even iron in many respects, and thus place "the new silver" superior in some points to the real article, into such common use, as to suit the means of the poorest persons. The National Intelligencer learns from Paris that the members of the Academy of Science and the numerous auditory were loud in their admiration and surprise at the beanty and brilliancy of many ingots of aluminum, presented by Mr. Dumas, the celebrated chemist. It was impossible to believe they were not silver until taken into the hands, when their extraordinary lightness at once proved the contrary. That a metal should weigh so little seemed almost incredible. The price of aluminum a short time since in France was about the rate of gold! but owing to recent discoveries, reducing the expense of extracting it, the cost of production was now about one hundred times less; and there was little doubt that the effect of competition in its manufacture, together with the advantage of throwing it open to the industrial resources of the world, would be to reduce the price as low as five francs the kilogramme, or about forty cents a pound. STATISTICS OF AGRICULTURE. &c. THE VARNISH TREE OF TEXAS. A letter has been received from a correspondent in Texas, in which he alludes to a varnish tree which they have cultivated, and says that they are ignorant of the manner of obtaining the varnish from it. Believing the varnish-tree of which he speaks to be the same as the rhus vernicifera of Japan, the Union gives the method recommended at the Patent Office, as given by Thunberg. The very best Japan varnish is prepared from this tree, which grows in great abundance in many parts of that country, and is likewise cultivated in many places on account of the great advantages derived from it. This varnish, which oozes out of the tree on being wounded, is procured from stems that are three years old, and is received in some proper vessel. At first it is of a lightish color, and of the consistence of cream, but grows thicker and black on being exposed to the air. It is so transparent when laid pure and unmixed upon boxes or furniture, that every vein of the wood may be seen. For the most part a dark ground is spread underneath it, which causes it to reflect like a mirror, and for this purpose recourse is frequently had to the fine sludge which is got in the trough under a grindstone, or to ground charcoal; occasionally a red substance is mixed with the varnish, and sometimes gold-leaf ground very fine. This varnish hardens very much, but will not endure any blows, cracking and flying almost like glass, though it can stand boiling water without any damage. With this the Japanese varnish over the posts of their doors, and most articles of furniture which are made of wood. It far exceeds the Chinese and Siamese varnish, and the best is collected about the town of Jassino. It is cleared from impurities by winging it through very fine paper; then about a hundredth part of an oil called toi, which is expressed from the fruit of bignonia tomentosa, is added to it, and being put into wooden vessels, either alone or mixed with native cinnabar, or some black substance, it is sold all over Japan. The expressed oil of the seeds serves for candles. The tree is said to be equally poisonous as the rhus venenata, or American poison tree, commonly called the swamp sumach. WHEAT CROP OF EACH COUNTY IN THE STATE OF OHIO. TABULAR STATEMENT EXHIBITING THE NUMBER OF ACRES OF LAND IN EACH COUNTY OF THE STATE OF OHIO CULTIVATED IN WHEAT DURING THE YEARS 1850, 1851, 1852, AND 1853, TOGETHER WITH THE NUMBER OF BUSHELS YIELDED IN EACH COUNTY, AND THE AVERAGE YIELD PER ACRE, AS ASCERTAINED BY THE TOWNSHIP ASSESSORS, ACCORDING TO LAW. ACRES SOWN. BUSHELS GATHERED AV. YIELD OF BUSHELS PER ACRE. 1850. 1851. 1852. 1853. 1850. 1851. 1852. 1853. 1850. 1851. 1862. 1853. Adams... 15,972 20,183 18,901 149,140 258,057 191,096 9.3 12.7 10.1 .... ...... 14,872 ... 15,560 14,054 12,820 231,277 299,426 147,494 116,680 15.5 19.2 10.6 9.1 Ashland. Athens. Auglaize.. Belmont. Brown 82,882 30,613 29,430 23,847 633,996 573,176 473,331 206,815 19.2 18.7 16.0 8.7 4,301 2,236 4,865 75,905 38,685 75,102 17.6 17.3 15.4 .... 