similar reputation and poetic meaning, being especially connected with Buddha, and symbolizing female beauty, the small feet of their women being called kiuleen, or golden lilies."

Louisiana Returning Board.-It has been claimed with apparent truth that the State Constitution of Louisiana in no way warranted the extensive powers granted to the Returning Board which made itself notorious in 1876; but the historian Johnson calls attention to the fact that the United States Constitution directs the appointment of the electors of a State "in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct." As far as the choice of Presidential electors went, therefore, the limitations of the State Constitution had no restraining force whatever over powers granted by the Legislature. The Returning Board was, by act of the State Legislature passed in 1872, to be made up of "five persons, elected by the Senate from all political parties," with power "to make the returns of all elections." A majority of the Board was to be a quorum, and any vacancy was to be filled by the residue of the Board. In cases of violence or bribery in any district the local election officers were to certify the facts to the Returning Board, these certificates to be sent within twenty-four hours after the election. Within ten days after the election the Returnning Board was to meet in New Orleans and canvass and compile the returns having no certificates attached; then it was to investigate the certificates and take evidence thereon, being empowered to send for persons and papers; and finally, if convinced that the charges of bribery from any place were sustained, was to throw out the returns from that place. There being some apprehension that the Board would not conduct its operations altogether the square," or that perhaps it might be interfered with, two deputations were sent down to New Orleans-one by the National Democratic Committee and one by President Grant. The Returning Board invited five gentlemen from each deputation to be present at its meetings, but reserved the right to exclude by its rules other spectators, and to go into secret session for the consideration of "motions, arguments and propositions." A number of protests were entered against the secret session" plan, against the continued refusal of the Board to fill up their number by the appointment of a Democrat (it was composed entirely of Republicans), as provided by the law under which it was organized, and also against other irregular methods, especially against counting ballots for all the electors when such ballots only bore the names of part of them. No attention, however, was paid to these protests; they were simply filed by the Board, and the work of compiling the returns went on. On December 6th it declared the election of the Republican candidates for State offices and Presidential electors, four Republican and two Democratic Congressmen, nineteen Republicans and seventeen Democrats in the State Senate, and seventyone Republicans, forty-three Democrats and three Independents in the lower House. Its principal changes had been made by count

"on

ing for all the eight Hayes electors some 1,200 ballots which bore the names of only three, and by throwing out about 3,000 Democratic and 2,000 Republican votes in parishes where intimidation of the negro vote had been asserted. Soon after the meeting of Congress in December a special committee was appointed by each House, its members drawn from both parties, to make an investigation of the Louisiana election, and sent to New Orleans for that purpose. The officers of the Returning Board protested against this invasion of the rights of a State by committees of the Federal Congress and declined to give up their records, but agreed to allow them to be copied for the committee. More than a month was spent in the examination of witnesses and papers, and upon the return of the committees majority and minority reports were made by both, the division being made on strict party lines. Republicans were convinced that the actions of the Returning Board were legal and right, and all the Democrats were equally firm in their conviction of the contrary. The members of the Returning Board were J. Madison Wells, T. C. Anderson, L. M. Kenner and G. Cassanave, all Republicans. The fifth member of the Board-Oscar Arroyo, a Democrat-had, for some unexplained reason, resigned immediately after the election, and the others refused to fill his place.

All the

Lucky Horseshoe.-Most of the houses in the West End of London were protected against witches and evil spirits in the seventeenth century, says John Aubrey, the English antiquary, by having horseshoes fastened to them in various ways. It was the belief that then no witch or evil genius could cross the threshold which was protected by the shoe. The custom of nailing horseshoes, for luck, to all kinds of sailing craft is still, to a certain extent; in vogue, and we all know how fortunate it is considered for any one to find a horseshoe, the good-luck being increased by the number of nails that are attached to the shoe when it is picked up. This superstition can be traced back to about the middle of the seventeenth century, and then we find it lost in the obscurity of the ages.

