DUR OFFER T0 SPAIN. SAMES BUCHANAN WOULD HAVE GIV- EN $100,000,000 FOR CUBA. d'en Years Before Franco Had About Con- cluded Negotiations for the Purchase of All Her Possessions in the West In- dias for One Third That Sum. What are the chances of Spain ac- cepting a reviv'al'of the offer of $100,- 000,000 for Cuba. made by Secretary Bu- chanan in President Polk's adminis- iration? Let us see. When the Chum war broke out in 1868 Cuba’s debt in Spain was $25,000,000. When the present war broke out in February, 1895, Cuba owed Spain $190,000,000. At the pres- ent time Cuba owes Spain little less than $500,000,000. Clearly then :1 repe- tition of President Buchanan‘s .2.‘.'cr by President M-.~l<inley would be vvrwccep~ table at Madrid and even ii the a. not were double, Spain by thus ceding; ncr sovereignity over Cuba would still lose $300,000,000 and her best source of rev- enue forever. Besides, the American neople after the Maine affair might never consent to pay Spain any such amount as in Buchanan’s time. Nor would they guarantee Cuban bonds even if the Cubans themselves were prepared to buy the freedom for which they struggled from 1868 to 1878 and from 1895 to 1898. With the assistance of-the Cubans the United States can drive spain out of Cuba. with less than a total expense of $50,000,000 besides availing herself of an opportunity to fuse together the various elements and populations there into one homo- genous nationality, that has not oc- curred for over a century. A foreign war is the only thing need- ed to do this, and it is likely there- fore, that the United States will not buy Cuba upon any terms. But would Spain sell Cuba in case Uncle Sam were willing to buy? The chances are that taking advantage of the pacific character of the American people this is just what the Spanish Cabinet means, and that the President. in asking Congress for an appropri- ation has really called the bluff of the Spanish Minister. Spain has already offered to sell Cuba: and thecircum- stances under which she was dispbsed to do so though little known in this country are worth recalling at the present time. About sixty years ago when Louis Philippe was seeking to strengthen his hold upon the French throne, Queen Christina of Spain, being sorely pressed for cash, sent a confidential courier to Paris to see Prince Talley- rand. The name ,of the Spanish envoy was gCampuzanoand he brought an in- troduction to. Senor Aquado, then a prominent Spanish banker at- the French capital. Lord Palmerston was their.x the terror of all the Chancelleries c.f"~Eur0pe,- and secrecy was important for the success of the mission. The Spanish envoy was authorized by Queen Christina to sell Cuba and Porto Rico to France for a sum of $32,000,000 and the Phillippine Islands, which, it is said, were thrown in as a make- l l weight for 310500.000. When the Span- ' ish banker Aquado received the. envoy from Madrid he sent a rather nervous and mysterious note to Talleyrand hinting at matters of great mutual profit, and the astute French states- man made an _appointment with Aquado and the envoy of Queen Chris- tina. not at his chambers but at the private house of his private secretary. Very soon afterwards Talleyrand saw the Citizen King and made an appoint- ment at the Tuilleres for Aquado and Campuzano whereupon all sitting around a table at the head of which was the King, the sale of Cuba and Porto Rico was accepted at the Queen’s offer of thirty million taels, the equiva- lent of which in round numbers is thirty-two millions of dollars. r Louis Phillippe was accused of mean- ness in everything and was a huckster by nature. So after the contract in respect of Cuba was signed the King thought he would cut the price of tho Phillippine Islands down from ten to seven millions of taels. Campuzano, however, while carrying out the orders of. his sovereign was secretly opposed to selling the pearl of the Antilles to France or. to any other and when Louis Phillippe object- ed in the case of the second pur- chase, Campuzano interposed an objection to the sale. feeling that Campuzano was merely the messenger of Queen Christina. and that his objections could not stop a purchase already more than half completed renewed his objection, which was again and more emphati- cally than before opposed by the Span- ish envoy. At this renewal of his for- mer attitude by Campuzano, Louis Phillippe exclaimed in a loud and im- perative tone—“The reduction in price must be accepted. The terms are too onerous. Seven millions of taels is my offer or else the whole contract must be thrown into the fire.” Prince Talleyrand was about to speak. He rose from the table and stretched forth his hand for the Signed contract and to soothe the King or compromise the situation With that di- plomacy for which