DELUSIONS OF THE INSANE. There is no end to the false impressions and delusions with which the mind may be affected. A physician was once called to see a man laboring under the fancy that he was converted into a teapot. And when the physician endeavored to ridicule him out of the idea, he indignantly replied, "I am a teapot," and forming a semicircle with one arm, placing his hand upon his hips, he said, "there is the handle," and thrusting out the other arm, "there is the spout." Men have believed themselves converted into barrels rolled along the street. One case is recorded of a man who believed himself a clock, and would stand for hours at the head of the stairs clicking with his tongue. A respectable tradesman in England even fancied himself metamorphosed into a seven shilling piece, and took the precaution of requesting, as a particular favor of his friends, that if his wife should present him in payment, they would not give change for him. Some have supposed that many armed knights were engaged in battle with them. A sea captain in Philadelphia believed for many years that he had a wolf in his liver. A madman in the Pennsylvania hospital believed that he was once a calf, and mentioned the name of the butcher who killed him, and the stall in Philadelphia Market on which his flesh was sold previously to his animating his present body. One man believes his legs made of butter, and with the greatest caution avoids the fire; another imagines them to be made of glass, and with extreme care wraps them in wooden boxes when he goes out to ride. A prince of Bourbon often supposed himself to be a plant, and taking his stand in the garden, would insist upon being watered in common with the plants around him. A French gentleman imagined himself to be dead, and refused to eat. To prevent his dying of starvation, two persons were introduced to him in the character of the illustrious dead like himself, and they invited him after some conversation respecting the world of shades, to dine with another distinguished but deceased person, Marshal Turenne. The lunatic accepted this polite invitation, and made a hearty meal. Every day, while his fancy prevailed, it was necessary to invite him to the table of some ghost of rank or reputation. Yet in the other common affairs of life the gentleman was not incapacitated from attending to his own interests. MAGNANIMITY. When the emperor Vespasian commanded a Roman senator to give his voice against the interest of his country, and threatened him with immediate death, if he spoke on the other side, the Roman, conscious that the attempt to serve a people was in his power, though the event was ever so uncertain, answered with a smile, "did I ever tell you that I was immortal? My virtue is in my own disposal, my life in yours; do you what you will, I shall do what I ought; and if I fall in the service of my country I shall have more triumph in my death, than you in all your laurels."-Roman Annals. No man can expect to monopolize an idea beneficial to mankind. THE DOG OF ORTE. In the severe and too memorable winter of 1709, when the wheat, olives, vines and fruit-trees were frozen in France, the wolves committed frightful ravages in the interior of that country, and even attacked men. One of these ferocious beasts, after having broken a window, entered a thatched cottage in the forest of Orte, hard by Angouleme. Two children, one six and the other eight years old, lay asleep waiting the return of their mother, who was gone to gather some wood to make a fire with. Seeing no resistance, the wolf leaped upon the bed to devour the tender prey. Seized with a sudden fright, these two boys slipped under the mattress, and there lay flat without breathing. So near the flesh, and not being able to reach it immediately, the murderous animal became more excited; he began to tear the blanket and all the bed-clothes to shreds. Weak as these obstacles were, nevertheless, they were the saving of the boys' lives. While the enraged wolf sought them, an enormous mastiff (which had followed their mother, his mistress into the wood) came up now in time to deliver them. The dog caught the scent at some distance from the house, to which the villagers, loaded with wood, were slowly walking. He ran with the swiftness of a deer, entered like a lion, and fell on the enemy, which now crouched into a corner. Scizing the cowardly wolf by the throat, he dragged him to the door, and strangled him upon the road. Let any one picture to himself the frightful state of the poor mother on her return home. She sees at her feet a dead wolf; her dog covered with blood; the children no more. Having a presentiment of what was passing-his mistress's distress-the dog came forward with an energetic solicitude, and, returning to the bed, he dives his head several times under the mattress, seeming to say to her she would find there what was most precious. The mother, approaching the bed in tears, stretched out her hand and felt the boys. She hastily withdraws them. One moment more and they would have been suffocated. As soon as they had recovered their senses, they frankly told her of their perils, how the wolf entered, and how they were saved.-Boston Traveller. LATEST INVENTION FOR ROBBING. The most impudent occurrence that we have ever yet heard of in the art of robbery is thus related in a Paris paper:-A lady went the other day into a shop in the Rue Richelieu to buy a cashmere shawl, and, having arranged the price, took from her purse a bank-note, and was in the act of handing it to the cashier's counter, when a man, who had been observed watching her at the shop door, rushed in, struck the lady, and snatching the note from her hand, exclaimed, "I have already forbidden you to buy a shawl, but will watch you, and you shall not have one." He then went out of the shop, and the lady fainted away. On her revival, the master of the shop began to condole with her on this scene of violence, and regretted she had so brutal a husband. "My husband!" cried the lady, "I never saw the man before." It turned out that she had been robbed; pursuit was instantly made after the audacious rogue, but it was all in vain; he had got clear off. oms. It is of very irregular shape. The northern shore is generally bold and elevated, and extends about twelve miles, penetrating almost unbroken ranges of cliffs, which vary from three hundred to fifteen hundred feet in height. The south shore is generally low and sandy, though occasionally interrupted by