Luray Caves are three in number, and are situated in Page County, in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. Upon their discovery in 1879, the cavern explored was found to contain bones of men and animals, and the walls were blackened, as though from smoke, thus showing conclusively that it had at some time been occupied, but at what period it was of course impossible to determine. The floors were found smooth and even, showing that the stalagmites had been removed by some human agency for this purpose. Stalagmites and stalactites of great size and variety abound in the cave. One, the Empress Column, is a pure white mass of alabaster seventy feet high, reaching from the floor nearly to the roof. Another pendant formation, nearly equal to the former in length, vibrates for a minute when struck; and in one of the rooms, called the cathedral, are twenty slender columns,

which sound part of a scale when struck successively. At the Smithsonian Institute at Washington many remarkable specimens from this cave are on exhibition.

Lynch Law. This term, which signifies the infliction of punishment on persons charged with crimes by persons without legal authority, is supposed to have derived its name from John Lynch, a farmer of North Carolina, who, with his neighbors, tortured and even put to death fugitive slaves and criminals who at that time, the beginning of the last century, infested the Dismal Swamp. What is known as the Lidford Law in England has the same significance.

Macaroni, Manufacture of.-Italian macaroni is made from a peculiar kind of wheat named grano duro, or hard grain. At first it was imported at considerable expense from the Russian territories on the Black Sea, but is now extensively grown by the farmers of Southern Italy. After the wheat has been washed it is hulled and ground, and passed through several sieves to separate the finer from the coarser flour. Five qualities are obtained by as many siftings, the last the finest that can be made. The flour is mixed with hot water to the consistency of a stiff dough, and is then kneaded by means of a wooden pole fastened to a post and worked up and down upon the paste; or the cheaper grades are often made by treading the dough with the feet. When the paste has been kneaded for a long time it is put into a trough or iron vessel containing a large number of small holes of two sizes, the part passing through the smallest becoming vermicelli. Over the larger holes are little copper bridges, from which copper wire passes through each hole, and this makes the hollow tubes of the macaroni. When this vessel is filled with the dough a press is driven in upon it, and as fast as it is forced through the holes a workman takes up the macaroni, or vermicelli, as the case may be, and lays it across a line to dry in lengths of two or three yards, after which it is ready for the market.

Machpelah, Cave of, is one of the Bible sites that are positively known, and was situated on the western slope of a hill in Hebron. A large structure called "El Harum," or " The Sacred Inclosure," surrounds the ancient cave. It stands high up the slope on the eastern side of the valley. The outer wall is 194 feet long, 109 feet wide, and from 48 to 58 feet high. The stones, which are dressed and fitted with great care, are of enormous size, some of them 30 to 38 feet in length and 4 feet thick. This wall, it is generally believed by scholars, was erected probably about the time of David or Solomon. Within the inclosure is a building, which is supposed to have been built for a Christian church in the time of the Emperor Justinian; but it is now used as a Mohammedan mosque. In separate apartments of the mosque are tombs or cenotaphs purporting to be those of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebekah and Leah. These tombs are of stone, and overhung with cloths embroidered with gold and

silver. Between the tombs of Isaac and Rebekah is a circular opening into a cavern below, which is supposed to be the real Cave of Machpelah. It is thought probable that the embalmed body of Jacob will really be found in the cave, and explorers have desired to enter it; but the superstitions of the Mohammedans prevent this, as they will allow no one to go into this cavern, believing that any one who should attempt it would be instantly killed.

Madrigal. The musical madrigal, which originally was a simple song sung in a rich, artistic style, but afterward was an instrumental accompaniment, is believed to have originated with the Flemings, and dates from the middle of the sixteenth century. It went out of fashion about the beginning of the eighteenth century, but the later glee may be regarded as a similar composition. The madrigal, as a poem, denotes a short lyric, adapted to the quaint and terse expression of some pleasant thought, generally on the subject of love. The proper madrigal consists of three verses or strophes, generally bound together by rhymes; but this form is not always adhered to, and the name is often applied to little love poems of any form. The best writers of madrigals among the Italians are Petrarch and Tasso; among the French, Montreuil, Lainez and Moncrif; among the Germans, Ziegler (the earliest), Voss, Mansa, Goethe and A. W. Schlegel; and among the English the poets of the Elizabethan and Caroline ages, several of whom, such as Lodge, Withers, Carew and Suckling, have written verses, sometimes called madrigals, sometimes songs, the grace and elegance of which have never been matched. The etymology of the word madrigal is uncertain.