he was famous, when the Spanish envoy rose too and pushed his chair back with so much force that it fell on the fender near ’ 'wnicn no was sitting. Rudely stretch- ing his short body across the table as clutched the signed contract, slowly folding it up and looking the King in— dignantly in the eye remarked: “Your Majesty is in the right; the contract is'worthless and fit only to be thrown in the fire. I have pleasure therefore in executing You Majesty’s com- mands.” Suiting the action to the word the Spanish envoy strode across the room and flung the already signed Cuban ‘contractbetween the burning logsheating it down with the tongs WEEKLY - soap/Ann - GAZETTE The King was utterly taken back by i :he sudden action of the Spanish en- voy, but taking out the snuff box to 5 which His Majesty always had recourse apo'n uncomfortable occasions or when ? :11 any dilemma he absorbed a copious iraught, this time also concealing his injured emotions with his handkerchief . and without bowing to Talleyrand, 5 Louis Philippe at once left the room. Aquado, the banker, who only saw his :hance of making a commission of a million taels vanish in smoke, rushed :o drag the burning papers from the fire while Campuzano trembling with PfiS' lion and excitement, pushed the banker lway and at'the same moment testily refused Talleyrand’s request for an $0108? to the King. Prince Talleyrand afterwards stated that in all his experience he had never witnessed such 'a spontaneous ebulli- :ion of wrath in the presence of royalty as in this attempt of the Spanish sov- 9reign to transfer Cuba to France, and which but for this remarkable incident might now be our competitor instead of Spain. It was only ten years afterwards that Tames Buchanan, when Secretary .of State, directed the American Minister it Madrid, to offer Spain $100,000,000 for the peaceable cession of her rights in Cuba. But the offer of a sum nearly :hree times as large as that for which the islands with Porto Rico and tho ‘ Phillippine Islands was offered to France was considered an indignity by' the Spanish Dons and a year later when the Whigs came into power John M. Clayton said the offer to purchase Cuba might never be renewed. This fact, however, utterly disproves the allegations so often made that Spain would part with her last peseta and her last man before she would yield Cuba. She was ready then to sell the ' Island sooner than pledge the crown jewels, and who knows but she is ready to do so now, provided the consideration is proportionate to Spain’s desperate necessities. Before that country faces its doom Sagasta may reconsider the whole case and in the sober second thought, cede Cuba. Otherwise the story' of that dying eagle might be profitably rehearsed in Madrid, and Spain too might solilo- quize thus: "That eagle’s fate and mine are one Which on the shaft that made him die, Espied a feather of his own W'herewith he wont to soar so big ,3" Consideration for Baby. A few weeks ago a. tired-looking lit- tle woman, with her thin cape spread. out to protect her burden from the rain, rushed through the mud in a well- known street to a ’bus. The steps were crowded with men who could not find a seat, but they: made, Way for her and helped her into the packer ’bus'. She stood unsteadily in the aisle, try- ing to preserve her balance as the 'bus, humbled along. “Keep still, dear!” she sighed, in a weak, tired voice, when a slight distur- bance under the cape was observable. “Why don't some of you fellows give that woman with a baby a. seat?" growled a fat man, who was hanging to a strap. ‘ Two or three men sprang up and each insisted that she take his seat. She sank into one of the vacant places. thanked the man who had made way for her, and a frowsy-headed terrier sprank from underher cape and sat in her lap while he barked at the fat man. Home Menu Cookery. "Put it in any way you choose," said a recent speaker, herself a woman, “to the vast majority of mankind homo means cookery. power and infiuenceare, in most in- stances, in exact proportion to her ability to cook or to command good cooking. The old phrase, ‘a. notable woman,’ means, above and beyond everything else, skill in housewifery, and it means this just as much to-day as it ever did. It is a very democratic standard. for it applies no loss to the tenement house woman than it does to the mistress of a score of servants, but it is none the less forcible for that. Like love, housewifery levels all ranks; it is common ground whereon all wo- : men, be they high or low. rich or poor ' must meet, the only aristocracy that it nation, | The King, - admits being based upon excellence. "She: “Sir, what do-yommean by putting your arm round my waist?” He: “Do you object?”