17,468 15,843 17,125 12,961 221,369 196,008 209,653 148,424 12.6 12.3 12.2 11.4 9,721 10.900 12,226 10,950 189,788 162,361 130,403 96,615 14.8 14.8 10.6 8.8 89,189 38,106 34,738 33,331 667,311 563,467 394,852 508,430 17.0 14.7 14.6 11.8 24,980 20,320 20,891 25,058 360,093 207,820 256,456 316,721 14.4 10.2 11.8 12 2 31,131 26,242 24,947 24,804 529,890 377,738 397,625 367,030 17.0 14.3 15.9 14.8 Carroll 34,915 29,412 27,934 21,014 577,235 427,714 325,131 155,132 16.5 14.5 11.6 7.4 Champaign 34,542 32,676 38,607 30,157 665,873 600,641 535,510 410,294 19.2 18.3 15.9 13.6 Clark 24,488 25,080 24,249 24,018 491,954 447,819 421,963 393,433 20.0 17.8 17.5 16.2 Clermont 21,484 17,671 17,665 203,498 248,257 236,824 9.4 14.0 13.4 ... ... Clinton 17,626 17,562 16,773 14,045 288,995 201,445 216,209 198,581 16.3 11.4 12.8 14.1 Columbiana 35,721 29,909 28.829 25,854 606,261 459,887 390,791 264,293 16.9 15.3 13.5 10.2 Coshocton. 47,811 37,437 37,388 35,980 862,809 519,094 597,310 333,999 18.0 13.8 15.9 9.3 21,599 20,164 18,029 15,073 409,643 310,843 128,812 165,135 18.9 15.4 7.1 11.0 6,711 7,337 3,175 4,149 97,966 125,357 48,290 51,669 14.5 17.0 15.2 12.4 24,217 20,919 24,139 373,939 324,958 293,593 15.4 15.5 12.2 6,583 6,076 6,725 6,243 94,207 83,009 84,124 71,151 14.3 13.6 12.5 11.4 12,075 11.445 8,857 175,767 127,800 107,665 14.5 11.1 12.2 .... 12,578 11,142 9,789 7,731 297,587 214,194 162,814 122,810 23.6 19.2 16.6. 15.9 89,472 37,643 36,579 34,011 690,089 609,724 569,323 469,004 17.4 16.1 15.5 13.8 ... 9,901 9,502 8,380 6,686 149,564 119,480 113,124 107,672 15.1 12.5 13.4 16.1 16,071 17,710 17,590 12,457 294,162 275,781 309,784 180,862 18.3 15.5 17.6 14.5 ... 8,117 8,360 8,668 7,025 127,705 139,055 118,179 118,644 15.7 1625 13.6 15.2 13,391 14,372 14,787 125,433 124,931 156,763 146,086 8.9 9.3 10.9 9.9 4,336 3,757 3,563 2,688 59,528 61,040 54,675 36,615 13.7 16.2 15.3 13 6 VO L. XXX III.-NO. III. 9,914 ..... 6,436 Wayne Williams .... Total. 1,658,106 1,657,252 1,624,715 1,421,826 28,769,139 25,309,225 22,962,774 17,118,811 The preceding tabular statement is derived from the " Annual Report of the Auditor of State, on the Condition of the Finances of Ohio;" and we take this opportunity of acknowledging our indebtedness to WILLIAM D. MORGAN, Esq., the Auditor, for an early copy of his able and interesting report. In a subsequent number of the Merchants' Magazine we shall embody other equally valuable statistics from the same official and authentic source. 832,059 885,510 478,560 18.9 20.3 12.6 .... 105,272 136,416 140,643 12.7 14.0 13.6 88,274 52,111 141,226 41,669 THE SORGHO SUCRE: A RIVAL OF THE SUGAR-CANE. We published in a former number of the Merchants' Magazine some account of this newly discovered plant, and now give the opinion of Count David de Bauregard, who transmitted the report of the French Agricultural Commission at Toulon to the French consul at Cork, in Ireland. This opinion was sent to Hon. James Buchanan, United States Minister to England, by Mr. B. James Hackett, from whom it was received by the United States Commissioner of Patents : "I hasten to forward you by this post the report drawn up by the Agricultural Commission at Toulon respecting the holcus saccharatus, an article introduced into France from China in the year 1851, by Mr. De Montigny, the French consul at Shanghai. No new feature has appeared, but I continue to think that the plant is one of the most valuable which exist; that it will yield the greatest advantage not only in Europe, wherever the climate permits the late maize to grow to perfection, but even under the tropics, where it may replace with advantage the sugar cane, because it will there grow three crops in the same space of time as is required for one of the sugar cane, and that besides it is more exempt from the injuries of the white ant, which destroy its rival." POSTAL DEPARTMENT. STATISTICS OF POSTAGE IN THE PRINCIPAL CITIES OF THE UNITED STATES. The following is a comparative statement of the amount received for letter postage at the principal cities in the United States, during the years ending 31st March, 1853 and 1855. To make it more intelligible, the population in 1850 and the increase per cent, are also given : Post-offices. Boston, Massachusettts... Letter postage. Inc'se 1853. $149,272 64 $183,322 83 23 455,133 05 1855. p. c. 564,580 34 26 It will be seen that the increase on letter postage is much greater in Northern cities than in Southern. A statement of the amount of postage on letters sent to the respective offices named, and there to be remailed and sent to other offices, shows the same disparity, as follows: Recent investigations in the city of New York show, says the Washington Union, that the removal of postage stamps from letters, and then dropping the letters unpaid into the office, is practiced there to a great extent, chiefly by the lads with whom they are sent to be mailed. The stamps thus fraudulently acquired are exchanged for |