, tho , change will not be coimldwed valid when application Is made for a' new register and eniollmcnt. > / The Supreme Court of the United States Iiiib decldod thnt 11 passenger on a vessel can recover salvage fot services under certain conditions. It says that a passenger Inay leave 11 vessel at any time und seek his own safety, but for "extraordinary services and tho use of extraordinary means not fur- iilsliecT by the equlpmetitol the ship herself, by which she is saved from imminent dan¬ ger he may have salvage." / • Tho Detroit Free Press says: The tug M. Swnluhvas fined $20 lor coming from Buflu- lo tu Detroit without a clearance, us was the Win. A. Moore Monday, The tugs started down to look for tows on Lake Erie, and llnding none put in here lor the same pur¬ pose* The collector held that as they hud nothing In low they must have clearances. Tug men say that ut no other port Is this made and feel sore over It. Both fines wore paid under protest, and tho matter will bo investigated.________________"_________'_____, • AMERICAN FABLES. A carp which hud boon hooked by a fish¬ erman looked up with tears in Its eyes and called out: '■Ptay spare my Hie • I am small and bony" und shall not make over two bites for you I" "I fully realize thnt," replied the llslier- man, as ho tossed his victim Into his pall, "but tho man who throws away carp In hopes to secure bass, will go home to eat beau soup." DOMESTIC KCONOMY. The wlfeol a peasant who hud been lu the habit oLJiprrowIng her neighbor's collee mill/one duy broke the urtlcle beyond re- pultjf and when her husband came In she ' out In despair. "Alual We are financially ruined for tlio ciuslon season I I have broken Mis. auk's collee mill, and It will cost us thirty cents to replace ill" « "Ah I but j011 are. Indeed, a poor llnan- clerl" replied Ihe husband Send the re¬ mains hoine by the scivuiit girl nnd get mud at the lad). Then you will not be expected ) pa) damages, and she will not dure ask your llat-ltuus " lllh SI LUSH UUMHt. A wolf havliigt bused 11 hunter across fields and through forests foi seveial miles, at length had Ihe inorlillcallou ol seeing his prey esiape hhn h) 1 limbing a tiee "Aie jiiu mining down / he asked as lie looked up and lit ketl Ills chops. "Not 11 ly last'" "I don't coiiipldn ol that/" panted the woll, "but what hulls my leellngs Is the lact that you didn't cllinh a tiee on the stmt, 1n- stiad nt giving mi this useless chase 1'iay have some tespectlor othei people's toolings hole iltei." , mi' uosi si en UK. V uii'icluuH who lelt tint his profits weie not as laigi as his tlade w minted looked o\el Ids hunks one ^iiuil i\ and tlicu Intel- viewed his i link Willi "John llelill, loll luue taken 1500 ot my nioile) sliue Jauuur) " "Unit's su. I Used If to buy futures lu cotton, und 1 lost. "And I must send you to Stnte Prison!,' "Oh, mil I'tevliiiis to Juuiiaiy I took $800 of your uioiie) and bought wheat, mid my piotlts have been so huge' that I can icttirn all )iuii nioiiei ami have enough left to tun a rate hoise. Hut lor my business tact 3oil .would hale lust all. You'd butlel go Hlsil- chnrge!"—Dili oil Free----- ^> I