_ She: “Mr. Arthur Gordon, I'll give you just five hours to remove your arm." INANIM ATE THOUGHT. f / ' - < Alike-Ur \ ‘15 The Tiger Rug (if it could only speak)—To think, after my adventure ; nus career, I should come to be trod on by a thing like this! A woman's domestic . l b p» 7:51.". ililRSHIPS TALK «as. us: av THE HELIOGRAPH OF A SIGNALING cons. The Language of the Seas is Easily Latin! ml by Marines, and the Vocabulary, Though is Sufficient for A! Practical Purposes. The importance of the part whicli the signal staff play on board a man- of—war can not be overrated. It is tht ears and tongue of each ship; on: through it are conveyed the commandi and reports of the gravest as Well a! the most trivial import, from an invi- tation to dinner to an order to figh’ the enemy. The means and codes througl which messages are conveyed vary a! the circumstances surrounding thl vessels differ. At the principal Naval depots and at the Navy schools 1! Annapolis and Newport the student: are carefully instructed in all tht branches of this important subject The instruction is usually given to thi pupils in pairs. One man reads t'hl signals made by the instructor, whil« the other writes them on the slate. The semaphore system of signallini is the easiest to learn. Every lette or sign is indicated by one or mort arms of the semaphore held in posi tions which follow a regular sequenci and are readily remembered. Tho difficulty begins when the signals ari made rapidly; and it requires a grea. deal of practice to "take in" a signa when the arms are moved quickl: from one position to another. This ii especially true when signs are em ployed which represent more than out letter. Sentences, which contain com binations of these letters, often com pletely nonpluss the learner, when ti the practiced eye they present no difli culties. Semaphore signals can be successfully made with the arms, wire: the wooden apparatus is not at hand: and it is a common sight to see or officer or a seaman standing up in thi stern sheets of a. boat oscillating ant waving his arms in a way to make thi uninitiated fancy he has gone starl mad, yet conveying a perfectly intel ligible meaning to the Signalman 01 board, the ship. The principal use 0': the semaphore is in what may be caller “conversational” signalling; and fox this purpose it is in almost constan- employment in a squadron of war- vessels. Sinai], ll 0% \\ \\ .. l‘ '2: t "S; hill/I / . . iii ‘. l .. “I JAM/91M A 55*". PH ~l still the princi- wulcation between they are alwayi . But.,the oldest pal medium of co war-ships are flag: used for evolutionary. routine, out similar classes of Signals. The mas tery of the flag system of signalling ii very difllcult; for, with the letters at the, alphabet and a complete set 0: numerals, a. very great many combin‘ ations can be made, and Laese can In further varied by distinguishing pen- dants. The hoisting of the flags is, b: no means, as simple a matter as ii looks. The required skill can only bl secured by much practice. An experi Signalman will run up a string of flag: in a few seconds, and have them at floating out clear; while a tyro woulI get them hopelessly entangled an: wonder at the contrariness of the littli strips of hunting. When the hours of instruction at: over the men roll up the flags into nea: little bundles, in such a way that the) can be hoisted in that form and sud- denly set free by a sharp pull on tin halliards; and woe to the student whc rolled them up if the flags do n0! "break" properly when they are again unfurled. The heliograph affords a. very pretty medium of signalling, but can only bl used when the sun is shining. It is i small circular mirror, mounted so that by a motion of the finger it can b: made to flash the sun’s rays on a given point in the distance. The flash 0: this instrument can be seen for fifty miles; and, with the aid of a telescope at a much greater distance. A: opaque substance is held before thc mirror at longer or shorter intervals thus changing the flashes into a sem blance of dots and dashes, and enab- ling the operator to use the Morse tele graph alphabet in sending the mes. sages. During the Apache campaigr in Arizona a message was transmittet with the heliograph one hundred and eighty-three miles. In time of war the lighthouses slt' uated along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts could be made to do invaluable service as signalling stations, Their watchful eyes could sweap the ocean and signal the approach of an enemy long before the ships were visible from the land. Take the lighthouse at Sanc' Key, Florida, for an illustration. This- light is seven miles from Key West Should there be trouble in the Gulf 0: Mexico or Cubaward, men stationec' in the top of its fall tower could watcl: the waters for twenty miles around: and,’ with the aid of a search