Madstone is a light, porous stone of a greenish color, which is said to possess the property of drawing the venom from the bite of a dog or other animal afflicted with hydrophobia. They are quite rare, being only occasionally found in the South.

Maelstrom, The, which means, literally, "grinding stream," is situated on the Norwegian coast, south-west of the Loffoden Isles, and is the most remarkable whirlpool in the world. It runs between the island of Moskenes and a large solitary rock in the middle of the straits. The strong currents rushing between the Great West Fjord and the outer ocean through the channels of the Loffoden Isles produce a number of whirlpools, of which the maelstrom is by far the most dangerous. During severe storms from the west, for instance, the current runs continually to the east at the rate of six knots an hour, without changing its direction for rising or falling tide, and the stream will boil and eddy in such mighty whirls that the largest steamer could hardly contend successfully with the waters. The depth of the whirlpool is only 20 fathoms, but just outside the straits soundings reach from 100 to 200 fathoms. The great danger to vessels is of course not of suction into the heart of the whirlpool, as legends have supposed, but of being dsahed to pieces against the rocks.

Magnet. The iron ore which possesses the property of attraction was given the name of magnet by the Greeks, because it was first found in Magnesia in Asia Minor, or according to another account because it was first discovered by a shepherd named Magnes, who had iron tips on his shoes, and while walking over some rocks found that his feet stuck to them in a mysterious way. The ore is now called magnetite, and is an oxide of iron containing about seventy-three per cent. of iron when pure. It is a very valuable ore, and supplies a large amount of the finest iron and steel of commerce. Large deposits occur in Norway and Sweden, Finland and the Ural; in the Adirondack region in northern New York; in northern New Jersey; in eastern Pennsylvania, the most noted locality being Cornwall, Lebanon County, where the mines have been worked for over a hundred years; in North Carolina, California and Oregon, and several places in Canada. It is also found in the form of sand in some places in North America, India and New Zealand. One of the largest occurrences of magnetic sand is on the south shore of Long Island, near Quogue, where a furnace was built and an attempt made to work it; but the enterprise proved unsuccessful and was abandoned.

Mahdi. This word means "The Guided" (by God), and denotes a kind of Mohammedan Messiah who is to come at the end of the world and utterly destroy sin and disbelief and the anti-Christ (Ed-Dejjal). This doctrine is not set forth in the Koran, but it was undoubtedly taught by Mahomet, and the character, easily lending itself to imposture, has played a prominent part in the sectarian revolutions of the East. There have been many pretenders, and some of them have led successful rebellions and established powerful dynasties. The name is best known to the world at large through the late prophet of the Soudan, Mahomet Ahmed, or Achmet, born in the province of Dongola in 1843. This man has had a remarkable career. As a boy he showed a great aptitude for learning, and when twelve years old knew the Koran by heart. At an early age he went away to Khartoum and joined the free school, or Medressu" of a faki, which was attached to the tomb of Sheikh Hoghali, the patron saint of that city. He studied religion, the tenets of his Sheikh, etc., and after a time left and went to Berber, where he entered another free school; and here, under the Sheikh Ghubush, completed his religious education. Subsequently he became a disciple of Sheikh Dur-el-Daim (continuous light), and was by him ordained a sheikh or faki. He was now twenty-five years old, and like his prototype, the great Arabian Prophet, he retired from the world for a period of solitary meditation, taking up his abode on the Island of Abba, near Kana, in the White Nile. Here he made a small subterranean excavation into which he made a practice of retiring, to repeat by hours one of the names of the Deity, and to fast and pray and burn incense. His fame for wisdom and sanctity by degrees spread far and wide, and he became wealthy, collected dis