Luray cavern, a cave, not large, but remarkable for the vast number and extraordinary shapes of its stalactites, is close to Luray village, Virginia (ninety miles from Richmond). Many of these wonderful columns exceed fifty feet in length; numbers of them are hollow, giving out bell-like notes when struck; and the colors range from waxy white to yellow, brown, or rosy red. The cavern, which is lit with the electric light, attracts thousands of visitors every year.

The origin of the term "Uncle Sam," a nickname for the United States government, is traced by some to the following story: Samuel Wilson, one of the inspectors of provisions in the War of Independence was called by his workmen and friends "Uncle Sam." Goods came into his hands one day consigned to one of the contractors named Elbert Anderson, and marked "E. A., U. S." These initials were construed by one of the hands, "Elbert Anderson and Uncle Sam." The joke has lived and "Uncle Sam" is now a synonym for the Republic itself.

Our country has the fastest* war vessel in the world. The "New York" is a splendid example of an all-around warship, an unusual combination of great offensive and defensive power. On her recent trial trip she made the fastest time on record, 21.1 knots per hour. Her length on the water line is 380 feet 61/2 inches, her breadth, moulded, 64 feet 10 inches, and her mean draft 23 feet 31/2 inches. Her twin screw, vertical, triple expansion engines furnish an aggregate of 16,500 maximum indicated horse power. The main battery consists of six 8-inch and twelve rapid-firing 4-inch guns; her second battery of eight 6-pounder and four 1-pounder rapid-fire guns and four Gatlings. There are six above-water torpedo tubes; she has no sail power and carries two military masts with double fighting tops. Her armor is two to ten inches thick.

The American Bison is interesting as the only living species of the ox family indigenous to America, except the musk ox of the subarctic regions. It is commonly called buffalo by Americans, but must be dis -tinguished from the true buffalo. The bison was within recent times very abundant in America, especially in the prairies beyond the Missis -sippi, and from 63° N. lat. to New Mexico. Now it is nearly extinct -a result of hard winters, cattle-ranching, railways and immigration.

The Sons of Liberty was an association of the colonists of North America, called into existence in 1765 by Lord Grenville's Stamp Act. The colonists combined to throw off allegiance to Great Britain and to make North America independent. The association began in New York and Connecticut. The term " Sons of Liberty" was suggested by a speech of Colonel Barre's. The " Daughters of Liberty" mutually bound themselves to drink no tea and wear no article of apparel imported from England while the import duties were unrepealed.

When the Southern States were practically disfranchised after the Civil War, there grew up swarms of adventurers who went down to that section and organized the negro voters, got elected to all the chief offices, plundered the state treasuries, contracted huge state debts, and stole the proceeds. Government in the South Carolina and Mississippi states was a mere caricature. When, in 1876, President Hayes refused the "carpetbaggers' ' the protection of Federal troops, the regime fell to pieces, and the rule fell again into the hands of the resident whites.

The Alien and Sedition Laws were passed by Congress June 25, 1798, empowering the President for two years to banish at his discretion the alien enemies of the Republic. This power was (July 6) enlarged by authorizing the President to apprehend and remove aliens. The Sedition Act, defining sedition, with heavy penalties for the offence, became law July 14. These statutes were principally directed against Frenchmen, when war between France and the United States seemed imminent. The laws were bitterly opposed as undemocratic and were repealed when Jefferson came into power.

What is called the affair of the "Trent," took place on November 8, 1861, when Captain Wilkes, of the Federal war steamer "San Jacinto," boarded the Royal British packet' 'Trent," and carried off Messrs. Mason and Slidell, Confederate commissioners and their secretaries, and conveyed them to Boston. There were great rejoicings in the Northern States, and the thanks of Congress were voted to Captain Wilkes (December 2); but the foreign envoys at Washington protested against his act, and a firm dispatch arrived from the British Government (December 18), in consequence of which Messrs. Mason and Slidell and their secretaries were released, and sailed for Europe (January 1, 1862).

The Danites, or "destroying angels," were a secret society founded by Joseph Smith in 1838, professedly merely for the defence of the Mormon sect against the mob. The members, originally some 300 in number, were bound by an oath, under penalty of death, to sustain the "first presidency" and one another in all things, whether right or wrong. They were divided into companies of fifties and tens, with suitable officers and a general over the whole; special "destruction companies " were appointed for the purpose of burning and destroying, at first by way of reprisal; but afterwards assassinations, to fulfil prophecies of Smith's, were laid to their charge.

Wilmot Proviso is the name given to an amendment to a bill appropriating $2,000,000 for the purchase of Mexican territory, moved (Aug. 8, 1846) in the United States Congress by Mr. David Wilmot, Democrat, in the following terms: "That, as an express and fundamental condition to the acquisition of any territory from the Republic of Mexico by the United States, neither slavery or involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of the said territory." This proviso, adopted by the House of Representatives, rejected by the Senate, became the starting point for the "Free-soil" movement of 1848.