light look far down toward Cuba,'and send to the war department reports of ill! movements at the seat of trouble. An- other example of what can be done ll ‘ 'ton. driven by electricity. l the way of lighthouse signalling is furnished by the beacon at Cape Cod, where there is a signal display station and telegraphic connections with 1305- Vessels passing Cape Cod signal their messages to the lighthouse, and within a minute the messages are in Boston. From these lighthouses, scat- tered at intervals all along our coasts, the movements of an hostile squadron approaching our shores, might be watched almost continuously; and its doings signalled at once to the proper authorities. All that would be needed would be to equip them with proper signalling apparatus, telescopes, etc. In this connection it will be interest- ing to note some of the ancient meth- ods of signalling. Beacon fires, built on the tops of high hills, mountains or towers have been used for long-dis‘ tance signalling from time imme- morlal. The Bible refers to their use; and the most ancient historians write of them as being common long before their day. Relays of torch-holders l l 7 l / .3 " 4/ ,,/ a W' )l/a'u /‘ -'//~”" ii - '1'.“ I: 7“ , 7’ l’/ ’2, W 2/ ,g 27/: 0.5: agar/[4106M PH, _’ were also frequently employed for sig- nalling purposes. The use of mirrors to flash signals by means of sun rays dates back to the time of the Pharaohs. An alphabetical method of camp sig- nal was perfected by Polybius. The letters of the alphabet were arranged in five or six columns- The number of a letter in a column and the column were indicated by the number of torches held up. Another ingenious contrivance for night communications from afar was the clepsydra. This was a tall vessel containing water, which was let out slowly by a tap at the bottom. Divisions were marked .down the side, and on each division a sentence was inscribed. Each signall- ing point had one of these instruments; and on a light being shown by one station it was acknowledged by the other, and thetap at the bottom of each clepsydra pulled out. When the surface of the water had settled to the required sentence, a second light was shown, the flow of water stopped, and the sentenceat the surface of the wa- ter read on the other and correspond- ing clepsydra. ‘ Once More ‘ the Airship. One more inventor has entered the field with an airship, and he is as sanguine of success as. were all the others who have from time to timc flutteredintothe air'with various con- t'rivances and came ingloriously to earth; _He is M. C. McCarthy of Nichol- son, 'Wls., and he lsnow at work on plans for an airship on a principls which he claims to have invented, and which he says'no other airship man has ever tried to use. True, he has not yet built an airship, and, therefore, the success or failure' of the principle is still something for the future to deter- mine, but on paper the plan looks just as feasible as do all the other airship plans that have been exploited in the past. , For three years McCarthy, who is only 21 years old, has been interested in aerial navigation, and has made a he hit upon the idea of using an'in- number of experiments along lines 01 his own, with varying success. At lasi verted propeller similar to the pro- peller of a steamer and having it He describes the invention as follows: “Towering high above the car of the ship is a huge propeller, standing per- pendicularly and constructed the same as that of an ordinary steamer. When power is applied to this and it begins to revolve rapidly it acts on the air as a steamboat propeller does on the wa- ter, and the ship rise. rapidly into the air to any desired height. When the height is reached speed is slackened, and the propeller revolves only fast enough to keep the ship suspended in the air. . “Reaching out from the car of the ship are two smaller steering propel- lers, and, besides being used for steer- ing, they are capable of driving the ship through the air,at a high rate of speed. The edge of the car being cir- cular, they may be shifted to any po- sition, thus making steering possible. Power is transmitted to them by Mc- Carthy’s new acute angle coupling. which is so constructed that it works at an angle and can be turned or twisted over on itself any number at times. It can scarcely be recognized as anything less than a new mechanicai principle. The power to be used in the new ship will be furnished by a storage battery.” Like all airship enthusiasts. McCar- thy is sanguine that before the century closes, regular lines of airships tra vel- ing at a high rate of speed will be crossing between this country and (Europe, carrying passengers, and will be as common in the United States 3‘. railway trains now are. A a- i .