A Talk With A Poet

New York Tribune. ANcw Yorker who recently visitod John G. Whittier, at DanveM, Mass., says in a letter to a friend in New York: "Mr. Whittier usually leaves Bo3ton for Amesburg about the lst of April and tlieu retires to Uanvors for thesumtuer. His country home is about a lnüe f rom the railroad station. I found the poet in a small room retired from the maiu part of the house and surrounded by bis booka and paper.. His tall form is slijEfhtly bowed down with age, but ho retains all his old-time courtesy to slrangers. He alluded to his correspoudenee, which was so lavge as to make irksome drafts opent his time and patience. 'Since Longfellow and Emerson died,' said he, 'Dr. Holmes and I have received much of their fugitivo eorrespondenee, which, added to our own, sometirues proves aseriousburden. I receive letters daily from Portland Me. . to Portland, Ore., from misses in their teens, to boys in college They send me their verses with a request that I attend to the publication and rornit them the prooeods fi-om time to time The most, however, under various disfuises, entreat my autograph, a request should grant more williugly if 1 knew them. As to my health 1 cannot complaiu; I have never been able to do protracted work, owing to se.voreneuralgio pains in the head, from which I have suflered since I was a boy. Unfortunately Í have promised considerable work to the publishers, and tuis promise, unperformed, weighs like an mcubus upou vay spirits.' '"In discussing the recently published eorrespondenee of Mrs. Carlyle, and of Carlyle and Emerson, Mr. Whittier said: 'Carlyle seems to have had none of the milk of human kindness in his veins. His letters show a sido of his charactor which none of his intímate . (rienda suspeoted. It would have been better for his reputation if they had never been published. lufaefc, so strongly have they affected myself that I havo set to werk and destroyed the major part of my corrospondenee, covering a period of over lifty years, lest it should be published after my death and bring suftering to any. I wish that all of the letters 1 havo written could be treated by my friends in the samo manner.' " Telegraphs in China are sooii to roceive an important extention. A lin i to be built from Cantón to Shanghai. Whcn tliis lineiscomplctedthe southorn port will then be in direct connection with Tientsin. Lead ore has been discorered in Kwarntimgs, where Cantou is situated, and it is proposed to work mines of this metal. It is gratifying te learn that both these movements are of Chinese oigin.