t sunset, or break
down at once. One injudicious stimulant--a single fatal excitement,
may force it beyond its strength--whilst a careful supply of props,
and the withdrawal of all that tends to force a plant, will sustain it
in beauty and in vigour until night has entirely set.--_The Science of
Life, by a Physician_.

NERVE.

An Indian sword-player declared at a great public festival, that he
could cleave, vertically, a small lime laid on a man's palm without
injury to the member; and the general (Sir Charles Napier) extended
his right hand for the trial. The sword-player, awed by his rank, was
reluctant, and cut the fruit horizontally. Being urged to fulfil his
boast, he examined the palm, said it was not one to be experimented on
with safety, and refused to proceed. The general then extended his
left hand, which was admitted to be suitable in form; yet the Indian
still declined the trial; and when pressed, twice waved his thin,
keen-edged blade, as if to strike, and twice withheld the blow,
declaring he was uncertain of success. Finally, he was forced to make
trial, and the lime fell open, cleanly divided: the edge of the sword
had just marked its passage over the skin without drawing a drop of
blood!--_Sir Charles Napier's Administration in Scinde_.

WIRE USED IN EMBROIDERY.

In the manufacture of embroidery fine threads of silver gilt are used.
To produce these, a bar of silver, weighing 180 ounces, is gilt with
an ounce of gold; this bar is then wire-drawn until it is reduced to a
thread so fine that 3400 feet of it weigh less than an ounce. It is
then flattened by being submitted to a severe pressure between
rollers, in which process its length is increased to 4000 feet. Each
foot of the flattened wire weighs, therefore, the 4000th part of an
ounce. But as in the processes of wire-drawing and rolling the
proportion of the two metals is maintained, the gold which covers the
surface of the fine thread thus produced consists only of the 180th
part of its whole weight. Therefore the gold which covers one foot is
only the 720,000th part of an ounce, and consequently the gold which
covers an inch will be the 8,640,000th part of an ounce. If this inch
be again divided into 100 equal parts, each part will be distinctly
visible without the aid of a microscope, and yet the gold which covers
such visible part will be only the 864,000,000th part of an ounce. But
we need not stop even here. This portion o