pings of the prints and would not have done so then, but they found that there were men traveling around, who were wishing to buy them. A plate of copper left in the solution of nitrate of silver which constitutes the washings precipitates the whole of the silver in the state of metallic sponge in four and twenty hours. A plate of zinc acts in the same manner.

A plate of copper left in the solution of hyposulphate soda, which constitutes the fixing bath precipitates the silver in the form of a coherent powder often even in a continuous plate but with less rapidity. Two days' contact are neces sary at least, and four days are better, but at the end of this time the action may be considered as terminated, prolonging it will be neither injurious or advantageous, if the precipitate be longer in presence of hyposulphate of soda. It is not moreover so complete. The quantity of silver lost by discarding the hyposolution as is mostly done, is about 37 per cent.

We perceive from every point of view that there is an advantage in treating separately the washing waters before toning and the fixing solution. To this end the photographer must have either within or without the operating room, two earthen vessels of such dimensions that one may contain the washing water of two days, the other the fixing solutions and their first washing of four or six days. In each of these pots a number of plates of copper placed on two large plates placed opposite to each other answer the purpose very well. No suspension or particular precaution is necessary. The sheets of copper may simply rest against the sides of the vessel. In the course of his working the photographer will throw the washings into the first pot and allow them to remain twenty-four or forty eight hours as required. Into the second pot he will throw the fixing bath and their first washings, taking care to leave them for at least a couple of days to settle.

THE MONSTER BELLS OF THE WORLD.

In making large bells, loudness rather than pitch is the object, as the sound can be conveyed to a much further extent. This accounts for the enormous weight of some of the largest bells. St. Paul's for instance weighs 13.000 pounds; the bell of Antwerp, 16,000 pounds; Oxford, 17 000 pounds; the bill at Rome, 19,000 pounds; Mechlin, 20,000 pounds; Bruges, 23.000; York, 24,000 pounds; Cologne, 25,000 pounds; Montreal, 29,000 pounds, Erfurt, 30,000 pounds; "Big Ben," at the House of Parliament 31,000 pounds; Sens, 34,000 pounds; Vienna, 40,000 pounds; Novgorod, 69.000 pounds; Pekin, 139,000 pounds; Moscow, 141,000 pounds. But, as yet, the greatest bell ever known is another famous Moscow bell, which was never hung. It was cast by the order of the Empress Anne, in 1653. It lies broken on the ground, and is estimated to weigh 443,772 pounds. It is nineteen feet high and measures around the margin, sixty-four feet. No wonder that it has never been suspended.

There are few bells of interest in the United States. ably the alarm bell on the City Hall in New York, pounds.

The heaviest is probweighing about 23.000

As the Russians make their pilgrimage to the great Moscow bell, and regard

it with superstitious veneration, so the American citizen honors and venerates the old Independence bell at Philadelphia, for he is not only reminded of the glory of the Revolution, but he believes, now more than ever, since the injunction has been obeyed, its inscription-" Proclaim liberty throughout the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof."

SALARATUS BY THE ACRE.

Fitz-Hugh Ludlow, in his overland trip to California, found between Utah and the Humboldt mountains a large desert composed, as he says, of "sand of snowy alkali" He describes it as one of the most dismal and forbidding spots that was ever traversed by the foot of man; but, in view of the extension through it of the Atlantic and Pacific railroad, he suggests an interesting possibility as to its future use. He says: "In its crudest state the alkaline earth of the desert is sufficiently pure to make violent effervescence with acids. No elaborate process is required to turn it into commercial soda and potash. Coal has already been found in Utah. Silex exists abundantly in all the desert uplifts. Why should not the greatest glass-works in the world be reared along the desert section of the Pacific road? and why should not the entire market of the Pacific coast be supplied with refined alkalies from the same tract?

WORSTED GOODS.

The manufacture of worsted goods, consisting of all wool and cotton warp, mouseline delaine, bareges, cashmeres, etc., for ladies' dresses, is mainly carried on in three establishments, in the United States. These are the Manchester Print works in New Hampshire, the Pacific Mills at Lawrence, and the Hamil ton Woolen Company's Works at Southbridge, Massachusetts. The product of the aforesaid establishments in 1864 was 22,750,000 yards, the annual value of the products $3.710.375, annual cost of labor $543,684, female hands employed 1,277, male hands employed 101, sets of cards 110, cost of all raw material used. $2,442,775, pounds of cotton used, 1,653,000, pounds of wool, 3,000,000, capital invested, $3,230.000.

MANUFACTURES OF LOWELL.

Lowell's 33 cotton mills employ 948 males and 1,650 females, and last year produced $7,125,753 worth of fabrics; two calico and muslin delaine mills employed 188 males and 11 females, and turned out $3,167,122 worth of fabrics; 15 woolen mills employed 699 females and turned out $2,620,214 worth of fab. rics; 5 carpet mills employed 382 males, 573 females, and turned out $3,570,453 worth of carpeting.

POPULATION, ETC., OF MEXICO IN 1865.