‘ 1 v - - r r V," Mill- YORK LE'l‘i‘EP. Special Correspondence. A committee of the New York Presby. tery has reported in favor of a schema: for counteracting the influence of thl saloOns by providing for the working people attractive and safe resorts, es pecially in the evening. Rev. Dr Thompson, Secretary of the Presbyter- ian Home Missions, says this plan is no a new one, but really a continuation o. a work started years ago. Rev. Dr Rainsford, several years ago, proposec to open attractive saloons, where bee. and other mild drinks were to be sold The places were to be made attractiv. with reading rooms, gymnasium, etc “That part of Dr. Rainsford's proposi tion,” says Dr. Thompson, “was al right, but the sale of beer was not com mendable. We don’t intend to dispens. anything to young men or old, or to wo men, that might tend to give them ap petites for in-toxicants. On the contrary our aim will be to counteract that ap petite by teaching the evils of intoxicat ing beverages.” , J”. The Brooklyn Bridge. The East River bridge is now practi rally at free bridfe: It was long agc thrown open to pedestrians without toll but a charge of 3 cents was made for : ride on the bridge cars. This toll is stil maintained, but any one using the regu- lar trolley cars which now cross thu structure pays 5 cents for the ride to hi: destination in Brooklyn and secures hi: passage across the bridge free. In othle'. words, the patrons of the trolley car: save their daily bridge fares both ways This means a loss of a. large revenue t( the bridge. This depreciation in receipts seems ti be looked upon as a public calamity it New York. But why should this bridgi be made a source of profit more that any other bridge? The prop-er View it be taken seems to be that a bridge is a public highway, and as such should bi free to the public. Toll bridges, likc toll roads, are rapidly becoming an achronisms in the older sections of thi country. Papers Noted for Their Poets. The Herald is not the first New Yorl paper of that name, as the semi-weekly edition of The Evening Post was f0; many years called the New York Her aid. It may seem strange that a daily paper should change its name for a different edition, but a. similar instanc: was found in The Commercial Adver tiser, which once issued a semi-weekly edition called the New York Spectator It was discontinued several years ago The Commercial Advertiser and Th: Evening Post, both evening papers were at one time noted for their poets Byrant being the bard of the latter while Robert C. Sands held the sami distinction on 'the former. He did no equal Byrant, yet some of his poeml were highly deserving. The chief edi tor of The Commercial Advertiser a: that time was William L. Stone, Whl held this position for a quarter centur: and was only removed by death Whlli in the midst of his powers. He was no' only an able journalist but also a his torian of equal ability, and was the firs American editor to become historica.’ authority. His son, who bears the sam« name, is also a. noted historian, and hll “Sir William Johnson" is the only reli- able biography of that remarkable man Like his father he also engaged in news paper work and was for several year: city editor of the Journal of Commerce but he is now chiefly engaged in history, . to which he is adapted, both by taste and application. The Original John Jacob Astor. The founder of the Astor estate was a stout built German, and both hi: features and his speech recalled the “fatherland.” He always said “dat” to. that and “tousand” for thousand, am. he loved to talk in his native tongut with his old friends whom he met at thc German Lutheran Church, of which he was a member. Most of our business men require recreation, but Astor wa: an exception. He neither loved horse: nor pictures; did not visit watering places; had no mania. for rare books 0) curiosities, and really had no fad what- ever. plodding business, in which he founc sufficient pleasure, and he continued tc attend to it until his faculties failed The Astor library was intended to be a family monument, and was thus viewed by his son YVilliam, who made a hand. some donation, both of land and money for its enlargement. William's sons John Jacob and William, also held tin same view, but the consolidation witl the Lenox and the Tilden extinguishes the old names and soon the Astor li- brary will be no more. Could the olc’ man indeed have forseen such a resull there never would havgbeen an Astor library. While the remains of the origina‘. John Jacob now rest with those of his children and grandchildren, his great- grandson Waldorf has become a resi- dent of England, and another grandson, John Jacob, is voyaging in southern waters in his splendid yacht, the Nour- malzal. Hence New York at preseni contains no direct representative of the family. Waldorf is self-exiled, but John Jacob‘s absence is due to business en- terprise, as he has important interests in Honduras. "He is indeed displaying a greater resemblance to the original Jcln Jakob than any other of the family. This is shown by his extensive panic-see of land in Bronx as well as by tie Honduras movement. A few years ago he was simply the ”Jack As- for" of Fifth avenue, living in the pa- reznul home, but he has replaced the '..