limestone ridges, the most remarkable of which, situated towards the eastern extremity, presents a perpendicular wall, three hundred feet high, broken by numerous caverns and projections, and forming, under the name of the Picture Rocks, one of the greatest natural curiosities of the United States. The central portion of the lake is clear of islands, but they abound on the south and north sides. In the former direction they are generally small, but in the latter, several, more especially the Isle Royale, are of considerable dimensions, and along with the indentations of the coast, afford good shelter for vessels. The water of the lake is remarkable for its transparency, and derives its supplies from a basin which is estimated at one hundred thousand square miles, and is drained by more than two hundred streams. About thirty of these are of considerable size, but they are all impetuous torrents, interrupted by narrows and falls. The only obstruction to navigation of the lake arises from the violent gales to which it is subject. It is well supplied with fish, principally trout, white-fish and sturgeon. The two former are of excellent quality, and have led to the establishment of a great number of fishing stations. The other principal export by the lake is copper, of which veins of great richness and extent have been discovered. The copper mines of Michigan, in the northern peninsula, to which the ship canal we have delineated will prove so great a benefit, are the richest in the world. They oc blood. The village is pleasantly situated, and contains, besides the county buildings, churches for the Baptists, Methodists and Catholics, and one newspaper office. Steamboats frequently visit this place in summer with parties of pleasure. Many of the inhabitants are engaged in the fur trade and fisheries. In 1851, the value of imports was estimated at $151,134; that of exports at $340,800. The building of the ship canal was a most important enterprise, and will be prodigiously felt in this portion of the country. Saint Mary's Strait, on which the town is situated, separates Canada West from the upper peninsula of Michigan, and connects Lake Superior and Lake Huron. It commences at the southeastern extremity of the former lake, and after a general southeasterly course of sixty-three miles, enters Lake Huron by three channels. At some places it spreads out into little lakes, at others rushes through narrow rapids, or winds about beautiful islands. Its entire length is navigable by vessels drawing about eight feet of water, up to within a mile of Lake Superior. At this point the navigation is interrupted by falls-the "sault" of the river. Congress of fered the State of Michigan 750,000 acres of land to construct a ship-canal round these rapids; and the State of Michigan contracted to give these lands, free of taxation for five years, to Erastus Corning and others, on condition of building the canal by the 19th of May, 1855. The work now completed, forms the last link in the intercommunication of the great lakes, and adds seventeen thousand miles of coast to our trade. The work in style is superior to anything of the kind on this continent, and the locks are supposed to be the largest in the whole world. The combined length of the three locks together is nearly one-third of a mile, all of solid mason-cupy a belt one hundred and twenty miles long ry, twenty-five feet high, ten feet thick at the base, with buttresses at every twelve feet, six feet in width, all faced with cut limestone of the first quality. The gates are each forty feet wide. The canal is one hundred feet at the top of the water, and one hundred and fifteen feet wide at the top of its banks. It is twelve feet deep, and the main body of the canal is excavated through solid rock of red sandstone. The largest steamboats and vessels which navigate the great lakes can pass through this magnificent canal with the greatest ease. The whole work was finished in little more than a year, a short space of time, considering the intervals of inactivity occasioned by the inclemency of the weather and the difficulties necessarily encountered. A vast saving of time and labor is effected by this work, as boats from the copper region can now pass directly to the ports on Lake Erie without re-shipping their freight at the "sault." A line of steamers has already been established, running from Cleveland and Detroit to the various port of Lake Superior, and they are always crowded with pleasure-seekers who wish to enjoy the pure air of the northern waters. Every one knows that Lake Superior is the largest expanse of fresh water on the face of the globe. It has Minnesota on the west and northwest, the northern peninsula of Michigan on the south, and British America in all other directions. Its estimated area is thirty-two thousand square miles. Height above the sea level, six hundred and thirty feet; depth varying from eighty to two hundred fath and from two to six miles broad. A block of almost pure copper, weighing several tons, taken from these mines, is embedded in the walls of the national museum at Washington. A mass weighing one hundred and forty tons was uncovered in the North American mine in 1854. The same mineral is abundant in Isle Royale. One house shipped from this district, in five and a half months in 1854, two million seven thousand six hundred and thirty-six pounds; and in the nine years, ending with 1853, inclusive, four thousand eight hundred and twenty-four tons were shipped. Silver has been found in connexion with the copper, yielding in one instance twenty-five, and another fifty per cent. of the precious metal. Iron of a very superior quality exists in a bed of slates, from six to twenty-five miles wide, extending westward for one hundred and fifty miles into Wisconsin. Though the mineral resources of Michigan are very imperfectly developed, yet lead, gypsum, peat, limestone, marl and coal are known to exist, the last in abundance at Corunna, within one hundred miles of Detroit. utmost activity exists in the mining region of the northern peninsula, which has been intensely stimulated by the completion of the ship canal. One of our engravings represents Fort Brady. It was built in 1823, and was at that time the most northerly fort in the United States. Its whitewashed buildings present a neat and cleanly appearance, characteristic of such establishments. A company of infantry is stationed there, but it is rarely called upon to perform active service. The |