THE following table and remarks upon the same are from a late number of the

The above statement is correct-it is official. The empire is divided into fifty departments, with an area of 712.850 square miles, and a population of 8,218,080 souls. It is more than three times as large as France, four times as large as Spain, and about thirty times the size of Holland and Belgium. It is in extent and internal resources a first class empire.

No country on earth has as many natural advantages. Mexico is self sustaining in every way. She raises her own breadstuffs of every kind; her beef and pork; her coffee, sugar and chocolate; her indigo, cochineal and vanilla, ber wool. thread and cordage, and is now producing a large quantity of her cotton. She produces wines, aguardienta, mezcal and pulque in the greatest abundance. In the northern departments, bordering on the Rio Grande, there is a fine grazing region. Here are immense herds of horses, mules, eattle and sheep. The middle portion of the empire is more devoted to agriculture-to corn, wheat rye, barley, and oats. Here the Irish potato grows well. The Pacific and Atlantic coasts are well adapted to sugar, coffee, tobacco and rice, and all the tropical plants and fruits. In the extreme South, in Yucatan, Campeche, Tehuantepec, Tabasco and La Laguna, is the country for dye woods, mahogany and the very best cacao. Ilere also grows in very great perfection the cocoanut and the chirimoya and every other inter-tropical fruit. The lovers of naturalhistory will find here in their native forests the noblest specimens of animated

nature.

Oajaca produces cochineal and indigo in large quantities, while the high lands of Jalapa have monopolized for years the production of the celebrated “ purgative drug."

The most valuable silver mines are situated in Tulancingo, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Guerrero, Sonora, Sinaloa and Chihuahua. The copper mines of Chihuahua are said to be the richest in the world, and the pearls of Lower California have ever been in great demand. The silver mines. of Real del Monte and Pachuda, in Tulancingo, are but a short distance from this city. They are the most valuable in the country, and are now yielding their owners large dividends. The mines of Guerrero are not only rich in silver and gold, but the streams abound in precious stones.

The mint of Mexico has coined from 1800 to 1360, in silver, $405.924,496; in gold, $26,175,544. How much of these precious metals was coined before 1800, and how much was taken out of the country by Spanish viceroys, by refu gee presidents and generals, and by that system of smuggling carried on so successfully for so many years, will never be made known.

This is a vast empire of mountains and valleys. The valleys are exceedingly rich and productive, while the mountains are filled with hidden treasures. Twothirds of all the silver in circulation in the wide world has been taken from Mexico. If she is but true to herself-if her citizens will rise above the small bickerings of party, and rally around our republican Emperor and support him in his onward march of progress and improvement, this empire will soon be one of the richest and happiest portions of "God's green earth." Mexico is richer to-day than she ever was. New mines are daily discovered and worked with improved machinery. There are in her mountains ten thousand times more silver and gold than have been taken out. All she wants is energy-energy-energy.

CENSUS OF IOWA.

The census recently taken shows the total white population, as far as returns have been made, to be 749,904, divided and classified as follows: Males 379,027; females, 370,877; entitled to vote, 146,279; militia, 97,624; foreigners not naturalized, 10,594; between the ages of five and twenty-one years, 293,204; blind, 259; deaf and dumb, 271; insane, 612; colored males, 1,801; colored females, 1,798; total colored, 3,599. There are five counties in the northwestern part of the State from which no report is yet received, which, at the last census, contained 170 inhabitants. Adding these to the total given above, we have 750,074. This is an increase in the last two years, in the white population, of 47,912; entitled to vote, 11,229; militia, 6,586; between the ages of five and twentyone years, 26,787; colored, 2,279.

MERCANTILE MISCELLANIES.

THE NATIONAL TREASURY.

THE following abstract of a letter from Washington describes the modus operandi at the National Treasury:

Everybody is familiar with the peculiar signature of General Spinner, the United States Treasurer, on the notes constituting the National currency. I propose in this article to give your readers a little insight into the business of that department of the Treasury, over which he presides. The business of the Treasurer of the United States is transacted in six divisions or bureaus, as follows: The cash division, the bank division, the issue division, the loan division, the redemption division, and the division of accounts.

The cash division is a gigantic bank. It has its cashier, its paying teller, its receiving teller, its interest clerks, and its vault clerks. Into its yawning vault is poured the entire revenue of the United States Government. The receiving tellers receive all the revenue derived from the customs and import duties, from internal revenue, and from the post-office. The paying teller pays out money on drafts and checks on the Treasury, including all warrants drawn by the Postmaster General, all checks drawn by disbursing officers, the salaries of all persons in the diplomatic service, and all officers of the army and navy, and all pensions.

The vault clerks receive all the money which comes into the hands of the receiving tellers. They keep the money in solid square packages, about ten inches square. I took two of these packages, one in each hand. They were both of the same size and weight, and presented the same outward appearance. Yet one contained only $4,000. The other contained the nice little sum of 4,000,000-enough to support a man comfortably during one's lifetime, with the exercise of economy.

The vast extent of the cash division may be realized from the fact that its receipts during the last fiscal year amounted to over two thousand millions of dollars, and its payments to even a larger sum.

The entire receipts of the cash division for the last six years have been five