-“‘:r with. the Astoria. Hotel, and no“ :5 (TI-lone] Astor, formerly of the Gover- ~ ~ staff, and also a director in a co- n 2251 bank. and is accumalating wealth at .c role if a half dozen millions a yr: '. 3 2.“.S not thus far done much :1 2- ;.. a .tlnop' y, but one may hope may. learn that the greatest l.‘ if. ‘- e E“ ‘ ‘ness is found in what Goldsmith a. :2 r- ’--:'::~3.' of doing good." CYRUS THORPE. . 0 His long life was occupied by Striped Taffeta Waist. For the dressy waist nothing is mort appropriate than the dainty striped and figured taffetas which are now so Wilmer. A waist of this sort worn with a handsome black skirt or one ol contrasting color to the blouse, makes a costume suitable for theater or church wear. A bodice of pale violet and green striped tafleta, was opened down the front over a vest of finely tucked plain taffeta. Tucks and insertion adorned the blouse and small sleeve. The skirt was of green amazon cloth. White taffeta silk with colored polka dots is one of the novelties of the sea.- son for ' waists and very dainty they are combined with white mohair skirts. Old-Time Fabulous. Corsets have been found on the mummies of Eyptian princesses of the Royal Family. In 1516 Francis I. gave his queen the equivalent of £3,200 in our money to buy her a. hat. The women of the Middle Ages al- ways parted their hair with a small dagger. When not in use it was car. ried in the girdle. , Wire hairpins were invented in En- gland in 1545. Before that time the femals coiffures were held in place by fine wooden skewers. Philippe le Bel, of France, ordered that no tradesman’s wife should wear a gown made of stuff costing more than twenty pence a yard. In.1364 the pointed hoods worn by the ladies often reached 4 feet above the head, making the lady's face ap- pear about .the centre of her body. ' From 1784 to 1787 the style of hair. dressing in Paris changed seventeen times, and went from the extreme of ,short curls and a skull cap to a hat three feet broad. In the Roman catacombs have'beo'n found several sets of false teeth, man- ufactured from ivory, to repair the rav- ages'oftime in the mouths of Roman. beauties. Kid and silk gloves came into use in Europe about the end of the fif- teenth century. At first only princesso es and ladies of high rank were al- lowed to ‘wear them. [lend This Rapidly. A comprehensive list of the names of devices for exhibiting figures by means of chronophotography given in s. ro— cently published advertising circular, shows to what extent this branch of photography has taken a place in ca- tering to the popular taste. The list runs thus: Phantoscope, cri- terloscope, vitascope, ycinematograph, biograph, kinematograph, wordoscope, animatoscope, vitagraph, panorama- graph, cosmoscope, anarithmoscope, katoptikon, magniscOpe, zoeoptrotrope, phantasmagoria, projectoscope, vari. 3c0pe, cinograph, cinnomonograph, hypnoscope, centograph, X-Ogl'aph. electroscope, cina‘graphoscope. . Kinetoscope, craboscope, vitaletl- scope, cinematoscope, mutoscope, cin- oscope, animaloscope, theatograph, chronophotographoscope, motograph. kinetograph, rayoscope, motorscopo, kinotophone, thromotro‘pe, phenakisto- scope, venetrope, vitrescope, zinemato. graph, vitopticon, stinnetiscope, vivre- scope, diaramiscope, lobterscope, For Summer Went. , For spring and country, wear in the ' summer improved-patterns and quali- ties of the light-weight woolen fabrics have been brought out, similar to those which the best business houses import year after year, and which are bought as regularly by conservative women, and by fashionably dressed women :1. so, who consider a tailor-made cos- tume of such a material an essential part of their annual outfit. The choice ‘ among these suitings this year is un." usually varied and handsome, both in monochromes and pretty fancy mix. t'ures.- A well-made, well-hung silk. lined skirt of these fine wool fabrics, and an open jacket neatly fitted and finished, with which various pretty vests, both light and dark, are en suite, will always give the wearer a sense of being well-dressed, and can be appro. priately worn on more occasions than one would suppose. , . People neither acute nor' profound, often say the thing without effort" which we want and have long been hunting for in min, _ ' -o cor. i minograph, kineoptoscope. ‘» 7
Norwalk Chronicler